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Archangelisk, or spelled Arkhangelsk by the locals, is a pretty normal city considering the small populace. But like most vital small cities, normality is superseded by strategice importance. The port city of Archangelisk is important due to its location as a perfect staging ground for naval vessels, particularly submarines. So it came without surprise to Obersturmfuhrer Xaviar Brennan when he is told that Archangelisk's piers is the base's most vital facility. The SS officer felt a presence behind him and much to his relief, it is Captain Marina Nimue. The young captain of the U-87 Lorelay held her hat on her head as the wind threaten to blow it away. Brennan watched her blond hair sway in the wind until she spoke. "We're almost ready to leave," she reported casting a glance at the dock. Long lines of personnel stretch from trucks to the two Zeon submarines as valuable assets are loaded. Brennan gave quiet sigh of relief. The Z'Gok pilot had not come to terms yet with Hauptscharfuhrer Catalina Alvarez's return into his life. He is not sure why this spectre of his past has come to haunt him again, but Brennan is sure that Alvarez is surrounded by her usual mischief. Better to have her on the U-101 than on the Lorelay. Gihren knows, what would happen if Marinas makes the wrong assumptions about him and Alvarez? Marina's words broke the spell casted over Brennan. "They will be attacking soon." "Don't worry," reassured Brennan," we have a few surprises for them." The thick and heavy fog that stretched over the continent of Europe is a major obstacle to the soldiers of Odessa Task Force Bravo. Even in the haze that clouds the ground, Federal soldiers can see the giant silhouettes of the Admiral A-1s. Even larger looms the shadow of the monstrous Heavy Fork land battleship. Even larger than the standard Big Tray, its heavy artillery is a reassuring sight to the men and women in Task Force Bravo. But no one is here today for sightseeing. Scores of Tin Cods and the more advance Jet Core Booster lifted to the sky, they quickly leave behind the blinding fog and emerge into the clear blue sky. Right away, they see the familar threatening shapes of Zeonic Dopps forming up to meet them. As the aerial battle is about to be joined, Federal mobile suits and tracked armor move themselves to assault positions. Type 61s grouped together like the metal fist of an angry god. They will have to drive blindly through the fog towards the enemy as their artillery rain down on the Zeon positions. A tank crewman was trying to sneak in one last smoke before the battle when he heard a friendly voice. "Hey there my good man, would you kindly spare a cig?" "Sure, no problem," the tanker answered automatically as he started to shake one lose from the carton. It had barely registered to him that no one in the platoon spoke to with a British accent, that the bullet from the suppressed pistol logged into his cranium. Hans Bond caught the dead Federal soldier before he landed. After a quick glance around to make sure no one was around, the SS operative climbed onto the turret of the Type 61. A few muffled sounds later and Bond began pushing the dead bodies off the tank. The rumble of so many diesel engines kept any signs of the hijacking hidden from the rest of the Type 61 force. That is, until two rounds of HEAT shells clobbered two other Type 61s. The explosion and resulting fire blew away enough of the fog for Federal soldiers to notice the renegade Type 61. Brennan raised an eyebrow as a computer panel in his Z'Gok registered an explosion in the distance. "That's got to be Hans," he said. "Without a doubt" agreed Marina onboard the Jukon II," We're almost ready here." "Good, have the Goggs form up on me. We'll get you out to sea." Despite all the chaos going on around him, stealing a Type 61 tank and weaving in and out amongst the Federal units, Hans Bond casually worked the controls as if he was driving his car to the grocery store. The SS operative drifted his tank as closely as possible between the other Type 61s, using the risk of friendly fire to his advantage. Then Bond saw the shadow of giant metal feet and drove between them. The pilot GM Ground Type only got more confused as he saw a mass of Type 61 tanks race between his mobile suit's legs. Then came the shouting of the task force commander over the radio and the entire Federal line surged forward. The Big Trays and the Heavy Fork boomed as their batteries open fire. Those still on the deck of the Zeon submarines can see the Federation's barrage land on Archangelisk. Nothing