Titanium Rhapsody: The Chosen 'Few'

[Red Mage Black]

"All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission. Repeat. All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission."

Goes off over the intercom to the station. There aren't many pilots left in Arlia's Moon Base. Except for those with the chosen skills to assist in the recapture of planet Geneva after a hostile takeover by a rogue Arlian General. Exactly a year after, they have come to standstill, a cold war as you will. Geneva with defensive weapons and Arlia with offensive. Though now, Arlia has gone on the offensive, deciding to launch the first attack since the war began.

Generals Micon, Areo and Uldred have hand selected a couple pilots from their own squadrons, confident in their abilities to bring this rogue planet back under control. The only other activity going on inside the facility is mechanics preparing the mechs for launch and scientists running back and forth, making sure the fusion cores are stable enough to go.

Inside the briefing room, the three Generals await their selected pilots to brief them on their first mission. Another warning bellows over the loudspeaker.

"All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission. Repeat. All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission."

((Think meet and greet for the first posts... or whatever they're doing.))

[Geminex]

Ryan had been lounging in the mess hall, not really doing much of anything. He looked up from where he was sitting on one of the many, many benches (the base could support up to 20 000 Infantry, and the mess was accordingly large). "Goddammit." He muttered, but without much feeling. He wasn't a front-line pilot, and this certainly wasn't his mission. But he had been through this with his superiors. This assault needed some support, and he had been chosen to give it. He could do it. He was skilled. He'd survive. Or so they said. But, while he believed them to some extent (he knew he could probably stay alive), he also knew that there was more behind their decision to make him part of this force.
Put simply, he had realized that his value was diminishing. Test flights and low-risk combat situations had produced more than enough data to begin designing a second class of more user-friendly Godeye prototypes, and depending on how these tests went, the fully developed model might be in production in two years' time. His mech was still (probably) the most expensive piece of hardware on the battlefield, but he was no longer the epitome of several years' worth of research and engineering. He knew that he was suddenly still valuable, but no longer irreplaceable. They hadn't told him this, of course, but he had interacted with the Research department enough to see the motives behind their actions. He wasn't highly analytical for nothing. Though sometimes he wished he wasn't.
He had the feeling that, as the potential cost (him dying, mech getting destroyed) of having him support high-risk, high-value missions fell relative to the potential benefits of his support, his missions would be getting progressively more dangerous (which was logical), until, despite being under the command of R&D, he'd be a pure frontline unit.
And this awareness was going to stay with him (he knew himself), distract him during missions, keep him from enjoying any victory celebrations, since he'd be going "Perhaps you'll die next time..." to himself while his teammates cheered.
Enough brooding. He chastised himself as he walked through the briefing room's doors. You can at least try to focus on the here and now. And with that slightly schizophrenic encouragement he forced himself to look up, make eye contact with the various individuals in the room, smile and nod a few times. They'd have enough opportunities to realize he wasn't the bravest of the brave, for now he'd try to seem somewhat calm and fearless. "Evening. My name is Ryan Bell, Tac-Co extraordinaire. I will be endeavoring to make your actions this mission as efficient and streamlined as possible, though I'll be relying on you to keep me from going up in a mushroom cloud under enemy fire."

[Astral Harmony]

Alienna Crozbell closed her book and got out of bed, placing it back on the shelf with the other military guides on professionalism, how to be a leader, those kinds of things. Alienna sighed. "Military doctrine, strategy, history, my father's company. One day, just one day I'd love to cast it all aside and be a girl again."

"All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission. Repeat. All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission."

Alienna walked to her closet and was undressed and suited up in less than two minutes. Thanks to her father, Alienna was allowed to keep her hair long. There was more to her life than just the military thanks to that same man, and occasionally her beauty and grace, not her military expertise and lethalness, were required of her. Giving herself one final look in the mirror, Alienna hurried out of the room to run right into-

"Ack! Oh, I'm so sorry, are you hurt!?" Alienna said, then swallowed her words. It was Baxtar Grissom, who had proposed starting a relationship a week ago. Alienna dreaded putting people like him down, even if she didn't feel a thing for them.
"Not at all, Miss Crozbell. You've stayed in your quarters all day. Are you feeling all right?"
Alienna didn't care for him trying to be suave. She always dreaded it when guys tried to talk to her like this. "I had a headache this morning," she lied. "But I feel better now. Anyways, I need to go report for duty."
She tried to run, but Baxtar grabbed her shoulder. Ali was just about to give him an axe kick at the base of the neck, but thought and/or hoped she could resolve this more peacefully. He may not have been desireable, but he didn't deserve a beatdown. More like a firm talking-to.
"So, I know I'm being very forward," he started. "But I was wondering if you've thought about my proposal."

"All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission. Repeat. All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission."

Alienna didn't have time for suitors right now. "Look, I apologize from the bottom of my heart, but my father would never accept you even if I did, and I don't. I don't mean to put you down so hard, but I don't have any time to be diplomatic about it. You'll forgive me, won't you? Now if you'll excuse me."
If Baxtar was smart, he would know how it would really go down. It was going to be her father who choose a select few to have the honor of Ali's hand in marriage, and only then would Ali get to make a choice. Certainly not the way Ali would've kicked off her love life, but her life was carved into diamond the moment they discovered her mother was pregnant. Actually, now that Alienna thought about it, it wouldn't be long before she had to make that choice. Her father had already done his reviews and picked out the best of the best for his little girl. She wasn't looking forward to the day when she'd have to pick from that boring lineup, but now wasn't the time to think about it.

Alienna arrived at the briefing room and picked a seat at the front. To be honest, she was looking forward to the mission. At least on the battlefield, she didn't have to think about anything but annihilating the enemy. No boring, dispassionate suitors. No making sure she was current with modern style. No pretending she was happy with herself when she was at those stupid parties. Maybe if she was lucky, she'd end up sacrificing herself for the greater good. Then she could tell her father to go stuff it while she strolled through the pearly gates. Alienna couldn't help smiling at that prospect.

[krogothwolf]

Marcus was exercising in the gym after his morning training session. He had been stuck in a tactical training session and it always bored him to tears. He really didn't have a good grasp of tactics. It was up to his superiors to plan the course of actions, he would try to follow those orders the best he could. Usually didn't work out that way, but he did try. He was more of a point me at the enemy and I'll rip em to shreds kind of pilot. The exercising made him forget about how boring it was and kept him fit for piloting. He was looking forward to tomorrows sparring sessions though, they always made his blood flow.

"All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission. Repeat. All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission." The intercom blared in the gym.

Alright!Marcus thought to himselfFinally going to be able to take my mech out for a proper spin!

He got up and quickly showered himself off and dressed before heading out the door. Making sure to grab his father's medallion before heading out. Of all his things losing that was something he would never forgive himself for. He stopped and checked himself over quickly. Last time he showed up at a debriefing he got in hell for not looking professional enough. Satisfied he was adequately prepared, he put the medallion and tucked it under his shirt and started jogging down the hallway. He was excited about the prospect of going into battle but dreaded the idea of a briefing. They always assigned needless restrictions and orders for these missions. And usually they were mere escort ones, boring work but again, at least he was in his mech.

He entered the briefing room and looked around. He noticed a few of the other pilots entering and sitting down. He didn't really know them all to well though he was generally transferred around squads fairly often because of recklessness. He shrugged and picked a seat in the back, hoping to remain out of sight from his superiors as they always ragged on him for something.

[Dracorion]

"All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission. Repeat. All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission."

"Oh, come on!" Max had been in the middle of a shower when the announcement came. Today was supposed to be a boring day with no missions, so he figured he could spend the day having fun around the base and shower late. No such luck, apparently. He quickly turned the water off, dried himself off, got dressed, tried to make himself presentable and hurried out of the shower room and toward the briefing room. He feared he would get there late, but it turned out he arrived just in time. Just after he entered, someone else came in.

"Evening. My name is Ryan Bell, Tac-Co extraordinaire. I will be endeavoring to make your actions this mission as efficient and streamlined as possible, though I'll be relying on you to keep me from going up in a mushroom cloud under enemy fire." Said the newcomer. Max approached him and stretched out his hand. "Hi, I'm Max Raymond. I'm a melee specialist, so we'll probably be hearing a lot from each other. I'll do my best to keep you safe."

[Overcast]

The land was cruising by in a blur, Noon found himself cruising through the air with the wind running through his hair. In the clean morning sun he felt free as the smell of salt crossed his nostrils. He hit the coastline and floated over the water slowly drifting near the surface to run his hand through the water. He pulled up a moment, spiraling through the air before flipping back down toward the water, taking one deep breath before breaking the surface with a splashy dive. Down below the fishes swam about him in greeting. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a mermaid and as their eyes met they moved to each other with grace and their faces grew close...

"All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission. Repeat. All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission,"

BANG! Spencer's forehead met the bottom of his bunkmate's bunk as his nap was interrupted by the 1MC. He dropped back down into his mattress a second to rub the injury before wrenching himself out of bed and stumbling about trying to get his bearing. His brain was telling him to get to the brief before he got himself into any trouble, his guts were telling him to hit the mess first, and his eyes were telling him to go back to his bunk and just rest, someone else could tell him about the breif. As usual the brain had the right answer, but he knew at the very least his guts wouldn't shut up in the brief about what it wanted and his eyes might try to take control if the brief was too boring. Damn things don't know when they are beat. He stumbled his way out the door and down toward the briefing room; he caught a mirror on the way there and noted the big red mark on his forehead, he tried rubbing it some more but it just seemed to draw more attention to it so he was stuck with it before it took off naturally. Guess there was nothing to be done. He walked into the briefing room, seeing a few folks taking their seats and was keen to grab one in the back and chose not to introduce himself like a few other pilots to hide his shameful mark. Who knew maybe he'd be able to get through this whole thing without anyone talking about the head mark.

He sighed softly to himself as he laid his head into his hand, eyes closed to remember the dream. It wasn't the first time he had gotten that dream, and every time he never got to kiss the mermaid. He was willing to get over it though, there were some rather cute females here in the battle group, he could make due by being allowed permission to appreciate them being around. He opened his eyes and took a quick scan, caught Ali in the front row making him regret taking his nap and getting that stupid mark on his head. Ahh well who knew, maybe someone like Len would sit close by and tease him about looking so stupid.

A man can dream.

[Geminex]

Ryan took the hand, gave it a tentative shake. "Indeed. I feel safer already. Though you might be more suited to an... offensive role. How are you equipped, exactly?" If analysis prevailed, he reasoned, there was far less chance of him dwelling on potentially imminent death. He had resolved to analyze the hell out of this meeting. The people themselves seemed... well, human, so far. Not entirely militaristic, which was good. Though he was sure they'd become more professional once the actual battle began (and they got over being interrupted ahead of schedule), it was relaxing to see that those with (presumably) large amounts of front-line experience weren't freaking out or frozen blocks on pre-battle concentration.

[Dracorion]

"Well, yeah, I'm better on the offensive. But I figure the more I take out the less there are to take you out." Max replied, smiling reassuringly. From his handshake and his talk, he got a slight air of nervousness from this Tac-Com guy. "I pilot a Saint Walker Mark IV. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Saint Walker-types are pretty standard stuff, and usually used for long range combat. But the modifications I've made have really fleshed out it's hidden potential. It'll do great."

Looking around, Max tried to get a read on his fellow pilots. They were so diverse that he couldn't really tell how good they might be or how well they would work as a team. This mission could either go very wrong or very right. Still, he preferred to think positive. He had no indication that any of them were bad pilots, and they were all chosen because they were the best people for the job.

[PyrosNine]

"ZZZ...ZZzzzzZ..." went a little happy snore, with the snorer's hands wrapped around a flask of contraband liquor, the other hands on a half eaten ham sandwich, and the rest of the snoozer sprawled on a bed, legs kicking up in the air slightly. It had been a rough night, but the morning and afternoon had settled down nicely. If this kept up, there would need to be a night and post night nap session as well.

The alert had already come and gone, but such matters were unimportant to the blissful dreamer...sleeping beauty or not, sleep in of itself was a beauty. You just slept for five hours, no one busting your chops, yelling in your ear, no one trying to make life difficult for you. Dreams were nice, but dreamless sleep was the best. Or at least dreams you didn't remember were the best. Then, in the 'morning' (which was purely a subjective term), you got up, used that pension to buy something to eat, some laid back past time, and if you were unlucky, probably kill a few people. But maybe next morning would be a lucky one...

Blare blare blare, whine whine whine, sine sine sine. Klaxons were annoying. It was close by too, like they didn't want Len to sleep when it went off or something. Len reached for the gun on it's hip, his hip, her hip, whatever, and felt nothing but someone else's hip. It was still attached to Len's body, whatever was left of it, but the sensation of reaching for a hip that wasn't the same as the hip you had several months ago was still a striking experience.

Len opened his eyes, and saw what was wrong. She'd left her pants on the chair, with the gun still attached. Len instead reached for his flask, and downed whatever was left, with the dim realization that Len was awake.

