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Post by The Green Flame on Feb 8, 2023 15:01:38 GMT
 October 12th, U.C. 0087
Side 5 Shoal ZoneSince their return to the Earth Sphere, the 1st Advanced Recon Fleet had skulked beneath the notice of the Earth Federation for nearly two months. They’d been diligent in their operations, thorough in their recovery and prudent in pursuing their objectives. A slight period of rudderless wandering through the Thunderbolt Sector brought them to a resurgent Garden of Thorns, a safe haven they there in dire need of until Axis’ return as well as fellow compatriots who still fought the Federation since the war’s end. The only issue, and it was a glaring one, being the questionable nature of those same compatriots. Make no mistake, some of them were indispensable to their cause. Above all, Captain Glaston, the defacto leader of the Garden in recent years, had all but rolled out the red carpet for the fleet and waited on them for their every need despite their own lack of resources. Similarly, the Marine Assault Unit led by Commander Mistral had also proven itself a valuable asset, enough so that the Zandra captain had turned a blind eye to their past reputation and actions during the war (whatever they may’ve been). That he even offered to secure the group both a pardon and formal recruitment into Axis’ main force spoke volumes. Which was far from how the final pillar of the Garden was viewed by not just those from Axis but even their own allies. Commander Lucas Krannich, a prime example of how desperate the Earth-centered remnant had become since the days of Delaz. Not only was he a religious zealot, the man was unpredictable and a barely restrained warmonger. He’d gotten his measure upon their first meeting but the fleet’s arrival had made him bold enough to strike near the Republic of Zeon, an act Waltendorf sanctioned in exchange for a vessel capable of descending to the Earth. Technically speaking, his part of the bargain had been fulfilled. Unfortunately, certain actions taken during the venture combined with past operations and outside factors had finally pushed the Federation into taking proper action. Not only had the Federation increased its presence over Earth’s orbital drop zones, the Titans began a sweep of Side 5’s shoal zone, an act that directly threatened the Garden of Thorns and everyone in it. The mission to investigate Africa had to be scrapped entirely as their focus became evacuation, the only sensible course of action when faced with a head-to-head engagement with the Titans. If there was a silver lining to their predicament, it was the news that Axis was due to arrive within the next few days or so Elijah’s AEUG contacts had claimed. They simply had to reach them before the Titans came running. Such a waste… Waltendorf mused, his attention on the Zandra’s tactical display, a pair of distant vessels blown up for detail. At present, the Tivvay-class Dormach and Chivvay-class Tirpitz were at the head of a hastily formed convoy with the Recon Fleet trailing behind with a final two Musai picking up the rear, forming a staggered arrow formation. Off to the Zandra’s starboard (and a healthy distance away) was the Zanzibar-II class Brahman was at the head of its own group with the Musai-class sister-ships, Mahakala and Mahakali, providing escort. Despite the situation, they’d taken great strides to avoid the panic and mayhem familiar to those present at the fall of Solomon or A Bao Qu. Definitive routes out of the shoal had been prepared with varying alternatives based on their needs, a directive almost certainly driven by the late Delaz. And, quite surprisingly, Captain Glaston had volunteered their forces to act as shields should the worst occur. A true patriot if there ever was one (at least in Glaston’s case). Truly, they had stacked their odds of survival as much as they could. Now they simply had to the roll the dice and see what they got. -- If there was ever a time and place for bravado, the shoals of Side 5 definitely weren’t it. The weight of what happened at Side 5 clashed terribly with the stories recounted by veterans and doctrine alike, a sobering reality for someone suddenly forced to wade through it for any sign an enemy that could wander into view at the drop of a hat. Sebastian, like the rest of the Recon Fleet, was on pins and needles as they slinked through the zone, his white and grey Dowas Custom cruising alongside Aron’s own while gripping its beam bazooka for dear life. It was all hands on deck both for them as well as the remnant itself and, if he were honest, the Ensign wasn’t sure if it was enough. These weren’t the undermanned and ill-equipped patrols and convoys they encountered before but actual Titans, the supposed best of the best. If they were even half of what the marines claimed (and they were probably the most battle-hardened of them all) then the fleet would be done for. Sliding along its track, the Dowas mono-eye rested on a passing marine, their camouflaged Gelgoog flashing a thumbs-up before it moved on with the patrol. “Well aren’t we easy-going,” he grumbled to himself, the cockpit only responding via the electric hum of its instruments and radar. He only wished he had their ease of mind, at least then he wouldn’t be feeling like a fresh cadet all over again… Lady Haman, give me strength…((Map and estimated positions of evacuation fleet is here!)) |
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Post by PhantomBrogade on Feb 11, 2023 10:57:13 GMT
Near the rear of the group Alyza floated along in silence, trying not to think about what the shoal around her was. What it represented. What it told. How many combats had she experienced? So few, and already she was sick of it. She wanted to go home, wanted to hide in a bedroom and forget about it all. Zeon, Earth. All of it. Why had she ever suggested to her father that she could help behind the lines.
