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Despite the wrath of war, not much has changed for what used to be known as the mid-western United States. The ground may be scarred from battles and littered with debris but the interstate highways that stretched from one coast to another are still intact. Not as much traffic existed there today as they did earlier in the century. A few broken down vehicles lie in ditches. They are nothing but a blurr to the one or two travelers who still use the highways. A large shadow rushed down I-280, leaving a dustcloud in its wake. The enormous mobile artillery platform known as the Xamel blew past a rusted sign saying "Welcome to San Fransico". Despite the damage to the Xamel, Kuuro Konishi had made it all the way from New York in one go. The battle between F-Troop and the 87th Integrated Fleet was intense, but the rogue did his job. Now he's here to collect. The mobile suit slows down as it reaches a checkpoint. Zeon mobile suits and soliders waved him off the road. "Hey, I have business inside," insists Kunishi on his radio. "You have papers?" came a response on the radio. "I have what?" "We can't let you in without papers." "This is stupid, contact your commander. They're expecting me." "Oh we'll contact somebody, but we're not letting you in until otherwise." "..." Kuuro Kenishi - 2 VP Gained, No Damage The Zeon Expeditionary Force had not fought recently - at least not in the past two days, but that did not mean things were at a standstill. On he contrary: The fleet was buzzing with activity as machines were repaired, crew were treated for injuries, and ships were re-supplied. Under the capable supervision of Veronica Wu, things had been taken care of in a most satisfactory manner. The queen bee was most pleased at the activity in the hives; each man or woman had a task, and was completing it, for the glory of their fleet, and victory for Zeon Junichi Ghettid was one such bee: A warrior-worker bee, ready to kill for her - and for himself. He lived for the battles, and the time between them bored him. His Zaku Kai was his stinger, and he sat comfortably in the chair, waiting for his opponents to arrive. Honestly, he didn't expect much from either of them: a petty officer and a private, come to battle a member of the Schutzstaffel? Still, he had been in enough battles to know that rank didn't necessarily correspond with a pilot's skill; he'd smoked plenty of high-ranking Feddies. Caleb DeGrau was also confident of victory. His Gelgoog was fully repaired, and sat idling in the empty space near the Veiled Intent. He'd chosen the standard beam rifle and shield for the cannon-modified Gelgoog. The enemy Val Varo appeared to be an excellent machine, with appreciable close-combat abilities. He knew little of its pilot, but was confident that he could overcome him. The Zaku Kai worried him little; he had the advantage in speed, armament, and combat experience - he was certain. Abruptly, the battle began as the Val Varo streaked toward the Zaku Kai. Caleb and his Gelgoog were not far behind, pressing the advantage that the double attack gave them. Junichi Ghettid cursed at his misfortune, but yelled wildly as he made a beeline for the Gelgoog. He lived a warrior, and he would die a warrior's death; the odds didn't matter. He aimed a killing shot at the large Val Varo as he twisted out of reach of the red mobile armor's extended claws. But neither of them could avoid the powerful blast from the Gelgoog's cannon. They couldn't believe its awesome power. Or, at least, that was how Caleb DeGrau imagined things happening. In reality, the Val Varo somehow managed to avoid the thick beam. Ghettid basked in the glory of an honorable death at the hands of skilled combatants, then realized it was only a spar, and started grumbling to himself about how he would've won, had the matches been one-on-one. The battle wasn't over for the Val Varo or Gelgoog. Felix thanked his lucky Newtype stars as he buzzed around the battlefield, seeking to draw the Gelgoog into his honeycomb of plasma leaders. It took all of Caleb's willpower to resist charging the large mobile armor, but he knew about the plasma leads, and could tell that the other pilot was trying to bait him with his quick dodging and long-distance shots. He brought the Gelgoog streaking around to the Val Varo's flank, covering his move with shots from his beam rifle. The Val Varo turned, of course, to meet the charge, but Caleb didn't stop. Suddenly, he slapped the beam rifle onto a hardpack and drew a beam saber, deflecting one of the Val Varo's claws, and dodging another. Felix had not expected his opponent to be this clever, or this tenacious. He tried to retreat, but was caught by one of his own plasma leaders. His suit fizzled to a stop as the Gelgoog came lightly to rest on one of its claws, like a bumblebee stopping for pollen. Caleb could almost taste the sweet nectar of victory. Caleb Degrau: 4 VP Gained, Repairing 1 Junichi Ghettid: 2 VP Gained, Repairing 1 Felix Mendalshon: 2 VP Gained, Repairing 1 |