|
"There she is captain. A pretty girl, if I do say so myself." Garcia blew a kiss towards the transport, still barely visible in the distance. Its shadow was the first thing they sighted, rolling over the grey craters of Luna. Several of the crew had taken some personal time to admire it, they had never seen an asteroid this big before. "A pretty sight indeed. Mutie, fly our colors if'n you please, I'd like to get this over with before our girl escapes into Von Braun airspace." Jonas grinned heartily, steadying himself on his rapier. They had picked this exact spot for the ambush, several miles from the nearest Lunarian settlement. No one would see a thing. Mutie nodded, and flipped a few switches on the console. There was a small lurch as Jove's Bones began to pick up speed, the sails opening and immediately catching the suns solar wind. It was illegal to open sails within the Earth Sphere, by CMC regulation. It was somewhat difficult to slow down or change course while being pushed by the wind, and most ships sails were huge, and could damage nearby spacecraft. But then, it was also illegal to capture an innocent trading ship, and the Black Rock Pirates didn't much care for CMC regulations. Huge fan shaped sails opened on either side of Jove's Bones, showing the laughing skull and helium isotope, Samuels personal emblem. The sails maneuvered slightly, angling such that they would catch solar radiation, and push the ship in the right direction. It was very similar to cloth sails of old, catching the Earths winds. "Ahh, she's feeling a good breeze t'day, I can feel it in me heels. Garcia, how long am I going to have to wait?" Samuel grinned, stroking his beard and very intentionally checking to make sure his finery was all in order. Today would be a good day. "About six minutes captain. Hope the girl has her face on, I wouldn't want her to dissapoint." Garcia winked at Samuel, simultaniously watching the comm for any sign of civilian witnesses. There were none. "I'm sure she won't Garcia. Ye know me, I am but a simple man, I don't care much for her face if the parts are in order." Samuel had a laugh, eyes affixed on the Workhorse. He thought to himself how fitting Garcias analogy was. He did long to see what was inside his prize's hold. "Garcia, send a message to those reds in the airlock. Tell them it's time t'see if their services were worth the shillings." The crew had gotten accustomed to calling the martians they had hired 'reds'. It was something that they didn't quite undersand, which made it all the more fitting. Samuel had heard legends of the martians prowess in hand to hand combat, but the one sparring match he'd had with Jacobin hadn't lived up to his fantasies. Samuel was not exactly cognicent of the old Martian saying. Never harm the man who gives you air. Inside the Bones portside airlock, thirteen men were preparing for battle. They were all tall, not a man among them under six foot, and all as muscular as a savage in the wild. They did not speak a word to each other, the room cast in an eerie silence as each donned his apparel. Even the usual sounds did not occur, sounds of a locker being closed a bit too hard or a man slumping onto a bench. Not a single ounce of energy was being wasted above what was absolutely necessary. Although Riley had supplied normal suits to them, they had refused to wear them, insisting that the suits be shipped to their families on Mars, every one. Instead each wore a thin, form fitting suit of spandex, a Martian design designed to assist the body in combatting a low pressure environment. The suit was two pieces, the top sliding over the head and matching the creases on their goggled masks, whose blue lenses gave them a similarly eerie look to Gihrens Panzergrenadiers. Only their hands and their scalps were uncovered. While it was not exactly a normal suit, it provided zero restriction of movement, something that the reds insisted was more useful than their overall health. Over this they wore almost Arabian like robes, colored red and made out of fibers that did their best to expel radiation. Finally, each wore a single dagger around his neck. They had refused proper weaponry on this mission, insisting on giving their quarry a fighting chance. Jacobin looked around at his team as they finished preparing. The ship was going faster and faster now. The battle would soon come, and only one custom remained. Each man of the Martian assault team looked towards their Chaplain, one Matthew Hazelwood. Ol' Matt gave one man an old bible, scratched and bruised by red dust. Each member of the team held it close to his heart for a moment, as Matthew began to sing in an old, beaten voice. He sang the personal anthem of Mars, adopted by ARES and Jonas Keller. "Glory glory hallelujah..." "Glory glory hallelujah, his Truth is marching on..." "In the beauty of the lillies Christ was born across the sea" "With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me" "As he died to make men holy, let us live to make men free" "His Truth is marching on..." Each