Her rifle scanned across the group in front of, noting all of their movements and facings. It didn't look like there were any gaps in their coverage but a small part of her, the part not curling into a ball, nagged at her that she was missing something. She floated forward, finding the first suit she could recognize and placing her suits hand on it's shoulder. "Um, should I be doing something more?" she asked, unaware of who exactly she was asking.
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Post by Bixir on Feb 11, 2023 16:30:02 GMT
Side 5. Rand could still feel those wounds as if it had been yesterday. Too many times, he felt that way about what he had been through, leading up to this time with the latest contingent of Zeon's pride. It drove him to drink and to sobriety in equal measure. Was it better to forget, and continue fighting in ignorance, or to use that pain to carry himself forward, at the cost of lingering in the past? The latter had already happened a few times now. Thankfully, they hadn't been during missions... yet. That luck was going to run out eventually. Given what they were here for, Rand prayed that that day wasn't today.
Like Alyza, Rand was taking up the rear of the unit today. It allowed them a vantage over the group, not the least of which was Alyza herself... "not the least of which"? He frowned, reclining in his cockpit. He had been doing this for the past couple sorties now. Why was that? Rand had his own theories, and none of them were reassuring. Even removing Alyza from the equation, Rand maintained a leery vigil over their surroundings. Never mind the mental trauma, the very space of it was precarious. Even if they didn't run into the enemy here (which Rand sorely doubted), the environment could turn treacherous if any of them lost their nerve.
<<"Stay frosty, Cadet. And report any movement that isn't ours. That's enough for now.">>
Rand's Dra-C Custom loomed behind and to the left of Alyza's Act Zaku, hovering in place. The Dra-C's mono-eye tracked the movements of her mobile suit, then rotated to the killzone lying in front of them. He would have thought that once the full force of the Axis had arrived, things would turn up for a change.
Rand sighed, and grimaced. Like Side 5, he could hear the old Captain like it was yesterday. "No kidding..."
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Post by scallop on Feb 21, 2023 23:05:58 GMT
Suffocation was something that was often on her mind whilst the void of space surrounded her. This unforgiving vacuum that could claim her at any moment, the fear that their air would be ripped away at any moment through some form of fault. Of course it would be a fear. Yet the true suffocation was right now, her cockpit feeling like a prison for the duration of this treacherous little escapade. She could feel every bead of sweat rolling down her forehead like it was a knife slowly being dragged across her flesh.
It was torture.
The graveyard before them didn't do much to help her mind, the blonde woman taking a deep sigh, before worrying of her own oxygen supply. This wasn't a battle she fought, but she saw the results every day back on Axis. She adjusted herself and narrowed her eye on her console, knowing every moment counted. This silence was only temporary after all.
"I don't intend to be floatin' debris..." she muttered to herself, ready to strike at a moment’s notice as she drifted slowly through the debris towards the back of their little squad, aware that she was slightly adrift from nearby units, which made her a sitting duck. Another sigh of relief came from her mouth as she weighed up the current predicament, they were in. She was still finding herself acquainted with this funky little unit. The Rick Dom [Stutzer] was something she was still becoming acquainted with, but she felt comfortable in the mobile suit. She had grown accustomed to it, but the lack of action, was looming on her as the reality of the slaughter around her sank in.
But if this was her place to die, there was no greater graveyard to join.
