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“COME ON LAAAADIES! MY GRANDMOTHER COULD DO MORE PUSHUPS THAN YOU...AND SHE'S DEAD!” bawled the sergeant as the quarterdeck was assaulted by a terrific roaring wind, the assembled mercenaries lay flat against the unyielding ground as a shadow passed overhead, the pair of drill sergeants standing resolute against the buffeting winds created by the rockets of the hovering Genobreaker that was the property of a recent arrival, having not yet had its company paintjob applied over its eye wateringly confusing color scheme. “YOU CALL THIS WIND?! THIS IS A MERE FART! GET YOUR BUTTS IN THE AIR THIS SECOND!”
Thoria smirked as her zoid slowly (well...to her at least) slid forward, her eyes following the glowing wands that one of the ground crew was busy waving, directing her to a sufficient open space to set down without crushing any of the various supplies that were piled across the normally clear taxiway leading to the zoid hangars. The hovering zoid came to a stop and began to descend slowly, kicking up dust and debris as it entered the grand effect, the wands waving slowly up and down before being crossed when Thoria felt her zoids weight come onto its legs, the hulking metal beast settling into a resting stance as the boosters shutdown with a whine. “Anvil one, jets off. Standing by” announced the pilot as she pulled up the power systems and began shutting down various unnecessary features...like the radar, particle management system...that sort of thing. The figure on the ground touched one wand to its helmet then scurried off quickly towards the landing field, a pair of whalekings circling slowly in the distance.
“Anvil one, clear to dismount.” crackled the radio as Thoria twisted the release handles, the heavily armored panels clanking open as the cockpit chair assembly slid outward on tracks before a grab handle lowered into view, the woman unbuckling from her restraints as she took hold of the handle and thumbed a small button, her foot sliding into a metal loop dangling just before the level of the cockpit. A hidden winch began to unspool cable as the pilot was lowered smoothly to the ground, where a quick tap of what appeared to be a key fob caused the winch to retract and the cockpit to seal itself.
“Yo L-T!” called Grizz, Thoria's second in command of Anvil Team, the fire support element of the mercenary outfit known as Taylor's Terrors, as the open top jeep jerked to a halt, the man in question standing up slightly with a raised arm as Thoria pulled the beret of her uniform from beneath the epaulet and fitted it snugly.
“Bear! I see you got the wheels right this time” called Thoria with a grin, the last time this had happened he'd shown up with a pair of sweating recruits pulling a rickshaw.
“Oh you know boss, I know all about you wanting to keep your delicate girlish figure” replied the big pilot as the woman sat beside him, crossing her arms as he pointed ahead of them. “Onward james! To the build that houses those in charge!” he announced imperiously.
“You mean the headquarters Sir?...and its Frederick sir.” replied the driver, also a member of Anvil team, the sandy haired pilot of one of the teams artillery laden Red Horns.
“Yes soldier! Now let us be off!” replied Grizz as the jeep lurched forward, knocking the big man into his seat. The vehicle sped across the taxiway and towards the central cluster of buildings, slowing only to navigate around a flatbed bearing several pallets of ammunition.
“So Grizz, tell me the good word.” said Thoria as she leaned back for comfort.
“Well..the scuttlebutt is that the Toros Tyrants are going to go all the way in the tournament this year, theres been confirmation that water is indeed wet, though I think you might know that...”
“Very funny. You know what I meant...”
“Oh you mean all the stuff laid out and the whalekings having shown up? Oh that's what you meant. Well... you know how they were talking about extending our operations area to include more...polar climes? Well we will doubtless be assigned to the ground that will be establishing our operations center in the north.” replied the sergeant as the jeep took a corner at speed and continued its rush towards the now closer HQ block.
“So...pack for the beach then?” snarked Thoria as she grimaced. She was a creature of sun and sand. Not snow and ice!.
“Well...you could boss, but I don't think it'd be healthy. I'm sure the other guys would like it.” the man replied in a deadpan voice, his face set in stone as he finished the delivery. Thoria let out of peal of laughter, the hulking brute cracking a smile.
“I was totally waiting for something about glass cutting but that works!” laughed the woman. She'd gotten over the whole sexism thing pretty quick, she knew it was just a joke for them, letting off steam, and she'd grown up 'as one of the guys', until that dynamic changed. The simple fact was, this was a job for everyone who had the skills and ability to put up with pretty much anything. The other side was if anyone tried something, there'd be several very angry people, at least one of whom has a zoid capable of flight and carries what could be termed by some as a weapon of mass destruction. It was about lines in the end.
“Well I thought that might be a little obvious Ma'am.” replied the sergeant as Frederick the driver wobbled in his seat, trying not too successfully to stifle laughter. The remainder of the trip was in near silence, punctuated by the distant roar of the landing Whalekings.
“Right, Fritz, stay with the car and we'll be back shortly.” ordered Thoria as she climbed out, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from her uniform and turned to the flow of foot traffic that was making its way into the heart of the operation, the corridors packed with people as groups made their way to each of the assigned briefing rooms. Having found the correct room Thoria stepped aside to admit her second in command before following after several seconds, already the room was filled with the various team leaders and their people, all of whom were pilots for the various zoid teams fielded by the company. Making with small talk filled several minutes before the lights dimmed and the staffer at the front of the room cleared their throat.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome. Many of you have noted the materials that have been laid out around certain key areas of the base, I can tell you that they are there for a reason. The room lit slightly as a projector clicked on, illuminating the front wall of the room with an aerial shot of an island, a snow covered one at that. “This is Site Gamma. For varying reasons, it has been decided that we are in need of two new base locations, the official word is that licensing for teams has been on the decline with only two new groups being made operational, as a result, there is a gap in the coverage, since the rift war incident and the dissolution of the battle commission as a military police organization, companies like our own have been required to pick up the burden of keeping the population safe, a feat easy to accomplish in the cities, where smaller less well equipped teams can work with law enforcement.” the slide changed to show the burned out remains of several towns.
“This is why we're expanding operations folks. These images were taken at the site of a raid by unsanctioned zoid pilots. Because of various constraints, team units from the officially sanctioned groups were unable to respond in time...which is where we've been able to step in. The result is that we are expanding to two other sites to ensure coverage of a larger area. Site Gamma is being designated a rapid response facility, and is intended as a staging point for effective units to combat the threats to people and property that has been an on-going issue in these lawless zones. You will note that you are all part of, or have rapid reaction abilities, our first and second aerial units will be deployed to Gamma, as well as ground teams Badger and Cougar, with the support of Anvil team. However. The first wave will consist of Anvil and Badger teams to ensure security during construction of the initial buildings. Cougar and our aerial units will arrive following the completion of sufficient hangar facilities for the zoids and personnel. Further details are available in your document packets. You all know our expectations for you in this, Lets get to work people!” barked the briefing officer, the assembled soldiers rising to their feet in near unison. The projector shut off as the lights came back up, allowing the assembled officers to collect their particular briefing packets.
As the group dispersed Thoria sighed. Getting shipped off to the frigid north was not exactly on her list of things to do, but she had volunteered for this...and the pay wasn't exactly worth sneezing at. “Look at it this way Boss, we'll be able to build snowmen! I'm going to call mine Olaf!” laughed Grizz, Thoria smiling slightly, she'd had the chance to meet her team mates family, and his pair of daughters who were considered fans of a recent movie that someone had released involving winter and a talking snowman.
“If I hear that song Grizz....” growled Thoria as the pair returned to their transport. “So Fritz...we're destined for a land of ice and snow. It will doubtless be very cold.”