of the thirteen men picked up on the last few lines, closing their eyes and entering what could only be described as a religious trance. "Glory glory hallelujah..." "Glory glory hallelujah, his Truth is marching on..." Each man opened his eyes, and moments later the ship lurched violently, docking clamps locking in with the Workhorse. Without any guns or the ability to outrun the interplanetary craft, it was unable to evade its enemy. Automatic systems began hacking into the doors, violating the integral locks while the clamps forced a seal between both ships airlocks. Jacobin and the Martian Free Men unsheathed their knives, breathing red air slowly through their masks and awaiting the moment when the airlock to the Workhorse allowed them entry. The gate sputtered open with a hiss, the sound of air being forced this way and that until it reached an equilibrium. The guardsman on the other end raised his rifle, but a knife was lodged in his forehead before he could pull the trigger. A seven foot tall man was instantly on the body, pulling it to one side so it could shield him from return fire. Two guards at the end of the hall fired their rounds on full automatic, shredding their own companion with lead. Jacobin moved in second, ducking low and advancing towards the two on all fours like a wolf. His compatriot threw the slain body through the air and ran behind it. The two guards instinctively dodged the projectile, a pair of Martians descending on their throats before they could regain their footing. Another one of the masked men moved past Jacobin, rushing down the hall. He threw his dagger at a technnician in his way, pulling the blade out of the mans neck and jumping on another body, blood splattering across the wall behind him. The woman beneath him screamed, and realizing her gender, the Martian jihadist let her go, rushing towards the front of the ship. All thirteen men scurried past her like rats, leaving the woman surrounded with blood and bodies. A pair of armed guards took up positions opposite a doorway. Jacobin and his men moved towards it, but Jacobin raised an arm, seeing the two through the small eyeslit in the middle of the door. Three of the largest men in the team moved forward, and hurled themselves as one for the door. The heavy bulkhead broke off its hinges, slamming into the men. The team moved past them, the final two stopping to make sure their enemies were dead. They ran into the messhall, guarded by another three men. One Martian leapt into the air, turning midjump and landing on all fours on the ceiling. He proceeded to run across the ceiling upside down, another two Martians kicked a metal dining table onto its side, taking cover and using rifles stolen from their enemies to keep the men at the opposite end of the room pinned. The Jihadist on the ceiling dropped behind the three soldiers, slamming his dagger into ones spinal cord. He grabbed anothers rifle and forced it out of his hands easily before smashing his temple with it like a baseball bat. Another dagger came sailing through the air, hitting the third man in the eye. A female cook watched the entire display in horror, the Free Men completely ignoring her. "What's going on?" Cassidy asked, his heart beating wildly. They had set up defensive positions throughout the ship, but nobody was responding anymore. "They're moving through the ship too fast... I can't explain it sir." Miguel responded. Only the three of them were in the bridge, Miguel, Cassidy and Roslyn. Suddenly the heavy door to the bridge shuddered, nearly forced open in a single blow. "Alright, let them in." Cassidy said, cocking his submachinegun and aiming for the doorway. The door hissed open and John opened fire, tearing apart one of his own crewmen. "What the-" John exclaimed, and in that moment of shock a half dozen towering men moved into the bridge, some moving to the ceiling and others crouched low on the floor. Each held a bloodied dagger, and wore a mask with the same listless, blue eyes. Miguel lashed out for Jacobin with his bayonett, but Jacobin moved expertly to one side, grabbing the barrel of the rifle and pulling it forwards. Miguel was knocked off balance, his throat slit a second later. John Cassidy backed up towards his huge, luxurious captains chair, heart racing but his hand evenly on the trigger finger. The Martian soldiers could smell the apprehension in him, but knew he was a better shot than the rest of his men, and had to be approached with caution. If they advanced at this point, one of them would die. Jacobin slid slowly around the bridge, Cassidy moving as well, refusing to let the enemy get around his back. Rosylin began to cry, not knowing what to do. She was a simple actress, and she'd only joined because of a bet. This wasn't her time to go. The Martians advanced, one grabbing her by the wrist and shoving her out of the bridge and into the next room. Jacobin flipped his knife around in his hand, and Cassidy turned to fire. Conroy stepped to the left, John firing a half a dozen rounds into the reinforced