Len was annoyed by this, but figured it'd take more effort to fall asleep in his present condition, and besides, they might throw him out of this deal if he slept on, and getting a job these days was so tiring...

Len crawled forwards, letting gravity pull the rest of itself off the bed, taking the sheets with him and crushing the ham sandwich under her body. There was mustard between her breasts now, and it was not a pleasant feeling. The having breasts part, not the mustard. Len always enjoyed the smell. Standing up was hard, but do able, and there were pants to stand up in awaiting at the chair. Slipping into a tight pair of pants, wiping off her chest with a kleenex, and pulling a t-shirt on, Len considered itself dressed. But since the military likely didn't, Len also grabbed a military jacket, and zipped it up tight. Sports bras were for people with breasts who ran.

Shoes were found, near the mustard smudged sandwich, and put on two different shades of feet. The sandwich was sacrificed to the trash gods, who made all the things Len put into the nice chute magically disappear, except for important things like Len's keys and gun.

Len checked the mirror. Fully clothed, no skin showing other than the face and the hands, for which there was a conveniently placed pair of gloves by the mirror to slip on. Len used to be able to run around wearing nothing but a t shirt and shorts, even on active duty, and now there were standards, practices, and taboos to cover up.

Len ignored the hat, and barged out the door, the room still a mess. But, with a key to lock it, a mess that no one would know about until she got back.

Len sauntered off to the briefing, with a yawn.

[Bard The 5th LW]

'Focus, don't sleep. Just keep reading. Just keep reading until you are called to service. Remain vigilant. Don't show any signs of fear, and never hesitate.'

These were the thought moving through Rory Rommel's mind. Rory was shut up in his room like usual and pouring over into a book. This was typically how he spent most of the free time he got. These books were normally on the subject of history or philosophy. They helped him get his mind off things and relax. As long as he thought about the events of the past, or about abstract concepts, his mind would be focused away from other, more angsty, topics. Absently, he flipped his bangs away from his eyes, revealing the dark rings that insomnia had brought him. Despite his distinct lack of sleep, Rory still kept a look of vigilance and focus about him. It was a bit unsettling.

"All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission. Repeat. All pilots report to the briefing room for your mission."

Immediately, Rory closed his book and rose from his seat and left his room. He was already in his uniform, so he didn't need any time to prepare, and he wouldn't hesitate under any circumstances. Wasting no time, he marched through the corridors and straight through the briefing room. A couple of people pointed at him on his way there, and he heard a snicker or two. He had gained some minor fame for being the 'reclusive super patriot' aboard the base, but he had gained even more fame for being the pilot of the 'crazy ass dradel mech.' Rory decided not to give them the satisfaction of an angry glare today. He was in to much of a hurry.

Rory briskly walked into the briefing room and seated himself rather seperately from the others. he scanned them briefly, but didn't have any doubts about their capabilities. They had passed, there was no reason to think down on them. Each one of them had been trained well and were experienced enough to stay alive. As long as each of them played their part and contributed to the group, there would be no problem. He hoped that he could keep his own advice in mind.

[Red Mage Black]

"Last call for pilots to the briefing room. Repeat. Last call for pilots to the briefing room."

The klaxons flared and the loudspeaker burst out once more as most of the pilots started to file into the briefing room. The three generals were all standing at different points of the holograph projector, one of at back and the others to the left and right respectively. As each one took their seats, the room suddenly shifted to darkness and the display came up. It was a flagship design, an 'Odin' model, by the looks of it. Though the design was different, the hull was still recognizable. General Micon was the first to speak up. He was a tall and brusk man, probably outweighing the other two Generals by at least ten stone. There he pointed a meaty finger towards the ship.

"This was the vessel stolen from us exactly one year and one month ago. You'll notice it as an Odin class carrier. Though the designs have changed since the beginning of the conflict and that... rogue thinks he can act like a smartass about it by changing the layout. It's equipped with 50 different mech types and over 200 mechs. This also includes fighters and walkers providing support on and around it. From our intelligence, they've also increased the shield output over twice the normal for their build."

Just as he finished, General Areo spoke up. "Yes, as our spy reports suggest, there is something new on Geneva they must be using for that power output. Though none have ever gotten close enough to even see what it is. Their statuses are either KIA or MIA or they may quite possibly be POW's. However, we cannot let this information go to waste. Your main objective at this time is to capture or kill the rogue. Second objective is to clear out or capture remaining loyalists."

When he finished, General Uldred spoke up. "Of course, this is all easy explained, but to do will be much harder." He said, hitting a few buttons on the projector and a images of infantry, mechs, walkers... and pretty much every category of warfare popped up. "None of this will come without a price. I do no expect any of you to have taken lives before, so let this be a lesson to you. Point, aim and fire. That's all it takes. This is war and the enemy won't care who you are or where you're from. They'll kill you just as quickly as anyone else on the battlefield. Shoot them before they shoot you."

Then General Areo cleared his throat after the other finished his... rousing speech. "Yes... as well... well then." He said before hitting more buttons, the other images vanishing and others popping up. Then he pointed a finger at a class A cargo freighter and mechs around it. "Intelligence suggests an outside agency working for the rogues. Scans indicate a large amount of valuable resources, including food and minerals on that vessel. They were scheduled to leave for an unknown location over one hour ago. By now, they should be just on the fringes of Geneva territory. Your orders at the current are to seize the load and question the crew of anything they know about the rogue's plot." He said, then pointed to the mechs around it. "Intelligence indicates that these mechs are lights, though other reports suggest that they may have stealthed units within it's vicinity."

Then the first, meatier General spoke up again. "That is why we assembled all of you. You have have the necessary skills suitable for this mission. We can only hope that you will utilize them to their fullest and coordinate with one another. Don't let your egos get in the way, ladies and gentlemen. This entire operation depends on you. So go out there and show Geneva what you are made of! Dismissed!" General Micon shouted, slamming a large foot into the floor.

The trio didn't even give the time for questions, but they had already assumed the crew knew what to do. Just as the doors opened to the hall, the klaxons started to flare once more.

"All pilots report to the hangar bay for launch! Repeat! All pilots report to the hangar bay for launch!"

[Relm Zephyrous]

Nemesis watched everything in that particular scene through a holographic window. Well, this wasn't entirely true to be sure as she had a trio of little 'spider-spies' set up in that room, so that she could see through things from angles that she deemed to be the best necessary. There was a chuckle echoing through her sphere while the orders were given. "Hadn't killed anyone? I thought these people were supposed to be the best at what they did. But if thats honestly true they must be just as green to all of this as I am."

The girl laughed harder despite her current mood, and leaned back from it. "I'm actually scared now. I was expecting the others to know what they were doing, at least they might be able to provide the proper guarding for me and serve as big shields." The girl cracked her neck, easing into the controls and revving up Eclipse, having been with her precious for the past half hour or so doing final touch upgrades. She had requested special information on the particular mechs she'd be assigned to neutralize, for obvious reasons although she as of yet hadn't gotten word back.

"I wonder if they'll get upset at me for not being 'physically' present. I mean, I got all the information with them but they don't even know about me. Not yet anyway, some other guy even fashions himself to be the tactical co-ordinator. And it's only through seniority in this system that he would get such a role."

She sat up in her seat, twirling around on the omnidirectional interface. "I'll have to clear things up with him, then."

Satisfied with her plan and nodding to herself, Nemesis closed her eyes and waited for the little beep that told her the first of them had gotten to the hangar.

There were thoughts about just what she would be getting out of this deal with the military, and the things she could do with such resources, but now wasn't the time to be thinking such thoughts. Nemesis was already daydreaming about how to effectively handle the 'assignment'. She had the information for the ten mechs in her 'service', and sorting out where to place them on the chess board that was the battle field was necessary.

[rapter200]

David sat on his cushioned chair in his private quarters. It was dark because he kept the lights off, on the night stand next to him laid a glass of Whiskey, half full. Smoke wafted in the room, the strong scent of Smoked Cedar and Earth was strong. Classical music played at a soft hum as Gran enjoyed his leisure time. Classical music was his favorite, and nothing could pull him away from such a perfect and picturesque moment as this one. Not even the Call for Pilots to report to the briefing room. He knew that he could get the information from the other pilots or Addi.

Minutes passed by, and the music kept going. The glass soon became empty and the Cigar was finished. But he kept listening to the music.

"All pilots report to the hangar bay for launch! Repeat! All pilots report to the hangar bay for launch!"

With an annoyed sigh David got up and shut off the music player. All good things don't last forever it seems. With that though he put on his Gloves that were placed near arms reach from the player on his Desk. The Gloves slid on easily as if they were a second skin.

The announcement kept blaring over the intercoms. “Yeah, yeah I get it. Can you just shut up.” He yelled at the damn thing, to no avail. It was no Addi, that was for sure.

On his way to the hangers he ignored those he passed, he held no interest for them. The only other ones that mattered were the pilots in his squad... at best. He would have to get to know them, but at a later date. Traffic seemed frantic as he passed by, most of the people here were green. No combat experience at all it seemed. They were all younger than him, by at least 5 years. Though age didn't really matter so much in these particular situations. In fact the younger the better.

When he got to Legion he snapped his finger and the cockpit door opened. He didn't need to do that but he loved to do it anyway. No one else seemed to have reached their Mechs yet except one. As he secured himself in, the cockpit chair started to move backwards until it hit the actual cockpit. This time David clapped his hands together once and the entire cockpit lit up.

“Legion Online” A voice out of nowhere said. This made David smile. He always loved being around Addi, they made quite the team. If only she wasn't just an AI, she would be the perfect woman for him.

“Hello Addi, tell me what I missed at the meeting.” he said with a tone of sarcasm. An obvious jab at the meeting, and how there never really was anything to miss at one of them. He knew exactly what would be said at those meetings, he held those types of meetings when he was in command of his own people. They bored him.

“Greetings David, it seems that you missed a meeting detailing the mission objective. You really should consider going next time.”

“Yeah maybe. I was in the middle of something important. Anyway just tell me what is our objective.”

“The objective seems to be a Cargo Vessel.” The not so obviously synthetic voice said as she pulled up the displays that were shown during the meeting.

“Ok then, well I guess all there is to do now is play the waiting game. Those other pilots better hurry up .” David said as he started to get impatient.

[krogothwolf]

"None of this will come without a price. I do no expect any of you to have taken lives before, so let this be a lesson to you. Point, aim and fire. That's all it takes. This is war and the enemy won't care who you are or where you're from. They'll kill you just as quickly as anyone else on the battlefield. Shoot them before they shoot you."

Marcus nearly chuckled at that thought. He was a military brat and had been in the service since 18, he had killed his share of people. He was surprised it was even mentioned. The people here were suppose to be trained professionals. If they got queezy on the field after their first kill, it might not bod well for the mission. Of course killing a faceless enemy is fairly easy to deal with, hopefully for the new ones that's all they have to worry about.

He got up after the briefing and headed quickly ahead of everyone to the hanger. He felt anxious to get back to his mech and strap himself in. The idea of it all gave him chills. This could be more fun then it first seemed. Marcus thought as he jogged down the hallway, The odds aren't to unfavorable to us. At least if everyone is as skilled as we've been lead to believe.

He entered the hanger while fidgeting with his medallion, looked around and walked up to his Mech. He Grinned as he saw it there. The Wolf Head grinning back at him, almost as if it was looking for a fresh kill.

"Ah," He said as he looked up at itr. "How are you doing my friend? Not to lonely I hope. Just going to give you a once over before we step out. You'll be happy to know we'll get a chance to notch a few more mechs to your kill list"

He ran his hand over the leg of and began his inspection of his Mech.

"Well Fenrir, we should have a bit of time before the others come in so lets make sure you test out."

[Bard The 5th LW]

'That was strange,' Rory commented. Had they assumed that no one here has killed? It was odd to say the least. Rory brushed it off as the general simply not knowing the group well. Rory had seen a few deaths and caused a few. He did run once at the sight of it, and he regretted it more than anything. Besides, with the Crusader, he would be expected to bring about tons of destruction. He didn't dwell on it, it was his role as a pilot.

'Well better get going,' Rory decided. It won't be too long before they break out into some argument about tactics and waste a lot of time. If he left now, the others might follow suit and they can deploy sooner. The guy who had just already gotten up seemed to have the idea.

Rory jogged to the Hangar at a pace similar to Marcus's, wanting to get started. He walked over to The Crusader, electing to ignore Marcus's speaking to his mech. It seemed a bit like a personal moment. Rory then climbed the ladder leading to the cockpit of the akward machin, and began checking the controls and makiing sure the systems were OK. They were likely checked on earlier, but there was no harm in double checking while he waited.

After deciding that things were in working order, Rory contented himself to simply look at the other mechs in the hangar and guess at who owned what, and how they may factor in the mission.

