Location: Terra Colony Andromeda
North Sector - Training Field Septa
Frontline Position - Division 8
Time: 1339
January 31, 2050
“Dear God.”
That low shocked utterance they all made, either aloud or in their heads, accurately summed up their entire reaction. The gathered Division 8 remnants bore witness to the initial start of their plan. Even having read it they knew what was coming, the first minutes of their bold counterattack had an astounding impact on them. Reading it was one thing, seeing it in action was another. It left a majority speechless at the immense carnage wrought right before their eyes. This war game training exercise had been tough, several hours of on and off combat wore on their stamina, yet this next battle in this enormous event felt like it was going to do more than test or chip their resolve.
Just seconds ago, everyone had been tense, on edge, the air thick with anticipation. A calming mood of unity kept them taut and at the ready as they were organizing. The remaining 500 students and trainees of Division 8 were divided up into 3 main roles. The vanguard, middle guard, and rear guard. In doing so they would coordinate a multi-waved assault on the enemy line and take out their target.
At the start, a small team of 5, with one of the tanks they had handy, were to storm forward and cause a distraction, they were the plan’s designated decoy. Named Storm 1, this team’s performance at present was astounding. Right out of the gate they tore through the front with a booming shot from their tank that quaked the air and drove a deeper swath through the countless sea of constructs that had suddenly surged toward their defense line. And it didn’t stop there. Their tank’s driver drove head first in with the rest of his team saddled up on the vehicle's hull. They steamrolled the constructs, blitzing their way through anything that got in their way.
Many of the inexperienced first years’ eyes had widened in shock, some gulping in an attempt to keep themselves grounded. But they were lost as they watched Storm 1’s tank suddenly swerve to the left, then stupendously propel itself a few meters up in the air as it jumped and crashed its way through a golem in their path. They never thought a tank could fly until this day. The driver of the tank must’ve had an impressive amount of skill, and was a literal psychopath to pull off such a dangerous stunt.
A worried feeling welled in Amanda, she clenched her lips in an effort to keep her unease from showing. “Uh? Will Stella be okay?” She asked Ikki, who was beside her. By how tight his lips were shut, they likely shared a sentiment at the spectacle playing out ahead of them. A friend of theirs was involved, this was a given. “This is.. Kind of crazy.” Amanda continued, “Don’t you think?”
Ikki reluctantly nodded, especially since he could hear Stella screaming over a shared comm line he had kept open with her. He had hoped to cheer her on with supportive words, though that effort was made moot by how deep in combat she was.
“While I’ll agree this is crazy, I know she’ll be safe.” Ikki said, bashfully scratching his cheek.
“And what makes you say that?” Amanda asked.
“Because he’s driving the tank.”
The emphasis Ikki used told Amanda all that she needed. The He, Ikki was referring to was Itsuki, and at this point, after a month of knowing the guy, she had to agree. The man was a determined, strict, pain in the ass kind of person to deal with, but he was as he advertised. He was a professional explorer and knew very well how to fight against unfavorable odds as any explorer would. So Amanda put her worry for Stella away and waited with the rest of Division 8. They waited for their moment, for their part of the plan. But for now they enjoyed the show. Thanks to the shared video feed from every member of Storm 1’s earpieces, they had front row seats. And Jesus, was it terrifying.
Amanda noticed how a few first years around her flinched as a boom went off a distance ahead. Their rearguard was pouring on with a mortar barrage landing dangerously close to Storm 1’s advancing position, and a strike must have probably flashed in one of the video feed’s views. But even under all the pressure, all of Storm 1 soldiered on, albeit Stella was screaming her head off. Chisuke on the other hand was cackling in a manner that befit his berserker moniker. A minute later the feed finally stilled as Storm 1 soon came to a stop. The tank’s barrel thrust forward at the distant enemies now that its surroundings were pounded flat.