glass of the Workhorses bridge. He stopped when he saw what he was hitting, and Jacobin finished the job for him, moving back to his former position and giving the damaged glass a slam with his elbow. The glass shattered, the rest of the panels quickly going with it as atmosphere was sucked rapidly out of the ships bridge. John tried to grab ahold of his chair, but he wasn't fast enough, and found himself hurtling across the moon before he could gain his bearings. His final journey. The thirteen Martians grabbed onto the walls, waiting for the remaining pressure to be sucked out of the bridge. Ignoring the vacuum, they moved towards the back of the bridge, opened the door, moved through it and shut it tight again. Looking at each other with their blue goggled eyes, Matthew Hazelwood picked up a small two way radio, and delivered his message to Samuel. "We're finished here. No casualties." "Amen." The other men added. They ignored the crying Rosylen, and began walking slowly back through the bowels of the bloodied ship. Samuel Riley - 7 VP gained, Fatigued 1 Jacobin Conroy - 7 CP gained, Injured 1 John Cassidy - 5 CP gained, Killed Two Zakus floated in the emptiness of space, seemingly alone. Piloted not by Zeon soldiers but the Pirates of Black Rock, a band of scoundrels always out for their next plunder. Neither pilot spoke as they awaited their prey. James Radcliffe could only tap his finger on the Zaku's control stick and watch the stars. The cargo transport 'Mule' slowly cruised along its way to Von Braun. It was a routine run for the Mule, hauling air and water for a small profit. It was a typical, boring, assignment, but it put food on the table. "Doesn't it seem a little odd? I mean our cargo is air, that's like sealing up a big empty box on earth and bringing it up here. The helmswoman asked, a slightly ditsy tone in her speech. "It doesn't work that way..." the captain sighed, reclining lazily in his chair. "Hey what's that?" The helmswoman asked, pointing at the viewscreen at a pair of small humanoid shapes in the distance. The captain grabbed a pair of binoculars, and after a long, head-scratching stare, answered: "Zakus... they look like derelicts." "Who would just leave two perfectly good Zakus floating out in the middle of nowhere?" The helmswoman asked, "I wonder if the pilots lost their keys?" "I don't trust it," The captain muttered, "adjust our course, I want to steer clear of--OH HELL THEY MOVED!" "Spring the trap now!" Addie Joiner ordered, and the duo of Zakus launched forward at full speed toward the Mule. "As expected, they've got no weapons to speak of." James informed his partner as they came to a halt directly in front of the Mule's bridge. With an exaggerated motion, the two mobile suits leveled their bazookas on the bridge, targeting systems painting a crosshair directly over the frightened captain. "Don't make any sudden moves, we'd rather not have to tow this boat." Addie said, her Zaku's monoeye swinging to the right at the sight of the Black Rock fleet coming into view. "Yo frigging ho..." The captain of the Mule grumbled, "Everyone stand down and prepare to be taken captive, we don't stand a chance in a fight." Within minutes, the Salty Crow had pulled alongside the Mule, it's massive bulk dwarfing the small cargo transport. The interplanetary ship docked, and soon the Mule was filled with every assortment of greedy pirate, grinning merrily as they secured their prize. Addie Joiner: 7 VP Gained, Repairing 0+1 James Radcliffe: 7/2 VP Gained, Repairing +1 "Waell, thare's t'Donkeigh, then, eh?" Three days from Earth, too close to Solomon for comfort. An interesting location to take an independent businessman's vessel, if only because of the younger brother of the Solomon Defense Fleet's Zakus being used to capture it. Robin Sayer's Zaku escorted a shuttle filled with guerillas sweating adrenaline, testosterone, and a little bit of whiskey. The officially-decommissioned Zaku spied the pilot of the shuttle on the edge of its peripheral vision while it scanned ahead. The pilot was wearing a thick suit, ready to be pressurized, if not for the fact that his helmet floated next to him while he poured a bottle of... a bottle of something down his throat. Sayer laughed. "As long as 'e dooze 'is jorb, dun't borther me nun." The bear-like man laughed and let the dimly glowing mono-eye drift back to his goal. His goal, the Donkey, was just beyond the tips of his fingers, ready to be grasped with just another push forward. "Operator! What's that ship doing there?" Dozle towered over the radar hub on the Gwamel's bridge. "Admiral Dozle, sir! It's been on the radar for a while, but it's been moving parallel to our course, it's dropped out a few times. We might be able to catch it on camera this time, it's closer than before." Dozle smiled and clapped the operator on the shoulder, nearly shattering the poor man's clavicle. Sporadically unaware of his own strength, he rubbed his chin and stood in the center of the bridge, waiting for the mysterious ship to be brought