got people working faster than approaching enemy artillery. The base's targetting facility, already busy with the overhead aerial battle, began relaying counterbattery fire to the Zeon defenders. The Zaku II Ks joined in with the bases cannons as they try to retaliate against the large Federal ships. The Type 61s chasing Hans Bond opened fire on him time and time again. But the expert SS Operative kept dodging them. The entire Federal advance is hot on his heels when suddenly, the Type 61 swung hard to the left and speed off. The entire Federal pursuit, tanks and MS, began turning as well when the first 120mm shells and Bazooka rounds struck them. The commanders of Archangelisk knew the Federal forces will not hesitate to attack their small base. So nearly every available fighting unit was already in the trenches waiting for the Federal attackers to get close enough. Chaos erupted as the Zeon defense line met the Federal attackers headon. The carnage is bloody and plentiful. The lack of visibilty and the velocity of the attack tore apart any cohesion there was in the attack or defense. Things were made worse when a missile strike from another Jukon off the coast rained down on the battlefield, creating noise and even more confusion. Units just swung around and upon seeing a target, they fired at it. This caused some unenviable deaths such as the base's ace Gouf taking on half a dozen mobile suits in a wild melee. The blue warrior was finally brought down with seven beam sabers in its body. Eventually, a GM Ground Type and two tanks guided by a Type 74 made its way up the coast in an effort to flank the Zeon base. The Jukons are almost out to sea when Brennan spotted the GM Ground Type and Type 61s advancing along the shore. He knew that if they spotted the submarines, the fleet would shift its heavy artillery towards the waters. The pilot of the GM Ground Type brought up his shield as mega particle fire rained down on him. The foot of the Z'Gok landed on the arm shield as Brennan knocked the Federal mobile suit over. Behind him, two Goggs picked off the Type 61s easily. As the Federal MS staggered back to its feet, Brennan uppercuts the GM Ground Type. The lunar titnanium armor barely held against the super heated claws but the mega particle burst broke through easily. Brennan flung the dead GM Ground Type to the ground, ripping off the Federal unit's head in the process. Suddenly Federal artillery fell down around him and Brennan signals for his team to return to the water. Not far down the coast, a man leaped from a Type 61. Dressed in diving gear, Hans Bond pulled a breathing apparatus from his equipment belt and leaped into the water. Despite the overwhelming firepower, it took Odessa Task Force Beta another four hours before they entered Archangelisk. Even the base's Zaku tank bravely join the fray, using the fog to surprise the attackers. The stubborn resistance of the Zeon defenders caused the entire base to be pounded to pieces by the Federation's artillery. They found nothing salvagable in the wreckage, nor did they notice the departure of the two Zeon submarines until much later when they inspected the destroyed piers. Xaviar Brennan - 4 VP Gained, Repairing 2 Nigel ordered his helmsman to land the ship. The California along with the other two medeas remained behind the line, protected from stray gun fire. As all three vessels made it to safety, Thorvald Siggurdson came marching into the bridge, slamming the door almost off the hinges. It wasn't a sign of anger as it was a show of his strength. "Why haven't I launched? Just get me off this bird and I'll be fine!" reccomended Thorvald, with his still thick accent. "Patience...The hanged man will kick at anything when the noose starts to tighten around his neck." replied Nigel, calm and collected as ever. Thorvald grumbled to himself, as his superior officer had just used a viking quote against him. He changed the topic to avoid stating that Nigel was indeed correct. "Did ya 'onkey take a shat in me suit again? It smells like ye ol' grandmother!" he shouted. Nigel turns his seat, and tilts forward to face Thorvald, only to see his back as he returned to the hangar bays. Thorvald planned to prep the Blue Destiny and speak to Marion, the faerie in his suit he had managed to befriend; it was a classic Beauty and the Beast tale. Back at the bridge, Nigel sighed and then shifted his attention to the siege. He communicated with the other ship captains to learn of any updates and the status of the bombardment. In the back of his head, he could hear whispers of "Foxhole Ferdinand" being muttered. He