Gaojinizer - Stage 18

The Battle of Pompate Continues

Takeshi managed to triumph over the Garsalan that had been his constant enemy, it seemed, but the battle was by no means over, he had to be careful, to not let his enemy get behind him, especially with the damages that’d been inflicted. The battle wasn’t over, not by a long shot. Across the battlefield, hurried maneuvers and changes in formation were the norm, as both forces attempted to press whatever advantage they could over their enemy. The same could be said for Takeshi’s own battle, as the enemies he fought circled around him, moving closer and backward, his attempts at attacking were marginal at best. At the least, until a beam slammed into one of them from behind, courtesy of one of the Danzaman’s Stingers, something that caused a smirk to come to his face.

“..Heh. There you guys are!”

Andrew smirked in response. “Lucky us, seems the Garsalan have started pulling out! We must’ve done enough damage, then.” Han nodded in agreement from his cockpit.

“Seems this’ll be over soon enough…”

Unbeknownst to them however, the flagship of the strike force, a larger battleship which remained in the very back remained silent, not having fired even a single shot. Serving as naught but a looming threat, the one in charge of Pompate’s defense, a man of olive skin and dark hair, placed his hand to his chin. Just what was being done here? Were they facing a cautious commander, was this some sort of way to create uncertainty and therefore, create unrest? The answer to this question, he did not have… That was, at the least, until he noted something on the surface of the flagship, a panel sliding from the side of the warship And in little time, a swarm of missiles flew toward the fleet, a swarm of smaller munitions, all surrounding one which looked akin to the ICMBs of years past. This filled the general with surprise.

The issue was only enunciated, as the ship’s defenses that would have been utilized to shoot whatever weapon this ship was making use of down, had purposely been occupied by the enemies machines, or intercepted by the smaller missiles, which followed it like loyal hounds. It was closing in fast, and there was some idea of what could be taking place, especially as he thought back to what class of weaponry had been used for the express purpose of destroying a city in one shot.

“Could it be…? No… Dammit!” The Antimatter warheads had never been delivered in this fashion, but something needed to be done…. The machina… The machines piloted by those boys, at this point, he hated that it was the case, but he’d need to rely on them. He doubted using anti-ship batteries and risking a premature explosion was the best idea, precision was needed. In the cockpits of the Machina, the face of one of the fleet’s officers appeared on screen.

“Machina Team, your orders are simple. There is an Antimatter warhead on its way to pompate, we need precision, so we’ll need you to cut off its propulsion, it can be received afterward…” Takeshi’s eyes widened at those words… Antimatter?

A flash of memory, a sand and dirt covered wasteland, which, formerly, his city occupied. All that he knew, gone… His grip on his controls tightened, as his pupils seemed to shine at the prospect, at what he knew would be the case if he failed…

“LET’S GET MOVING! Don’t let it get any further!” No more words were needed, the same thought ran through their heads as well. The Danzaman’s scanners acted quickly in scanning the missile’s surface, and finding the very distinct propulsion system, and the energy which fed. In a short time, a blip sounded on his Allies’ HUDs.

“I’ve marked the energy source for their propulsion. Takeshi, Diederick, you two are the best suited for this, we need your blade’s precision.” Han explained. Diederick’s face appeared on his display next.

“In that case, allow me…” However, before they were able to do much more, a swarm of enemy HAUs began to descend upon them, buzzing about like angered hornets, Their cannons sending a flood of glowing beams across the battlefield. Andrew took action almost immediately, using his machine’s impact boosters, and slamming through them, a fist through paper mache. As their comrades were destroyed by his charge, the remaining HAUs’ began to split.