up on the monitor. Finally, he would know what the hell it was doing after drawing his ire every time it disappeared from sensors. And for that matter, he wondered, why in the world was it showing up on radar before being picked up by spotters? "Sir! Visual confirmation, it's a cargo transport." Dozle sighed. "Is that all? It shouldn't be out here, try and hail it. And have the weapons rea-" "Well, no, sir," the operator interrupted, "there's a Zaku there, too." A click of the operator's panel brought an image up on the main monitor. "That is indeed a Zaku! Just what in blazes is going on?" "Sir, it looks like a shuttle is there, too, and I can't be sure bu-" This time it was Dozle's turn to interrupt. "Those are people! Going into the cargo ship! From the shuttle! Unacceptable!" "Sir, I'm not sure I follow." "You don't have to follow! I'm going on my own. Tell the hangar to prepare my Zaku!" The operator bit his lip, trying to squeeze some kind of objection out from between his lips. He finally surrendered and hung his head. Sighing, he said, "Yes, sir," but Dozle had already left, motivated by his desire to either catch a disobedient soldier or a rogue agent in his territory. "Lorelay's arse on t'Blarney stohn!" Dozle's Zaku accelerated towards the boarding operation, machine gun in hand, hawk on hip. Three Zakus followed him, steadily falling behind the excited Admiral. Sayer whipped his Zaku around, machine gun trying to find Dozle's course, but Dozle let off a burst of his own gun first, disarming Sayer's Zaku. The machine gun in his hand went flying, and Dozle ditched his own, grasping his customized Heat Hawk. He careened into Sayer shoulder first, and the pair coasted along until the Irishman fired his thrusters, attempting to slow their escape from the Donkey. "Identify yourself, fool! Who are you and why do you dare raise a gun in defiance of Solomon's patroling forces?" "Ach. Seems yeu've got the best 'o me, Dozle, aren't ya? Vary weel, I'm in yeur coostodee." Dozle escorted the Donkey and the shuttle along with Robin back to the fleet proper, ready to put them all in the brig. The Donkey's crew was left under supervision of a Zeon squadron to operate their ship, while its captain and commanding officer were taken with the Black Rock Pirates into the Gwamel, a trophy for Dozle to parade until their immediate return to Solomon. The shuttle was landed in the hangar, and the guerillas were directed towards the cell blocks by men with guns, while the obsolete Zaku II C was placed in a Mobile Suit dock. A crane lifted Dozle up to the cockpit, wanting to meet the brave, foolish man before he was whisked away. The cockpit opened and a Zeon soldier ducked in, only to be thrown out, drifting through the hangar's empty space until he slammed into the opposite wall. Dozle reached in before the cockpit closed, automatic sensors detecting the blockage and reopening it. "Argh, blast ye!" Sayer pushed out of the cockpit and decked Dozle in the face, but the giant did not even flinch, instead throwing his own fist towards the pirate. They traded blows, Zeon soldiers unafraid to jump in, but that was just fine with Dozle. Finally, the Admiral restrained the bruised and beaten Sayer, and had him taken by a couple of extremely large guards to the cells. "Dozle, sir!" A mechanic yelled after him. "Are you hurt? We have a medic right over here, off the hangar!" "No, my friend, I will be fine. I owe that man at least the honor of not erasing his courage." Dozle, the mechanic thought,you are such a bro! Robin Sayer: 5VP, 3CP gained, Repairing 3+1, Captured Two days from Earth, one day from Side 7, minutes from the Dai Long. Mobile Suits scrambled, and weapons armed. Cygnus Fleet Beta, a tangent of the Earth Federation's space might, and a result of the constant reorganization of their forces, roared silently through empty space. That there was a Zeon ship, not far from their position, was something not so much a fact as much as it was an optimistic expectation. The numbers and reports agreed, at least. Derek Carter exhaled and looked at his monitors again. Still nothing. He checked to make sure his radio was on. It was. He hadn't missed anything that the rest of the fleet hadn't missed, but still... Usually, Mobile Suits were sortied at a very precise time, a practice designed to to conserve their precious fuel, the closest thing to blood mechanical men, MS, had. And also usually, the order to sortie was a bit more conservative, waiting until the point of no return to launch. The point of no return was the point where the decision to sortie decided which way a ship teetered on the tip of a mountain in between the valleys of destruction and victory. "Captain Douglas, I believe our active combat status is perfectly timed." First Lieutenant Sun Wu crossed his arms behind his back as he peered over the men working the Dai Long's controls. He stood up straight and turned around, eyes closed as if deep in thought. "And why would that be, Lieutenant?" Captain Douglass crossed her arms in front of