“Oh joy...” groused the junior pilot, starting the engine with a cough, “..I joined to get away from it.”
“Ah the things we do for money eh?” replied Thoria as she scanned the documents and winced. The site in question, had some work done to it so far...mostly just scraping a bare patch large enough for a whaleking to land, and a series of temporary huts had been erected for the workers who would actually be building everything. “Well...it won't be the fanciest place we've been...but its indoors.” grumbled the woman as the vehicle reversed out of its parking spot and made for the hangars where the rest of the team waited.
After spending the next half hour going over 'The Plan' as it was titled, Thoria had sent her various underlings off to finished their preperation when her phone began to buzz. A text message blinked on the screen, it was time to climb back into her zoid and settle in for the wait, it was loading time.
On the airfield the pair of whalekings had their ramps down and a bevy of cargo vehicles were rolling on and off, construction equipment was stowed and chained down, pallet after pallet of cement was piled into the spacious hold, self mobile equipment came next and filled the rest of the cargo bay. The second whaleking, was having a more careful loading performed, pallets of ammunition, food and fuel were loaded aboard, then came the zoids. The ground units were piloted aboard and chained down, with the hulking behemoth of the Genobreaker jet placed to balance the load, with her zoid shut down and everything double checked, Thoria climbed the ladder to the passenger compartment, settled in her seat and awaited the journey to new horizons.
Several hours and a terrible inflight meal later....
Thoria watched as the ramp dropped open, wind gusts causing slow to swirl into the cargo bay. The radio crackling. “You know boss...I feel cold just looking at that...” grumbled Grizz as the first zoids were offloaded, already the first whaleking was well into its unloading as trucks and trailer units were hauled off, nippy little forklifts hauling pallets of material from the depths of the hold to waiting flatbed trailers. Nearby the workers who had already done some improvements were waiting, breath streaming in the air, they had tickets back to civi...well..warmth. Thoria looked at the operation plan again and sighed, having ensured the microphone was off.
They had been slated for six months on site, the hangars and accomodation blocks were the first priorities, expedient facilities had been set up already in the form of simple quonset style hangars that had a thin layer of concrete sprayed over top, totally insufficient for anything but keeping the weather of the zoids. The damaged remains of an excavator were visible where it had been attempting to dig to construct the first of many ammunition bunkers, and a handful of light towers had already been erected around part of the base, given the problem of the low light, being the middle of the polar winter and the endless twilight.
On paper, it looked like a nice place, a perimeter fence, a walled compound for the main facilities and the hangars, geothermal energy taps, a large airfield for the Stormsworder and Pteras units slated to be here. But the reality of the current situation was hard to credit with being 'good'.
While Thoria was more than happy to be 'just one of the guys', she didn't fancy the idea of being stuck in close proximity to every other person operating up here. Especially not for the three months that was on the books for the accommodation block. One did have to wonder where the planners had gotten the idea to build in such a remote location, even with the nearby towns, 'nearby' was a relative term, for a ground zoid, it was two or three hours at best speed (less for her thanks to the boosters), aerial zoids would of course get there faster but...they had nowhere to be housed, and were unsuitable to be left in the freezing conditions in the open.
And with that thought lingering briefly, the Genobreaker lurched forward slowly, stalking out into the frigid twilight like a sea monster loose on the land. “Alright team, lets move ourselves over towards the hangar site and see what they want us to do.” announced Thoria over the radio, having set it to the teams frequency before they had even left the tropics. The team stumped over as a group, watching as the command wolves of badger team slunk across the landing field, a flotilla of trucks following in their wake as the first group of construction crews began setting up around the hangars, already a crane was being raised above the fairly basic structure that had been used to store existing equipment.
Thoria looked around as she settled in for a wait, the heaters already turned up against the penetrating chill. Her zoid would unfortunately have to suffer, as the existing facilities were simply too small, designed more for molgas than mountains. The planned hangar however, would be something to behold, a broad dome with a several entrances, all in double door arrangements to permit the entire structure to be heated, the aerial zoid's would be housed in several more classical blockhouse hangars that lead onto the airfield itself, built for the quick launch of the fliers in the event of an emergency.
Of course...these structures needed to be built!
An hour passed before Thoria was forced from the heated comfort of her zoid, her team mates had their zoids under cover and were getting settled in to the spartan huts they had been assigned for their lodgings. “You know...I could probably build a better hut” muttered Frederick as the group shivered, the hut lit mainly by the flickering glow of the fire that occupied an old style cast iron stove and firebox. The largest area of the hut was by decree, the common room, while the rooms that led off from the main area had been assigned, with the exception of Thoria and Grizz, by right of rank, had rooms to themselves, while junior members of the team had been doubled up. The furnishings were of course, basic, but would suffice to meet the basic comforts, and it wasn't like they couldn't get something brought in on the cargo flights to feed the construction.
“Oh really? You could build a better hut than this?” grumbled the other Red Horn pilot.
“Sure could. I lived around places like this, my grandaddy taught me how to do it, helped out plenty of times growing up” replied Frederick airily, as he threw the last of his bags into his shared room.
Thoria sighed heavily, it was going to be a long deployment....
With the occasional personal conflict and challenge issued, the days turned to weeks that turned to months. The center support was raised for the hangar dome and section by section the structure was raised, first supported by trusses of steel, as the first layer of was completed the trusses were removed, leaving only the central pillar to ensure the edifice remained standing. Work continued at breakneck pace as the two ground teams spent their work hours patrolling and reacting to sightings of possibly hostile groups, engaging in exercises in the frigid weather. All the while layers of insulation and armor were laid over the dome until it reached the final stage of construction, the assembled workers and pilots gathering to watch as the central pillar was removed and the dome was finally sealed against the elements. With a rousing cheer the assembled throng watched as the pillar retracted and the dome remained standing, already the small thermal powerplant had been set up and cables run to feed the burgeoning outpost.
Thoria watched from the comfort of her heated cockpit as the short little ceremony of turning on the lights was performed and she was very ready for there to be somewhere to park Akula, where she wouldn't have to climb into the cockpit and having it colder than a...well you know. Ceremony complete the workers were dismissed back to their barracks, and the ground crew took over, guiding the assembled zoids into the armored bunker that would be their future home. Thoria waited impatiently, tapping her foot and occasionally muttering dark curses under her breath until it was finally her turn, the dazzle painted hide of the Genobreaker seemed to break as buildups of ice and snow were shaken free when the mighty machine stepped forward, the pilots eyes glued to the small ground vehicle ahead of her, flashing lights illuminating it and provided warning to others in the area that it was being followed. As Akula crossed the threshold Thoria felt a sense of relief, the other zoids were parked up with gantries drawn around them, ground crews already at work on unloading the ammunition bins in readiness to begin maintenance checks, unfortunately due to the size of the Genobreaker itself, it was relegated to being positioned at the 'rear' of the dome, on the far side from the entrance, where scissorlifts and assorted other machines would be used instead of a standard gantry system.
Thoria looked at her watch and felt a small thrill of excitement, with the hangar complete it was decided that the currently deployed pilots would be flown back to the company headquarters for rest and relaxation, their duties taken over for the three day pass by recently stood up recruits, the additional zoid units were also being brought up to handle security and increase the presence as the rest of the base was built up. “Good news folks!” called the woman as she waved over the members of her unit “We've got R&R flights coming up in the next couple of hours, so I want anything you're taking to be ready to go before nineteen hundred. Before you ask Fritz, its a three day pass, so I know that you're just dying to go and spend all that pay we've accrued.”