sighed again. From the coast Marnery led the bombardment from the Godwin Austen, lighting up the skies above New York.The Godwin Austen could not engage the enemy due to damages, but Marnery instructed from afar, regardless. Bombs were droping and Zeon were retalliating as best they could, with mega particle cannon fire from land mounted turrets. The Barley, and Wheat soon joined in the fray, rocking the earth with cannon fire. As the ships moved in closer, and in better range, both naval vessels launched wave after wave of missiles. Zeon's Anti-Aircraft fire was more suitable for the attack, reducing damage by shooting as many missiles down as possible. Explosions spread throughout the land as balls of flames rained down. Hordes of Zaku IIs took cover behind damaged buildings "We will suffer losses as Satan's servants who defile this land that we have graced. No worries, for we will have our vengeance on next dawn!" shouted Ando Shoji in the Shin Zaku II, shielding himself from the bombardment, with his heat axe pointing to the enemy. "Where are those damn Gaws?!" cursed Nimbus Schatzen. The Schwaben soon made its appearence, backed up by the Bodensee and the Esperia. The three massive air-ships launched an all out attack using all weapons at their disposal. Their response was a cold and ruthless one as Mega Particle Cannon shots tore through the abandoned buildings that came crashing down on Federation forces. They began firing tockets, blasting the Federation encampment to hell. "Target the Gaws with main cannons! Keep them busy with missiles!" ordered Marnery. The Barley and Plain followed his orders to the word, but the Hillcocks' missiles were effortlessly shot down by Anti-Aircraft guns. The Gaw that was closest, the Bodensee, was then targeted by the combined efforts of the Barley and What's main cannons. The cannon shots tore through the hull and damaged the ship's engines, forcing it to come crashing down into the ground. The pilot managed to adjust his trajectory, keeping the Gaw from falling into enemy territory. The two remaining Gaws made a break into the Ocean, to challenge the Hillcocks. Their approach was made possible due to the Gaw's impressive frontal armor coating. As they flew above the large vessels, the Hillcock's cannons could no longer target the behemoths. Bombs that seemed never ending in number bombarded the Hillcocks, at the least splashing the crew, and at the worst blowing large holes into the ships. After their bombing run, the gaws returned back to base and Federation forces silenced their bombardment. Both sides checked their losses and prepared for the worst. "They have stopped firing. It is over!" informed Noelle Everett, pointing to the sky with her Dom. "No, Noelle. It has just begun." replied Ando. "The eye of the hurricane." mentioned Noelle, adding on to Ando's statement. Ando Shoji: 1 VP Gained, No Damage Noelle Everett: 1 VP Gained, No Damage Thorvald Siggurdson: 1 VP Gained, No Damage Aurem Senaiha: 1 VP Gained, No Damage Nigel Ferdinand: 1 VP Gained, No Damage The problem with Constantinople isn't so much its government or its culture, but the fact that it seemed to change names every couple of years. Yes, it happened on a time scale that only turtles could think was frequent, but the fact of the matter was that any particularly old sea turtle might've seen three or four name changes since she last went on the beach. General Revil was no sea turtle. It wasn't this city's name that was of importance, it was what lay beyond that he glanced at over the horizon. Odessa was fast approaching, and Taskforce Alpha's duty would be fulfilled to the fullest extent of Revil's capabilities. All those who would inherit this fleet's name would have large shoes to fill. "Mayja Gennaral, all the preparations are, well, prepahed. The Feddarashin forces ah movin' in." Yuri Kerane grimmaced at the accent, but held his hand up and nodded in recognition of the news. "Where the FUCK did you pick that accent up?" He asked, peering at the middle-aged, tubby (she insisted she just had big bones) woman from behind his glasses. Well, Sah, back in Bahston, we--" "Never-fucking-mind." The Major General walked out of the room, into a hall leading to one of the base's handful of gargantuan hangars. G-Force, a recent arrival, had all but shut their vessels down, and now they were preparing them for emergency evacuation. The incoming Federation forces were intimidating and everyone on base had a forboding sense of discomfort, exacerbated by the heavy fog clinging to the city, like the fingers of a wraith. David Mass was the only patron