her chest. Lieutenant Sun Wu was no small source of interest after his arrival and confirmation of duty. Sonny raised one hand, fingers pressed together and eyes still closed. "I believe that is the case," he began, "because of that." He snapped his fingers and the optical observation officer stuttered. "V-visual confirmation of a fleet! Number unknown... confirmed as a Federation fleet, two battleships, a handful of carriers, and some small craft too far away to make out!" "Prob'ly Pooblicks. Good eye, Lieutenant," Captain Douglas complimented. "I never saw them." He opened his eyes and walked over to stand beside the captain. "I believe it would be in our best interest to begin evasive tactics, Captain." The phrase "visual confirmation" chattered through every radio, echoing between pilots who had their communication systems open to each other until there wasn't a single person who hadn't heard it. Two ships, they had been told; two Musais. Michael Kreuz's GM Sniper II's visor flipped up, uncovering the standard GM Command visor as the pilot confirmed that he had spotted the same thing, albeit slightly after the Buster Ichi Go. As if thinking the ship's name had summoned him, Captain Reed clumisly fumbled with his communication systems on the Buster Ichi Go's bridge, and asked the communications officer how to talk to the pilots, only to be informed it was already open to them. "Well, I wish ye'd told me sooner, but all's well. Ahem, Carter, Kreuz! You aces do your thing!" Carter and Kreuz tried to place their palms to their faces at exactly the same time. Alex Sentara timidly broke in, a little unsure of what to say, but tried anyway. "Uh, sir, that's not really..." "Oh! Is that Sentara? Don't think I've forgot about ye, lad, but me and the boys go back a little ways! I've heard some good things about you to, so try and prove my sources right, eh?" "Yes, sir." Sentara's mouth hung open while his brain tried make sense of Captain Reed. "Missiles, incoming!" The bridges of the Buster sisters and Michael Kreuz announced in unison, and every Mobile Weapon began spreading out, though they were already far less likely to be hit than the battleships. Kreuz and Carter tried firing on the incoming barrage while Sentara directed their forces, but the missiles tore past and nearly missed the fleet entirely-- nearly, save for the Buster Ni Go, who was hit by a missile impacting the ship's prow. Where in ancient times there may have been a mermaid, there was now a jagged mass of sheared and crumpled steel. "Fire on those Mooseyes, one shot at a time!" Captain Reed commanded with a wave of his arm, and the twin ships began slinging mega particles at the Zeon twins. "Clever leader, this one is, Captain. I would recommend you sortie the Mobile Suits while we retreat. That balloon won't keep them for long." Lieutenant Wu surveyed the situation-- it seemed the enemy might be wise to their trick. "Agreed, Lieutenant! Launch the Zakus, men." Captain Douglas obtained some kind of fire in her eyes, the only sign of a raging pyre inside here. The first MPC blast interrupted the order as it was given, the scraping pass of the beam throwing everyone off guard, except for the captain and Lieutenant Wu. "A man is not measured in merit but by his ability to function in times of great strife." The bridge was thrown off by Sun Wu's comment, but nonetheless, they returned to their duties rapidly. "Unfortunately, I believe time is up for our decoy." He sighed and shook his head as the balloon popped, and as the moments passed, it was apparent the Federation was done testing the water. "Let us begin anti-assault measures." "Saberfish, advance." Sentara gave the command, but his own unit held back, thrusters idling, prepared to utilize its unique payload. The Saberfish went ahead of the GMs on the front lines, acting as intercepter craft for the Mobile Suit forces. "Kreuz, can you confirm seven Mobile Suits?" The radio asked over the fleet's communications frequency. "Four High Mobility Types, three standard Zakus, confirmed." His Sniper's apogee motors fired almost erratically as he alligned his oddly-postured machine. He watched the whole field, but one target stood out to his eyes in particular, a Zaku HMT and Saberfish struggling to get the advantage on each other, constantly moving. He breathed out, his finger tensed, and the Zaku stopped maneuvering. The Saberfish took no pause, but moved on to the other Zakus. The Buster Ichi Go and Ni Go fired staggered bursts of mega particles, each shot seeking the Dai Long, and each shot coming closer and closer to making the fatal blow. The anti-beam measures inhibited the beams from reaching the Musai, but as time passed, their effectiveness weakened, and beams teased the Dai Long's hull. Lasers tried finding their way through reflective anti-laser chaff, and they too were closing in on the ship. "Oh, not good..." Derek Carter said as he noticed four Zakus who had somehow broken away from the Saberfish... even the other GMs, somehow. Thinking quickly, he maneuvered