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The imposing visage of the Bollocks Fleet was illuminated by the arrival of the sun. In the debris of Side 5, the flagship Magellan guided no less than 6 Salamis variants. Floating among them, the powerful mobile suits of the EFSF. Petty Officer Derek Carter finished up repairs on his Guncannon, doing last adjustments on his normal suit before radioing in. "This is Derek Carter, Guncannon Mass Production Type. Launching." The bridge cleared him and he slowly guided his mobile suit out of The Factory, a heavily refit Salamis commanded by the eccentric Nacho Quintal, an Andy Warhol character with a taste for the bizarre. The white head and red body made him fairly easy to spot; his black 200mm cannons unfolded, nearly invisible in the black depths of space. For a moment, they were revealed in the silhouette of Texas Colony, but just as quickly disappeared as he burst forward. He'd need to conserve thrust for his strategy. An 100mm machine gun idled in his hands, ready for combat. The Guncannon HMT made its way to the battle zone, verifying his position with the rest of his fleet, and of course, his opponent. Commander Patrick Foley pulled on his helmet and gave his crew the all clear. His thoughts drifted from the devious legacy of Jinyuan to his mobile suit. The GM Sniper II was an amazing machine, sporting a 20 round beam rifle, dummy and smoke grenades, but most amazing of all a Ballistic Sniper Rifle. He had 5 shots so he'd have to make them all count. The Advanced Targeting Visor glowed, and the fleet commander radioed to Nacho to open the hangar. "This is Patrick Foley in the GM Sniper Version Two - launching!" As the white GM approached Carter, he couldn't help but remember back to a recent battle. While he fought the battle of a lifetime, a white mobile suit waited in the distance. Watching him. Waiting. The GM Sniper quickly came into view, shaking Carter from his day dream. The two pilots started the countdown. As the numbers hit 0, the Guncannon lurched forward. Carter darted left and right, anticipating a barrage of shots from his enemy. Foley idled, waiting for the mobile suit to come to him. As the manual to all sniping equipment read, no need to waste 20 shots when 1 can do the job. The Guncannon's machine gun lit up in the absence, closing the distance and firing a barrage of 100mm shells. Carter blinked, flying directly over the the GM Sniper II. He was sure he hit. As he turned around, smoke obscured his enemy. A grenade? Carter came around for another pass, littering the area with more fire. The paint-splattered visage of a GM came into view, delighting Carter. But something was awry. The head was four times normal size. Foley's dummy balloon had mis-deployed. In the distance, two GMs floated at two different angles; one real, one fake. Both held sniper rifles, aiming directly for the Guncannon. Derek had to make a choice. Left or right. His eyes darted from left to right, trying to pick up any variations in a normal mobile suit. Foley clutched his controls tensely, aiming for a sure shot. The Guncannon hit its thrust and stopped equidistant from the two. He quickly aimed his cannons, each at a different MS, and fired. The giant 200mm shells spiraled through space. One missed its target, floating deep into the great unknown. The other exploded before hitting, intercepted by a ballistic sniper round. The cloud of smoke drifted towards GM Sniper II, who hit his verniers to move out of the way. The Guncannon charged. Three ballistic rounds fired in succession, but the Guncannon used its superior thrust to dart out of the way, just in time. Finally, Derek hit close range, unleashing a barrage at his commander. The GM Sniper II fired its ballistic sniper as well. A flurry of 100mm shells splashed against the Advanced Targeting Visor, while the incredible power of the ballistic sniper rifle exploded against the Guncannon's head, cracking the visor. "... Good game, kid." "Same to you, commander." Patrick Foley: 3 VP Gained, Repairing 2-1 Derek Carter: 3 VP Gained, Repairing 2-1 |