in the bar, but that was impressive on its own; the fact that this bar remained open despite the battle soon at hand was a testament to the muscular bartender/apparent owner's stoicism. The bartender was pretty tall, David noted, but he had ears like a monkey and a face that could kill a Japanese schoolgirl at 30 paces. "Call me Duke," he had said, and he had said no more. He looked like he might know about explosives, himself, David Continued to evaluate as he drained his drink. His red silk vest over black clothes made him look more like a successful businessman than a criminal, but crime tends to pay those who do it well.' Regardless, it was safer here than in that hospital. David would've preferred to have left the city, but the impending assault made it hard to catch a cab, and an old man had no place walking his way out of the city. Okay, no. That was where he wished he was, but the fact of the matter was that there was no bar, no guy named Duke, and definitely no drinks. All he had were sewer tunnels, a guy named Apstal, and a bloody XM8. And a question: How many infirm are about to die? Jack Murphy's Guntank rolled to a halt in the lingering fog, and he could barely see the ground in front of him. "We're pretty far out," they had said, "better to avoid the majority of their fire and lower our accuracy than blindly move in and get blown up before we can even see the facilities." That was true. It'd be just as easy for Jack to shell the Zeon forces blindly as it would be if he had any useful firing data. Still, he scowled and tapped his fingers on the control sticks. He could see GMs to either side, ghostly in ethereal cloud. Ghostly - not something he felt like seeing a GM look like, especially after he had gotten Jane's journal all that time ago. At least he was only seeing one ghost, instead of two. Bigby's GM still had some kinks in the systems - there was a lot of repair work yet to be done on it. As long as the sun sat in the sky, though, there wasn't much moving or fighting expected. All he could do now was wait. Wait and try to ignore Garnett. That wasn't easy. He was stuck in an MS team with her - her MS team. It's going to be a loooooong day, Bigby thought to himself, the sound he allowed his frustration to make was a long sigh, just in case she was somehow listening. And elsewhere, a GM CCT pilot sat in his machine silently, waiting for the battle to begin. Thomas hadn't really introduced himself to anyone yet, so no one really knew what he was like. First Lieutenant Ackart gazed over a side monitor in his GM - a display full of all Earth Federal Forces currently deployed overlaid on a map of Constantinople. A swarm of translucent dots laid over everything else; the fighters were moving in fast and in high numbers. Meanwhile he was on the ground, waiting until the fog lifted before he could do anything. Of course, if a Zaku came within three or four yards of him, he'd make sure to shoot him, but he didn't put any money on that occurence. "Hrm." Jarvis hrmd a few more times. There was something about maps that was growing on him. And not too far from everyone else, Kyle Slater's GMPGT sat in the fog, the off-white limbs bleeding into the white fog like snow melting into a river. The blue torso stood out slightly more, but the thick vapor made any coloring 97% irrelevant. At least that was what he calculated. He also calculated that beam shots would be really fucking cool in fog. Like, ridiculously cool, but not in so many words. It had started. The Federation's fighters had come in from above, plowing through the Dopps and smattering of other Zeon aircraft suspended above the fog like a swam of hornets. Alec Irusk's Xamel shelled into the fog, thankful for the targeting facility on the base. Him and a handful of other artillery units were doing their best to hold the Federation ground forces at bay, and it seemed to be working. Either that, or they decided, as they should have, that charging the base in this weather was suicide. There was one thing in particular that was gnawing at Alec, chewing at this nerves until they were bloody and raw, angry - Hollerfelt. If there was one thing he hoped would happen in this battle, it was that Hollerfelt got what he deserved, whatever God decided that may be. Marko Dresner waited, much the same way his EFF counterparts waited; there was nothing he nor they could do for now. The main battlefield was the sky, and it didn't look like the Zeon pilots were about to turn the fight around. His Dowadge was barely standing, and it didn't even look like it'd been touched by a mechanic recently. G-Force