around the machine gun bursts with the throttle set to full and targeted the group. "Well, here goes nothing... I guess!" He pulled the trigger, all of his weapons unleashing bullet and beam hell onto the group. One Zaku flew into the beam spray gun's radius, and its armor evaporated until the fuel detonated, blowing the unit up, another caught the blast of a shoulder mounted cannon in the face before the round traveled into the body and blew the machine up. The other two Zakus caught on quickly and tried to leave. Quickly. Very quickly. Sentara's figher gave up its post at the Salamis twins, the Dai Long's lack of counter-fire eliminating the necessity of his anti-beam measures. He entered the fray, strafing around the last remaining Zakus. They fired on him, trying to shoot not where he was but where he was going, but by the time they began to accurately target him, he released his missiles and changed his thrust vector, going in reverse, back to the Buster sisters. After all, the battle was-- the Zakus exploded--over. With all the Zakus destroyed, the pilots finally turned to face the Dai Long, but just as they tore their focus from the last exploding Zaku, they saw a similar sight, but much further away, and was about the size of a Musai. In fact, it was a Musai. The Dai Long, to be specific. Kreuz lowered his rifle and squinted at the screen. "Hey... Komusai spotted, Buster Ichi Go, confirm." "Buster Ichi Go confirms. Also, Captain Reed told me to tell you guys he couldn't have done it without you. He said he would've said it himself, but he thinks I don't want him to use the radio." "I am sorry about your ship, Captain, but if things are to be the way they are, then that is how they are to be." "Vary waell, Lootenent. I wosn't vary fuhnd of tha naem, t'beh 'onest." "Would you have preferred something... Longer?" Sun Wu: 6 VP gained, no damage Alex Sentara: 7 VP gained, Repairing 1 Derek Carter: 7 VP gained, Repairing 2 Michael Kreuz: 7 VP gained, Repairing 2 Overland, East Asia is being plagued by an effect of its climate, geogrpahy, and most of all the people who called it home. Floods swept the lands causing what normally be newsworthy natural disasters. But in times of desperate and total war, such sorry tales of humanity are left unnoticed. But out at sea, where floods are of no concern to those with aquatic ambitions, the war between the Earth Federal Forces and the Duchy of Zeon continued. The Medea-class Mississipi flew, exhilarated from the endless combat it saw since the destruction of New Amsterdam. Master Sergeant Jim Irwin looked up and around at the array of aircraft flying in formation around him. He has been in a medical bed too long and felt at one with himself in the cockpit of his Tin Cod. The Missouri, twin sister to the Mississipi, is flying in the middle of two formations of Don Escargots. One by one they peel off as a Dish aircraft coordinated their efforts. Onboard one of the Medeas, Corporal Hirsch Munchek watched his experienced Dish aircraft orchestra the formation. Feelings of guilt and sorrow cloud his mind, as Munchek thought of the Kraken teammates he had lost. He had come so far and yet accomplished so little. It was as though he was even unworthy of the privelege of using the Water Gundam. Unable to risk hurting his self-esteem anymore, Munchek clicked on his helmet and climbed into the cockpit of the Water Gundam. He paused going up the ladder over his Waterproof Gundam to look around the cargo hold of the Medea. The massively built pilot of the GM Diver, Private Gajendra Pondicherry climbed onboard his GM Diver like a boxer climbing into the ring. Further down, the stubborn and forceful Private Carmen 'Bo' Sousa strutted into her GM Aqua like a delinquent from a probation center. Munchek doesn't doubt for one bit that Bo's swagger came from the alcohol she manages to find wherever they go. With that thought, he slide into the cockpit of the Water Gundam and into darkness. "Ma'am, the sealance confirmed at least a dozen aircraft... two large signatures to be definitely Medeas." Captain Marinas Nimue, otherwise known as the "Lady of the Lake", pondered the situation. Despite being only 17 years old, she has gained valuable combat experience like few other officers in the Schutzstaffel. "Call back the Sealance," ordered Marinas," and call all ships to battlestations. Is the Grabro ready?" "The pilot is standing by, Melusine and Baekhesten are at battlestations." "Good. chief, bring us below the thermocline layer. Load tubes with torpedoes and standby with Freeze Yard rounds." "You sound confident," came a voice behind her." "I don't have time for your charms, Mr. Bond," remarked Marinas before turning back to her crew," signal the other ships for radio silence. Those Don Escargots will have sonar buoys on us any moment now." "A pity. We have the most wonderful conversations." "Captain! Something is wrong with the Baekhesten!" Above them, Irwin banked his Tin Cod as he heard the voices of the Muncheck's Dish radio him. "We have a sensor contact... sounds