“Yessssss!” cried one of the Redhorn pilots as Grizz gave the man a glare that should have been capable of reducing the offender to a charred patch on the floor.
“I know...nineteen hundred. If you miss the flight, you're stuck here. Dismissed” commanded Thoria as the other pilots broke off, heading for their cabin, Grizz remaining by Thoria's side, leaving the pair to admire the interior of the new hangar as they made their own way out.
“So boss, you got any plans?” asked the hulking older man, Thoria had already been over a similar discussion, and was used to hearing it from her number one assistant.
“Eh not really. Might take a trip to see the folks but...” Thoria shrugged, she called or left messages most nights, and wrote letters almost every other day so it wasn't like she was missing her family.
“Well if you didn't have anything else to do, I'm sure Barb and the kids would be fine with you visiting” Grizz smiled, the first time a similar conversation had come up, was a bit of a shock. Thoria intrepreting it as him hitting on her, until his gales of laughter had subsided and the tears had stopped...and he was able to breath again normally. Not only was Grizz 'not her type', nor she his, but he was happily married for many years, and had kids.
“Well its three days, who knows I may just take you up on that, but this time I'll call first...” replied the woman as she pulled her jacket tightly about herself, stepping across the threshold of the hangar, and past the powerful aircurtain that kept the hangar above the outside temperature. Thankfully it was no longer arctic night, although instead of constant twilight, the sun was high and bright, tempered only by thick drifting cloud the scudded across the sky like a flighty herd of wooly beasts. As the pair passed the workers barracks they could hear the festivities in full swing, loud music and yelling clearly seemed to suggest someone had brought in some liquid refreshments of an alcoholic nature. “If they've got booze they are going to hate tomorrow...” muttered Thoria as they turned off the barely shoveled path that functioned as a road and towards their own cabin, the thin wisp of smoke climbing from the chimney.
And time passes, as it is wont to do, the various pilots and personnel who had been assigned to guard the fledgling base greeting their replacements and climbed aboard the whaleking that had come to deliver supplies. The new arrivals zoids rolled out on trailers towed by a Gustav that headed in the direction of the hangar. Thoria smiled, it'd be getting crowded despite the sheer size of the dome, that smile grew larger still when the huge transport rose into the air on screaming turbines before slowly banking around and accelerating southward. Unfortunately, there was interest in the departing transport...
Thoria awoke with a start, the accursed phone beast howling for attention as she grabbed the device from her bedside table, her vision drowned out by the light of the phone. “Boss?” came her second in commands voice “There's been an incident, the northern base is under fire and we're being called back.”
“What? How bad?” asked Thoria as she sat upright and snatched her bathrobe using a foot, pulling the garment closer.
“Don't know yet, sounds like its on...wait one...” replied the man as Thoria noticed another set of sounds, like the growl of an engine and the repeated blasts of the horn. If she'd been paying a little more attention, she could have heard the honking faintly from outside. “I got a call from one of the guys up there, radios are being jammed and someone took out the comm's antennae, I've relayed the call to the company and got told to 'get everyone' on this.” as he finished speaking she heard tires squealing as whatever vehicle Grizz was driving took a corner going faster than it should have. At that second her phone buzzed for attention, another caller ID flashed.
“Got HQ now, hold on” she said quickly, switching calls. As the information came Thoria was already pulling on clothing, admittedly most of it needed a wash and probably smelled but this was a time for speed not décor! The staffer at the company headquarters snapped off the situation 'as it was', the response was coming together but would be painfully understrength, the big transports couldn't get their in time, and the storm sworder aerial squadrons couldn't deal with everything, the pteras bombers would be able to offset that, but were severely limited by their payload. So the plan was to use the fliers to carry the extra pilots up north at high speed, rather than use them as fighting forces, it was to increase the units on the ground. After confirming Thoria ended the call, leaving the staffer to get on with their job and returned to Grizz's call.
“Boss you back? Ah good. I'll be outside in thirty seconds. See you then.” the line went dead as Thoria finished dressing, raking a hand through her hair before locking the place up again, the various checks made and Thoria was outside just after her team mate had arrived, the beat up old family fun wagon clearly packing something nonstandard under the hood as it snarled eagerly. “Didn't interrupt anything did I?” joked the man as Thoria slipped into the passenger seat, buckling herself in as the car took off, careening through an intersection and onto a road heading out of the city, thankfully empty at this hour. The trip flashed by in silence, apart from repeated outbursts from the driver about idiots as early risers started their day, upon arrival the mercenary company's main complex was chaos, personal vehicles were already parked haphazardly as people struggled to meet the task ahead.
The Pteras bombers had been unloaded of their main ordinance, their guns still had full loads, for whatever help it was, with only a pilot in place of the usual three man crew, two crew had ground pilots in their places, the stormsworders were a little different, having only the room for an extra occupant, which went to the team leaders. The reasoning being that they'd be able to start organizing their own team to repel the attackers. Thoria was dubious as she was stuffed into a flightsuit and jammed into the spare seat, buckled in as other fliers began spooling up, minutes later the first wave of reinforcements was airborne, the pilots pushing their zoids to the limit as the half dozen pteras and ten strong storm sworder wing raced northward.
In the north however, things weren't so great. The defenders had been caught by surprise, their unfamiliarity with the terrain meant they hadn't been able to respond as effectively, their opponent was clearly used to the local conditions, as they hadn't put themselves in the crosshairs yet, but still rained destruction down upon the bases environs. After the satellite relay station had been taken out the other day in what had been called 'an accident', the base had been almost cut off, apart from a pair of satellite phones that relied on the ZBC judge platforms for relays, one being in use at the time the attack started, the other sat in someones room and wouldn't be discovered until the battle was over.
As the flight streaked northward Thoria looked out at the star spattered darkness just above the zoids. The world curving away as the fliers streaked across the sky, in the distance a trail of a fire descended into the atmosphere, almost certainly a judge being sent to oversee a battle. “Beautiful isn't it?” asked the pilot in a soft tone. “I wonder what its like out there, being able to look down on our world...”
“Its indescribable” replied Thoria as she wondered the same thing. “Truly a shame why we're here...but...incredible nonetheless”
“Amen sister.” replied the pilot, falling silent once again.
Hours passed and the flight began its descent, shrieking from the heavens like a flight of avenging angels from on high, the defenders taking hits and praying to relief before they were overcome. As the reinforcements streaked in Thoria could make out the positions of the attackers, visible from the plumes of smoke from cannon mounted on some kind of platform. The results of their fire visible already as trails of black smoke wafted into the sky, joining many columns into a single large mass downwind from the base itself. “Alright everyone, we're going to do this hard and fast okay? The sworders go in first, bombers are going to provide covering fire until the sworders have unloaded, then they'll cover the bombers, don't get cute people! We're here to do a job.” snapped the flight leader as the Storm Sworders banked off, Thoria thrown against her restraints and feeling the world close in around her as the zoid raced towards the ground.
“Get me as close to the hangar as you can!” she cried as the pilot pulled back on the throttle.
“If I get any closer we'll end up inside it!” snapped the pilot as the zoid twisted onto its side as another storm sworder flared for a landing and was blown aside as a shell erupted nearby.
“Then get us inside! They aren't firing on the hangar! It'll be safe!” snarled Thoria as the pilot sped up again, the flier roaring along just above the rocklike permafrost, if the attackers got lucky there'd be another out of commission zoid, and probably two dead occupants. Thankfully however, the attackers didn't manage to score a hit, or anything close, as the flight of pteras bombers roared down and strafed them, giving the defendings a moments respite. The hangar doors stood open as the storm sworder braked hard, the zoid slamming to a halt as it went into a hover, both occupants almost wrenched out of their seats by the g forces involved. But that was all Thoria needed, her hand unsnapped the restraints and she was pulling back on the canopy while the pilot fought the blowback from the hovering engines, the wind rushing into the cockpit as the artillery team commander jumped to the ground, leaving the pilot to tend to the canopy.