S1’s voice rapidly came over their earpieces. [Phase 2 Complete! Switching to Phase 3! Good work Storm 1!] That got everyone to wake up and realize that their time was coming. Besides Amanda, Richard suddenly gasped as if trying to regain his sense of focus. Many others did the same. They hadn’t understood that they had been holding their breath and that only a mere 3 minutes had passed. Just what was that feeling, that pressure, that lost sense of time. Was it the effect of anticipation? Fear? Excitement?
In any case, they couldn’t come to answer as S1 continued on. [Vanguard! Advance!] He ordered.
[Roger!] Each tank’s driver settled their hands on their controls, giving an affirming cry across the open comm line.
[Storm 2! Advancing!]
[Storm 3! I’m heading out!]
[Storm 4! Pedal to the metal!]
[Storm 5! We’re on the prowl!]
Their treads rolled with their engines pumping up rumbling growls. Spitting up dirt behind them, they thundered ahead with the sheer weight of several tons of solid steel and titanium. Storm 2 and 3 started across to the left flank and would hit the gathered constructs that Storm 1 had diverted there during their spectacularly reckless and insane mad dash. A contingent of 200 students and trainees followed close behind, some rolling in jeeps while others sprinted and fanned out on foot. Per the plan they would link up with Storm 1 to then stir up an even bigger mess of trouble that had already begun to boil.
At the same time, Storm 4 and 5 rolled to the right flank so that they could come around and take pot shots at the coalescing constructs that would be drawn to the ruckus Storm 2 and 3 would drum up. Their own contingent of 100 personnel trailing at their rear would provide close support, ensuring that the enemy constructs wouldn’t surround Storm 4 or 5. With the vanguard getting into position, 00’s phase 3 of the plan was coming together. Their show of hitting the enemy with their heavy hitters was convincing enough that new enemy contacts emerged from whatever rabbit holes they were hiding in. As 00 predicted, the enemy was bolstering their numbers in a manner they had no knowledge of. So their counter was to make all their opponents come out and handle them swiftly.
Through a pair of binoculars, S1 tagged the new sightings onto the shared tactical map and relayed their projected path of movements to 00 over the wireless. 00 calculated, then spat out the proper and most effective set of targeting data for their rearguard to use. The mortar crews rapidly adjusted their sights as mystics augmented the trajectories of their specialized long ranged attacks. S1 pressed a finger to his earpiece as a cascade of cacophonous bursts of energy and bombs flew overhead.
He reflexively spoke loudly over the din, [Density of Enemy contacts fall within parameters. Phase 3 complete. Switching to Phase 4! Middle Guard! Get ready!] He then switched his comm line to their allied aerial units on standby. [Group Gamma, Group Beta, Group Epsilon.] He commanded, not a shred of his usual upbeat cheeriness in his tone. [The light is green, I repeat, the light is green. Ready for pick up!]
[Copy!] They replied and immediately S1 saw their icons make a move in his HUD.
These three aerial groups, after pulling off their supporting strafing runs as Division 8 regrouped, had gone to resupply and had stayed out of sight further behind their rearguard. S1 ordered this since they couldn’t risk the enemy figuring out what they were planning next and was careful in keeping their air support out of harm's way. This measure of caution would delay how fast this next phase of the plan would take, but he deemed it necessary, and the same was said for the next reckless stunt they were about to pull off.
Amanda on the other hand would disagree on that point, though no one had a better plan. So she had to begrudgingly agree.
[Beginning Phase 4.] Said S1’s in Amanda’s earpiece.
Amanda turned around and saw the silhouettes of human figures in flight, approaching low to the ground. She rolled her eyes, hoping this would be over soon. Per the plan, those not in the vanguard or rearguard jumped up as the silhouettes passed by. Before gravity could bring them back down, a moment of weightlessness pervaded as they were swooped up into the arms of Aerial Group Gamma, Beta, and Epsilon. Amanda let out a yelp of surprise, soon settling down as the arms of the trainee who had picked her up tightened around her stomach. The trainee connected his wireless, and an audible click from her earpiece told her it was secure.
[I got you.] Said the trainee, [Hold tight, I wouldn’t think of dropping you.]