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Post by Mr. Belpit on Feb 23, 2023 4:25:58 GMT
- Garbann Team -"Boss," the throaty voice of CPO Ameh Edahm sounded in the cockpit of Ltjg. Zobeen Garbann's Zaku loud and clear thanks to the skintalk method; Ameh's own Zaku had its winch unit hand pressed against the rear skirt armor of Zobeen's. "Shoot," Zobeen replied without looking at the feed of Ameh's own cockpit that popped up in his monitor, his eyes instead darting constantly throughout the feed of wreckage that dominated the main monitor panels. "Were you here back in '79, during the battle?" In all the time that 1st Recon had been in the Side 5 shoals, Ameh had shown no sign until now that it was affecting him. "Yeah kid," Zobeen replied flatly, "I blew up five cruisers, but had to credit them to that bitch Char Aznable for political reasons. Now shut the fuck up and stay focused."As if to emphasize Zobeen's words, at that moment the wire cutter on the front of his Zaku's Stutzer rig tore through a bundle of thick derelict power cables that had been snagged taut in the opening of some colony hull debris. The entire Zaku shuddered momentarily at the impact before the cables were sheared away by the Stutzer equipment. "Debris should thin out after we pass that mirror section," MCPO Nhi Kidd's voice chimed in along with the appearance of her own pop-up window on the opposite side of Zobeen's monitor: her Zaku Stutzer was likewise in contact with Zobeen's by way of its winch unit. "That's if the shoal map we got from those marines were accurate with flow pattern charts." "Yeah, if they fucked us on that my ghost gonna haunt their asses," Zobeen spoke through the last exhalation of a spent cigarette. He stuffed the butt into the small vacuum disposal and closed his helmet visor as his Stutzer-modified Zaku and his tethered wingmen passed crosswise by the remains of a shattered colony mirror panel on their left side. Despite being only a jagged half of its original size, the mirror was still colossal enough to dominate the left half of Zobeen's monitor for a stretch of long minutes. The reflections it cast of the tightly-packed debris opposite the surface would have disoriented a less-experienced shoal traveler, but Zobeen was able to angle his mobile suit so that it moved inertially just 30 meters from the mirror's surface (a fairly tight distance at mobile suit scale), allowing his team to slip past some of the large rock debris that had amassed nearby without scraping their armor plating along the mirror's surface like novices. Once they had passed the derelict colony mirror, Nhi's analysis proved correct: the debris thinned out considerably, allowing relatively more room to maneuver. Moreover, the fact that some of the debris had cleared out meant that, far off to the left of the trio, some of the various Zeon ships that had evacuated the Garden of Thorns had become visible. The closest to Zobeen were roughly the size of a domino in his monitor at their distance. Somewhere up ahead, at a similar size, was the Musai-class light cruiser Dresden, his team's mothership. Garbann Team had been relegated to the duty of holding the right flank of the fleet's rear guard, which placed most of the rest of their comrades either far ahead or to the left of them. They were traveling light, each Zaku armed only with a heat hawk, a pair of sturm fausts, and the beam rifle mounted to the Stutzer rig. "Aight, we're at mid-low density debris cover for the next coupla hours. Disengage and maintain at two clicks, check in with light signals every three minutes, and don't fuck around. Go."Nhi and Ameh reported quick affirmatives before detatching their winch units from Zobeen's Zaku and spreading out with light taps of their maneuvering verniers. Zobeen quickly confirmed that his laser communication emitter was functioning and could connect with friendly vessels - from his position, either the Dresden, the Endra-class cruiser Zandra, or the Chibe-class cruiser Tirpitz - then settled into a pattern of constantly scanning his surroundings with both visuals and instruments.
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Post by The Green Flame on Jun 11, 2023 2:11:27 GMT
((Due to their player’s extended absence, Axel will be a mod-controlled NPC going forward)) The possibility of abandoning the Garden of Thorns was ever present for its inhabitants, both old and new, but for it to actually come to pass was still a bitter pill to swallow. It had been the only space-faring haven for the remnant and few thought the Federation would attempt to invade the shoals during an ongoing war with the AEUG. No small number of its longer term residents saw a stubborn resistance within its confines as a preferable course of action compared to their present course of slipping away in the night, the act alone yet another reminder of the cause’s repeated losses. By that same token, others simply played with the hand life had dealt them. The marines operating out of the Dormach were firmly in the latter category. Having been forcibly evicted from their homes once before and barred from joining Axis with the rest of the remnant space force, a temporary refuge had been the norm. This latest exodus was simply another one of those unfortunate developments. But for the Garden’s engineer, Isaac Siemens, there was one other development he personally lamented: Being forced to relinquish the Dolmel, the magnum opus of Zeonic and sole remnant of its original test pilot, to that warmonger leading the monks. Leaving aside whether or not the man was capable of handling it (something Siemens sorely doubted), its final adjustments had yet to be completed and, in the interest of prioritizing other mobile suits for their exodus, it had been among the last units to be transferred. Unfortunately, space aboard the Dormach was at a premium and despite its supposed prowess, the marine commander had quickly written it on account of the steep learning curve it no doubt had. Instead, his personal Gelgoog would be converted to a Stutzer configuration in the interest of time and simple ease of use, a task that he was only just finishing. If only they would just… “Jesus, Siemens let it go!” The engineer’s head snapped towards the Gelgoog Marine across the hangar, Mishima leaning out of its cockpit as another of the hangar crew finalized the remaining checks of her own mobile suit. Forthright as ever and uncaring of his sentiments on the matter or, perhaps, she was forthright because of them. “If that crackpot wants to fly himself into a rock for us, he’d be doing us all a favor. And at least he’ll make a good target for the Feds, right boss?”