[Geminex]

Typically, Ryan trailed at the end of the group. It wasn't so much social akwarndess (he could get along with people quite well, when he knew them) than it was feeling out of place. He wasn't in his element, not yet (not until he was in teh mech), and he certainly didn't want to risk attracting much attention from the front-line fighters.
He reached his mech and wormed his way into his cabin. Putting in an entry large enough to fit through, but not too large to decrease structural stability had been quite a challenge, and entering the mech was still more than just slightly claustrophobic. The second generation would hopefully be improved in that (and all other) aspects. He started up his mech, entering a code, letting it scan an embedded retinal chip. The generator needed a while to power up (though it was never fully deactivated, just put on standby), and he used the time for a quick system diagnosis. Everything was fine, and once all systems were active and the generator was running at 30% (It would rise to 60% in combat, and up to 80% when he was doing a full overcharge, but going over that would mean flashy, expensive suicide, since the mech couldn't hanle it) he activated his comm system. "Bell online. I'll be responsible for Tac-Co, as well as radar and sensor support. If any of you have jamming or stealth features, I'd appreciate your not activating them yet, I'm doing a quick scan of your mechs to get data on your shields, armor, weapons and other capabilities. If there's anything I should know about your preferences or fighting style, now would be the time to tell me. Thanks."
These were pretty standard procedures. A similar analysis was done by a carrier's Tac-Co group whenever new mechs joined the Carrier Wing. And the team seemed standard (though high-quality) also. An infiltrator, a sniper, couple of melee specialists... artillery... Ryan went through the data he got, digesting it, thinking. He did a double-take when he saw the Barbell, but shrugged that off, each to his own. As long as he was effective, he didn't have a problem.
Though there was one thing that seemed strange... He opened another comm channel. "Callsign Eclipse, this is Tac-Co. Could you clarify, what is your role? Jamming?"

[Relm Zephyrous]

"Oh, well screw that." Nemesis said to herself internally and under her breath, shaking her head and rubbing her temples with a slight laugh as the rest of the crew arrived. That was in response to lowering the defensive anti-detection systems, especially the one she had just installed during the long wait as a special surprise. "But... I think I have something that'll be a whole lot less work for me, and get the information to you quicker."

All of this had the communications turned off and was purely to herself. She didn't want to appear rude or anything, and was slightly thankful she was near the end of his check up list. In such, she could send the data on her ship to his, and even format it onto his sensors as if he had done a full scan.

"My role?" She blinked, shaking off the urge to go into a gloating rant in favor of being 'normal'. "Well, Disabling is certainly part of it, but my role encompasses co-ordination, battle assessment, information gathering, and general disruption."

She took a small breath, almost imagining him wanting to respond but not stopping outright. "In a sense, you could say its my job to keep tabs on our status and that of the opponent, turn the tables in our favor, and 'Special' combat."

"That was longer than the last explanation. Hrm." She grew slightly silent, shaking her head and giving him time to respond.

[Arcanum]

Hector had been sitting quietly in the briefing room as everyone entered, and maintained his silence during and after the briefing was given. To the others he probably looked like he was focusing on the details being given, and mentally preparing for the upcoming mission. The truth, however, was that he was getting restless, and he was worried that if he opened his mouth he might offend or provoke someone. All of the waiting they had been doing was torture for him, and he was eager to get onto the battlefield.

When the briefing was over, Hector stood up and cracked his knuckles, then his neck, and then his back. Finally, he thought, I might have tried to punch a hole in the wall if we weren't setting out immediately. Glad that the battle would soon be starting, he made his way to the hanger bay with the others, although at a bit more leisurely pace. Some of the other pilots seemed eager to go, others looked almost nervous. Despite Hector's earlier restlessness, just knowing that a fight was on its way was enough to calm him down. He believed it had something to do with his earlier pilot training, when he was learning how to pilot aircraft instead of mechs. He knew first hand that a cool head in a fight made it easier to stay alive.

When they reached the hanger, Hector climbed the stairs that led to the walkway which extended to his Ragnarok's cockpit, which was located where a human's sternum would be. Once he was inside a technician retracted the walkway and Hector powered up his mech. The cockpit sealed itself automatically and he could hear the thick armor plates sliding back into position. Just as he was about to run a system check a voice chimed in over the comm system.

"Bell online. I'll be responsible for Tac-Co, as well as radar and sensor support. If any of you have jamming or stealth features, I'd appreciate your not activating them yet, I'm doing a quick scan of your mechs to get data on your shields, armor, weapons and other capabilities. If there's anything I should know about your preferences or fighting style, now would be the time to tell me. Thanks."

"This is Rook," Hector responded, hoping to keep his introduction short. "I'm piloting the Ragnarok. I'm going to be at the front of the fight, so make sure none of our guys are between me and the enemy unless they want more holes in 'em than swiss cheese."

With that out of the way, Hector proceeded to run his systems check, ignoring the standard warnings that he was routing power away from his shields and into his booster and weapon systems. No matter what the techies tried, they still couldn't get the Ragnarok's standard systems to accept the Automatic Power Rerouting System.

[Geminex]

Ryan's brow wrinkeled. This didn't seem right. If she was being truthful, that'd mean that there were two Tac-Co units on-field, and if there was one thing he knew, is that more than one Tac-Co per squad ended in tears and explosions. "Eclipse, are you sure you're on the right squad? I understand we're not the only ones using the base. If you're certain, then what function were you in before being assigned to this squad? Regardless of that, feel free to transfer data anytime."

[Relm Zephyrous]

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be right here." She looked over the information that she was supposedly to have as her Meat Shields and compared it to the mechs she saw right outside of Eclipse. Of course, this wasn't from a window, and Nemesis Birst wouldn't resort to opening her craft for something so trivial. She simply had her spy-bot that followed the group look for her, and completely affirmed.

"And I was... wait... Oh!" She realized that in her explanation something had stuck, shaking her head and grinning. Stupid 'confirmation click OK to continue' screen... why are those still installed? I'm always right, and always certain of my intentions. Besides, I won't be having time for double clicking with how much sheer processing I'll have to be doing. The girl made a mental note to switch all of those off, and kept up with her conservation.

"Sorry about that, it should be arriving to you now. And I can tell what your problem with this is. But don't worry, I've analyzed your systems and I'm pretty sure that we compliment each other with similar but critically different functions rather than merely identical and redundant ones. Besides, I'm not much of one for outright directing, so you can take the lead there." Offering a part of the job she honestly didn't feel attached to as a peace offering, she may be xenophobic and a massive introvert, but she still knew diplomacy.

"For the purposes of this mission, I'm a Disruption unit that will be providing you personally with layouts of the battlefield from both your team and our foes perspectives." She nodded to herself, and then added a mental note out loud. "But since you're supposedly going to be directing me in this grand game of chess, I must insist that you do not put the Eclipse in any danger unless absolutely unavoidable."

The information would easily explain why-her little globe was half the size of the next tiniest mech in the bay, and a random stray shot grazing it would cause minor to moderate damage.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Rory let out a sigh as he listened to the conversation unfold. It appears that even in the hangar before deployment that there would be the mandatory tactical discussions and bickering. He supposed it was necessary, but it felt like it could go faster.

"Rommel here," Rory said over the intercom, his voice gravelly due to rarely speaking. "The Crusader is strictly melee, so I'll be up in the front-lines, I navigate through hooking cable onto different surfaces and bouncing off other areas," he said in a neutral tone. Rory felt that most of the information was obvious, but the bit about the cables should be of some importance.

"I have a well defended mech, and its my job to run things over and provide defense, so put me wherever need be to offer the most protection or destruction," he said again. Rory did not particularly care for talking more than necessary, he felt it would be necessary to add in one last little sentence. "And be assured," he said, to everyone, "I know what I am doing with this thing."

[krogothwolf]

Marcus climbed into his cockpit and powered it on, It hummed as the power flowed through it and began to check over the system. It was nice and quiet for the time being.
Everything so far checks out. He thought as he checked everything over. Power to shielding is good, ammo is good, engine output is normal.

"Well Fenrir, looks like you check out well." Marcus commented to himself, "You seem to be as eager to go get back into the field as I am."

He then heard the radio come online.

"Bell online. I'll be responsible for Tac-Co, as well as radar and sensor support. If any of you have jamming or stealth features, I'd appreciate your not activating them yet, I'm doing a quick scan of your mechs to get data on your shields, armor, weapons and other capabilities. If there's anything I should know about your preferences or fighting style, now would be the time to tell me. Thanks."

Marcus groaned. A Tac-Co? Really. Do they really need to saddle use with a Tac-Co? They always generally mess things up. He reached over and lipped his radio on.

"Wolfman here," Marcus replied in a slightly annoyed voice, "Close Quarter Specialist. Piloting Wolf Blizter Mark VI codenamed Fenrir. Front line unit designed to assist melee mechs with high powered Combat Shotgun."

He turned his radio off and sat back and looked around at the rest of the mechs. The Pole-armed unit seemed to be the most reliable one of the bunch when in close with the enemies. The one that worried him the most was well the damn top. It made no sense, the thing was obviously designed for close combat but it would be just as a threat to themselves as the enemy. He made a mental note to keep an eye on that thing during combat because he didn't want to smacked from behind. He then put Fenrir into a walk and headed for the hanger door.

[Dracorion]

"Let's do it." Max said to no one in particular once the announcement to move out started blaring. He walked out of the briefing room and toward the hangar at his own pace. Once he reached the hangar, he mounted his crimson-and-gold mech. Compared to his teammates' mechs, Max's Saint Walker was rather dull. A lot of the others piloted prototypes or gimmick mechs, and everyone's was highly advanced. Max simply smiled at the thought, as he ran a systems check. The Saint was reliable. Though it was originally intended as a long-range combat unit, it was damn tough. Tougher than most medium mechs, anyway. When Max gave the thrusters more power and added the pole that was currently attached to it's back, he made the Saint a powerful melee combat unit that could also perform well at long range.

He was almost ready to go when Rommel described his mech. That could be trouble, Max thought. He wasn't about to say it out loud, since he didn't want to show any lack of faith in his teammates, but he still made a mental note to stay away from the Crusader.

While he had already described his function to the Tac-Co unit, Max thought it best to let everyone else know. "Raymond here. I'm a melee specialist. Good at everything a melee is good at, but especially kicking ass. I'm also equipped with a plasma rifle, so I'm capable of long-range combat if the need arises." He said over comms.

[Geminex]

"Receiving data." Ryan skimmed over the technical info he had received. "Haven't encountered this kind up config before. You're flying a prototype? Interesting. Very interesting. And useful. You'll have to give me an insight into the science here. What range can you hack at?" He paused for a second. That wasn't the issue. "As for splitting up our roles, that'll be acceptable. Your sensors seem competent, that'll be helpful. I can intercept enemy comms myself, but feel free to use your system to its full extent. Keep me supplied with additional info and send any tactical advice to me before contacting the team, I'll put my jamming systems at your disposal and keep you out of trouble. We will... get along." He put the comm-link on hold (his system could manage up to 300 connections) and (belatedly) contacted Rock. "Thanks, Rock. I'll put your mech to good use. You'll probably be either a spearhead or a line-of-battle element." Next he started a connection with Rommel, then cancelled. User-to-User coms were good in the thick of battle, or when stealth was an issue, but for now he could send public messages. "Rommel, aknowleged. Not many surfaces in space, but we might put you on a defensive flank. Midway through, I'll convert you to offensive, probably a spearhead, though I'm not sure. How quick are you? As for Wolf, thanks for that. You seem offensive. Might pair you up with a second melee mech, let you form a secondary spearhead. Though mind you, none of this is set in stone. Let us see what awaits us."

((Clarification:
Line-of-Battle element: General combat on the front lines, deals as much damage as he takes, usually. Keeps enemies busy.
Spearhead: Part of an offensive strike force that takes part in front-line battle, but is meant to flank and quickly anihilate enemy forces, rather than soak damage. Usually does the most damage to enemies, since it can strike when enemies are pinned down by line-of-battle elements and can't defend.
Secondary Spearhead: Same as a spearhead, only instead of striking at the enemy's main combat forces, it strikes at their support forces.
Defensive flank: Pretty much a unit that works against enemy spearheads and secondary spearheads, though it's frequently redeployed against enemy charges.))

[rapter200]

"Bell online. I'll be responsible for Tac-Co, as well as radar and sensor support. If any of you have jamming or stealth features, I'd appreciate your not activating them yet, I'm doing a quick scan of your mechs to get data on your shields, armor, weapons and other capabilities. If there's anything I should know about your preferences or fighting style, now would be the time to tell me. Thanks."

Some annoying sound coming over the general comm channel startled him as he was daydreaming. It was a good dream to, there was a beach. A young lady as well.

“Addi replay what just woke me up from my pleasant dream.” He said while starting to get mad.

“Yes sir I will be right on that.” Addi replied as the voice of that Bell character popped up again and said everything that it had said before.

“So he wants our info, my guess is that he is running Tactical Support. Well then, might as well send him all our info, also patch him in after sending him the details.” David said as he rubbed his eyes. It seemed like more pilots had come in as he had daydreamed.