[I'll try..] Amanda hesitantly replied.
[Not to worry. I wouldn’t think of dropping you.]
He must've picked up on her unease. She faced forward, nodding as the scenery of the clouds above came closer. She and the trainee ascended along with those who’d been selected for the middle guard role. She looked around and spotted the others. Ikki, Shisuki, Richard, Gen, Osamu, Dahlia, and Mana were all grouped closeby, spread a few meters apart from each other. In total 50 made up the middle guard. The altitude indicator in their HUDs flashed a rising number as they neared the whitish gray clouds blotting the view overhead. Amanda, braving one last glance down before they lost sight of the ground, tilted her head just in time as a flash of an unknown detonation lit below. The shockwave was nothing but a mere muffled pop from how far up she was, except she felt herself needing to reflexively grit her teeth.
What was that? She thought as she scanned what had happened below. She found that a black plume of smoke had erupted from where Storm 1 had last been. Immediately her mind went to Stella’s safety. She pulled Storm 1’s video feed back up to see if she was okay.
Division 8 - Team: Storm 1
Time: 1340
January 31, 2050
Stella put as much strength as she could into her trembling legs to get up from the tank. All the shaking had finally ended, and thanks to the harness around her waist she didn’t fall off the tank. Reaching for the release buckle, the restricting tether came loose with a click. No sooner did she jump free of the tank. A trainee joined her as he too bailed out, abandoning his position in the tank’s front gunner compartment. They rolled as they landed, taking a knee as they got their bearings.
Itsuki spoke through their earpieces. [Move Move Move, get into position and give me cover.]
[On it.] Stella stammered, her head pounding from the continuous shockwaves as the Itsuki launched round after round at the enemy ahead. Those enemy constructs were damn quick.
She foisted herself into a run and as she turned the corner of the tank she was suddenly met with the pearl white, glossy smooth face of a puppet construct. It swung its bladed arm at her, intent to disarm and not kill. Stella deflected its attack effortlessly with a hand, her palm so full of conjured fire that when she smacked it away, it burnt to an ashy crisp before tumbling to the dirt. The trainee next to her pulled his rifle off from his back, racked the slide, aimed ahead, and then held the trigger.
His line of shining tracer fire drew Stella’s attention. She got his meaning, he was marking the next targets. Clusters of enemy signals pinged 20 meters dead ahead on her HUD’s map. All of them were all suitable targets for her fire. Bringing her switch axe to bear, she slammed the ground in front of her with a quaking strike. Flames shot from the golden head of her weapon, serpentining as they jumped up from the ground like pouncing predators. Behind her, Itsuki’s tank kept up a suppressive barrage of accurately placed armor piercing rounds on the golems in the distance. By the sound of it, the main cannon wasn’t getting a break anytime soon.
Stella counted 3 shots in the span of 5 seconds. So either the tank would run out of shells, or the barrel would burn out. As if it were of no concern, Itsuki continued his own onslaught alongside Stella’s. She noticed that the tank turret made slight adjustments between each shot, and like clock work without pause the thunderous hammering continued. But even with such rapid and devastating fire, they were surrounded and that was becoming clearer by the second.
Chisuke was already cursing over the comm. [Damn, these things are annoying!]
Itsuki swung the tank's main gun in his direction and punched the controls. For a moment, Stella wanted to scream for him to stop since Chisuke was in the line of fire, but Chisuke seemingly cleared out at the last moment as the popping of the tank's heavy machine gun began. Tracer rounds ferociously coughed from the barrel, whizzing by Chisuke within a hair’s breadth. How these two could coordinate without directly talking with each other was a mystery to Stella, still she thought their coordination was from a one sided rivalry than anything else.
Wanting to pull her weight, Stella hurried herself to keep the enemy away. Bringing to bear what her gifted rank S core affinity could do, she broke and scattered the groups of gathering enemy constructs, preempting them so they couldn't afford a chance to charge. Her immense stores of core energy allowed her the liberal use of heavy duty and on demand firepower.Her efforts showed progress.