like someone was trying to go under the thermocline and one of their ballast tanks cracked... yeah we're getting something coming up on detection values." Irwin saw the coordinates appear on his HUDD. "Alright, Baker and Charlie flights on me. Medeas, prepare to drop." "What did you say happen?" asked Marinas as her chief of the boat looked at the information coming in. "The damage done to the Baekhesten may have caused one of the outer hangar doors to buckle open. Probably the change in water densities or such. In the end..." "The Feds know we are here and now we can't go under the layer either or risk the same thing," noted Marinas," what of the Melusine?" "She's in the thermocline layer and is under silent running." "Good, if anything-" PING! A pause. PING! PING! For those unaccustomed to hearing an active sonar pings, the experience is more annoying than frightening. But to experienced submarine crews, it was a dreaded sound. "Bring us to three quarters speed!" barked Marinas as she gripped the bridge handrail," turn us about to bearing 315, flood the tubes, and open outer doors! I want snapshot solutions on the go!" "That was unpleasant," observed Hans Bond as he watched the frantic activity on the brigde of the Lorelay. "I suggest you hold your tongue and a railing, Mr. Bond," advised Marinas. Then to her officers she ordered," Tell the Grabro pilot to attack!" "Captain, multiple small objects entering the water! The Melusine is moving off! Grabro is attacking!" Irwin pulled back hard when a sprout of water erupted from the sea. Like a mystical sea monster, the Grabro broke the service with a predatory instinct and unleashed its array of surface-to-air missiles. Irwin grimaced as close explosions rocked the sky above the water. Don Escargots, Tin Cods, and Medeas pulled evasive manuevers to get clear. Irwin can feel shrapnel puncture his airframe but nothing substainal. Some Don Escargots were too close to the water and went careening across the waves in cartwheels. Irwin saw this happen to his own Don Escargot as he primed his ASROC rockets. But the monstrosity disappeared before he got a bead on it. "Damn! Irwin to Muncheck, we found the mobile armor. It's all yours!" Muncheck heard Irwin's call and within a minute he felt his Water Gundam slip out the back of the Medea. Behind him came Bo's and Pondicherry's mobile suits as parachutes jolted him to a slow descent. Then the parachutes broke away and a watery jolt shook the Water Gundam as the aquatic weapon tasted water again. Behind the two Kraken team members, another pair of GM Divers went in the water. By the time the bubbles disturbed from his splashdown cleared, Muncheck is speeding towards what he thinks is the large Grabro. It was the Melusine trying to elude detection. "Mobile suit-sized contacts in the water captain! Bearing... they're headed towards the Melusine.! "Get us clear Chief," Marinas calmly commanded," there's going to be torpedoes running hot in the water. Countermeasures, standby for maximum spread. What about the Baekhesten?" "Couple of depth charges straddle her amidships ma'am, she's dead in the water. It is only a matter of time. More depth charges are dropping on her." "That was quick," remarked Hans Bond to no one in particular. "Weps, launch full torpedo spread. I want you to put it between the Melusine and the Federal mobile suits." "Torpedoes away!" But no sooner had the torpedoes left their tubes than a warning came. "Captain! Multiple objects entering the water over our position... high speed screw... torpedoes in the water! I count five, no eight tracks!" "Three-inch room, launch countermeasures!" shouted Marinas as she leaned over the weapons console. Then turning to the helm she ordered," All ahead full, bring us down 200 feet!" The sounds of the Jukon II's propellor shafts going to maximum rotations gently shook the ship as it started to dive. As navigators reploted their course against the numberous other entities in the water, Marinas held onto the periscope mounting. An officer wearing a large headset is standing with a stopwatch over the plot table spoke up. "Torpedoes have reached countermeasures... three torpedoes have lost acqusition! Inbound tracks continue on remaining five!" "Captain, we're nearing the thermocline layer!" warned one of her officers," if we go through there we risk compromising our hull integrity like the Baekhesten!" "Thats fine, lieutenant," reassured Marinas," time to thermocline layer?" "Twenty seconds." Muncheck panted as he lifted his beam rifle. The torpedo spread came out of nowhere, interrupting his attack on what is a Zeon submarine rather than the mobile armor he was looking for. The premature detonation of the torpedos clouded his sensors slightly but the death of the Melusine completely coated over Munchek's sonar readings. Even in his cockpit he can hear the loud detonation of ordinance from the Federal mobile suits breaking the Jukon's hull apart. The crumbling of tempered steel made a horrifying shriek. But the satisfaction of the moment