A new comm link was opened on the Godeye, just as Addi's voice filled Ryan Bell's cockpit. “Hello Ryan Bell, data on the Technical aspects of Legion and all of its systems are now transferring to your data cores. They will appear on screen in 3 seconds. After which you will be patched through to David, Legion's pilot.”

Three seconds later David's voice could be heard through the comm link. “Well hello there Bell, you should be happy to know that you ruined one of the best daydreams I have had in years. Anyways you should have received the full technical breakdown of Legion and all of its core systems. Now as to my role, I guess I could leave that for you to find out through the data I sent you. What with you ruining my dream and all. But I wont. My mech is a swarmer, Legion itself does not attack, rather the drones do. Which means I have great flexibility when it comes to overwhelming an opponent from every which way. Addi helps me in controlling the drones, you should have met her only a minute or so ago. Also Legion itself can be used as a shield for the other less fortunately armored of our group. Well I guess thats it, I will leave this channel open for now if you have anything you want to say. But next time try not to ruin my dreams right before a launch.”

With that he looked at the rest of the mechs, with his 360 view of the entire hanger he could see every mech. The smallest of which looked like it couldn't handle a sneeze in the wrong direction.

[Relm Zephyrous]

"I'll make sure to later, but this is hardly the time for that." She responded quickly but at a low enough volume to let him continue. The girl had started in her head on a smart response to the whole 'how far can you hack from' being situational. "Well give me a satellite, details on my target, and an hour or two and I probably can do it without moving an inch from this very spot. But that takes forever, doesn't work if they're any good at firewalls, and is inefficient besides."

She shook it off though, nodding invisibly within her fortress to the comment she could almost hear him think out loud. *That isn't the issue.* And after a minute of nodding and letting him get around to his other business Nemesis felt herself willing to report herself to the rest of the team on the public com, knowing that they didn't even realize she existed yet.

"Birst reporting, Information Warfare as my primary function, Disruption secondary, and team management tertiary. My main job is smoothing things out for the rest of you and optimally nobody'll even notice I'm here." Birst nodded and thought to herself about the whole mission, and gulping slightly at what definitively lay in store. Practically though, I'm gonna need some serious protection though.

But that part she didn't dare say out loud, Ryan knew about it already, and the team could live without that argument slowing them down.

[Geminex]

As they flew, Ryan was facing a dilemma. He had aknowleged David's comm, given his (not very sincere) condolences for the lost daydream, but now faced lose-lose scenario of sorts, the kind that he hated. There were two ways of failing this mission. Either they could simply miss the transporter, fail to intercept it, or they could take horrendous casualties from its guards. Neither option was one he wanted to take (obviously), but foregoing one would mean inviting the other. They could their split up into smaller groups around their three sensors-equipped mechs (The sniper, Eclipse and his own Godeye) and go over the area of space that the freighter was likely to be in. They'd probably find it, and, with luck, detect it before it detected them. Of course, he didn't know quite how powerful the scanning systems of the Freighter group were. This meant that, if they split up, they'd run the risk of the freighter group detecting one of the search squads first, ambushing it and wiping out a third of their forces in the process. The alternative would be to keep the squad together, in attack formation, ready for comat at any time, but running the risk of missing the freighter. He sighed. He was fairly certain that the expected benefits of splitting up were higher (they'd probably find the freighter, detect it in time, could regroup and ambush it), but he couldn't get himself to make the call. He was a great analyst, but not a good officer. Of course they didn't have an officer, it seemed, so this'd have to do. He sighed again, opened a private line. "Eclipse, this is Tac-Co. Off the top of your head, split up or stay together? Quickly." With any luck, she'd reaffirm his judgement, tell him what he wanted to hear. Then he could make the call.

[Relm Zephyrous]

Nemesis flew a little onwards, them getting farther in and having no idea what the general plan was. Her initial instinct was to ask for more information as 'split up or stay together' was very vague. She didn't even know what the teams were going to be for whatever he had planned. But 'quickly' insisted that there wasn't the luxury of this. She understood the situation well enough though, as well as basic tactics.

Splitting up was normally the more complex plan, and intricate usually led to more efficient, whereas staying together typically weighed on the side of caution. Right now Birst was seeing the risk as very low so high risk high reward beat out caution, and she snapped to "Split up" after a moment of thought.

She might not have agreed so readily to this if she knew that his 'plan' involved her going into enemy territory with essentially no protection, however.

[Geminex]

Ryan grinned. "Thanks. That'll do." He broke off the private and opened a public link. "Right, here's what I'm envisioning. We have three units with fairly strong sensors in our team: Eclipse, our sniper, and myself. What I'd recommend is..." He paused, on a threshhold. This shouldn't be a big thing, but Ryan was acutely aware that he was about to give an order that might end very badly indeed. "What I'd recommend is that, once we reach our target area, we split up into three groups, according to power and speed. One sensors unit get supported by appropriate combat units Our sniper is fairly well shielded and has stealth features, he should be taking on or two of our quickest combat mechs. I myself am not in need of... excessive protection, and I'm fast enough. I'll take whatever medium mechs are left over once the sniper's had his pick. Any heavies, stay with Eclipse. We comb the area, search for the freighter using our various systems. Perhaps team sniper can patrol the border of the area, make sure the freighter doesn't slip past. I have pretty good radar coverage, I'll try to cover the bulk of the area. Team Eclipse can follow up behind up behind my squad, cover any areas I miss and prepare to come to our aid should we come under fire and need support. We'll probably find the freighter this way, and when we do, we can regroup and plan an ambush. That acceptable to all?"

[Dracorion]

Max nodded in agreement as they flew, not that anyone saw it. Still, he had one problem with the plan. "Splitting up sounds good, but are you sure we should put all our heavies on one mech? Eclipse may not be the toughest cookie, but she wouldn't be very likely to run into the enemy anyway, and according to intel they're all light-armored."

[Geminex]

Ryan considered this. "I had reasoned with speed. Quickest escorts with quickest mechs. And besides, as you said, the enemies are all lights. Meaning that, even if we run into them, it'll be difficult for them to deal significant damage before support arrives, particularly if the squad under fire retreats quickly."

[Red Mage Black]

"All personnel clear the hangar for mech launch. Repeat. All personnel clear the hangar for mech launch."

The intercom blared as the klaxons made their usual noise. As the mechs were starting to fly out, scientists and engineers fled the room before the hangar doors could open. As they got out the big metallic doors, it was pretty much space like everyone knew it. Black and silent except for the static of the radio. The stars in a rather bright mood, unusually shining brighter then their own resident star which by now was being eclipsed by Arlia. Everyone's radio communications shut off, if for a second until they popped back on. Then someone... obviously not in their squad started singing:
This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating
in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today
The voice was somewhat unusual and seemed to sing with such good timing, that it almost sounded like a recording. Though oddly enough, indicators on Ryan's screen popped up with an alert of a stealthed unit in the area. Exactly 1,000m(or .6 miles) south of their position, at the same altitude and closing if not casually slow.

To everyone else, they were challenged by the guards at the Astral Gate, but cleared once their ID tags were confirmed. Moments later, on everyone else's radars, a solitary blip occurred as a small unit came out of stealth in front of the cadre of variously sized mechs.

A young man's voice came over the radios. "Greetings from Geneva." The voice said rather cheerfully.


Model Type: Troubadour "D", Light Armor Class Mech
Model Number: IX745026
Pilot ID: B. Harmons
Life Support: Normal
Weapon Systems: Powered Down
Shield Power: Normal
Armor Condition: Normal
Propulsion Systems: Normal
Max Mech Speed: Mach 7 (Fast)
Radar Range: 100mi
Scanner Range: 100mi
Radio Range: 100mi
Weapons Layout: Light Plasma Pistol (Inactive) / Power Glove (Inactive)
Burst Transmission: Powered Down
Hacking/Hijacking Mechanisms: None
Operational System: Troubadour "D" Systems 4.6
Processor Speed: Fast
Total Power Output: Optimal
Threat Level: 1 (Out of a 1-10 scale.)

[Arcanum]

Hector clenched his teeth as Ryan laid out his plan, and it took a tremendous amount of will power to stop himself from interrupting. Luckily for Hector, Ryan was stupid enough to ask if anyone had any problems.

"I wasn't selected to be a part of this team just so that I could babysit those of you who decided to bring paper mache to a gun fight," Hector said, trying his best not to yell into the comm. "I understand that you are the one with tactical expertise Bell but I'm not asking to be on the front line, I'm telling you. And it's your job to work that into your plan."

Hector was about to continue ripping Ryan a new one, but he was interrupted as someone began singing over the comm. Hector was about to swear profusely and mash the mute button when a mech de-cloaked and the pilot said, "Greetings from Geneva."

"Oh please tell me the fighting is about to start," Hector said to himself -- thankfully his comm was off. He reached for his firing controls and began to spin the barrels of his Gatling guns, although refrained from firing. For all he knew this was one of their spies.

[Geminex]

Ryan ignored Rook for the moment, almost laughed as he heard the song come in. Very... creative... "This is Bell. Scanners show minimal threat. No weapons active, he's not operating in combat mode. Keep him covered, but do not fire, unless he cloaks or flees. Shoot to disable, not to kill. Stay at maximum effective range, in case he's packing a bomb. Let me take up communications. He paused for a moment, then grinned. What the hell.
"Are you sitting round your tin can
Far above the moon
Arlia is blue
and there's nothing you can do?" He paused for a second, then continued more normally.
"Other than identifying yourself, of course, and standing by to be taken into custody." He had already sent a signal to the base that a salvage ship and a guard mech or two would be necessary.

[Red Mage Black]

On Ryan's and probably a few other viewscreens, the image of the pilot came up. He looked rather... young to be a mech pilot. About 15 or 16 respectively, with bright green eyes and short blond hair and a brown headband. When he listened to the lyrics that Ryan suggested, his face crinkled into one of thought. "No no no... hmmm..." He said, right before he started again:
"Here, am I sitting in a tin can.
Far above the world.
Planet Arlia is blue
And there's nothing I can do..."

When he was finished with the verse, he smiled and looked at the screen again. "I don't think I'm suppose to be doing this. I was sent out to scout by the squad leader and... I think I came out too far." He said, scratching his head embarrassed. "I think I need to g--" On the view screen, he was looking back at something.

"Benjamin, is this where you got off to?" An older male asked over the radio, they weren't even trying to keep a coded transmission secret. On everyone's screens, a warning appeared, "Power Overload Imminent!"

Just as the warning flashed, there was a shimmer and something... very large appeared. The child on the screen looked almost... too happy to see it. "John! Is that you? Oh hey! One of these guys helped me finish one of the hardest parts of my song!" He shouted, sounding more then thrilled. The gruff voice responded. "You should get out of here, Benny-boy. This is trouble. You wandered a couple... hundred miles off of the designated scouting zone. Head back to Geneva ASAP. I think your parents could use a visit from you again."

Though just as the boy had resigned and turned to try and go away, guard mechs from the base had appeared.

Least to say, John's mech wasn't... heavy. It was gigantic. Possibly thrice the size of a normal heavy...


Model Type: Titan "S", Unknown Armor Class Mech [Retired]
Model Number: ????????
Pilot ID: J. Grivven
Life Support: Normal
Weapon Systems: Active
Shield Power: Strong
Armor Condition: Normal
Propulsion Systems: Normal
Max Mech Speed: Mach 5
Radar Range: 500mi
Scanner Range: 500mi
Radio Range: 500mi
Stealth Systems: Inactive
Weapons Layout: Heavy Plasma Canon (Primed) / Armored Gauntlet (Active)
Burst Transmission: Active (1000mi)
Hacking/Hijacking Mechanisms: Unknown to this model
Operational System: Titan "S" Last Defense Systems
Processor Speed: Normal
Total Power Output: Massive
Threat Level: 15 (Error: Surpasses 1-10 scale!)
Unique Info: Contains "Plasma Overload Engine"


The two guard mechs moved to engage the Titan, activating their boosters and firing off their plasma rifles. Titan's shield flicked up and absorbed the plasma shots. It surprised them with something of it's own. Pushing the very... tiny mech aside, it pointed the cannon at the guard mechs and fired twice. The power outputs from both shots surpassed any possible cannon fire from even prototypes. Both mechs were shattered effortlessly, save for the heads with the shuttles inside them.

A video of the man from the larger mech appeared on screen for the others. He looked quite a bit older, but one of his eyes was shut by a scar. "Hopefully the rest of you will be wise enough not to try the same thing. I don't want anyone to die today, but I will kill for Ben's safety. We'll be leaving. If you want the cargo transport, keep going to where you expect them. They're stuck for the time being due to engine troubles." Just then, the mechs shimmered back into stealth and they turned to leave. However, there was one last transmission. "Next time you see Ben... he's just a child. He's not meant for war. The General is nuts for this goddamn draft." Then everything went silent again.

Without much to do with the current situation but head off and let the stranded guard pilots get escorted back to base, they would head off to their next destination. It was right at the point of origin they would have expected. Over six mechs stood guard outside the large cargo freighter. They looked utterly still, but it was hard to tell what their pilots were doing...