As she neared the woman skidded to a stop at the base of the Genobreaker, leaving the still hovering storm sworder gawking as the heavy zoid seemed to shake itself, its eyes glowing malevolently as its power systems came up. A shiver went through the combat flyer as she realized she was staring at something horrific in waiting, her passenger was already boarding what was clearly her zoid, and left the Storm Sworder blocking the exit for the titanic war machine.
Thoria snarled as she took stock of her zoids weaponry. If she was in a standard gantry she could have gotten an automated reload...but nooo, she was stuck with what worked best, the result? She had no missiles, and was limited to direct fire only. Not a great place to be if you happen to be in charge of the fire support element! The upside, her zoid could also fly, not nearly as well as the one she had just left, but she could get a better view on things....if only her team mates got in safely. As she finished strapping herself in Thoria watched the Stormsworder rotate then jet off out the hangar door, pulling up quickly and entering combat. The radar came online at last and showed the disparate defenders, backed up on certain key points around the area as the attackers rained explosives down with impugnity. That changed now. The months of patrolling around the wilds surrounding the base meant like the others stationed in this frostbitten godforsaken outpost, she knew the land as well as the ones who were even now pummeling the beleaguered base. Unfortunately, the radio was still being jammed. So first things first then...
With the way clear, the titanic genobreaker surged forward and out into the sunlight with a roar, partly to announce its presence and partly to rally the defenders. Already the Pteras bombers were swooping in to offload as Akula thundered past. During her white knuckle descent Thoria saw where the attackers had set up some kind of camp, and thorugh the power of deductive reasoning, suspecting that would also be the source of the radio interference. As the Genobreaker roared past the lineof defenders around the the ruins of the accommodation blocks, the X breakers locked forward and began generating the shield, which took a hit almost immediately, but unlike hitting ground or armor, this shot simply erupted in flame and sent sharpnel bouncing up and away where it was less likely to do harm, the damage to the huge zoid itself was negligible. Surging up the slope towards the enemy firebase the Genobreaker went, behind its shield it shrugged off attempts at stopping it by smaller weapons, the occasional attempt from the cannons suggested that they weren't being fired from a zoid based platform.
As the zoid charged into the trees the rushing bulk smashed trees to splinters, the needles that passed for leaves flying into the air in great clouds, overhead storm sworders lined up on the path of the rampaging zoid and engaged in a maneuver still called 'plowing the road', sending anyone in front of the zoid scurrying for cover. Thoria snorted when she entered the clearing being used by the attackers, a heavily modified gustav had been used to pull trailers into position so they could be used as artillery, the Gustav used for towing, having had a rather impressive array of antenna sprouting from its armored hide, luckily the Gustav was universally unarmed, mostly due to being heavily armored instead. Sure it might survive an attack, but its fragile antenna would assuredly be destroyed.
The X-breakers disconnected and the shield fell as the arms swung out and slashed through the trailer units, sending ammunition scattering as the cannons were knocked aside, the ground crew who served them sent flying at speeds enough that if they lived, they wouldn't be happy. The gustav itself however was trying to escape, hunkering down under its thick armor as the larger zoid fell upon it, the claws skittering across the armor in a shower of sparks with a terrific shriek. Flimsy metal was torn asunder at the antenna were torn from their mounting points, the radio suddenly filling with yelling before quieting down as people realized they'd left their microphones open.
“Good news everyone, I've dealt with the artillery and the jamming. Bad news?...I think I might be in trouble” called Thoria as she looked around, the trees wee shunted aside as several zoids made their presence known. None of them types employed by the mercenaries.
Especially not the Genosaurer.
“We've got your location! We're moving now” came the response from someone who Thoria hoped was the ground commander.
“You're gonna want to hurry!” replied Thoria as she began backing up, levelling the weapons pods at the main threat. Back at the hangar, the Red Horns stomped into the sunlight, the bearfighter of the teams second in charge already hammering its way towards the distant Genobreaker, other defenders picking their way out from their firing positions.
The two Red Horns turned towards their beleaguered leader and opened their missile tubes. “Anvil one, fire on your signal.” chimed one of the pilots on the shared radio channel.
“My position, now!.” barked Thoria as she reengaged the shield. A flick of a finger began the charging cycle for the particle cannon, which thankfully unlike its original form, didn't outwardly display its status until ready. The zoid continued backing towards the base as one of the other attacking zoids stalked forward in an attempt to flank, unfortunately the call for fire was 'on me', the missiles tracking on the position she had been the few seconds prior. Which meant the flanker found itself being slammed around by the exploding warheads, the other two zoids halted briefly, the Genosaurer deploying its foot locks and straightening out to aim its open maw with its charged particle cannon at the shielded Genosaurer.
At this range the shield stood no chance, Thoria bracing for the worst as the mouth of the cannons barrel began to glow. The cannon reached firing point as the pilot grinned evilly, his finger squeezing the trigger....
Just as a zoid charged out of the trees and slammed into the neck of the genosaurer. The footlocks overcome by the sudden impact and losing their grip. The stricken zoid suddenly found itself rotating as the cannon fired...no longer locked down the recoil smashed the Genosaurer into the ground with enough force to crush armor, not like it needed any help. The new arrival was a Bearfighter, in the same markings as her second in command. Already the radio was resounding with the battlecry of the defenders who sallied forth, the attackers, while few in number, were now well and truly screwed, the recent arrivals were lead by the old hands, who guided them into combat, driving the attackers into a retreat. By days end, those attackers who had been unable to escape had been rounded up and were held under the guns of troops brought up by the whalekings, with further reinforcements fortifying the area. Thoria sat beside the pot belly stove that had served as the teams cabin with a cheery little fire going. The fact it wasn't surrounded by a building not seeming to bother her.
“Fritz, you said something all those months ago about building a cabin...still think you can do it?” she asked as her team walked up.
“Well...it might take a few days but...yeah I can boss.” replied Frederick as he pulled up a handy piece of rubble and took a seat, the other team members doing the same.
“Good. Cause I don't want to live in a tent til they get things up and running again...” replied Thoria as she pushed another stick of half charred wood into the firebox.
“Just one thing though, why did you just go racing off like that? We were a bit surprised seeing Akula taking off past the defense line when we came in to land, would have thought you'd be firing the other guys up right off” mused the other member of the team as Grizz smirked.
“Do you want to tell him or should I?” he asked.
“Oh lord...” groaned Thoria, putting her head in her gloved hands, ignoring the charcoal that smudged on her skin.
“Well you see...when you reach a certain point, you get a handbook, surprised you haven't gotten one yet, but its called 'Seventy maxims of maximally effective mercenaries', and its full of little bits of information like oh what was it...ah...maxim number two, 'A Sergeant in motion outranks a Lieutenant who doesn't know what's going on.'.” explained Grizz, still smiling.
“I...don't get it.” replied the pilot
“When you were ready, who did you listen to?” asked Thoria, head still in hands.
“Well...Grizz, but its only cause we could hear him...”