“Whatever the case is, it seems they’re eager to destroy Pompate! We’ll keep 'em off you!” The man began charging through, and turning the enemy machines into scrap metal, while the Danzaman’s stingers supported him, Han’s watchful eye moving across the screen, while the Gaojinizer’s scythe sliced through their armor, and the Sanvolner defended as one would expect… Diderick’s angle of approach had to be optimal, especially with the speed of this object, one wrong move, and he could very well do the opposite of what he intended… He began to focus, blocking out the battle that happened around him, as his machine drew one of many blades…

“It's time, Diederick… This machine was built for me to pilot for a reason. Let's make sure I do father proud!” Just as the missile came within his range, he striked, and the effects were seen immediately, the light which formerly streaked from behind the missile, was reduced to naught, as gradually, it began to slow, and descend, until it hit the waters below them…. In an instant, the effects were clear, as cheers erupted from the forces watching this take place. The one responsible sat in his cockpit, a smile on his face. As for the Garsalan themselves, they simply began to pull out, with that option exhausted…. By all accounts, to the forces in combat, it looked as if it was a victory.

…

Hours had passed, and a small group coalesced in the deep tunnels underneath the Pompate base, scientists, major leaders who were in the region, and those who could not be there displayed in the holographic screen on the far corner of the room. Outside of the desk, the room was mostly formed of white tile. Sterile, and isolated, one entrance to the room, flanked by two guards. The large wooden door shut, as to prevent the conversation from being heard for those who were not meant to, one of those who were on the display, a man of dark skin, and coily hair, an officer from the Neo-Kushite Kingdom, spoke.

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“So a garsalan Submersible managed to make off with the project… This is a failure of security, no doubt.” One of the local officers was the next to speak out.

“The garsalan have never used submersible weapons in our time fighting them, as far as we knew- no weapons such weapons existed.” However, another from the holograph spoke, a woman of fair skin, and long white hair, a representative of the Sino-Thai Alliance.

“Even so, this is an enemy that, as far as we know, is engaged in wars with many other civilizations, which we haven't even seen, across the milky way. That much requires a large amount of adaptability…” Was the woman making a slight to his perceived competence? Something in his head told him to fire back, but regardless, what was done was done, the only thing that could be done was try to move on… The officer’s gaze moved to a nearby scientist, a short man sharing a tanned skin tone.

“Bassano, do we still have the development data?”

“Yes, with time and funding, we should be able to start over…” So that was the case, this was a setback, there was no doubt in anybody’s mind about that.

The pompate base was currently in the process of being repaired, as were many of the ships utilized in the battle, who’d either landed there, or to one of the other bases in the Mediterranean Region. The mood within the common room was jubilant, much more so than usual, though, at this moment, Takeshi was the only occupant.

“Ha! Take that you damn roaches, show you to mess with us!” As he celebrated, eventually, he observed a certain someone ascending the stairs. Kyoko leaned on the railing, as she looked upon him, the shifting in the mood could be felt by both… Yet the woman seemed to ignore it, as she inhaled deeply, and spoke.

“So… I heard the details of the battle and all…. You all did well… Just wanted to say, Congratulations.” Saying this to the Boorish pilot, it was surely a struggle for her, and the approach of the other pilots, alongside Kanta and Rakesh made her cease to say any more, as she silently slinked off to the corner. To no surprise, Han made an effort to increase the theatrics in front of Kanta, a cape of unknown origin on his back, flowing as he extended his hand outward.

“That's another victory for the Machina team! Earth’s heroes!” This much was to be expected at this point.. Though Rakesh said nothing, he did look at him with narrowed eyes. Even the normally withdrawn Diederick had a smile on his face.

“I’ll say, Commoners… We’ve shown the forces that we aren’t to be underestimated.” Takeshi looked over his shoulder at the man, nodding.

“Yeah. In fact… How about we do a little celebration? Pompate’s known for its pubs…” Something which caused the gazes of the other pilots to move toward him, as well as Kyoko… Drinking?! She wouldn’t exactly say this was unexpected of that oaf Takeshi, especially-

“Sounds good to me.” Andrew Responded. Him too?!

“Don’t see why not.” Haemon answered. Even Haemon?! Surprisingly, Diederick stepped to his side.