((This crap would be too much to do with 4 of them, so I'm jumbling them together.))
Model Type: (6x) Legionnaire 3rd Class, Light Armor Class Mech
Model Number: ????????
Pilot ID(s): Dyson, Mays, Ericsson, Hilmn, Frenks, Harley.
Life Support: Normal
Weapon Systems: Active
Shield Power: Normal
Armor Condition: Normal
Propulsion Systems: Normal
Max Mech Speed: Mach 6
Radar Range: 100mi
Scanner Range: 100mi
Radio Range: 100mi
Weapons Layout: Plasma Pistol (Active) / Plasma Rifle (Active)
Burst Transmission: Powered Down
Hacking/Hijacking Mechanisms: None
Operational System:
Processor Speed: Normal
Total Power Output: Normal
Threat Level: 5 (All together) (On a 1-10 scale.)

[Geminex]

Ryan received the scan data, scanned it, then sent it on to his teammates. They'd probably have time to go over it before they engaged, considering that the enemies couldn't see them... probably. He opened up a directional link to each teammate, broadcast on all simultaneously. "Tac-Co here. Sent you their data. Allright ladies and gentlemen, this is where your individual experience becomes far more important than my well-laid plans. If Rommel charges, they'll probably try to get out of the way, with maybe one or two protecting the carrier. With some ranged support, Exocet should be able to take those out, using the freighter the same way he'd be using the ground normally, as cover, to minimize enemy fire. A few are bound to get past Rommel, our medium melee mechs should be able to handle those, particularly with fire support from the heavies. Though they should try to stay as close as possible to our current group, in case we need protection. One thing that still worries me are their stealthed units. Briefing suggested there'd be some, but none seem to be present. Either they're preparing an ambush, they're sneaking up behind us, or they're out scouting. I don't think an ambush would matter, particularly if Legion can support Rommel's charge with a few drones and Ali offers fire support. If they're out scouting, we should be able to wipe this group out before they return, particularly if Eclipse can jam their com systems, so they can't get a burst transmission out. If they're sneaking up on us, that'd worry me most. We have a few vulnerable mechs here, and even if we detect them in time, we might get hurt. Could legion keep a few drones close, and could Rook possibly stay close as well? In any case, I'll put my radar on max performance, Eclipse should do the same. Oh, and Len should change position and go into stealth mode before we attack, that way she can offer better support and is less at risk of a sneak attack." He sighed. "But once again, I don't know. You're the professionals here. I'll keep you informed of the ongoing battle and opportunities. Do as you will. Just inform me of any major changes in plan, and, if nothing else, try to keep the more vulnerable mechs protected. Tac-Co out."

[Astral Harmony]

"Deploying missiles." Alienna said, locking onto the nearest Legionnaire 3rd Class and unloading with a salvo of her long-range missiles. Her basic strategy for dealing with light mechs was to force them to dodge the way she wanted them to, then lead them up and blast them with the recoilless cannons. As one who dealt with skirmishes by pirates for a great chunk of her career, she'd had extensive front line experience against light mechs. However, these were military, not pirates, and their tactics may differ. She'd have to alter her tactics to suit her new foes.

[krogothwolf]

Marcus saw the missiles race forward from Goliathian towards the enemy force.

"Well, I guess they decided to launch the fireworks!" He said to himself before kicking his boosters on and piloting Fenrir towards the right most light mech. He took aim as he narrowed in. Quickly flipping on the public Comm.

"Wolfman here," He said over the radio, "Moving to engage right flank. Cover fire would be appreciated."

He then switched it off and punched it, putting himself at top speed towards the light mech. They were generally easier to deal with when up close and personal. He figured that they would probably be more concerned with that ridiculous spinning top mech then to be to worried about him.

As soon as he neared range over the Light mech he took aim and then let out a quick round from his shotgun, while reading his claw on the left hand for some shredding fun.

[Dracorion]

"Titan model?" Max said to himself, in response to the appearance of John's massive mech. "Boy, we're screwed." When the gigantic mech dissappeared, Max was relieved. He didn't think they could take a powerhouse like that. But it's a retired model, he thought, there's gotta be a reason for that. Maybe it has some sort of glaring weakness. Or it was just too expensive to keep making. Hopefully, it'll be the former.

When they reached the freighter, Max smiled. "Now that's more like it." Opening a public comm line, he said "This is Raymond, I'm engaging." Taking the pole off his back, he turned his thrusters to max and flew straight at the leftmost mech. As soon as he was in range, he swung the pole at its head.

[Bard The 5th LW]

"Understood," Rory said to Ryan via radio. He found their encounter with the Troubador and Titan rather odd, and was a little angry that they didn't get an opportunity to speak with them anymore, or capture them. Although fighting that big Mech was most definitely suicidal, even by Rory's standard.

"Preparing for attack now," Rory spoke over the intercom. Rory then flicked the Crusader's engine to life, and the body and blade of the mech began their alternating spins. He then quickly aimed his cables and shot them onto the walls of the freighter behind the centermost of the Legionaries, placing it so that the cables were placed between it. Rory then calmly flicked a switch on the control panel. In a blur, the Crusader then immediately gained speed and moved its way across the cables and at the mech guarding the ship, it had to move up or down to dodge. Once he made a collision with one or more of them, they should scatter and be picked off by the others.

[rapter200]

"Addi deploy the combat drones. Attack pattern theta, fit it in with what Tac boy said. Cover Rommel as he makes his charge, makes sure to pick off any surviving light mech."

Addi complied with the order immediately, all 8 combat drones were seen zooming off into the distance as Legion stayed back.

"Sir, the combat drones are operating at full efficiency."

"Good, Addi pull up the image display for combat drone 4, codename vulture."

When the display was put up he was ready to assume full control. With a flip of his wrist Vulture came under his control. "Assuming direct control of Vulture."

Now that vulture was under direct control it started to veer off from the group, David was pulling it off of the main group. He would use vulture as a scout to pain targets for his other drones. "Addi, targets painted by Vulture are combat drones 1-3's primary targets. All other targets are now operating in a secondary capacity. Combat drones 5-8 are to continue with the old plan of covering Rommel"

With that said he started to do a visual scan of the area looking for a target to pick off, but then a thought popped up in his head.

"Addi put the repair drones on standby and scan the other mechs for damage. When damage is done send the repair drone on intercept, we don't need anyone breaking apart on our first mission as a team."

"Sir, everything has been done according to your commands. Is there anything else you want"

"Yeah keep an active scan open for distress and emergency signals in our area, capturing one of those enemy pilots would be useful."

[Overcast]

From the briefing room Spencer had found his way to his mech with relative speed looking forward to getting himself underweigh. The Exocet looked quite pristine today, as typical for something made to be smooth in air and sea. He had no personality system on the thing, and he did not talk to it like it might have consciousness. It was a tool, and besides that other activity kinda creeped him out from time to time. He tagged the leg and down came his rope to carry him to the seat. Inside computer controls in both analog and digital laid before him as the machine sprung to life. He didn't have a powerful management system like some mechs, too much money had been sunk into the design of the mech so that it was the fastest thing with a drill. He had to use his every effort to have it moving at the rate he needed.

He loved it.

The communications rained in, he didn't mind the arguments. In the end he would sort through the bullshit and get what was necessary to actually act. He chose to say nothing though, not like he had anything useful to apply. He opened up all power to the thrusters and ripped off the hanger and out the door like the wind. The scenery rushed by like his dream down below, only this time there was no sea, and obviously no dear mermaid.

Also it was a little less visceral inside the Exocet as it was when he was just flying, but it still felt good.

As the situation opened up, and the scene with little Ben and big John played out he had been trying to figure out exactly how you beat something that big. No matter how many times he went over it in his head it was just...too much. This was going to bother him for days he knew it. He'd be bothering both techies hourly just for data. For now though there were less suicidal targets.

"Exocet moving on enemy mecha."

As he usually went about with light mechs he was going to fly by and abuse them with speed and his gun. Get them to panic, to concentrate on him and hope they can't keep up. Then folks like Ali could pick them off at their leisure. If it was an ambush he would like to arrive first simply because he was the fastest, he figured no one else could react faster.

The battle is on.

[Red Mage Black]

This battle looked easy to start with, but too easy. Alienna's missile salvo hit their marks, but way too spot on. Some of them even impacted with the freighter's shield. Ryan's screens would flash that all of light mechs shields were down. The small problem though was that none of them even moved. The next hit was Marcus, with which his shotgun blast sent the first mech reeling, the claw of his mech rending metal, but just tumbling through space like it was nobodies business. Next was Max's attack, the pole slamming down and crunching the head like a tin can. Rory's attack, the spinning blade would rip into the thin metal of that legionnaire and send two halves floating through space on their own. In the meanwhile, Spencer's shots would visibly smack into the other light mechs.

Though on Ryan's end, something was terribly wrong. One last bit of data that wasn't caught until the last moment:

....(Other data)...
Pilot Status: Error: No pilot aboard mech.
....(Other data)...
As the other pilots fought on to finish off the rest of the mechs, a warning blared upon Ryan's and Nemesis's screens: Warning! Several mechs incoming!

On radar, several mechs dropped out of stealth and sat on the outside fringes of the group and their attacks. "Great, we needed to find out which one of you was the important one." A voice said over the radio. 'Warning! Impact Imminent!' Flashed over the tac-co's screen before his mech was hit with a blast of energy and sent tumbling a good 30-feet through space before stabilizing itself and another warning popped up. 'Warning! Shield Down!' His mech then having a visible burn mark on the chest from impact.

"This is the 2nd Alpha Division, under the banner of Geneva. Power Down all weapons, turn around and head back to Arlia. Else your Tac-Co goes nuclear." One of the mech pilots said over the comm-link to everyone. "God, I can't believe they actually fell for it. Geez, you think we'd be stupid enough to guard a shipment with only six light mechs?" Another one said, laughing all about it.

All weapons were of course pointed at them. On all radar systems, 8 were currently visible. Two heavy mechs with launchers and hammer weapons, the rest with heavy plasma rifles.


Field Assessment Complete
Enemy Mechs: 12/18 (6 Disabled)
Light: 4
Medium: 6
Heavy: 2
Threat Range: 9 (1-10 Scale)
Probability of Victory: 30% (Based on current Ally Conditions and Last Battle Assessment)
Field Assessment End: Analyzing and uploading to Eclipse database.
Beginning Battle Assessment: Now that field scan data is complete, the Eclipse will be recording allied attack and defense strategy. Once threat is eliminated, all data will be uploaded to the database for next Field Assessment readout.

[Relm Zephyrous]

The girl was thinking the entire time right up until the big reveal how stupid this must be. Really, there was something totally wrong. The mechs didn't even retaliate or budge. But her scans that were focused elsewhere immediately had to widen and gain in power, for the enemy had revealed itself. "Savages..." She muttered to herself, watching that plan fall apart.

Nemesis's com link was of course turned off, and she silently gazed to each of them in turn on her monitor. She didn't want too many distractions from her task at hand, the rest of them could deal with the actual scenario for now. She was too busy with the virtual one. "But... that probability doesn't factor me into the situation. They don't even know I exist, much less that I'm here. And that is critical."

Initiating Operations
Silent Override Procedure

Distance Communication Disruption. . . .
Transmission Observation. . . .
Complete Armament Control. . . .
Thruster Control. . . .

This would be a very sticky operation, and she would still be gathering general information. Once she knew what she was hacking, it would all go a lot faster, but until later she would retain the Silent Override Procedure, and see just how many chess pieces she could convert into unwilling traitors.

This would be on top of actually monitoring for more units as she had a strange feeling that this wouldn't be the end, the process wouldn't be too quick, but time wasn't an issue at the exact moment. And besides, it could be changed quickly in the case of an emergency.

[Astral Harmony]

Alienna shook her head, then engaged her boosters. "If I ran home with my tail between my legs, I'd shame the Crozbell Family to its very foundations. Crozbells have never run away despite the odds, and I don't intend to alter that trend."

That being said, she altered her position to get between the majority of the enemy and Tac-Co, then unloaded with two salvos of missiles, one salvo for each heavy mech. "Tell Charon the ferryman that Alienna Crozbell sent you to hell. He'll give you a discount."

[Dracorion]

"Fuck that. I'm not about to surrender on my first mission." Max said. He turned public comms on and spoke to the enemies. "What, are you kidding me? Who the hell do you think we are? Backwater hicks? We knew damn well it was a trap, because you couldn't have made it more obvious without putting up a huge sign, and we went in anyway because we know we can kick your asses." He bullshitted. They really had fallen into the trap, but damned if he was going to admit it to them.

Max opened up a line only to his teammates. "Okay, so, I know I'm not a tactician, but why don't the heavies move to protect Tac-Co, and the mediums engage?" That said, he fired up his thrusters and flew straight at one of the enemy mediums, swinging the pole at its chest.