“Well...okay thats true, but he was also doing something, the 'in motion' part of it. When the radio came back up what happened? I didn't tell you to start firing, Grizz did that, I just needed to call for it and he told you what to do, even though I had no idea where you were or if you were even armed up fully. I didn't know what was happening, other than the situation I was in.” Thoria looked up, face smudged with char. “and so...A Sergeant in motion, outranks a lieutenant who doesn't know what is going on.” Thoria paused “And no, we're not using that as a motto Grizz! Don't even think it!” she growled, waving a finger in the mans direction.
Thoria smirked as her zoid slowly (well...to her at least) slid forward, her eyes following the glowing wands that one of the ground crew was busy waving, directing her to a sufficient open space to set down without crushing any of the various supplies that were piled across the normally clear taxiway leading to the zoid hangars. The hovering zoid came to a stop and began to descend slowly, kicking up dust and debris as it entered the grand effect, the wands waving slowly up and down before being crossed when Thoria felt her zoids weight come onto its legs, the hulking metal beast settling into a resting stance as the boosters shutdown with a whine. “Anvil one, jets off. Standing by” announced the pilot as she pulled up the power systems and began shutting down various unnecessary features...like the radar, particle management system...that sort of thing. The figure on the ground touched one wand to its helmet then scurried off quickly towards the landing field, a pair of whalekings circling slowly in the distance.
“Anvil one, clear to dismount.” crackled the radio as Thoria twisted the release handles, the heavily armored panels clanking open as the cockpit chair assembly slid outward on tracks before a grab handle lowered into view, the woman unbuckling from her restraints as she took hold of the handle and thumbed a small button, her foot sliding into a metal loop dangling just before the level of the cockpit. A hidden winch began to unspool cable as the pilot was lowered smoothly to the ground, where a quick tap of what appeared to be a key fob caused the winch to retract and the cockpit to seal itself.
“Yo L-T!” called Grizz, Thoria's second in command of Anvil Team, the fire support element of the mercenary outfit known as Taylor's Terrors, as the open top jeep jerked to a halt, the man in question standing up slightly with a raised arm as Thoria pulled the beret of her uniform from beneath the epaulet and fitted it snugly.
“Bear! I see you got the wheels right this time” called Thoria with a grin, the last time this had happened he'd shown up with a pair of sweating recruits pulling a rickshaw.
“Oh you know boss, I know all about you wanting to keep your delicate girlish figure” replied the big pilot as the woman sat beside him, crossing her arms as he pointed ahead of them. “Onward james! To the build that houses those in charge!” he announced imperiously.
“You mean the headquarters Sir?...and its Frederick sir.” replied the driver, also a member of Anvil team, the sandy haired pilot of one of the teams artillery laden Red Horns.
“Yes soldier! Now let us be off!” replied Grizz as the jeep lurched forward, knocking the big man into his seat. The vehicle sped across the taxiway and towards the central cluster of buildings, slowing only to navigate around a flatbed bearing several pallets of ammunition.
“So Grizz, tell me the good word.” said Thoria as she leaned back for comfort.
“Well..the scuttlebutt is that the Toros Tyrants are going to go all the way in the tournament this year, theres been confirmation that water is indeed wet, though I think you might know that...”
“Very funny. You know what I meant...”
“Oh you mean all the stuff laid out and the whalekings having shown up? Oh that's what you meant. Well... you know how they were talking about extending our operations area to include more...polar climes? Well we will doubtless be assigned to the ground that will be establishing our operations center in the north.” replied the sergeant as the jeep took a corner at speed and continued its rush towards the now closer HQ block.
“So...pack for the beach then?” snarked Thoria as she grimaced. She was a creature of sun and sand. Not snow and ice!.
“Well...you could boss, but I don't think it'd be healthy. I'm sure the other guys would like it.” the man replied in a deadpan voice, his face set in stone as he finished the delivery. Thoria let out of peal of laughter, the hulking brute cracking a smile.
“I was totally waiting for something about glass cutting but that works!” laughed the woman. She'd gotten over the whole sexism thing pretty quick, she knew it was just a joke for them, letting off steam, and she'd grown up 'as one of the guys', until that dynamic changed. The simple fact was, this was a job for everyone who had the skills and ability to put up with pretty much anything. The other side was if anyone tried something, there'd be several very angry people, at least one of whom has a zoid capable of flight and carries what could be termed by some as a weapon of mass destruction. It was about lines in the end.
“Well I thought that might be a little obvious Ma'am.” replied the sergeant as Frederick the driver wobbled in his seat, trying not too successfully to stifle laughter. The remainder of the trip was in near silence, punctuated by the distant roar of the landing Whalekings.
“Right, Fritz, stay with the car and we'll be back shortly.” ordered Thoria as she climbed out, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from her uniform and turned to the flow of foot traffic that was making its way into the heart of the operation, the corridors packed with people as groups made their way to each of the assigned briefing rooms. Having found the correct room Thoria stepped aside to admit her second in command before following after several seconds, already the room was filled with the various team leaders and their people, all of whom were pilots for the various zoid teams fielded by the company. Making with small talk filled several minutes before the lights dimmed and the staffer at the front of the room cleared their throat.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome. Many of you have noted the materials that have been laid out around certain key areas of the base, I can tell you that they are there for a reason. The room lit slightly as a projector clicked on, illuminating the front wall of the room with an aerial shot of an island, a snow covered one at that. “This is Site Gamma. For varying reasons, it has been decided that we are in need of two new base locations, the official word is that licensing for teams has been on the decline with only two new groups being made operational, as a result, there is a gap in the coverage, since the rift war incident and the dissolution of the battle commission as a military police organization, companies like our own have been required to pick up the burden of keeping the population safe, a feat easy to accomplish in the cities, where smaller less well equipped teams can work with law enforcement.” the slide changed to show the burned out remains of several towns.
“This is why we're expanding operations folks. These images were taken at the site of a raid by unsanctioned zoid pilots. Because of various constraints, team units from the officially sanctioned groups were unable to respond in time...which is where we've been able to step in. The result is that we are expanding to two other sites to ensure coverage of a larger area. Site Gamma is being designated a rapid response facility, and is intended as a staging point for effective units to combat the threats to people and property that has been an on-going issue in these lawless zones. You will note that you are all part of, or have rapid reaction abilities, our first and second aerial units will be deployed to Gamma, as well as ground teams Badger and Cougar, with the support of Anvil team. However. The first wave will consist of Anvil and Badger teams to ensure security during construction of the initial buildings. Cougar and our aerial units will arrive following the completion of sufficient hangar facilities for the zoids and personnel. Further details are available in your document packets. You all know our expectations for you in this, Lets get to work people!” barked the briefing officer, the assembled soldiers rising to their feet in near unison. The projector shut off as the lights came back up, allowing the assembled officers to collect their particular briefing packets.
As the group dispersed Thoria sighed. Getting shipped off to the frigid north was not exactly on her list of things to do, but she had volunteered for this...and the pay wasn't exactly worth sneezing at. “Look at it this way Boss, we'll be able to build snowmen! I'm going to call mine Olaf!” laughed Grizz, Thoria smiling slightly, she'd had the chance to meet her team mates family, and his pair of daughters who were considered fans of a recent movie that someone had released involving winter and a talking snowman.
“If I hear that song Grizz....” growled Thoria as the pair returned to their transport. “So Fritz...we're destined for a land of ice and snow. It will doubtless be very cold.”
“Oh joy...” groused the junior pilot, starting the engine with a cough, “..I joined to get away from it.”
“Ah the things we do for money eh?” replied Thoria as she scanned the documents and winced. The site in question, had some work done to it so far...mostly just scraping a bare patch large enough for a whaleking to land, and a series of temporary huts had been erected for the workers who would actually be building everything. “Well...it won't be the fanciest place we've been...but its indoors.” grumbled the woman as the vehicle reversed out of its parking spot and made for the hangars where the rest of the team waited.