“Mhm, the Stutzer will be have to be enough for today,” Elijah responded, not giving his full attention to either of them, his focus instead on the Dormach’s tactical data on the convoy and their positioning. The majority of their mobile suits had been deployed and there had been no sign of the Titans just yet but that wasn’t what concerned him. That honor belonged solely to the Brahman and its escorts, Krannich having volunteered his flock as an early warning should the Titans approach from another vector. Hardly altruistic, it was just him spoiling for a shootout, convoy’s safety be damned. <<”Warders, any update on the Brahman’s movements?”>>
<<”Negative, Commander. Since breaking off, they’ve been silent. Observation suspects they’ve deployed mobile suits and the Buran but nothing else can be observed with the growing Minvosky interference. If they’re engaged the Titans, they’ll be on their own as much as we are. Unless you’d prefer it that way, of course.”>>
<<“If that idiot wants to wallow in the mud, we’ll let him but keep an eye on their movements. That fraud has a knack for dragging his trouble back with him.” With or without Krannich’s assistance, they’d soon be sniffed out by the Titans themselves, assuming they hadn’t already. The Brahman rushing into fire wasn’t the most ideal development but the convoy would have to be flexible today. And If they were fortunate, the prophet would hold their attention long enough to keep damage to a minimum… <<”Get ready to launch, Mishima, we’re about to have company.”>>
--
By now, word had traveled up the fleet of an imminent attack though they had no way of knowing just what it may entail. All were feeling the pressure, especially the newer blood, but it didn’t change their priorities: The safety of not just the convoy but particularly the Zandra, its survival paramount to the Axis war effort. It was with that knowledge that a pair of Musai cruisers, the Bremen and Stettin, had opted to take up the convoy’s rear guard. Too long had they waited for the return of their countrymen and now that it was imminent, they would let nothing stand in their way. Even now, their mobile suit teams held a round the clock vigil of the rear, stalwart enough some thought it was impenetrable. Right up until a streak of light tore through the shoal and blew a hole through the chest of a Zaku II. Time seemingly slowed to a crawl as several brief moments took an eternity to pass before the sparking chest cavity finally erupted violently, the fusion reactor suffering a critical meltdown. And as soon as its aftermath began to dissipate, all hell broke loose. Ordinance and beam fire alike began to fill the shoal, some as strong as the main cannon of a battleship yet all directed at the convoy’s rear guards, catching a few more unlucky souls and striking one of the Stettin’s engines, causing the latter to start listing to the side and slow its pace. Even the Garbann team found itself under fire as a bazooka round detonated after it struck an errant solar mirror, showering Nhi’s Stutzer-type with metal and glass. But that moment of surprise soon gave way to righteous rage. Much like a beehive rippling together to form a wave, the remaining defenders now took up their own arms to strike back at the aggressors in all manner they could. And it all started at the outskirts of the convoy, as the Leipzig’s escorts returned fire first before being joined by those of the Bremen and Stettin’s pilots. So too, had some of the Zandra’s own. “Dogs of the Federation…!”
A black, mobile suit-sized blur sped past the Leipzig, its weapons drawn and barreling right towards the incoming Titan force. The Kampfer belonging to Lieutenant Aldren, the nearby Sebastian was quick to realize. The man had barely interacted with the Zandra’s pilots, apparently being likened to a mad dog if Lieutenant VonBanes was to be believed. Now he was beginning to see why. He, however, wasn’t the same. If they were to strike back, it would be with the focus and finesse that was expected of them. <<”Hmph, you ready, Aron?”>>((Map and estimated positions of evacuation fleet is here!)) ((The Zum City Tribune))
It was expected but it’s still a fright! The Garden of Thorns’ evacuation convoy has come under attack by the Titans, officially marking the first time the Axis party has encountered them in combat. And unfortunately for them, they mean business.
Right out of the gate, the Titans have struck down several mobile suits from the Garden while also heavily damaging one of their Musai. At the same time, multiple squads are closing in from multiple vectors with two groups gunning for the Dresden and Leipzig respectively while others look to push through the rear defense line. Defenders are rushing to stem the tide but they’ll certainly need assistance against the elite Titans.
Someone is going to have a pure time! 🙂
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Post by Mr. Belpit on Aug 23, 2023 20:18:44 GMT
- Garbann Team -
"Boss...!"
Nhi's voice came in tinny over Zobeen's instruments as his monitors lit up with data from his Zaku's threat detection.
"I know, I know; form up on me."
From his position, Zobeen couldn't see that a near-miss from a bazooka had nearly plastered Nhi's Zaku. He could see the hostile mobile suits bearing down on his position, already in firing range before they were detected.
