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The Federation soldiers stared, bleary-eyed, through the dense fog. The happiness and victory that they'd felt over the past few weeks had turned to stony silence and tired vigilance in the course of two days. They had received word of a large Zeon naval fleet in the area. There was plenty of talk going around about what was might happen. The hopeful ones said that the New York base was too small to merit notice from the Principality - that there were more important things for the Zeeks to be doing than retaking old bases - especially after Odessa. Surely Zeon would not give much notice to their cozy urban fortification? The majority agreed with this assessment, but most were still on edge. Some of them thought back to the recent assault that had led to the capture of the Zeon base, recalling their so-called heroism. Most were inspired by the pleasant memory, but a few tried to imagine what the Zeon troops defending the base must have felt like, and were terrified. But regardless of their personal feelings, the men and women of the Federation forces knew that another moment of truth was likely coming, a chance for them to show their true colors. Red and green. Sebastian Brennan's muscled form blended into the night aboard the Gaw-clas Blackout. Red, for the spilled blood of the enemy, and green, for the might of Zeon sweeping over it. He felt no sympathy for the soldiers about to die - neither his own, nor those of the Federation. This was a tactical operation, carried out for the glory of Zeon, and the restoration of the mighty Principality presence on the East Coast. Below him, the combined might of the Lorelay and the F-Troop sailed through the quiet ocean, waves rolling beneath the fog. The Federation would suffer, and Zeon would be honored. Captain Marnery was doing his best to bolster the spirits of the experienced crew of the Godwin Austin. They were a battle-hardened bunch, it was true, and under the circumstances, they were doing remarkably well. He was in his cabin, preparing for a speech, when he suddenly became aware of the presence of another individual. No one he knew would sneak into his room unannounced. He spun around, reaching for his revolver, then felt the cold muzzle of a similar armament pressed against his own back. "I would prefer to keep things civil, wouldn't you?" Hans Bond lit a cigarette as he radioed a squad of crack Zeon marines. He led the captain smoothly down the deserted corridors to a small watercraft in the ship's wetdock. As they left the ship, it was wracked by a large explosion. Hans Bond never entered an enemy vessel without leaving a gift for his hosts - not if he could help it. He tossed the remains of the cigarette into the briny deep as the small ship disappeared into the fog, taking the Godwin Austin's captain with it. The Federation men manning the New York port were nervous, but the sudden emergence of two Acquys from the thick fog still surprised them. The formidiable mobile suits greeted the unfortunate Federation port garrison with a swarm of missiles and mega particle fire. The Federation presences at the airfield and communications tower were no less surprised or beset-upon; both were bombarded by concentrated artillery fire from Zeon's artillery-class units and the Dobday-class Berkhalter. Heavy cannon fire shot through the mist, barreling into heavy fortifications, sending men - and pieces of men - flying, leveling buildings, military and civilian alike. Smoke mixed with the fog, drowning out the cries of the injured and dulling the flare of the many fires. The Zeon artillerymen had been well-instructed on the layout of the New York base. Some of them had visited it prior to the offensive, and used the knowledge to their advantage. Alec Irusk, in particular, enjoyed the feeling of shells flying over his head, crashing into the enemy opposition. He did his best to make up for his disappointment at not being among the shellers. The former artillery instructor was not going to let the artillery have all the glory; he burst from the now-roiling waters, rending a Type 61 tank in two with a burst of mega particle fire from one of his cannons. Another fell as he grasped it with the Z'Gok E's iron nails, the powerful claws crushing it almost instantly. He watched as a row of Type 61s, struggling to deploy effectively, was obliterated by more artillery fire. After a moment of thought, he plunged his unit back into the icy waters. He could do the most damage there. Not far behind him was Marco Dresner, leading his experienced MS team into battle with a confidence that he hoped they could feel. His would do his best in this battle - first, to protect his teammates and close after, to minimize collateral damage to the civilian population of New York. He threw his well-armored Gelgoog in front of what appeared to be a dormitory of some kind, taking some machine gun fire to the chest. Calmly, he melted the GM that had been targeting him with a couple shots from his beam rifle. How the enemy pilots could act with such wanton disregard for the lives of the civilians living among them was beyond him. He led his team deeper into the Federation base, seeking others to protect. The Federation naval forces were in disarray following the surprise attack, especially with the mysterious absence of captain Marnery. The Godwin Austen was dead-in-the-water, as far as anyone could tell, and no one knew why. The crew, which had assembled in the hangar for the captain's speech, had dispersed to their stations as best they could following the explosion, but without the guidance of their captain, their effectiveness in battle was lacking. The three Hillock-class vessels were arrayed in defensive positions to meet the unknown might of the Zeon navy, but it was difficult, considering the Minovsky particle interference and thick fog. The Wheat was the first to fall, pierced by torpedos from an MS team led by Alec. The two Acquys he'd brought with him sent the Federation navy into complete disarray, aided by a Grabro and a few Goggs. The Barley was next to go, swallowed by the fog and the waves. Meanwhile, the air battle was going much better for the Federation, despite Sebastian's recent request for more Dopps. The Federation Tin Cods and Don Escargots outnumbered their Dopp and Gunship Heli counterparts almost 2:1. Missiles streaked through the fog from both sides, leaving pilots with little time to plan evasive maneuvers. Aircraft from both sides fell from the sky, falling like meteors