will probably have to pull out, he thought to himself distantly. Hope this pile of junk can make it to the ships. Ferusha felt something too; little orbs of pressure high above, but the sensatioin felt numbing and wet. Maybe it was the fog. So many of the pressures were shattering, and something escaped when they broke. An Adzam hopped around; David Anderson had nothing better to do. High above the CLOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDS there was a battle, not a Broadway musical. After all, it was far too entertaining, and much more intellectually validating than a high school musical drama. None of this crossed Jim Irwin's mind, though, he was slightly more concerned with coordinating a strike force large enough for two, possibly three bases. The Tin Cods and Jet Core Boosters came down on the Zeon aircraft like the fist of God, spraying holy water in the form of missiles on the legion of the damned. It wasn't as poetic as that, but it was similar in outcome; the Dopps and assorted other machines were swamped by Tin Cods, Tin Cods who barely had enough room to maneuver amidst their brethren. Jim stretched his neck as another Dopp dropped to the ground after having a missile introduced to its cockpit; charging Jim Irwin head-on didn't work out well. And he was used to the Down Under, so really, you'd have to try coming at him from above and behind him. "Iceman here, nice shooting, Lieutenant!" Jim paused before responding. "...Which Iceman? There's like four Icemans in every squad." "...Iceman B-7, Sir." "As you were, Iceman." More Dopps blew up, unsurprisingly. The stuttering conversation didn't do much to stop Lieutenant Irwin from acting like the ace pilot he was. The sun's glow through the foggy air looked like an image on a projection screen. The movie ran on, and the sun sank below the horizon. Revil nodded - it was time. Zeon's artillery units were exhausted, and though they were staggering their fire, their ammunition could last only so long. And so it was that the Earth Forces moved in on the ground and in the air. Zeon had no remaining air power to speak of, nothing to stop the bombers from making their runs, save for the soon-to-be damned anti-air defense systems. Yuri Kerane clenched his fist, knowing that it was time. He had to begin pulling out. The water forces would have to be the first to go, then he could evacuate the forces stationed at the base along with G-Force. He lifted a headset to his ear and radioed Von August's Gaw. "We have to pull out." "I can't, Kerane. There's too much on the line. We have to bleed them for all they've got here and now." "It's a losing battle, you know that. There's no point in getting yourself killed just so you can take down a fucking GM or two. We should pull out to Odessa." "I'll hold them off, Yuri. Get your men out of here." David continued trudging through the Sewer, behind Apstal. The explosion from the bomb phased no one except David - he flinched as it went off, he tried to forget it and continued walking behind the silent man. There's not going to be anything left to free with this guy around. Jack shelled the base with gusto, the cool night was refreshing; easier on his eyes. It helps that we wiped their air forces, he smirked. The Guntank bombarded the Zeon fortification with its beastial rounds; returning the favor to their artillery units. Bigby's GM ambled forward, taking advantage of the city's buildings. He leaned against a glass tower, about to peer around the corner. He nearly leaned around the corner as a tracer rounds tore past, glowing in the dense night-time air. "Shit. I am not risking getting more messed up." He flung his machine gun around the corner and pulled the trigger, shredding the unseen Zaku into giant robot hash. "Not bad...maybe I should wear skirts more often." A GM CCT drove a beam saber into a Zaku's torso, missing the reactor neatly. Parks couldn't wait to tell his new friends about that one. Lieutenant Ackart's GM Command stayed near the rear of the forces, and he continued to evaluate the map data. He issued a command to a passing MS team and leaned back in his seat. The responsibility was tiring, but he felt separated from the exhaustion right now. Kyle slashed through a Zaku and shot another's torso with his beam rifle. He wasn't alone right now, no, but it seemed like a few Mobile Suits had got the jump on him. Fortunately, the amazing beam saber was eternally useful in such situations. The Xamel skated away from the Federation MS that were closing in, retreating towards the epicenter of the Zeon command structure - and the retreating