"Rearguard duty," he muttered to himself, then to his team, "You know what to do, hold 'em until we get reinforcements. Ameh, signal 'em." At the same time, Zobeen moved his Stutzer Zaku into a rightward lateral evasive while firing the mounted beam rifle at the incoming Hizack to his right. Nhi followed suit, although her own beam rifle shots were targeted at the Galbaldy.
Ameh, per Zobeen's orders, fired a series of signal flares, indicating "enemy mobile suits, 4-6" to their comrades closer to the center of the fleet. As he did this, he was maneuvering "upward" from the perspective of their attackers while shooting his beam rifle at the same Hizack Zobeen was targeting.
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Post by Bixir on Aug 26, 2023 21:39:55 GMT
Rand's Dra-C Custom turned about face, meeting the enemy's approach. The time was upon them. Rand's thoughts went to the cadet beside him first, then dismissed that out of hand. He needed to stay focused. Be a leader. His mobile suit raised through the air, keeping its weapons at a swivel before the scores of Federation mobile suits, until...
There.
His Dra-C had been busying its hands with something before, but it hadn't quite finished until now. The weapon in its hands was larger than the Vulcans he had used in the past, and it wasn't his shield, either. A single glint from the Dra-C's mono-eye caught against the grim sheen of the gatling gun.
It was a target-rich environment, not only for his hands, but for the missile pods on his shoulders as well. Target locks acquired. He deferred one message to his allies nearby. Steyr, Blackwell, Rozk especially. <<Stay frosty. They have to come to us.>>
Rand sighed within the cockpit, and unleashed hell.
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Post by PhantomBrogade on Dec 7, 2023 11:29:28 GMT
Alarms.
Orders and advice coming over the comms.
The throb of blood pumping in her ear.
Alyza wasn't sure what was the loudest - her senses nearing overload as she wheeled her suit around, fighting back against the rising panic attack forming in her chest. She needed to sink back into the detachment that had shielded her before, and let her body do its work. But that calm wouldn't come. She knew it instinctively. What had changed? She didn't know.
It didn't matter.
Shaking hands gripped her controls as she brought herself to bear. Was her radio on? Did it matter? She felt herself screaming as she singled out a target approaching the rear of the formation. She fired everything.
Maybe she could hide the fear through aggression.
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Post by Beriadan on Dec 26, 2023 16:25:10 GMT
Alimentarius' feet hit the corridor hard and fast. Alarms were blaring, red lights filling her world with a fierce urgency that pushed her and the others of her. She found her heart beating like a drum in her chest, pushing her forward with every rhythmic thump. Her grey eyes were narrowed, focused, her mind on the task ahead. It was more than what could be said for the rest of her team, all worry and fear. Alimentarius had seen as much action as the rest of them, so why were they scared of dying today?
As they approached the hanger, she came to a stop, blocking the door and forcing the others to stop dead. She scanned them all with a ferocious stare, met with a mixture of emotions. Anger. Terror. A hatred of her, and perhaps regret that they might meet their end today.
"Are you so cowardly that you want to run from the Federation dogs today? That you would rather save your sorry skins than die for Zeon and all her glory? I swear, anyone I see giving an inch to protect themselves, I will personally kill myself!"
Alimentarius didn't have the authority to spout this kind of antagonistic zealism, but was she wrong? She breathed out heavily through her nose, ignoring the constant strobing and sounds of war outside.
"As soon as we step into our suits, prepare your souls for death! One way or another, we will show these Federation dogs that we will go to any lengths to protect Zeon!"
Alimentarius was the first into her suit, strapping in and engaging the HUD, hands on the controls. The Geloog burst from the restraints as soon as it was ready, and she pushed maximum thrust towards the back of the Leipzig. More suits were heading towards the explosion. Alimentarius didn't falter. Her team would follow, or they wouldn't. Her whole focus was the destruction of her life-long foe, the Federation, and to win this victory for Zeon.
Beam Rifle in metal hands, Alimentarius fell in line with the other suits that were first to respond to this attack. The Geloog picked out the first, nearest targets, and Alimentarius didn't hesitate to start firing. The total destruction of this Federation force was her whole focus. Nothing would stand in her way.