After spending the next half hour going over 'The Plan' as it was titled, Thoria had sent her various underlings off to finished their preperation when her phone began to buzz. A text message blinked on the screen, it was time to climb back into her zoid and settle in for the wait, it was loading time.
On the airfield the pair of whalekings had their ramps down and a bevy of cargo vehicles were rolling on and off, construction equipment was stowed and chained down, pallet after pallet of cement was piled into the spacious hold, self mobile equipment came next and filled the rest of the cargo bay. The second whaleking, was having a more careful loading performed, pallets of ammunition, food and fuel were loaded aboard, then came the zoids. The ground units were piloted aboard and chained down, with the hulking behemoth of the Genobreaker jet placed to balance the load, with her zoid shut down and everything double checked, Thoria climbed the ladder to the passenger compartment, settled in her seat and awaited the journey to new horizons.
Several hours and a terrible inflight meal later....
Thoria watched as the ramp dropped open, wind gusts causing slow to swirl into the cargo bay. The radio crackling. “You know boss...I feel cold just looking at that...” grumbled Grizz as the first zoids were offloaded, already the first whaleking was well into its unloading as trucks and trailer units were hauled off, nippy little forklifts hauling pallets of material from the depths of the hold to waiting flatbed trailers. Nearby the workers who had already done some improvements were waiting, breath streaming in the air, they had tickets back to civi...well..warmth. Thoria looked at the operation plan again and sighed, having ensured the microphone was off.
They had been slated for six months on site, the hangars and accomodation blocks were the first priorities, expedient facilities had been set up already in the form of simple quonset style hangars that had a thin layer of concrete sprayed over top, totally insufficient for anything but keeping the weather of the zoids. The damaged remains of an excavator were visible where it had been attempting to dig to construct the first of many ammunition bunkers, and a handful of light towers had already been erected around part of the base, given the problem of the low light, being the middle of the polar winter and the endless twilight.
On paper, it looked like a nice place, a perimeter fence, a walled compound for the main facilities and the hangars, geothermal energy taps, a large airfield for the Stormsworder and Pteras units slated to be here. But the reality of the current situation was hard to credit with being 'good'.
While Thoria was more than happy to be 'just one of the guys', she didn't fancy the idea of being stuck in close proximity to every other person operating up here. Especially not for the three months that was on the books for the accommodation block. One did have to wonder where the planners had gotten the idea to build in such a remote location, even with the nearby towns, 'nearby' was a relative term, for a ground zoid, it was two or three hours at best speed (less for her thanks to the boosters), aerial zoids would of course get there faster but...they had nowhere to be housed, and were unsuitable to be left in the freezing conditions in the open.
And with that thought lingering briefly, the Genobreaker lurched forward slowly, stalking out into the frigid twilight like a sea monster loose on the land. “Alright team, lets move ourselves over towards the hangar site and see what they want us to do.” announced Thoria over the radio, having set it to the teams frequency before they had even left the tropics. The team stumped over as a group, watching as the command wolves of badger team slunk across the landing field, a flotilla of trucks following in their wake as the first group of construction crews began setting up around the hangars, already a crane was being raised above the fairly basic structure that had been used to store existing equipment.
Thoria looked around as she settled in for a wait, the heaters already turned up against the penetrating chill. Her zoid would unfortunately have to suffer, as the existing facilities were simply too small, designed more for molgas than mountains. The planned hangar however, would be something to behold, a broad dome with a several entrances, all in double door arrangements to permit the entire structure to be heated, the aerial zoid's would be housed in several more classical blockhouse hangars that lead onto the airfield itself, built for the quick launch of the fliers in the event of an emergency.
Of course...these structures needed to be built!
An hour passed before Thoria was forced from the heated comfort of her zoid, her team mates had their zoids under cover and were getting settled in to the spartan huts they had been assigned for their lodgings. “You know...I could probably build a better hut” muttered Frederick as the group shivered, the hut lit mainly by the flickering glow of the fire that occupied an old style cast iron stove and firebox. The largest area of the hut was by decree, the common room, while the rooms that led off from the main area had been assigned, with the exception of Thoria and Grizz, by right of rank, had rooms to themselves, while junior members of the team had been doubled up. The furnishings were of course, basic, but would suffice to meet the basic comforts, and it wasn't like they couldn't get something brought in on the cargo flights to feed the construction.
“Oh really? You could build a better hut than this?” grumbled the other Red Horn pilot.
“Sure could. I lived around places like this, my grandaddy taught me how to do it, helped out plenty of times growing up” replied Frederick airily, as he threw the last of his bags into his shared room.
Thoria sighed heavily, it was going to be a long deployment....
With the occasional personal conflict and challenge issued, the days turned to weeks that turned to months. The center support was raised for the hangar dome and section by section the structure was raised, first supported by trusses of steel, as the first layer of was completed the trusses were removed, leaving only the central pillar to ensure the edifice remained standing. Work continued at breakneck pace as the two ground teams spent their work hours patrolling and reacting to sightings of possibly hostile groups, engaging in exercises in the frigid weather. All the while layers of insulation and armor were laid over the dome until it reached the final stage of construction, the assembled workers and pilots gathering to watch as the central pillar was removed and the dome was finally sealed against the elements. With a rousing cheer the assembled throng watched as the pillar retracted and the dome remained standing, already the small thermal powerplant had been set up and cables run to feed the burgeoning outpost.
Thoria watched from the comfort of her heated cockpit as the short little ceremony of turning on the lights was performed and she was very ready for there to be somewhere to park Akula, where she wouldn't have to climb into the cockpit and having it colder than a...well you know. Ceremony complete the workers were dismissed back to their barracks, and the ground crew took over, guiding the assembled zoids into the armored bunker that would be their future home. Thoria waited impatiently, tapping her foot and occasionally muttering dark curses under her breath until it was finally her turn, the dazzle painted hide of the Genobreaker seemed to break as buildups of ice and snow were shaken free when the mighty machine stepped forward, the pilots eyes glued to the small ground vehicle ahead of her, flashing lights illuminating it and provided warning to others in the area that it was being followed. As Akula crossed the threshold Thoria felt a sense of relief, the other zoids were parked up with gantries drawn around them, ground crews already at work on unloading the ammunition bins in readiness to begin maintenance checks, unfortunately due to the size of the Genobreaker itself, it was relegated to being positioned at the 'rear' of the dome, on the far side from the entrance, where scissorlifts and assorted other machines would be used instead of a standard gantry system.
Thoria looked at her watch and felt a small thrill of excitement, with the hangar complete it was decided that the currently deployed pilots would be flown back to the company headquarters for rest and relaxation, their duties taken over for the three day pass by recently stood up recruits, the additional zoid units were also being brought up to handle security and increase the presence as the rest of the base was built up. “Good news folks!” called the woman as she waved over the members of her unit “We've got R&R flights coming up in the next couple of hours, so I want anything you're taking to be ready to go before nineteen hundred. Before you ask Fritz, its a three day pass, so I know that you're just dying to go and spend all that pay we've accrued.”
“Yessssss!” cried one of the Redhorn pilots as Grizz gave the man a glare that should have been capable of reducing the offender to a charred patch on the floor.
“I know...nineteen hundred. If you miss the flight, you're stuck here. Dismissed” commanded Thoria as the other pilots broke off, heading for their cabin, Grizz remaining by Thoria's side, leaving the pair to admire the interior of the new hangar as they made their own way out.