disappeared as two giant claw arms came out of the watery depths. One claw hand grabbed a GM Diver and the other clutched Carmen 'Bo' Sousa's GM Aqua in its death grip. Screaming defiantly in her cockpit, Sousa pumped every round she had in her 90mm machinegun into the Zeon underwater monster. But her shouts were replaced by the crumbling of steel and water pressure as her GM Aqua is reduced to an imploding metal corpse. Munchek drifted there horrified at the lost of yet another Kraken team member. Then as he saw the Grabro went after Pondicherry's GM Diver, he snapped out of his daze. Screaming with rage at himself for not earning the trust as responsibility given to him, Munchek went against all of his principles and charged the massive Zeon mobile armor. The beam rifle rang out as it ate into the Grabro's armor. Then to his horror, he saw the mobile armor swung around amazingly fast despite its size and let loose a string of torpedoes. The massive warheads came at him and behind their cavitating propellors, Munchek can see the Grabro reach out with both claw hands eager to tear him into pieces. He has no idea if his Luna Titanium armor can withstand the heave explosives and the immense water pressure. Then his hands moved without his bidding. The Waterproof Gundam surged foward into the mass of torpedoes at full speed. Rather by luck or intuitive timing, Munchek collided with a torpedo before it reached its safety range. A common failsafe of modern torpedoes, the warhead is not armed until it reaches a certain distance from the tube. The sheer weight of the headon collision though tore off the Waterproof Gundam's left arm, sending Munchek in a brief spin before the Grabro was on it. A claw hand moved to wrap around him but a pummeling from a beam pick broke the crucial third claw that would have held him captive. Leaving the beam pick stuck in the Grabro's claw hand, Munchek tackled the face of the mobile armor, driving the barrel of his underwater beam rifle into its face. Blast after blast tore into the armor designed to protect it from torpedoes and the immense strain caused by water pressure. Suddenly, Munchek felt the Grabro grab the Watterproof Gundam by the leg. Letting go of the rifle, Muncheck stabbed his last beam pick into the face of the Grabro like a mountaineer digging a spike into the side of a mountain. With a crack, the leg of the Waterproof Gundam came free, the limb floating away with the discarded beam rifle. Munchek saw the hole on the Grabro's armor through the cracked screen in his cockpit. Siezing his anti-ship torpedo, he rammed the phallus-shaped object into the hole he tore in the Grabro's bow. "Range to Baekhesten?" demanded Marinas. "One hundred fifty feet to our starboard!" "Thermocline layer in five seconds!" "LEFT FULL RUDDER, REVERSE PORT ENGINE, DIVING PLANES UP TEN DEGREES!" shouted Marinas over the top of her lungs as the Jukon II's hull vibrated," STANDBY TO FIRE FREEZE YARD ROUNDS ON MY MARK!" A fury of activity went around the bridge as the damaged Jukon II did a high speed turn away from the thermocline layer. The aft of the ship where the propellors are actually dipped into the thermocline layer where different water temperatures and densities meet. The cavitating effect on this mixture of water gave a large disturbance that caught the attention of the sonar systems on the torpedoes. "Range to Baekhesten?!" "Fifty feet!" "DIVING PLANES DOWN TWENTY DEGREES! DEPLOY FREEZEYARD TORPEDOES! ENGINES TO FULL STOP!" shouted Marinas, praying that this works. The Jukon II-class Lorelay dived under the dying Baekhesten as it shoot torpedoes carrying the gel-like substance found in Freeze Yard rounds. The gel exploded over the rupturing hull of the Baekhesten as the torpedoes trailing the Lorelay got caught in it. The wailing engines of the torpedoes coupled with the sticky fluid and the water concussion wave caused the torpedoes to explode with the Baekhesten Not too far away, the anti-ship torpedo Munchek shoved into the Grabro's hole detonated, exploding all over the inside of the Grabro. The Zeon mobile armor blew up in sections, sending Munchek's mangled Waterproof Gundam to the surface where Pondicherry's GM Diver caught him. Above them, the Dish crew concluded that the sequence of massive underwater explosions confirmed all Zeon targets sunk. The combination of so many simultaneous explosions also disoriented the sonar buoy operation by the Federal aircraft. The Lorelay coasted away from the battlefield on sheer momentum with her engines silent, undetectable thanks to the same disturbance that propelled her this far. Hans Bond reached out to steady the exhilarated and tired Lady of the Lake. But Marinas found her strength and held onto the periscope mounting as the wave of andrenaline faded away. She has much to tell Obersturmfuhrer Xavier Brennan when they next meet. This is the only way Marinas can enjoy his company. They are too professional to let it be otherwise. Hirsch Munchek - 7 VP gained, Repairing 4 Jim Irvin - 6 VP gained, Repairing 2 |