“We may as well, hopefully they have the good stuff.” Though, it wasn’t as if what the good stuff would be was of his knowledge, his father was not exactly eager to let the boy into the wine cellar…Still, one of the only times they seemed to agree on something, and it was for the wrong reason.

“Are you four sure this is a good idea? We’re not even cleared for shore leave, nor old enough. Not to mention if command-” Her words were cut off by Takeshi beginning to run toward the stairs.

“What Command doesn't know won’t hurt em’!” With little time, he was already joined by the rest of the pilots. A short walk and a ride on the local streetcar brought them to the largest commercial area in the city, the asphalt streets lined with loads of people, though, no automobiles were to be found in this district, a local mandate. The pilots themselves were sat at a bar, mugs, and glasses alike in front of them. Takeshi took a swig of the beer in front of him, as he spoke.

“So, seems to me like we still know next to nothin’ about each other… Why not fix that? Doesn’t seem like we’ll be splitting up anytime soon.” Andrew nodded at this, as he leaned back into his seat.

“Not much to say about me, really, my Lived in Roosevelt, East-side, with my parents. I’ve mentioned my two younger sisters and my twin brother before. My pops was a scientist, working with Dr.Okita, in fact. He was never supportive of the UFE deciding to see our aptitude for use of the Machina. But I did end up asking for it… Especially after what they did. Loved em’ all… If it hadn’t been for those roaches doing what they do, most likely, they’d still be here today.” He stated. Haemon nodded at his story.

“Interestingly enough, Andrew and I have known each other for a while. Our fathers were close, and the Machina they built after Okita disappeared a while back were designed to be used in tandem, what about you, Han?” Haemon questioned.

“Well, before this, I was just your average street urchin in Chengdu, from the lower levels of the city. I was an entertainer back then, singing, comedy, whatever brought in the credits.” This made Takeshi glance at him, a smirk somewhat coming to his face.

“So we’re of the same class, then, eh? I was a gun runner for the Yamamoto-Gumi. I always ran with these two guys, Natsuo and Tsubasa. As far as I'm concerned, they were my brothers… Couldn’t forget Kimiko…” It seemed that Alcohol wasnt enough to make the Hohenzollern be anything but tight lipped. Though, one could suppose his name spoke for itself as far as his upbringing. Though, how a prince in line for Germany’s throne ended up in the cockpit of a Vanguard armor was a mystery to all of them. Eventually, Takeshi took a quick motion, chugging the beer left in front of him, as he placed it upon the table. The simple thought of his brothers, and the similarity he could note to those days, especially with the setting and their activities, he couldn’t help but let a wide smile crawl onto his visage, as he yelled out.

“Alright, enough reminiscing, let's get to drinking!”

“Yeah!” The yelled words came in response.

…

The Machina pilot’s return to the ship was a slow, slinking affair, their heads pounded and they could almost feel the sickness coming, apparently, their impromptu drinking party wasn’t exactly the best idea. Their feet clanged against a metal catwalk, which led to the Juzumaru’s entrance.

“I told you two you shouldn’t have started a competition…” Andrew stated, glancing at Han and Takeshi, who only shrugged in response. Their slow walk eventually brought them to the end of the corridor, where they found Kyoko standing.

“There you all are! I was wondering what happened after you disappear-” As she began to walk forward, she paused, sniffing the area around them.

“You all smell of alcohol, how much did you drink?!” Knowing what she did, this wasn’t exactly the best time for them to have done so. But before she was able to do much more, the people she dreaded seeing such a thing, had already followed her, three wearing the UFE’s officers dress. Who eyed their pilots, somehow drunk, with squinted eyes, yet, one of them stepped forward all the same.

“Inoue Takeshi, Andrew Howard, Han Chen, Hamemon Florakis, and Diederick Von Hohenzollern… We are here to notify you of your promotions, You are being promoted to full Lieutenants.” Though he didn’t say it outright, his expression alone stated the possible need for oversight, and the same could be said for those behind him…