“So boss, you got any plans?” asked the hulking older man, Thoria had already been over a similar discussion, and was used to hearing it from her number one assistant.
“Eh not really. Might take a trip to see the folks but...” Thoria shrugged, she called or left messages most nights, and wrote letters almost every other day so it wasn't like she was missing her family.
“Well if you didn't have anything else to do, I'm sure Barb and the kids would be fine with you visiting” Grizz smiled, the first time a similar conversation had come up, was a bit of a shock. Thoria intrepreting it as him hitting on her, until his gales of laughter had subsided and the tears had stopped...and he was able to breath again normally. Not only was Grizz 'not her type', nor she his, but he was happily married for many years, and had kids.
“Well its three days, who knows I may just take you up on that, but this time I'll call first...” replied the woman as she pulled her jacket tightly about herself, stepping across the threshold of the hangar, and past the powerful aircurtain that kept the hangar above the outside temperature. Thankfully it was no longer arctic night, although instead of constant twilight, the sun was high and bright, tempered only by thick drifting cloud the scudded across the sky like a flighty herd of wooly beasts. As the pair passed the workers barracks they could hear the festivities in full swing, loud music and yelling clearly seemed to suggest someone had brought in some liquid refreshments of an alcoholic nature. “If they've got booze they are going to hate tomorrow...” muttered Thoria as they turned off the barely shoveled path that functioned as a road and towards their own cabin, the thin wisp of smoke climbing from the chimney.
And time passes, as it is wont to do, the various pilots and personnel who had been assigned to guard the fledgling base greeting their replacements and climbed aboard the whaleking that had come to deliver supplies. The new arrivals zoids rolled out on trailers towed by a Gustav that headed in the direction of the hangar. Thoria smiled, it'd be getting crowded despite the sheer size of the dome, that smile grew larger still when the huge transport rose into the air on screaming turbines before slowly banking around and accelerating southward. Unfortunately, there was interest in the departing transport...
Thoria awoke with a start, the accursed phone beast howling for attention as she grabbed the device from her bedside table, her vision drowned out by the light of the phone. “Boss?” came her second in commands voice “There's been an incident, the northern base is under fire and we're being called back.”
“What? How bad?” asked Thoria as she sat upright and snatched her bathrobe using a foot, pulling the garment closer.
“Don't know yet, sounds like its on...wait one...” replied the man as Thoria noticed another set of sounds, like the growl of an engine and the repeated blasts of the horn. If she'd been paying a little more attention, she could have heard the honking faintly from outside. “I got a call from one of the guys up there, radios are being jammed and someone took out the comm's antennae, I've relayed the call to the company and got told to 'get everyone' on this.” as he finished speaking she heard tires squealing as whatever vehicle Grizz was driving took a corner going faster than it should have. At that second her phone buzzed for attention, another caller ID flashed.
“Got HQ now, hold on” she said quickly, switching calls. As the information came Thoria was already pulling on clothing, admittedly most of it needed a wash and probably smelled but this was a time for speed not décor! The staffer at the company headquarters snapped off the situation 'as it was', the response was coming together but would be painfully understrength, the big transports couldn't get their in time, and the storm sworder aerial squadrons couldn't deal with everything, the pteras bombers would be able to offset that, but were severely limited by their payload. So the plan was to use the fliers to carry the extra pilots up north at high speed, rather than use them as fighting forces, it was to increase the units on the ground. After confirming Thoria ended the call, leaving the staffer to get on with their job and returned to Grizz's call.
“Boss you back? Ah good. I'll be outside in thirty seconds. See you then.” the line went dead as Thoria finished dressing, raking a hand through her hair before locking the place up again, the various checks made and Thoria was outside just after her team mate had arrived, the beat up old family fun wagon clearly packing something nonstandard under the hood as it snarled eagerly. “Didn't interrupt anything did I?” joked the man as Thoria slipped into the passenger seat, buckling herself in as the car took off, careening through an intersection and onto a road heading out of the city, thankfully empty at this hour. The trip flashed by in silence, apart from repeated outbursts from the driver about idiots as early risers started their day, upon arrival the mercenary company's main complex was chaos, personal vehicles were already parked haphazardly as people struggled to meet the task ahead.
The Pteras bombers had been unloaded of their main ordinance, their guns still had full loads, for whatever help it was, with only a pilot in place of the usual three man crew, two crew had ground pilots in their places, the stormsworders were a little different, having only the room for an extra occupant, which went to the team leaders. The reasoning being that they'd be able to start organizing their own team to repel the attackers. Thoria was dubious as she was stuffed into a flightsuit and jammed into the spare seat, buckled in as other fliers began spooling up, minutes later the first wave of reinforcements was airborne, the pilots pushing their zoids to the limit as the half dozen pteras and ten strong storm sworder wing raced northward.
In the north however, things weren't so great. The defenders had been caught by surprise, their unfamiliarity with the terrain meant they hadn't been able to respond as effectively, their opponent was clearly used to the local conditions, as they hadn't put themselves in the crosshairs yet, but still rained destruction down upon the bases environs. After the satellite relay station had been taken out the other day in what had been called 'an accident', the base had been almost cut off, apart from a pair of satellite phones that relied on the ZBC judge platforms for relays, one being in use at the time the attack started, the other sat in someones room and wouldn't be discovered until the battle was over.
As the flight streaked northward Thoria looked out at the star spattered darkness just above the zoids. The world curving away as the fliers streaked across the sky, in the distance a trail of a fire descended into the atmosphere, almost certainly a judge being sent to oversee a battle. “Beautiful isn't it?” asked the pilot in a soft tone. “I wonder what its like out there, being able to look down on our world...”
“Its indescribable” replied Thoria as she wondered the same thing. “Truly a shame why we're here...but...incredible nonetheless”
“Amen sister.” replied the pilot, falling silent once again.
Hours passed and the flight began its descent, shrieking from the heavens like a flight of avenging angels from on high, the defenders taking hits and praying to relief before they were overcome. As the reinforcements streaked in Thoria could make out the positions of the attackers, visible from the plumes of smoke from cannon mounted on some kind of platform. The results of their fire visible already as trails of black smoke wafted into the sky, joining many columns into a single large mass downwind from the base itself. “Alright everyone, we're going to do this hard and fast okay? The sworders go in first, bombers are going to provide covering fire until the sworders have unloaded, then they'll cover the bombers, don't get cute people! We're here to do a job.” snapped the flight leader as the Storm Sworders banked off, Thoria thrown against her restraints and feeling the world close in around her as the zoid raced towards the ground.
“Get me as close to the hangar as you can!” she cried as the pilot pulled back on the throttle.
“If I get any closer we'll end up inside it!” snapped the pilot as the zoid twisted onto its side as another storm sworder flared for a landing and was blown aside as a shell erupted nearby.
“Then get us inside! They aren't firing on the hangar! It'll be safe!” snarled Thoria as the pilot sped up again, the flier roaring along just above the rocklike permafrost, if the attackers got lucky there'd be another out of commission zoid, and probably two dead occupants. Thankfully however, the attackers didn't manage to score a hit, or anything close, as the flight of pteras bombers roared down and strafed them, giving the defendings a moments respite. The hangar doors stood open as the storm sworder braked hard, the zoid slamming to a halt as it went into a hover, both occupants almost wrenched out of their seats by the g forces involved. But that was all Thoria needed, her hand unsnapped the restraints and she was pulling back on the canopy while the pilot fought the blowback from the hovering engines, the wind rushing into the cockpit as the artillery team commander jumped to the ground, leaving the pilot to tend to the canopy.
