Once Koori begun coordinating her cover fire with Ben’s own, the door had effectively closed on the mobile suits pursuing Malia. With beams flying in from two separate directions and the torrent of fire growing more deadly by the moment, the GM Custom hastily backed away from Malia’s Nemo though not before its shield was turned to a molten slab. The Act Zaku it had partnered up with in the moment fared little better as the barrage was redirected in its direction next and, unfortunately for them, Malia’s camera troubles had begun to sort themselves out.
“Smart move,” Ben mused as the Zaku moved to disengage from the imminent three on one though he still kept an eye on the fleeing pair. Last thing anyone wanted was to get picked off by someone they thought had thrown in the towel. Just an awful time for everyone involved and a sure-fire way to drag a successful sortie into the gutter.
<<”How’re you holdin up, Malia?”>>
<<”A bit shaken but I’ll manage. Thanks for the save, Lieutenant,”>> she answered, taking up an escort position on the Rattler’s starboard side. A position better suited for the Nemo Cannons but as the Hellfighters gained valuable breathing room, they could afford to not commit anyone further to a pursuit.
<<”My cameras are scratchy but good to go. Are we gonna pursue, Lieutenant?”>>
“Pursuit huh…” Were they the Titans, they’d pick a few off but given the sketchy nature of Ugallu, he had a feeling they’d get into even more trouble. Not to mention he was worried about the two Anaheim pilots and the Ugallu commander.
<<”Not this time. Dodgy as they are, this sorta thing needs to get ironed out by the guys upstairs. Stick with the Rattler for now, keep an eye out. Koori, you’re with me. Amir and Fox may have that Bardos guy on the ropes but I bet he’s the type to pull an upset if they get careless!”>>
--
While the center force was effectively pushed back thanks to Ben and Koori’s efforts, the right flank was going through its final throes as yet another of Ugallu’s mobile suits faced an imminent knock out, this time at the hands of Marito. Already reeling from the loss of its shield arm and unable to stabilize their aim, the Nemo Sniper made for an easy target for Marito’s mixed barrage. With the threat of a direct round from a cannon boxing in their movements, the more precise shots from Marito’s beam rifle quickly picked apart the Sniper’s remaining limbs, leaving the machine to float harmlessly and giving the Lieutenant exactly what he wanted: An unwilling yet ever valuable source of information.
With the Nemo Sniper neutralized, the only remaining machine capable of combat was the Act Zaku engaged in a melee with Layla and, just as they’d wanted to avoid, they had ended up being surrounded by three very combat-able machines. Not for nothing, they were still doing their all to get out of the situation but with Nathan cutting off their retreat, the only way out was to go through Layla. As saber and axe bounced back from one another after a series of clashes, the pilot saw their moment and took it. For whatever reason, the Hellfighters hadn’t gone for the kill a single time and the Ugallu pilot would use it to their advantage, the fear of death non-existent.
The Methuss was rushing in for an overhead and the Zaku’s own axe was there again to meet it, swinging upwards to hold it back before it could dig into their main camera. At nearly the same time, they reached for one of their own beam sabers, ready to draw and slice through the yellow mobile suit at the waist before they knew what hit them. It was a move that would’ve worked flawlessly unless, defying past evidence and expectations, Layla hadn’t had the same idea. In a smooth motion that belied her past forays and complexes, Layla’s saber slice right through the Zaku’s arm at the wrist before continuing right through its cockpit, leaving the two molten halves to slowly drift apart.
By all aspects, it was a brilliant maneuver, one that most had taken themselves in some form or another. It was also far and away against the standing orders to avoid killing their opponents unless it was necessary. For Nathan, his Rick Dias in position to take advantage of an opening, it didn’t look that way.
<<”Layla…what did you…”>>
--
The MK III, like so many to share the ‘Gundam’ name, was a machine to be feared and only now was the Ugallu’s commander beginning to see why. The combination of his aggressive piloting and sniper support had nearly put the infamous legend and its pilot on the ropes but now he was the one on the back-foot, the Gundam’s wingman interfering at the worst time. And then, the Gundam started to actually show off what it was capable of, a salvo of beam and cannon fire serving as a prelude to its newfound aggression.
<<”Dog me, will you?!”>>
The Rick Dias’ own thrusters igniting in tandem with those provided by its back-mounted binders, the Ugallu commander drew one of his beam pistols and a beam saber as it shot upwards and over Fox’s burst, firing downwards at the Gundam as it quickly rose to meet him. Indeed, unlike before, Fox’s movements had sharpened and minute adjustments were all he needed to slip past the debris and pistol fire as they shot off into the dark or struck his ruined shield. And not unlike his recently deceased wingman, Bardos had become trapped in a melee after several beams shot by from behind, courtesy of Amir, with one ripping into his binder. A head-to-head clash inevitable, he opted to swing downwards while opening fire with the Dias’ head-mounted vulcans.
The effect was immediate. Though one saber had been held at bay, the other had slice right through the pistol arm at the elbow, robbing the Ugallu commander of limb and weapon both. More likely would’ve followed had he not planted a knee into the Gundam’s waist, knocking it hard enough for the saber lock to break and reverse course a small distance for space. But no matter the distance gained, it was clear that Bardos had lost the fight, his mobile suit in a similar state as most of his unit and trapped between Fox and Amir, their weapons trained on him.