[Arcanum]

"Thank you captain obvious," Hector jibed across the comm in response to Max's suggestion. He was already moving to help Ali shield Ryan's mech while his targeting systems threatened to give him a seizure as the targeting locks flashed across the screen. As the the targets were being acquired, Hector quickly ran an override and began rerouting power from his boosters to his shield in order to help keep himself alive while he absorbed shots for Ryan.

A faint ring sounded off as the targeting system finished locking on, and Hector slammed down all four firing triggers. Plasma rounds sprayed out from his Gatling guns as he let loose a massive suppressive barrage, while two salvos of swarm missiles were launched from their pods on his back. The missiles arced silently through space towards the enemy line, where their proximity sensors would detonate and cause destruction and panic.

[krogothwolf]

"Well, at least they made for pretty target practice." Marcus mubbled to himself as heard the Geneva threat. Obviously they had reservations about winning this fight themselves, otherwise they wouldn't have issued a retreat or someone goes nuclear. A silly threat though, everyone here is a trained professional and wouldn't back down just because they threatened to blow up a comrade. Wars would never be won if that happened all the time. He then grinned to himself and kicked on his thrusters.

"Wolfman here Max, I'll cover your left flank." He said over the radio before falling in behind him, taking after the medium mech that was left of the one Max was targeting. Coming into range he took aim and fired at the things chest. And readied his claws again.

[Red Mage Black]

"They're not going to do it." One of the pilots said as Alienna went in front of Ryan's mech. "That's okay, everyone go into attack formation X-ray." The other pilot answered back. As the first two missile salvos unloaded, their own two heavies answered, rushing themselves in to dash directly at the missiles and bursting through with their shields intact, hammers aglow.

"Sir, we got multiple missile locks. Course of action?" One of the other mechs asked. "Go into evasive maneuvers. EV code 6." He called out, then as the missiles from Hector's mech fired off, the group scattered to avoid proximity damage from explosions. Though the heavies that went through the first two salvos from Alienna weathered the next round, shields STILL intact. Increased power often did that. As well as being a heavy mech pilot.

The medium that Max swung at, more or less blocked the attack with a pole of it's own. Though it wasn't as long of looked to be more like a steel pipe. "Engaging the enemy leader is a dangerous one, boy. Maybe I'll let you live so you can tell people who sent you running back to Arlia." He said, smacking against the mech's shielding with one in it's other hand.

As Marcus fired off a burst from his mech's shotgun, one of the heavies came up to meet the shot full on with it's shield. "Little mech goes crunch!" The brusk sounding man from the heavy mech said before his hammer swung out and smacked full force into Marcus's shield, rumbling him and sending the thing tumbling away, but still intact except for the shield damage.

"Do you have a visual?" Someone on the radio asked out. "Visual confirmed, squad leader." Someone answered back. "Fire at will." The voice said. Four shots blinked out of nowhere, impacting Alienna's shield. Though it was still intact for the most part. At least her heavy mech was just as tough as the others.

For all her work, Nemesis's hacking finally went to use. She had at least a visual from one of the remaining light mechs near the freighter and she could see through it's viewfinder.

[rapter200]

“Well it looks like we've been ambushed, what to do, what to do” David said silently to himself as he stared at the screen. He pondered for a few seconds on what to do. The scene didn't look good for them, they were ambushed by pretty well sized force. They know who the Tactical guy is, and have made the first strike already.

“We won't give up just because you think you ambushed us. The truth is that we knew your were there. Like we would truly believe that the protection of this freighter was just some light mechs, only complete idiots would think that. No the fact of the matter is that you played right into our hands. I suggest you leave or you will be completely destroyed. Addi show these gents the door.” With that the comm link between Legion and the enemy was shut off.

“Ok Addi it looks like they caught us with our pants down, I am putting Vulture back into your command. Group the drones back up into their usual positions, two groups of four. Move them into intercept, have them concentrate on their lightest mechs, picking them off one at a time, but put a high priority on interference and distraction.”

“It will be done... this won't look good in the eyes of the public. Arlia's most expense and prized group caught by surprise.”

“Yeah I know, make sure you record this battle. That video could be used later. Also Addi move Legion closer to Bell, we need to cover him. If he takes any damage, make sure the repair drones immediately hop onto him and start their repairs.”

With that said Legion started to make its slow progress to cover Bell, the combat drones are heading to where the enemy group is on a mission to disorient and take out their lighter mechs. The combat drones are now primed to repair the Godeye.

As the battle started David started looking at the enemies trying to find a weakness, and an idea popped into his head. Addi open comm channel to the Eclipse. “Hello, Nemesis right. Yeah that's right. Anyway I got an idea. I am going to need you to hack into their personal comm channels and keep them open. In a situation like this they are going to be concentrating on the battle a lot, if we can tap into their comm channels not only can we listen in on what they are saying but we can force them to lose their concentration by playing the loudest music we can. Constant music. That will cause them to at least have a hard time thinking which can mean death in a situation like this.”

[Bard The 5th LW]

Rory was silent for a few moments. 'How could we be so stupid..' he thought. He could be put towards defending Nemensis, but his mech was most versatile on land. he wouldn't have time to maneuver that well.

Then one of the enemies ordered they flee. This hit a note in Rory. The mere suggestion of that alone was enough to send him into action. "Not again!," he shouted, despite his radio being off.

Quickly aiming his cables, Rory got a quick lock on two of the light mechs and flicked the buttons launching them into the two machines. Once he felt a lock,he quickly maneuvered the Crusader's arms to swing both of the light mechs at the Heavy one, like whips, only with robots at the ends. The resulting Impacts should be enough to harm the light mechs and the heavy mechs, hitting several targets.

[Relm Zephyrous]

Nemesis was focused on everything on the scene, all the percentages were.... low. Lower than expected. Hm.... She drummed her chin while staring at the screen, having a slight frown. I overestimated the tax timewise that involving multiple of these is doing.... ah. A devious smile appeared on her face once that message came up. However I overestimated the amount necessary to hijack the unmanned mechs. I've already got the first it seems. Now, lets have a little bit of fun.

The message came to her over the channel, her listening a short while to the plan David concocted. It was good, but she had some problems. "Hm... I've already got myself listening in and hearing them. I guess I could transmit some messages once I can officially cut into Distance Disruption. I don't want any distress signals getting out." She cocked her head on the side, throwing her hair over her head and smirking. "I'll do you one better on that, actually."

The girl focused herself away from all the functions she had intended, just making sure she had a full on ability to interrupt their communications before she engaged on this plan. Disrupting would be... painful. She then made sure to wait for one of her own to close into combat again, letting it go freely.

It would be the most horrific, barbaric noise, like static and scratching nails down a chalkboard, only also as loud as their speakers could possibly go, even to the point of risking damage to said speakers. She also went the extra mile to jam out the 'mute' function, so that it was downright impossible to stop the terrible noise.

Nemesis also made a general channel to her team. "Alright, next formation attacking I'm gonna send a 'little friend' to assist. Don't attack it, he'll be helping you." She made that offhand comment, fully intending to have the thing help drive home. She was still going to be subtly worming into their systems, but not actively taking any more control as of yet. Nemesis needed to monitor just how well the Eclipse could handle managing this before taking another step.

[Astral Harmony]

If the situation wasn't as bad as it was, Alienna would've wanted to try using artillery shells. As her great grandmother described it, using artillery in outer space was more or less like firing an RPG launcher. The only real difference was that Alienna would be using the targeting reticles for her recoilless cannons and a little guesstimating instead of the targeting system for the artillery cannons itself. Somewhat inaccurate, but at least they could be useful for something.

She really wanted to take up her axe, engage her boosters, and go take it to them like a real barbarian would, but she was still concerned about the Tac-Co. So she opened up with both missiles and recoilless cannons on the heavies. After all, it usually takes heavies to match heavies. A light could probably do it, but she'd taken down groups of lights with nearly no support, both in simulation and real world. The weapons of heavies were just too powerful, the armor just too thick.

[krogothwolf]

Marcus went spinning of to the side from the blow with the hammer. Working fast he stabilized his mech and looked on. The damn Hammer wasn't something he could handle up close to, he had hoped to go along with Max and take on the lights in hand to hand, but with the heavy blocking his path he really had no choice right now. Without shields he was as good as dead against a heavy in melee range.

Kicking his boosters on he strafed to the left and began to fire of shells at the enemy mech. He prepared himself to dodge quickly if the thing came at him. If he could do it right he could do some real damage from behind on a heavy mech. The problem was getting behind them. Right now though, distance and maneuverability where his key to survival. He keyed his radio

"Wolfman here, Dealing with Heavy left of Max, if we want to take it down we'll need to coordinate our attacks against it." He said over the radio, hoping someone assisted him. He had taken down a heavy once or twice. But that was against primary ranged ones, a melee equipped one is a harder fish.

[Geminex]

Ryan cursed himself for his stupidity. It was logical, obvious. Of course that wouldn't have been everything they had. There had been stealthed units, and he'd been right about the ambush. But no, he had to forget everything he'd learned, been stupid and gung-ho. In his defense, those stealth systems were annoyingly superior to anything he'd ever seen Arlia field, but still, this was embarrassing. And worse yet, potentially lethal.
He should have put that Dradel in his place, told him that he was defense and that was that. He was the vulnerable Tac-Co, calling the shots, here. But no, he had let himself be intimidated and here he was. He let the computer race through solutions, none of them good. Had they approached the enemy freighter more carefully, or had they all charged together, their chances would be so much better... But this was he had barely any defensive forces around him and was met with the bulk of the enemy's strength. And besides, how did they know about their force composition? Tac-Cos in Mech squads weren't usual. Either they had somehow managed to intercept his coms, or the scouting party they'd met had given them away. Didn't matter now, of course. Nothing really mattered, in the face of imminent death. His instructors had told him to treat situations like this as he would training exercises, as mere mental challenges. He smiled at the thought. That... was not possible. He had doubted it would be, and now he knew. The stakes were so much higher here, lives were on the line, and distancing himself from his self, that couldn't work. He might succeed through tranquility, concentration, but the threat of failure prevented the Calm from taking over. Self-fullfilling prophecy. He was going to die.
Still...
As he accepted it, waited for the inevitable outcome looked at the displays in front of him, saw the representations of various combat mechs, locked in battle. So far away, really. Futile.
Still...
He noticed the Crusader hitting one of the heavy mechs with two of the light ones. Saw one of the heavies engaging Marcus. Saw Arlia alternating her fire between two mechs. All wrong.
He had initially been giving orders by voice, but he had another option. He could manipulate the battlefield representation directly, the computer would interpret the orders, send them to his teammates in form of written instructions. His fingers started sweeping the various screens.
Primary danger... ranged medium mech squad. Destruction not yet feasible, disruption necessary. Flying in group formation... melee mechs, Wolf, Walker, Exocet, break off engagement, re-engage units in centre of group. Should be protected from retaliation by fear of friendly fire, enemies'll cut each other to pieces shooting at them.
Secondary threat posed by heavies. High damage potential, interfere with destruction of medium mechs. Eliminate using own heavies. Ali. Focus fire on Mech engaging Wolf, cover retreat. Ragnarok, support. Once sufficiently weakened, engage mech in melee, then strike at medium mechs. Crusader. Continue disruption of other Heavy mech, keep it busy. Eclipse. Continue disruption of enemy communications, disable melee weaponary of Crusader's opponent. Legion. Continue disruption of enemy light mechs, stand by to repair Ali. Godeye. Overcharge shields, radar jammers. Execute.
The orders had been given as quickly as the thoughts had gone through his head, the computer suggesting targets, courses, likely reactions of enemy mechs. His fingertips had glided over the viewscreen, each one independent of the rest, the computer putting things were he expected them to be, compensating for human error. He heard the hum of the generator rise as shields and systems were overcharged, saw the shadow of Legion in front of him as he stayed close to it, using it as cover. Though once again, it was impersonal. He was detatched from whatever was ongoing. He was going to die. Nothing could change that. Though if he was going to die, he could at least do his job. He heard a short, high-pitched whine as his comm array sent out a burst transmission consisting of the orders he'd just outlined in the space of a few seconds to, to each of his teammates. They'd hopefully comply.

[Arcanum]

"Wolfman here, Dealing with Heavy left of Max, if we want to take it down we'll need to coordinate our attacks against it."

Hector shifted his position to get a better line of fire on the heavy engaging Marcus and activated the targeting laser for his swarm missiles, pointing it directly at the heavy's chest. Ryan's orders flashed across his screen but he disregarded them for the moment and activated his comm.

"Wolfman, keep your distance," he said before his Gatling guns let loose a constant stream of plasma slugs aimed directly at the Heavy mech. Hector had the computer track the target as he glanced at Ryan's orders. He almost chuckled as he noticed he was complying with them, despite not knowing what they were moments ago. With that taken care of he returned his full attention to the heavy mech, and prepared to fire another salvo of swarm missiles once the lock was acquired.

[Overcast]

The rush had turned out about as badly as he figured it could go. Of course the fact that it hadn't gone worse made him feel alright about the whole situation, after all that meant they hadn't yet passed over into the totally going to lose this one section. With the ambush made clear and new mechs out and about he figured it was a nice time to see how he could play with the big boys.