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Post by The Green Flame on Jan 2, 2024 4:19:29 GMT
((SPECIAL MOD NOTE: Due to the extended absence of multiple players, multiple characters have fallen under Mod control.)) Any notion that the Axis fleet would handle this engagement in the same manner as those in the past had been quashed the instant the shooting started. These weren’t the same run-of-the-mill patrols they had swiftly dealt with over the weeks prior, staffed by backwater units that hadn’t seen heavy combat since the war, if at all. These were the Titans and, unlike their past encounters, the difference in ferocity was immediately apparent. Already listing and falling behind after getting struck in its portside engine, the Stettin found itself quickly set upon by its pursuers like the hyenas they were. The cruiser’s dutiful escorts slammed into the Titan mobile suits with gusto but made little headway as one Zaku II unit made the mistake of punching far above its weight-class, the aging mobile suit sliced right in half at the waist by a Hizack’s heat hawk while a Rick Dom was sniped down from afar by a Hizack Custom, evidently the team leader of the group assaulting the Stettin. With its sole remaining escort locked in combat with another, the wounded Stettin could do little as a single Hizack raked its port side with rifle fire, blowing apart its main cannons. Unfortunately for the Hizack pilot, its uncontested assault came to an end as the Zandra’s mobile suit teams began plugging the hole left by the faltering Stettin. The conglomerate of mobile suit and space-fighter parts that made up Rand’s Dra-C was as fragile as it was deadly, its sleek profile brightening as it dispensed its amassed ordinance into the space surrounding the Stettin. Missiles trailed off towards the mobile suit formation while its gatling gun spun violently, forcing the pair of lead Hizacks into a hurried dash before their armor was overwhelmed by the volume of fire. The danger was only compounded by the fear-addled aggression of Alyza, her own support fire catching a Hizack in its unguarded shoulder, the spiked pauldron blasted apart and exposing the joint beneath. <<”Understood, Tyvin. Ensign Steyr, Waltz, form up! We’re covering the Bremen!”>>
Even as the words left her mouth, the veteran’s Act Zaku was on the move, fully expecting the pair to follow. That the Stettin was so quickly picked apart was no surprise to the Mobile Assault Force veteran. Though they had the equipment, personnel was another story entirely and it was undermanned from what she could recall in the moment. The end result was the imminent loss of a cruiser and the real threat that the Bremen or Leipzig would be next if they didn’t do something. Lieutenant Aldren was already ahead of her, his Kampfer having charged right for the melee as soon as it could, giant bazooka in hand and poised to fire. Blowing past the Leipzig’s MS team, the Kampfer opened fire as soon as it gained a lock on its first victim, an EWAC unit that dallied too long in its retreat and earning an explosive round planted into its chest. The elation would be short-lived as the Titans moved to engage the intercepting Leipzig team and they very much subscribed to the adage of an eye-for-an-eye, as one of Alimentarius’ wingmen was abruptly shot down by a Hizack. That same pilot soon turned their rifle on the Ensign’s Gelgoog and began firing, hoping to add another to their tally of kills. -- While one element of the rearguard came to defense of the Bremen and Leipzig, the quartet of pilots led by Alan hastily moved to support the Dresden as its mobile suit team deployed signal flares. The Zandra was still under escort by Kim and a few others but the Dresden was the only one covering their right flank. If they went down, the rest of the convoy would be wide open… <<Eyes up, we’ve got a squad moving in on the Dresden. Wolfe, swing around with Russel and cover their flank. Lecuyer and I will hit em form the other!”>>
Receiving a round of affirmatives from those gathered, the quartet split off into pairs to best support the Dresden’s three-man team with Alan quickly picking up on where to focus his efforts. The lone Hizack that had been intercepted by Zobeen and Ameh soon found itself on the receiving end of a torrent of gunfire as Alan and Lecuyer added their own rifles to the mix. Its frantic maneuvers only staved off the inevitable for so long before a round from Lecuyer smashed through the left foot, the sudden loss of its thrusters leaving it wide open for Zobeen to send a shot right through its cockpit. On the other hand, though the Galbaldy found itself in a 1 v 3 situation after the arrival of Wolfe and Russel, the former’s lighter weaponry wasn’t quite as dangerous though it had forced it to hold back on returning fire. However, in the same way the Dresden was reinforced by Alan’s group, the Titans were reinforced by another team, led by a Hizack Custom and backed by a pair of bazooka-toting GM Quels. Hardly willing to let the Zeon pilots push back without a fight, its beam launcher fired a pair of rounds from relative safety and with the accuracy it had been known for, the first one disintegrating the rifle arm of Nhi’s Zaku while the second left the unit headless. At the same time, the GM Quel duo directed their fire at the gang of pilots that shot down the Hizack, the pair saturating the projected flight paths of Zobeen and the others with their Hyper Bazookas. -- Befitting the situation around them, the Zandra’s bridge was filled with chatter, its personnel monitoring both communication lines and the flood of information provided by their observation teams. Reports of the Titans arrival were coming in one after the other alongside the convoy’s immediate response, the latter already on the negative side of things. To be tasked with safeguarding the fleet’s rear meant being positioned at the center of trouble should the enemy appear in force and, at last report, the pilots at the rear were experiencing it firsthand. It was a blessing in disguise, Waltendorf was quick to note, as a new report from the Dormach’s commander came in. <<”Commander Mistral, more bad news I take it?”>>