into the broken city below them. Most Federation pilots were too focused on surviving to care about the civilian lives devastated by the war in the skies, and many of the Zeon pilots considered those who remained in the city traitors to Zeon, taking after their commander Sebastian. The Gaw, Blackout, was set upon almost immediately by Federation forces after they had mostly-cleared the skies of Dopps. The large Zeon battleship stood out, even in the fog, and was an easy target for the Tin Cods' missiles. It sunk slowly toward the city, just managing to deploy its complement of mobile suits before creating a fiery crater in what had once been a Manhattan commercial district. Rhett Paruta cursed as he led a squad of Gunship Helis toward the Medea-class Willaert. He'd decided that any Medea with a name that difficult to pronounce deserved to die, but feared telling his subordinates that. Instead, he told them that it was the best tactical choice, and hoped they believed him. Perhaps a victory here would help his reputation as a leader. He wasn't exactly comfortable in the air or as a leader, but the explosion of the enemy Medea did a little to boost his confidence. He led the Gunship Helis in his Dom Cannon "Frostbite" a little easier after that, ripping through any Tin Cods that got in their way, and a few Don Escargots that didn't. Meanwhile, on the ground near the wreckage of the Gaw, the Zeon charge was being led by one Tony Knight, in a Gelgoog Test Type. "For Zeon!" He yelled wildly, as he charged into a squad of GMs, confident that his fellow mobile suit pilots would be right behind him, and that they'd decimate the enemy. Unfortunately, Noelle Everett, Esther MacKernan and Duncan Keystone were all clustered behind their commander, Sebastian Brennan. Zeon's Gundam led them confidently behind the cover of a nearby low-rise building, as Tony's Gelgoog did its best to wade its way out of a sea of machine gun fire. He narrowly dodged a few beam saber thrusts as he searched frantically for his teammates. "Hey! Where'd you guys go? Cowards!" He yelled, at no one in particular. The GMs were cowards, for attacking a lone mobile suit, and his teammates were cowards, for not following him into battle. Surely, he'd acted as he should have! Things like this were often quite clear to Tony Knight. He finally spotted a tiny red speck, and recognized it for the red scarf that Esther MacKernan liked to tie around her mobile suit. He thundered toward it, noticing only a little when the charging GMs sliced off his suit's left and right arms. He tripped, skidding to a stop at the feet of Noelle Everett's Dom. But the blue-eyed pilot hardly blinked as she brought her giant bazooka to bear on the surprised GMs. The squad didn't survive long, bazooka rounds and mega particle beams cut their group to ribbons. Esther MacKernan did her best to imagine what a Zeon officer would do in this situation, and she settled on lightly scolding the brash young Gelgoog pilot as she loosed several missiles on the helpless GMs. She jumped behind a building after doing so, letting her targeting computer and the projectiles do most of the heavy lifting for her. It was her style: Lots of flashy explosions, taking advantage of unfair situations, and jumping back into safety. She sensed that she would have a few more opportunities to take advantage of the Federation confusion before the day was out. She moved near the rear of her unit as they advanced into the Federation base. For his part, Duncan Keystone was disappointed. He peered through the fog with sharp eyes, deep-set under his brown hair. Stylish sunglasses sat perched on his forehead; it was not yet bright enough to merit wearing them over his eyes. The source of his disappointment? First of all, the recent engagement with the GMs had left him little room to engage the enemies in melee combat, and second - and more importantly - there were simply not enough Goufs in the battle, and those that were gave him nothing to write home about. "Hey guys! Do you think we'll see any ace Goufs here, besides me?" He asked, hoping for a witty answer in response. "Not unless the Feddies have started piloting Goufs," the armless Gelgoog responded. "And even if they did, I doubt they would've survived this long," added Noelle. "Forward, men." Sebastian Brennan was focused, and he wouldn't stand an unfocused group - not when so much was on the line. A couple hours later, the sun had risen over the devastated military installation and shattered city. Its rays cut through the fog, glinting off the armor of the Emerald Titan, Zeon's Gundam. Sebastian's wrath had wrought exactly the kind of destruction he'd hoped for. It had been a fitting first offensive for the unit, and he stood on the sunken bow of the Federation Everest-class Steakhouse proudly, ignoring the many tiny shapes of Federation crewmen struggling in the water. They'd be "rescued" by cleanup forces later, or drown before; it mattered little to him. he surveyed the damage as the fog cleared in the early morning light. The two Jukon IIs, working in tandem with Marina's Lorelay and the rest of the fleet, had laid waste to the Federation navy. The Plain had disappeared beneath the waves courtesy of torpedos from the Seaspray, and the stilled Godwin Austen hadn't lasted long after it, sent below by a couple of Acquys. They had lost the Rock Lobster to the paltry Federation mobile suit complement, somehow, but the loss paled in comparison to that of the Federation forces. The Federation soldiers who had not perished in the assault had fled in the two damaged Medeas, or slunk into the remains of the city to hide. He smiled in satisfaction as his gaze fell on the smoking ruins of New York: City and base were both in ruins, and it was barely past breakfast, let alone lunch. Sebastian noticed a couple of Federation cargo ferries sitting off to the side, probably ignored by the invading Zeon forces in favor of more dangerous targets. A couple of shots from his beam rifle sent the transports below the waves to join their brethren. Sebastian Brennan: 8VP Gained, Repairing 2 Alec Irusk: 8VP Gained, Repairing 2, Promoted to 2nd Lieutenant Marco Dresner: 8VP Gained, Repairing 3, Promoted to Captain Noelle Everett: 8VP Gained, Repairing 3, Promoted to Staff Sergeant Rhett Paruta: 7/2VP Gained, Repairing+2, Promoted to Captain Tony Knight: 10VP Gained, Repairing 4, Promoted to Captain Esther MacKernan: 8VP Gained, Repairing 3, Promoted to Lt. Colonel Duncan Keystone: 8VP Gained, Repairing 3, Promoted to Master Sergeant |