He pulled his systems back up and split the ratio on his power source. 70:30 with the advantage to his thrusters to keep him dancing rather well around them. His poor drill would have to make due until he was sure he had a damn good shot. Right now it was time to be the terribly annoying little creep he was made to be.

He rushed with speed down the line toward what he assumed was their leader(to be honest he was just going by how quickly they responded to orders, typically the leader went down with the ship and moved last), hoping to send a nice little swipe at his shields, and testing the reaction time of his team to respond to the rapidly approaching flying submarine.

[Red Mage Black]

In turn it was like a large momentous crashing sound all at the same time as each pilot simultaneously smashed their speakers at once. They might not have had radio contact, but they still had on screen communications.

Walther 556, keep acting as enemy distraction. If you get disabled by enemies, immediately jettison and inform Geneva for reinforcements. Regals 1&2 keep enemy mech busy. Walther 555, engage heavy armament. I think they only have ranged. Illiums 2-6, engage wolf mech by any means necessary. CURRENT OBJECTIVE: Destroy Enemy Mech Squadron. Squad Leader out.

Even with the attachments, there were still two other lights unaccounted for. While the two attached by Rory's cables resisted against the pull, kicking their thrusters into high gear, while trying to fire at him with almost no success. The two took their opening chance and let off a barrage of plasma fire at the spinning mech with good accuracy at the currently still top. They were more or less whittling at the shield.

At the moment, this heavy was currently taking all the brunt of the force. The mech's arms and hammer came up as a block, the power from it from redirecting towards it's shield. In the meanwhile, the other heavy had boosted around them. Engaging Enemy Artillery. It threw in, readying it's hammer. Going around the recoiless cannon and artillery fire, it flew around to Alienna's side and the hammer swung out and struck the side of the mech's shield. If it didn't send her reeling, it would certainly give her a jolt to remember.

On the other hand, the forgotten about mediums had moved to surround the Fenrir. One of them grabbed him mid-flight and pulled him towards them, letting go at a short distance away. Then each took their turns, moving in and each taking a turn rifle bashing him. When they let him go, his mech would be left spinning... literally. Then each one primed their rifles and the barrels glowed red. They were either giving him warning to surrender or taunting him to try to make a run for it.

Without one distracting the leader, he was poised to face the rapidly approaching... what the hell? "Is that a... oh shit!" He shouted from his mech, but it wasn't like anyone could hear him. The melee weapon to his mech shot up and started to block the drill. Though it was having a tough time keeping it back. Damn and all his squad mates were occupied with attacking or defending. His mech's other hand raised up with a plasma pistol, taking slowed shots at the giant sub. Whittling at the shield, but not much more then that.

As for Legion's drones, the first ones swarmed around Ryan's mech, attaching immediately and beginning their repairs. A couple clearing up the burn mark and the others recharging the shield. It didn't take long for Ryan's shields to be back up and running, but they were still low on power.

As for Nemesis's work, she had full control of the mech. Though she hadn't quite moved it or tried firing any of the weapons, so it wasn't clear if it was completely controlled. Even if her screens had said otherwise, she had yet to test it.

[Relm Zephyrous]

~Eclipse. Continue disruption of enemy communications, disable melee weaponary of Crusader's opponent.~

"Heh, interesting. I guess he could use some help with that." She nodded and finished labeling the specific areas of the script and then sent it to the light mech, blinking away and looking to the rest of the situation now that that was handled.


All power to Shields and Weapons. Minimal power to thrusters towards closest target if Condition A is not met.
Condition A: Closest target is outside of medium Range.
Fire at all hostile units, priority to those closest.
Do not fire upon units that are within melee range of a friendly target.
If Link is severed, lock down all functions and only unlock with Password **** ****** ****.

She wasn't sure how well this would work, but for now it'd have to do since she had other pressing matters on hand. "Hrm... still low percents. Ah well..." She nodded slightly to herself, putting the main function onto the melee weapon as suggested. Of course, she had another idea herself on how to 'help'.

There was a small glow on the monitor, and she pushed her finger onto it. Nemesis made sure that this particular hack went through herself. It was a specific one, the one she knew as 'Walther 556'. She had already disabled long distance communications, and hacked into their current ones, and she knew that this particular would come in handy.

Secretly, she set out a little 'program' to throw a wrench into his jettisoning capability, as well as working her magic on its shields. That pilot wasn't going anywhere.

[Geminex]

As the battle continued on, Bell's eyes were flicking over the viewpad, taking in fact after fact. Everything was going too fast for him to process everything himself, but that's what the computer was for.
Eclipse... jam enemy written communications. Jam melee functions of Walther 555. Ali, engage Walther 555 in melee. Hector, continue engagement of Walther 556. Crusader... Hold on to enemy light mechs. Assault enemy medium mechs. Attempt to disrupt. Exocet. Press assault against current mech. Attempt to disable. Wolf... continue assault on enemy medium mechs. Attempt to disable. Saint... support Wolf. Attempt to screen Wolf and disable enemies.
Legion... Continue attacking enemy light mechs with combat drones. Send repair drones to support Ali. Execute.
Again a heard the buzz of outgoing communications as his teammates received new advice. Most of it was obvious, though. The plan was still simple. Disable enemy offensive assets while wearing away at their heavies. He only wished he had more support. He opened a long-range comm. "Bell to Base, come in. Transmitting current position. Is fire support avaliable in this sector??"

[Dracorion]

"In that case, old man, I'll have to make sure you go running back to Geneva. You can tell them Maxwell Raymond sent you." Max replied to the enemy leader. The leader was then distracted by the Exocet attempting to drill into it. Big mistake. He recieved a message from Godeye, but he ignored it. If they could take out the leader, it'd be that much easier to win this fight. Besides, the old man had challenged him, and Max wouldn't back down.

Max felt a slight pang of guild, leaving Wolf alone as target practice for enemy mechs, but his pride had been wounded from falling into such an obvious trap, and he wasn't thinking clearly. Moving as close as he could, Max unslung the rifle currently hanging on the Saint's shoulder, pointed it at the enemy leader's back, and held down the trigger.

[Arcanum]

Despite its proximity, Hector ignored the heavy mech that was engaging Ali. He was positive she could handle herself while he kept up the pressure on the other Heavy. He glanced down at the new orders Ryan sent out as his targeting system finished locking onto the heavy mech. He nodded his head in approval, glad that their Tac-Co was finally making smart decisions. Then, with a smile on his face, Hector pulled the trigger and watched as a salvo of swarm missiles arced towards their target, grouped so tightly that it looked like they were producing a single, uniform stream of exhaust.

He followed up the missiles with another prolonged burst from one of his Gatling guns, but something caught the corner of his eye. Marcus was taking a severe beating from multiple mechs, and it didn't look like anyone was heading out to assist him. A quick glance back at Ryan's orders confirmed that Max should have been doing so, but was instead moving to engage the leader. He looked back to Marcus and saw that the medium mechs were about to fill him with holes. Luckily though, there was enough distance between them for him to do something about it.

Keeping his one gun, and targeting laser, on the heavy mech, he aimed his other Gatling gun at the group of medium mechs and unleashed a heavy spray of plasma. He also fired off another salvo of swarm missiles just to add to the distraction. He wasn't aiming to kill any of them, just trying to keep one of his teammates alive.

[krogothwolf]

Marcus didn't really have much time to look at the orders as he again was forced to stabilize his mech. Why the mediums decided he was prime target was beyond him but it didn't matter. He needed to last long enough for his shields to boot up and then get back to joy the fray. He did notice what his orders were and nearly laughed allowed.

"Engage the mediums?" Marcus said to himself, "like I really have much of a choice."

He then heard warning klaxon's going off as Hector sent a swarm of missiles at the mediums general direction. He grinned at that, it gave him some time to reroute energy towards his shields then went to work.

"Thanks for the assist Hector," Marcus said over the radio before switching it off and grinning, "Alright baby, lets dance!"

He kicked his boosters up. He began to dart around as he closed in on them behind the missile screen. Locking onto the closest he fired of his shotgun a few times and prepared to gouge him with his claws. If it all worked well he could push this one into his buddy to add to the mayhem.

[Red Mage Black]

((OOC: Okay, lets try and not forget anyone this time.))

This whole battle was certainly interesting and despite the best efforts at hacking by both Ryan and Nemesis, their systems were having a hard time adjusting their system speeds to reach their moving targets. Their progress bars and command prompts kept switching speeds at which they would move. Lets just say that 100% complete wasn't the standard anymore.

The squadron leader saw no way out of this. Though upon realization, they were attacking him from the front and the flank and they were right about in front of one another. He knew a way to capitalize on this. Though the plasma rifle was boring into his shield power and his weapon wouldn't hold the drill for long. So, he thought of one thing specifically. At the last moment, he let go of the parry and spun aside and in his spin, smacked the back of Max's mech causing it to fly directly towards the drill and the drill to start boring into Max's shield. At least until they were able to tear apart.

N.w ord.r al.rt... Illium's 2-6 continu. to .ngage F.nrir m.ch as n.cessary and d.stroy it wh.n you can. Unl.ash full pow.r on it's fram. wh.n the op.ning is there... Though as it moved away, the messages became more readable. Regals 1&2... continue to distract the enemy. Walther 555, continue assault on the artillery mech. Walther 556, disengage enemy and jettison back towards Geneva, good fighting soldier. Set self destruct mechanism. Squad Leader Out.

As if on cue, the head itself detached from the defending heavy's body and shot away from the scene like a bat out of hell. WARNING! HEAT LEVELS RISING! EXPLOSION IMMINENT! Flashed on screens near the mech.

When Hector started firing on them, that's when they decided it wasn't quite fun anymore picking on Marcus and disengaging as the gattling gun sprayed at them. Though now they were flying in a swarm formation, moving their mechs all around one another like a group of bees. Then the 'swarm' moved away from the next salvo, one shot flying and hitting a missile, causing the rest to go out with it. Then came Marcus's attack, locking and firing his gun. It succeeded in hitting, but their rapid movements spread the damage thin between them. Completely ignoring Hector, they had orders. They started to run and gun, flying quickly and keeping a distance between them and the Fenrir and firing off shots towards him every seconds.

Ryan's communication got in, to say the least. Though the news was... probably not what he hoped for. "This is Arlia moon base, we read you loud and clear Godseye." They said in response before listening to request. "That is a negative, Godseye. Location is too close to Genevan flight space. Moon Base recommends strategic retreat back to base in case of emergency. Other then that, you're on your own. Moon Base out."

[PyrosNine]

Len had stayed as far back as possible while sniping prime targets, uneager to get into the mix with his light armor. Things were very quickly going the way of chaotic, and it was best to keep a low profile while looking for the real danger cues.

There was a lot more enemies than a single sniper could take out, and very few leaders or chains of command to disrupt with a well placed shot. This wasn't exactly her forte, fighting in space. She needed cover, cover and the element of surprise.

Perhaps it was time to see if one could drift through the battlefield onto the target, unnoticed? Then what sort of fun things could be done...?

[Dracorion]

Max's shield was damaged slightly from the Exocet's drill, but he was still good to go. He'd wasted far too much time on the leader, and even with Hector's help, Wolf was still in trouble. "All right old man, I gotta go help my friend over there, but I'll be back soon to deal with you. Just stay alive until then."

Max broke off from his engagement and headed toward Wolf, who was being swarmed on by three mechs. Taking aim, he fired several three-shot bursts at them, trying to get their attention. Just then, he noticed that one of the heavy mech pilots had jettisoned and was presumably heading back to Geneva. "The hell you are." Max muttered. Slinging the rifle on his shoulder, he took the pole and from a compartment in the tip sprouted a four-pronged claw attached to a cable. It then fired itself straight at the mech's head that was flying away.

[Geminex]

Everything was starting to happen even more quickly. Ryan would have loved to broadcast "Enemy down", but he really didn't have the time think, let alone to speak, still assigning roles to his allies, calculating, organizing.
Enemy mech down, leaves Hector free. Hector, prepare full-power salvo. Ali, attempt to disengage current opponent. If disengagement successful, hector fire at 555, Ali fire point-blank at 555, before re-engaging in melee. If disengagement unusccessful, Ali remain in melee combat with enemy mech, Hector use salvo to give covering fire to Wolf. Eclipse, suspend weapons disruption, reroute resources to disrupt 555 shields. Use captured mech to screen Wolf. Crusader, attempt to further disrupt enemy medium mechs. Exocet, Saint, continue disrupting enemy melee mechs. Saint, attempt to screen Wolf using captured escape pod. Genevans might not risk hitting ally. Legion, continue disrupting enemy light mechs using combat drones, reassign repair drones to support Wolf. Wolf, top priority: Escape. Reroute energy to thrusters and shields, attempt to reach Legion. Len... eliminate enemy commander.
Execute.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Rory had calmed down a bit from his last outburst, but was still angry enough at the resistance the light mechs were offering. "Fine," he muttered, "I'll let you go," he said to himself before making one last swing on the mech held by the right cable, and then released it. He followed up by doing the same to the one on the left.