As she neared the woman skidded to a stop at the base of the Genobreaker, leaving the still hovering storm sworder gawking as the heavy zoid seemed to shake itself, its eyes glowing malevolently as its power systems came up. A shiver went through the combat flyer as she realized she was staring at something horrific in waiting, her passenger was already boarding what was clearly her zoid, and left the Storm Sworder blocking the exit for the titanic war machine.
Thoria snarled as she took stock of her zoids weaponry. If she was in a standard gantry she could have gotten an automated reload...but nooo, she was stuck with what worked best, the result? She had no missiles, and was limited to direct fire only. Not a great place to be if you happen to be in charge of the fire support element! The upside, her zoid could also fly, not nearly as well as the one she had just left, but she could get a better view on things....if only her team mates got in safely. As she finished strapping herself in Thoria watched the Stormsworder rotate then jet off out the hangar door, pulling up quickly and entering combat. The radar came online at last and showed the disparate defenders, backed up on certain key points around the area as the attackers rained explosives down with impugnity. That changed now. The months of patrolling around the wilds surrounding the base meant like the others stationed in this frostbitten godforsaken outpost, she knew the land as well as the ones who were even now pummeling the beleaguered base. Unfortunately, the radio was still being jammed. So first things first then...
With the way clear, the titanic genobreaker surged forward and out into the sunlight with a roar, partly to announce its presence and partly to rally the defenders. Already the Pteras bombers were swooping in to offload as Akula thundered past. During her white knuckle descent Thoria saw where the attackers had set up some kind of camp, and thorugh the power of deductive reasoning, suspecting that would also be the source of the radio interference. As the Genobreaker roared past the lineof defenders around the the ruins of the accommodation blocks, the X breakers locked forward and began generating the shield, which took a hit almost immediately, but unlike hitting ground or armor, this shot simply erupted in flame and sent sharpnel bouncing up and away where it was less likely to do harm, the damage to the huge zoid itself was negligible. Surging up the slope towards the enemy firebase the Genobreaker went, behind its shield it shrugged off attempts at stopping it by smaller weapons, the occasional attempt from the cannons suggested that they weren't being fired from a zoid based platform.
As the zoid charged into the trees the rushing bulk smashed trees to splinters, the needles that passed for leaves flying into the air in great clouds, overhead storm sworders lined up on the path of the rampaging zoid and engaged in a maneuver still called 'plowing the road', sending anyone in front of the zoid scurrying for cover. Thoria snorted when she entered the clearing being used by the attackers, a heavily modified gustav had been used to pull trailers into position so they could be used as artillery, the Gustav used for towing, having had a rather impressive array of antenna sprouting from its armored hide, luckily the Gustav was universally unarmed, mostly due to being heavily armored instead. Sure it might survive an attack, but its fragile antenna would assuredly be destroyed.
The X-breakers disconnected and the shield fell as the arms swung out and slashed through the trailer units, sending ammunition scattering as the cannons were knocked aside, the ground crew who served them sent flying at speeds enough that if they lived, they wouldn't be happy. The gustav itself however was trying to escape, hunkering down under its thick armor as the larger zoid fell upon it, the claws skittering across the armor in a shower of sparks with a terrific shriek. Flimsy metal was torn asunder at the antenna were torn from their mounting points, the radio suddenly filling with yelling before quieting down as people realized they'd left their microphones open.
“Good news everyone, I've dealt with the artillery and the jamming. Bad news?...I think I might be in trouble” called Thoria as she looked around, the trees wee shunted aside as several zoids made their presence known. None of them types employed by the mercenaries.
Especially not the Genosaurer.
“We've got your location! We're moving now” came the response from someone who Thoria hoped was the ground commander.
“You're gonna want to hurry!” replied Thoria as she began backing up, levelling the weapons pods at the main threat. Back at the hangar, the Red Horns stomped into the sunlight, the bearfighter of the teams second in charge already hammering its way towards the distant Genobreaker, other defenders picking their way out from their firing positions.
The two Red Horns turned towards their beleaguered leader and opened their missile tubes. “Anvil one, fire on your signal.” chimed one of the pilots on the shared radio channel.
“My position, now!.” barked Thoria as she reengaged the shield. A flick of a finger began the charging cycle for the particle cannon, which thankfully unlike its original form, didn't outwardly display its status until ready. The zoid continued backing towards the base as one of the other attacking zoids stalked forward in an attempt to flank, unfortunately the call for fire was 'on me', the missiles tracking on the position she had been the few seconds prior. Which meant the flanker found itself being slammed around by the exploding warheads, the other two zoids halted briefly, the Genosaurer deploying its foot locks and straightening out to aim its open maw with its charged particle cannon at the shielded Genosaurer.
At this range the shield stood no chance, Thoria bracing for the worst as the mouth of the cannons barrel began to glow. The cannon reached firing point as the pilot grinned evilly, his finger squeezing the trigger....
Just as a zoid charged out of the trees and slammed into the neck of the genosaurer. The footlocks overcome by the sudden impact and losing their grip. The stricken zoid suddenly found itself rotating as the cannon fired...no longer locked down the recoil smashed the Genosaurer into the ground with enough force to crush armor, not like it needed any help. The new arrival was a Bearfighter, in the same markings as her second in command. Already the radio was resounding with the battlecry of the defenders who sallied forth, the attackers, while few in number, were now well and truly screwed, the recent arrivals were lead by the old hands, who guided them into combat, driving the attackers into a retreat. By days end, those attackers who had been unable to escape had been rounded up and were held under the guns of troops brought up by the whalekings, with further reinforcements fortifying the area. Thoria sat beside the pot belly stove that had served as the teams cabin with a cheery little fire going. The fact it wasn't surrounded by a building not seeming to bother her.
“Fritz, you said something all those months ago about building a cabin...still think you can do it?” she asked as her team walked up.
“Well...it might take a few days but...yeah I can boss.” replied Frederick as he pulled up a handy piece of rubble and took a seat, the other team members doing the same.
“Good. Cause I don't want to live in a tent til they get things up and running again...” replied Thoria as she pushed another stick of half charred wood into the firebox.
“Just one thing though, why did you just go racing off like that? We were a bit surprised seeing Akula taking off past the defense line when we came in to land, would have thought you'd be firing the other guys up right off” mused the other member of the team as Grizz smirked.
“Do you want to tell him or should I?” he asked.
“Oh lord...” groaned Thoria, putting her head in her gloved hands, ignoring the charcoal that smudged on her skin.
“Well you see...when you reach a certain point, you get a handbook, surprised you haven't gotten one yet, but its called 'Seventy maxims of maximally effective mercenaries', and its full of little bits of information like oh what was it...ah...maxim number two, 'A Sergeant in motion outranks a Lieutenant who doesn't know what's going on.'.” explained Grizz, still smiling.
“I...don't get it.” replied the pilot
“When you were ready, who did you listen to?” asked Thoria, head still in hands.
“Well...Grizz, but its only cause we could hear him...”
“Well...okay thats true, but he was also doing something, the 'in motion' part of it. When the radio came back up what happened? I didn't tell you to start firing, Grizz did that, I just needed to call for it and he told you what to do, even though I had no idea where you were or if you were even armed up fully. I didn't know what was happening, other than the situation I was in.” Thoria looked up, face smudged with char. “and so...A Sergeant in motion, outranks a lieutenant who doesn't know what is going on.” Thoria paused “And no, we're not using that as a motto Grizz! Don't even think it!” she growled, waving a finger in the mans direction.