A noticeable grunt came from Itsuki as he ceased fire to let the tank’s gun cool, its red hot barrel hissed to the bare air. [Itsuki to S1.] He said, operating the machine guns to give Chisuke cover. [Enemy density is increasing past predicted calculations, Requesting Fire support.]
[Understood, I’m requesting a barrage from Division 1’s artillery emplacements. ETA is 2 minutes.]
[That’s too slow.] Itsuki barked back, [Divert Artillery strike on Enemy Explorers, buy us time. We need to make Sinder and the rest think our vanguard is coming for them. And have Storm 2 and Storm 3 hurry it up! And get Storm 4 and 5 to press harder!] He demanded. [We have the momentum, we can’t afford to lose it.]
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[Got it! But the constructs are pushing back harder than we thought, we need time.]
[Then I’ll buy us some time.]
Stella could sense Itsuki’s attention coming back to her.
[Stella! Chisuke!] Itsuki roared, [Change of plans, I’m abandoning the tank, get clear!]
For a second Stella had questions. The original plan was to link with Storm 2 and 3, and have their combined firepower of 3 tanks to open the way ahead. Except, by how the earlier conversation was going and how rapidly the map was filling with enemy contacts, there wasn’t any room for her to say anything.
How could she?
Only after a minute into engaging the enemy in close combat, she was caught in a situation that was already going off the rails. For every 5 enemy constructs she slew, 50 arose and the incoming groups were getting larger. She had done practice skirmishes like this before in her homeland, but this scale of battle was beyond her. It was frustrating to know that everything she learned so far still wasn’t enough. As much as she wanted to talk back and say that they could hold, now wasn’t the time. She smirked. Oddly enough an excitement ran through her.
This is it. She thought. This is what I’ve been looking for.
Stella had come to the academy to improve and to push herself. Back where she came from she was touted as a genius, but she would get nowhere with all that praise putting her on a pedestal. She wanted to be the strongest, not just called the strongest, not for fame or fortune, but for the respect and prosperity she could gain for her home. It was her duty as the princess of Crimsonia, her life’s mission. It was all for the sake of her family, her friends, and her beloved homeland.
So she followed Itsuki’s instructions. She made way as he throttled his tank’s engine. She had no idea what he had in mind, but he advanced ahead as she and Chisuke held their position. With her back to Chisuke and their pair of trainees at their sides, Stella grimaced. The number of enemies just wouldn’t go down.
[This doesn't look good.] She told them, firing off a flurry of fireballs that erupted into a blaze that broke up a charge of striding golems. [Where’s our support! They should be here by now.]
[Must’ve been slowed down.] Chisuke replied, lunging as he slashed his odachi through a trio of puppet constructs, then jumping back to fall back into formation. [Those other tank pilots aren’t as crazy as ours, and the enemy seems to really have it out for us.] He grinned as one of the trainees threw a grenade into a party of puppet constructs.
Seizing the opportunity, Chisuke tightened his grip. [But who cares!] He shouted, bounding right into the swarm of staggering constructs. [Just keep swinging girly!]
Stella furrowed her brow. [Don’t call me that!] She raged with her switch axe set ablaze in a golden fire. Not one to be shown up, or looked down on, she flourished her weapon and brought it down in a tremendous slash that swept out like a wall of fire. Her power exuded like a firestorm, reducing the enemies in front of her to ash.
Chisuke felt it and shot her a ferocious smile. He was pumped and the edges of his figure heated with a blood red haze as if to challenge Stella’s aura. Swinging out in a wide horizontal slash that kicked up a sharp red whirl of core energy, the puppet constructs around him fell, split from the waist down.
[Get some! You Pieces of Shit Wood!] He laughed loudly in triumph.
From a blind spot, hellhounds pounced and made a go at his arm. Chisuke was going to take the blow to power up but suddenly bullets ripped out from behind him. Their team’s pair of always supportive trainees hammered three round bursts of covering fire to keep him safe. As they focused fire, they got one of the hounds in the neck and it poofed away into black smoke. Then they got another two in the eyes, and those fell with a deathly howl. Falling back before getting to ahead of himself, Chisuke let off an elongating slash that wavered the air with a blood red haze.