He then aimed toward one of the medium mechs. This was kind of pushing it, the cables were better at grabbing light mechs, but it was what he was ordered. After locking on, he shot out both of the cables at the medium mech. Once they were hooked in, he began to rev the engines on the crusader, starting the spinning effect.

With all that in place, he began to reel the medium mech into The Crusader. A bit boring, but liable to cause significant damage once the mech reaches the blade.

[krogothwolf]

Marcus sighed again as he saw them start jumping around all over the place. Really, why do they have to be ranged units. He was getting all excited about fighting up close and personal but nope, these fools have to zip around all over the place.

His shields were flickering, but at least they were somewhat operational now. He saw the orders telling him to retreat. He really didn't think it was the wisest idea because he was still a target to the damn things, plus his damage wasn't to series right now. With the damn mech's swarming they pretty much had his path of retreat blocked.

Then he saw an opportunity, the Crusader was close enough and it had given him an idea when it grabbed the mech. The spinning top might actually be useful! He split his boosters to 60% of the power, with the other 40% going to shields and then zipped himself towards the mech the Crusader had ensnared.

"Alright, lets see if we can help hurry this up." Marcus said as he grinned.

He ignored blasting it with his shotgun and instead smashed into it with his claws, as well as hopefully helping speed it up in the direction of the crusader.

"Batters up Rory!" Marcus said over his comm with a chuckle. He the prepared to fire his boosters again to pull out before anything got to hairy.

[Overcast]

Spencer would have loved to hear the communications of the leader during his approach. The level of shock was just absolutely wondrous, shamefully he could not so all he could take pleasure in was that he found his target and was tearing up his shields and forcing him to use up power trying to take his on. He was prepared to make the switch to full power on the drill when he found Max stuck in his craw, he pulled the power out of the drill and back to his jets to help them get apart and they took off for their individual targets.

The Exocet personally wasn't done messing with the leader, he shot up and charged power so his jets could give a nice big burst. He prepared to switch full power to the drill and cruise on the inertia of the initial blast, using his stabilizers as best he could to move on in. If he hit with this it was a guaranteed game over for the leader's shields.

To be honest he really ought be listening and disrupting their evasive tactics, but he just HAD to finish this. It was a matter of pride, and he had just enough to be foolish.

[Relm Zephyrous]

Nemesis nodded, deciding to actually get to work on some other things, and that mech would be of good use in protecting outright. But... eeh... it was doing so well with support fire, but it could help more this way. Maybe potentially help the battle. But... I'd have to actively make it screen... and that'll make me useless for anything else so I can't do it, time-efficiency wise.

She nodded to herself, having the mech move in closer and pursue shooting at its closest target. The 'resources' she could much better delve into his other order, which was to shut down the shields outright of the other heavy mech. This was an easy thing, heavies were generally the slowest and in virtually every case the weakest to her tactics.

"Lets see how you handle this one." There was a devious glow in her eyes, using most of her processors and shutting down the core functioning of the shields of that heavy, seeing just how much of the shield she could force it to drain, or to outright cancel its capability. Of course, there was another reason she was so happy. The percentage bars on her Silent Override Procedure were almost complete for a couple of the other mechs. This meant that the battle... was all but won in her eyes.

"Alright, I've almost got all the work done I need to, could you give me an estimate of damage our team took during this squabble, and what you'd like me to do with this cargo ship? I'd like to get started." She nodded approvingly, sending it through the channel to only the Godeye, Ryan. Yes, she was perhaps a *little overconfident.

[rapter200]

We can do this, yeah we can most definetly do this. Nemisis had outdone all of his expectations, the enemy now had no verbal communications. From his vantage point he could see the entire battle with a 360 degree view, he could notice all the details that most others would ignore because they could only see infront of them. On the Omni screen he saw the battle unfold, the enemy leader was attacked by the drill mech, and the other enemy mech were engaged in battle aswell. They may have started off on a bad move, but they have made the best move possible now. The lack of verbal communication causes immediate responces to go out of the window. They can't just call out to eachother.

David's combat drones were off fighting the enemy sniper mechs, they surronded them and started to buzz all around them moving at high speeds and with agility only capable of a computer. They fired one after another randomly at the sniper mechs so as to keep them from guessing where the next one would come from. David smiled those mech pilots wil soon be to mentaly fatigiued and starined from the continious streams of plasma targeting them. Soon they will be dead.

When the repair drones were done with Ryan's mech they detached from it and flew back home to await their next repair jobs.

“Addi open up a comm link with all the pilots on our side.” The moment he finished talking the comm was open. Everyone was able to talk to eachother and hear eachother through Addi's link. “Hey guys, I know that these guys caught us by surprise...even though we should have seen it... but I know that we can win this. We took out their leader and verbal communications, this means that their moralty should be pretty low right now. We need to take advantage of that. Kill off the leader and they may get a second wind under their wings. Capture their leader and we can use him as a bargaining chip, I also know that they can still use visual communication, which means we can demand their surrender. This may work or it may not but it has a higher probablity of working if we have the leader. So I repeat do not kill the leader, take him alive.”

[PyrosNine]

Len put the enemy mech, designated 555, in his sights, feeling quite comfortable that none had bothered shooting at the black as night mech, which for all intents and purposes, was pretty invisible, even amidst the flashing explosions.

They had been right up annoying in this battle, but once Len had gotten his mind wrapped around it, it was obvious: find who is not being taken care of by a comrade, and feels a bit too comfortable in his britches....

The sniper rifle took aim, carefully, slowly, compensating for movement, obstructions, and the fact that once Len fired, the force would actually send his mech backwards at a speed almost as fast as a full boost, so he had to be careful and time it perfectly. He'd have to fire his own thrusters at the same time he fired which would make him quite visible, just to ensure his shot went true.

And when enemy 555 turned at just the right angle to never see it coming-

"WRAKOOM!" was all Len heard, as the shot went down the barrel of his gun. In vacuum of space, her target would never hear it.

[Geminex]

Ryan sighed. What the hell was that idiot doing? He opened a similar line of communcations, again to all mechs, though he made sure they were directional. He didn't want the enemy listening in. "Belay that. Legion, their leader hasn't been taken out yet, he's still fully operational, albeit damaged. If we can take out his mech without killing the pilot, that's a bonus, but do not hold back in attacking the mech. We need to finish disrupting their organization if Wolf is to survive, and that means destroying the leader soon. I repeat: Do not hold back in disabling his mech, it isn't worth the risk." He closed the all lines of communication, except for the one to Legion. "Legion, what are you doing? One tac-co is enough for this battle, and you have other things to do. Filter any further advice through me, before broadcasting. And get your repair drones to help Wolf. Godeye out." He terminated the communication. As for Eclipse... He opened yet another directional line "Until Wolf's safe, let's keep the victory celebrations to a minimum. As for damage so far... I got hurt somewhat, Ali got hit a few times, Wolf's taking a beating. I think I'm the only one who's actually lost shields so far. I'm hoping it stays that way, I'd hate to lose Wolf. And I'm thinking you should hack into the freighter engines once we're done and force it to follow us. But let's return to the battle, shall we? Oh, and can you keep an eye out for enemy reinforcements? I'm busy keeping track of the battle, but I don't want to be caught by surprise. Tell me as soon as you see anything suspicious. Godeye out."

[Astral Harmony]

"They're like mosquitos," Alienna growled, kicking away from the attack and then fully engaging her boosters to maximum, readying the heavy axe for a broad swing. Her target was the same Walther 555 Len had just attacked.

Ali's missiles would reach it first and then her axe, then her legs. She used to the legs to help her retrieve the axe from the enemy when it was more solidly wedged in her foe. When close enough to get a surefire visual, Goliathan swung the axe is a brutal arc from over its left shoulder to below its right chestplate.

[Red Mage Black]

((Lets do the time warp, shall we?))

After a little more effort, the squad manages a victory. Although life signs read 'dead' or 'dying' on the rest with the squad leader dead. Next thing they had to deal with was the freighter itself. They wouldn't be able to pull it back to base and now they had to find a way to get it there. It was either go on an on-ship mission to complete what they were sent to do or ultimately leave it there.

On screen orders popped up for all. 'Good work, team. Now investigate the cargo freighter and tell us what you find before bringing it back to base for further investigation and cargo extraction. Moon Base, over and out.'

[Bard The 5th LW]

Rory was relieved. The ambush had failed and they could carry out the mission and capture the freighter. He had also taken minimal damage to the already powerful Crusader.

Rory then flicked on the radio, starting a link to the God-Eye. "Rommel here," he reported, "what is the next course of action sir." Rory felt like he trusted Ryan pretty well as a leader, so he would consult him rather than the other Tac-Co. He also noticed he was closest to the Freighter, so he would like orders soon.

[Geminex]

Ryan sat back, relieved. They had survived. Miraculous, really. The memories of the battle were already fading... he remembered first panicking, then shutting down, then... analyzing? He had given orders, hadn't he. Without considering the consequences. How strange, for him, anyway. "No need for the honorific, Crusader, I'm not an officer. As for instructions... Crusader and Ali, keep an eye on the freighter. I don't want it running off. Ram it, or fire at its engines, if necessary. Eclipse, jam their communications and hack into their navigational processor. I'd like the ship to think that its next stop is Arlia, even if the crew disagrees. Everyone else, form a tight perimeter. I'd like to believe that none of those mechs called for reinforcements, but I doubt it. So stay on our guard, and lets not get surprised by stealthed mechs this time. Godeye out."

[Astral Harmony]

"I'm on it," Ali said, then engaged her rockets, positioning the Goliathan II sort of behind the freighter, but not in such a way that the exhaust from fry her mech if it suddenly kicked on. She had all of her weapons trained on the engine. It was still shielded, but the firepower Ali would need to pierce through and strike the engine was more than sufficient. She also kept her mech sort of turned away from the freighter. No more ambushes if she could afford it.

[rapter200]

David called back his drones. They had won the battle and now they had to tackle the freighter. Orders came in from Ryan and for once they made some sense to David. “Yeah going to get right on that.” Reinforcements was a definite possibility, if they caught them off guard again well than would mean the end of them. So it was best to keep a force prepared to fight back against anyone coming into the area.

“You know what I really should work on creating some kind of surveillance drones.” he said quietly to himself. “It would help a lot in moments like these.”. David didn't like having to trust others to be his eyes and ears but he would have to learn how to, though the Ryan bothered him. He may be their tactical support guy but he was still young and green. This must have been his first true battle, though it seemed like Ryan was able to get through it without completely breaking down, which David respected. He remembered his first days of War all those years ago, he must have been as bad or worse than Ryan, but time forged him into the man he was today. Ryan needed time but it wasn't something he had chance to get, this was a trial by fire. A wrong move could mean death and the destruction of everyone on the team.

[krogothwolf]

Marcus was happy with the outcome. He had trashed into a few mechs, gotten bounced around somewhat and the came up with a victory. Though fighting a Heavy in hand to hand was entertaining. He chuckled at the memory of the tactical guy actually ordering him to pull back when surrounded by enemies.

"Damn rookies not realizing retreating when cut off is more suicide then engaging the enemy." Marcus muttered, "Although at least it was a good workout."

He heard the orders and wondered what they were actually going to do with the freighter. He could use his claws to tear the thing open. That would be entertaining and a good way to see what's inside the cargo hold. But he figured everyone would get somewhat angry with that. He pulled his mech beside the Goliathan and sat there waiting till someone decides they want to do something.

"Anyone want to hit the bar when we get back? Play a game of cards?" Marcus asked over the comm. "Nothing better then a little R&R after combat."

[Red Mage Black]

The ship would not make a single sound but the engines were running. Space would be as silent as it had ever been. Though as they were all resting or figuring out their current strategies, the ship's outside lights flickered on. They were more or less floodlights for on-planet loading and unloading, as would be common knowledge to the squad. Though it lit up the docking bay for mechs, being mostly empty. It looked like it could hold at least half the mechs in the squad or at least Ali and Marcus at best.

[Dracorion]

Max was feeling slightly put down. They had won, but for all their numbers and tactics the enemy weren't as tough as they should have been. Or maybe his own team was better than he gave them credit for. He took a moment to look back upon the highlight of the battle. He'd managed to catch the escape pod in the claw, and he used it as a flail against the medium mechs. Unfortunately, the enemy leader refused to surrender and they were forced to kill him, so Max couldn't make good on his promise to send him back to Geneva. Oh well.

"I'm in, Wolf." He said over comms, positioning himself above the freighter. "So. We going in or what?"

[Bard The 5th LW]

"I suppose I might have to stay out here," Rory reported to the others. The Crusader was just too massive to properly move in to the freighter without taking up too much space in it. It might be more prudent to send in several medium/light mechs, rather than the heavy mechs and leave them unguarded on the outside to another ambush.

"Althoug I suppose I could go in after you guys and we could gauge the size from there," he said again. He didn't really care what he was assigned, as long as he had the chance to do something useful.