<<”The Brahman’s group has entered combat. Observation is spotty this far out but if they’ve already run into trouble, it means the Titans have committed some serious manpower to this op.”>>
The side of Waltendorf’s mouth twitched slightly in annoyance but the feeling was quickly suppressed before any could take notice. <<”We’ll adjust as necessary. The rearguard is holding the line for now…”>> Despite the ill will the monk had inspired in his countrymen (though he hesitated to consider him such), he at least became an unwitting canary in a coal mine, albeit one that had outlived its usefulness. <<”Commander, about that other matter we discussed…”>>
For a long few moments there was silence from the marine’s end but a response finally came, <<”If there’s an opportunity, we’ll handle it.”>> Severing the line between himself and the Zandra, Elijah eyed his instruments, noting the statuses of his marines and those of the fleet at their last update. Zeon or not, they would always be the ones left holding the bag… <<”Mishima, form up with the second squad and cover the Dormach. The rest of you are with me, we’ll be scouting out the situation with the Brahman. And switch off your identification tags, we’re going dark for this one…”>>
((Map and estimated positions of evacuation fleet is here!)) ((The Degwin Diaries)) Credit where credit is due, the remnant is putting in an admirable effort at not getting steamrolled by the Titans. Still, their work is certainly cut out for them as the Musai-class Stettin is on its last legs and most of its escorts (to say nothing of others at the rear) have been shot down already.
Smack dab in the center of the fleet’s response, Rand has taken the lead by going all-out with his Dra-C Custom, the dolled up missile boat spraying lead and missiles alike into the Titans’ approach and forcing them to consider their paths carefully. And despite being way in over her head and having a bad time, Alyza’s panicked fire actually managed to strike a Hizack in its shoulder, leaving it vulnerable for a follow up.
Similarly, Helena has rounded up Sebastian and Aron in her own push to cover the fleeing Bremen, moving to link up with Lieutenant Aldren as he strikes for the heart of a Titan group, shooting down an EWAC Zack along the way. Fortunately for him, there was little chance of him being isolated as the Leipzig’s own team launched in short order, with Alimentarius leading her own zealous charge. One of her team would meet an untimely end, being shot down by a Hizack not long after launching, and soon she too would be in its sights, the cyclops’ rifle opening fire at Ali’s Gelgoog Stutzer.
On the side of the Dresden, however, things were more precarious. Though the Dresden team were quickly reinforced by Alan and company, even managing to eliminate one Hizack in short order, a newly arrived trio of Titans hit them right back. Nhi’s Zaku has been hit twice by a Hizack Custom, losing both its rifle arm and its main camera, severely hampering its combat capabilities while a pair of GM Quels have begun saturation fire with their Hyper Bazookas. The danger of a fiery death would only increase the longer they remained on the field.
Overall, the fleet is still in fighting shape and it hasn't even committed all its forces to battle yet. But something is certainly amiss. Though the Dormach’s unit of marines have launched, roughly half of them have neglected to join the battle and have instead made for the last known position of the Brahman. If the Titans’ main force are also nearby, then the Zandra had better steer clear…
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Post by Mr. Belpit on Jan 6, 2024 17:56:21 GMT
- Garbann Team -
The Hizack that Zobeen had hit tumbled lifelessly past, carried forward by inertia as internal explosions tore through it. A quick snort was all the acknowledgement Zobeen gave his scoring a kill. "Good assist,", accompanied by a short waving gesture of the Zaku's left hand toward Alan's and Lapis's MS, was his acknowledgement that reinforcements had arrived.
Just as well; it was only moments later that Zobeen, Alan, Lapis, and Ameh came under fire. As soon as the threat indicators blared, Zobeen instinctively turned his Zaku's shoulder shield toward the direction the enemy GMs were firing from while firing his own MS's maneuvering verniers to alter his lateral evasive into a maneuver that would look, from his opponents' perspectives, as though he were "ascending" while arcing to a leftward lateral. While he did this, Zobeen had his Zaku draw a sturm faust into the right hand a fired it off in the direction of the oncoming GMs. It was a quick snap-shot with the weapon, not carefully aimed, but would ensure the enemy suits weren't advancing unopposed.
"It's just two Jims. Don't let these fucks put pressure on us."
Ameh, for his part, heeded Zobeen's instructions by forming up with Alan and Lapis's Act Zakus and firing shots from his Stutzer Zaku's rig-mounted beam rifle at the GM to his left.