forces. Irusk chanced a passing glance at the Hagia Sophia, soon to be encompassed by the viral Federation body. What a shame. Marko Dresner's Dowadge seemed to be telling him to pull away, it drifted left while skating, in the direction of the base. He knew it was just a bent or broken part, but something as simple as that was an effective portent of things to come. He decided to heed the warning. Though he had shot down two GMs as he skirted around their flanks, he felt uncomfortable. The wet atmosphere was heavy and foreboding. Ferusha's Zaku stuttered as it took a step forward, and quickly stepped backwards, easily dodging a bazooka round that had seemingly come out of nowhere. It didn't come from nowhere - stop relying on your eyes... She focused for a moment, and it seemed as though some kind of presence was moving just behind a concrete building. The Zaku boosted into the air above the building and let loose its explosive arsenal, dropping a GM before she even hit the ground. David Anderson's Adzam continued hopping, but this time with shooting! He retreated as he took a heavy blow to the armor, a good time to retreat. Seth Yamanu's marines made it to the top of another building, killing any troops they met along the way. They set up the transponder equipment and began transfering targeting data to the Federation command. It was a dangerous job, but on the outskirts of the base/city, they were far safer than the inner zones. Suddenly - something came out of the door they had just come out of themselves. A knife quickly dispatched one of the soldiers who came with Yamanu's unit; basically meatshields for the marines. The something stepped out of the door and rolled aside as machine gun fire came down on him. He hid behind the stairwell structure and counted his bullets. His handgun would be best for this job. The monster leapt around the structure, and the marines could see it. It looked almost like a man, but it had black legs, and its torso, head, and arms were wrapped in bloody bandages. A single eye peered out through a slit in the bandages, and tattered rags dragged from the wrappings. Novosad. Ritter plucked a bleeding soldier up from the ground, who screamed as he was lifted in front of the panzergrenadier like a shield. He was picked up so quickly that the men couldn't hold their fire, and Ritter disposed of the body as they stalled after killing him. He dove to the transponder equipment and ripped it apart with his knife. The marines tried firing after him, but by the time they had turned around, he had jumped off the building. "...Gather the wounded," Yamanu commanded, still staring at the ledge. "And we're getting out of here. Be extremely alert on the way down." Ritter dragged his wounded body along the ground. He estimated that his tibia had a small fracture. Not that it was any good right now. He just wanted to make it to the base before all personnel had retreated. The bombs and shells from Federation weapons exploded all around him, propelling concrete, glass, and metal shrapnel into his body. Not very far in, mind you, but enough to let him leave a bloody trail behind him. He crawled past the Hagia Sophia, a minaret had fallen from the building, crushed by its own weight as it hit the ground. Another explosion collapsed one of its walls, and the holy house continued to fall. Von August's Gaw had fallen without any glory - a victim of the unstoppable barrage. Its carcass added to the rubble that was once Constantinople, now void of any living Zeon forces. A tank rolled over an unrecognizable remainder of Hagia Sophia, and idled on the pile of rubble where once stood a holy structure. The EFF occupied what little remained of the city, unopposed by anything or anyone. A survivor here or there was shot down, given they were wearing a Zeon uniform. Mud began to reclaim the tar and concrete, and nature began doing what the war had started; reclaiming territory for the Earth. Jack Murphy - 8/2 VP gained, Repairing +2 Jim Irwin - 8/2 VP gained, Repairing +3 Bigby Wolfe - 8/2 VP gained, Repairing +2 Aaron McCaskey - 9/2 VP gained, Repairing +2 Seth Yamanu - 9 CP gained, Injured 1 Thomas Parks - 10 VP gained, Repairing 3 Jarvis Ackart - 8 VP gained, Repairing 2 Edmund Blackadder - 9+1 VP gained, Repairing 2 Kyle Slater - 10/2 VP gained, Repairing +2 Alec Irusk 7/2 VP gained, Repairing +2-1 Persephone Dawn 6 VP gained, Repairing 2-1 Ferusha Glavadeen 7 VP gained, Repairing 2-1 David Anderson 8/2 VP gained, Repairing +3-1 Duncan Keystone 7 VP gained, Repairing 3-1 Ritter Novosad 6/2 CP gained, Injured +3-1 David Mass 8/2 CP gained, Injured +2 |