<<”Now seriously, give it a rest already! All this fighting just to nearly get killed…”>> Opening his visor to wipe the sweat from his brow, Fox could only sigh. Just how many times would he be put through the wringer like this? At least now he could say he had really started to settle into the MK III after today’s showing.
<<”Thanks Amir, you really bailed me out this time…”>>
<<”You did all the work, I just gave a little ring-side support. You reading me, Lieutenant? We bagged the big one this time!”>> The Ensign radioed, flashing a thumbs up to the MK III with a free hand. With the opposing Rick Dias held up, those that still remained of the Ugallu team were likely to bail entirely or otherwise surrender. But as he considered that, Amir noted the Gundam turning its main camera away from the Rick Dias.
<<”You good over there, Fox? Don’t tell me you see something else out there.”>>
<<”No, at least, I don’t think so. I’m not picking up anything but…”>> The sensors weren’t any help thanks to the spread of Minovsky Particles nor could he readily spot anything on camera but it seriously felt like they were being watched. Just what was this he was feeling? Like someone was giving him, all of them, a dead-stare from across the space like they were psyching themselves up for something.
“Damn creepy…”
That was when he spotted it, a single twinkle in the darkness and that unsettling feeling rocketed upwards as he recognized what it was. It wasn’t the ever faint light of a distant thruster flare but something worse, the light of a weapon being fired. And more lights began to flash into existence, first trickling in as solitary shooting stars that strayed from those present before swelling into a shower, all directed towards the ongoing melee within the AEUG’s ranks.
<<”Lieutenant, Commander! There’s something coming!”>>
--
Jose had the opposing GM firmly locked down but actually neutralizing them without killing them was another story thanks to his bazooka. Clay pellets or no, enough impacts would pulverize its armor and the pilot entirely and that definitely something the good guys would do. A more precise (or personal) touch was needed and Abdel had stepped right up.
<<”You got it!”>> With a quick reply from the younger pilot, the Nemo ejected the spent magazine from its bazooka and loaded in a fresh one with ease before renewing its assault. The besieged GM was so concerned with weathering the storm, it had unknowingly left itself open for the unnoticed Abdel, his own machine barreling in at high speed.
For his part, Damien trained his rifle on the Act Zaku’s retreating form, firing several lazily aimed rounds into its flight path to further dissuade a return to combat. Hardly any effort was necessary at this point as, despite
Ugallu’s efforts to push back against the
Hellfighters, the outcome of the battle had become clear: The day belonged to the men and women of the Rattler. Now it was just a matter of putting on the finishing touches on those that remained and routing the overly aggressive squadron. Just where things would go from here was a matter for the politicians at Granada to handle but at the least, he suspected they would sweep it under the rug so long as casualties were kept to a minimum.
“Neutralize them non-lethally, what a demand that was…” Despite his musing, it was good to know that the
Hellfighters were pulling it off regardless. Somehow he’d have to make it up to them when they returned to the Moon, maybe an extended shore leave. That someone had actually caved and cut someone in half wouldn’t be known until much later and, to be frank, it hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things as the war was about to be turned on its head.
<<”Lieutenant, Commander! Something’s coming!”>>
Seconds after that warning filtered through Richards’ radio, a beam shot down from above, blowing a crater through the retreating Act Zaku’s torso and setting off its reactor into a shining explosion. Its light hardly had time to fade before more beam fire began to rain down upon the AEUG mobile suits, sending everyone capable into evasive maneuvers or otherwise huddle behind what cover their personal shields or scattered debris could provide.
With both units battered to varying degrees, the results were mixed. Much of the Ugallu’s neutralized mobile suits, having lost their defensive armaments or other equipment, made for easy targets with a few quickly getting shot down simply through the volume of fire thrown their way. The Hellfighters too, for all the prowess and growth they’d shown, had drawn some unlucky numbers as already damaged shields gave way or their reactions couldn’t keep up with the constant alerts. Sabrina found herself among that group as, while throwing herself into a hard bank to avoid one stream, another series of beams traced her flight path before perforating her Nemo with holes. Miranda’s Rick Dias fared marginally better thanks to its booster-binders but was still unable to avoid losing a hand as it broke away from the Zaku it was engaging.
<<”All units, form up and regroup! We’ve got new contacts!”>>
His shield held above to weather the storm, Richards rapidly switched through his cameras for just a glimpse at what was firing on them as well as the implications. They were so far from AEUG territory that the list of culprits was a short one with one exceedingly unlikely and the other a grave oversight in their surveillance network. The moment finally came as the beam shower finally began to let up and he focused on their origin point, grainy images coming through his monitor. As the Nemo’s onboard database attempted to cross-identify them with known models belonging to the Federation, Titans and even the AEUG, Richards felt a chill as the computer concluded its examinations.
The contacts, numbering near a dozen and slowly growing were marked with a single tag:
UNKNOWN.
((A Map of the situation)) [Not to scale]
The A.M. Axis
The war has fundamentally changed.