Nhi, of course, wasn't having a great day on the job, despite support having come in from Ashley and Jessica. "I'm hit, switching to backup cameras!" she reported to her newly-arrived comrades, her voice barely suppressing a short sting of near panic. It took only a few seconds for the backup camera feed to flicker to life, but it was all too easy to get killed when flying blind for even that short of an interval. In those moments, Nhi fired her forward-facing verniers so that her Zaku Stutzer would move backward, creating space from her attackers so Ashley and Jessica could take the lead in their undamaged machines. Nhi also drew a sturm faust into her suit's left hand and the heat hawk into the right. Once she had sight again, Nhi could see that she'd lost track of the Galbaldy she'd been targeting earlier. With her main armament wrecked, left to just her heat hawk and two sturm fausts, Nhi would have to trail Ashley and Jessica and looked for an opportunity to act while the other two took the lead.
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Post by Mr. Belpit on Jan 7, 2024 10:51:42 GMT
- Musai-class Light Cruiser Dresden -
- Main Bridge -
"Visuals should be up on the main now, ma'am."
"Thank you, Ensign."
Lieutenant Tolayma Pinn, captain of the Dresden, observed the small window that had popped up on the main monitor, showing a visual feed from the cruiser's aft observation post. She could see the dying lights of signal flares indicating enemy attack at Zobeen's sector. More difficult to see with the debris in the way were the telltale streaks of thruster flares and beam rifle shots of an ongoing mobile suit battle. At the range the Dresden was observing from, the few visible ones were like lines drawn on the monitor by a ballpoint pen with glowing ink.
"A team from the Zandra has already moved in to reinforce them, ma'am," came the report from comms tech Ens. Podd Pizzina. He paused a moment before adding, gravely, "It sounds like the Stettin's taken some heavy hits..."
Tolayma mentally pictured the Stettin's place in the fleet's formation: center rearguard. If that ship was knocked out, the enemy would have a fairly clear path to the Zandra in the gap created.
"Pat," Tolayma addressed her bridge's radar and navigation officer, Ens. Pat Kong, in a tone that was firm, but calm for the situation the ship and fleet were in, "Plot a course through the debris to maneuver us within support-fire range of the Zandra's portside aft. Yanna," now to helmswoman Ltjg. Yanna Saz, "Be ready to move the moment those vectors come in. Podd, signal our moves."
The bridge crew barked out affirmatives at Tolayma's set of orders, then got to work. After a few seconds, Yanna was turning the Dresden's wheel to begin turning the cruiser roughly thirty degrees to starboard, setting her on a course closer to the Zandra's aft side. As the maneuver began, a series of flares shot up from the Dresden's dorsal side, signaling the position change; it would've been no good for the mobile suit complement to lose track of their own mothership, and it would've been worse if the Zandra, unaware of the Dresden's approach, mistook it for an enemy.
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Post by Beriadan on Jan 10, 2024 21:17:35 GMT
The Hizack made a definite mistake. It had left Alimentarius alive, instead wasting seconds on killing a member of her team instead. As it was swinging around its rifle to try and send her to the same oblivion, Alimentarius was already reacting. She punched her Geloog into gear, blasting in an upwards arc, taking the suit over the top of the Hizack. Her own rifle was primed and engaged, and Alimentarius unleashed hell onto her target.
"Give them no quarter! Kill every Federation scum that dares oppose Zeon!"
Alimentarius roared into her mic, turning her rifle to the next target. Her heart was beating fast, adrenaline pumping blood and fire through her veins. This was what she had been born to do. Alimentarius released another blast of rounds at her enemy, a second Hizack, mind focused and spirit full of determination.
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Post by Bixir on Jan 11, 2024 7:03:52 GMT
The Dra-C Custom didn't often sit still to unload its full firepower. There was a good reason for that. For as much as this unit could dish out, it took far, far less to remove it from the equation. Rand knew what he was getting into, and as the shock of his assault began to wear off, whatever grace period he had had would be fading rapidly. Rand focused most of his movements on lowering the profile of his unit - as much as one could after pulling a stunt like that - lowering his z-axis elevation to the degree of the rest of the combatants. He didn't bother reloading his missile pods for now - any further artillery at this juncture would just paint an unnecessary target on him. It could wait.
Rand did, however, key into the fact that one of the charging Hizacks had gotten dinged by Rozk's supporting fire. With a quick spool of his mobile suit's gatling gun, Rand let the lead fly once more with several deadly bursts, meaning to finish the job. Once that was done, Rand would begin to move his Dra-C Custom backwards, into the growing formation behind them. Mistral, Steyr and Waltz would be able to cover their momentary withdrawal.
Provided that Rozk kept her nerve. Did she know when to pick her battles?
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