From the corner of Stella’s eye, she watched the departing back of Itsuki’s tank. Why he wasn’t backing them up was irking her. [And where is he going!?] She asked, intentionally screaming so that Itsuki would hear.
Chisuke glanced over to where she was looking. A second later he paled. [Shit.] He audibly gulped, [We need to move!]
[What? Why?]
[No time! Just move!]
Like a scared animal Chisuke bolted to find cover and beckoned everyone to do the same. Stella already had a bad feeling about this. In times like this she followed her gut. Removing the enemies in their way, the four of them nestled themselves close to the remains of a felled golem. Any attempt they made to get answers from Itsuki was met with silence. He was acting on the fly, and likely dealing with his own situation as they were.
Facing dead-ahead, Itsuki sped the tank deeper into an approaching mass of constructs. He shot off the last few rounds he could manage before the tank’s engine noticeably began to stall. He locked the tank’s driver lever forward, then pulled himself up and out of the tank’s top hatch. He jumped, rolled on impact, and ran towards where the rest of his team was.
[Brace!] As his sudden warning sounded over the local comms, Storm 1’s tank crashed into a gathering of constructs about 50 meters ahead from what Stella could tell. The golem it had pushed up against brought its fist high over its head to slam the tank. When the hit came down, it cracked the tank like an egg. It erupted into a plume of smoke, likely the engine giving one last cough of life. Though, it didn’t die with a sputter of smoke.
A shockwave hit Stella first, as the tank blossomed into a blaze, taking everything around it. The rushing blast of fire was rapidly approaching their cover. Stella had seen this before, this was the same kind of explosion Itsuki caused during his first fight with Amanda. She had seen the play back, and guessed he had filled the tank with whatever combustible and explosive material he had on him.
And we were on that thing this whole time?!
Stella thanked her lucky stars that she was still alive. But.. How would Itsuki survive this? He didn’t have his augment suit and he clearly didn’t have any cover he could use to weather the blast. Plus, Itsuki wouldn’t make it in time to them. He seemed to know it too.
Itsuki made a sudden about face, quickly knelt and brought out a mat black shield that he tucked himself behind. A tide of fire engulfed him. Stella was helpless to watch the last glimpse of his figure disappear into the flames. She ducked her head down, hugging the ground besides the cover that shielded her. She had wanted to scream for Itsuki to run faster, but it all happened so fast and the fire had taken him. A sudden second of speechlessness overtook her.
Is he dead?
The blast had been so powerful that Stella guessed nothing was going to be left of Itsuki, the tank, or any of the constructs in about 100 meters around them. But to her underwhelming relief, Itsuki’s status was still green in her HUD. She got up from her cover and spotted him already standing back up as if nothing had happened.
[How the hell are you alive!] She screamed. [And are you an idiot!]
Stella was definitely being belligerent and rude, but she could only handle so much insanity for so long.
Itsuki just sighed at her and said, [These fatigues are well made. Their cut proof and fire proof.] He paused to brush a small amount of ash from his sleeve. [Somewhat fireproof.] He corrected.
Stella furrowed her brow. Itsuki had said he had grown up with her father and that he knew him well. She wondered if her father really knew this lunatic. If he did, then she had no clue how he’d gotten along or better yet survive being around Itsuki.
Just then did two new voices connect to their earpieces.
[This is Storm 2, Thanks for waiting. You alright?]
[Storm 3 here as well, sorry about that. Are you sure you didn’t need the tank?]
[No issues here.] Itsuki replied, throwing his charred shield away as he waved his team over to him. The blast had cleared the enemies around them for a time, but already he spotted more of them grouping for a charge at their 1 o’clock. Another enemy line was moving to flank their group, no doubt trying to counter Storm 2 and 3. [Follow the plan.] He said, drawing his team’s attention to an offshoot of enemies forming up at their 2 o'clock. [Keep the enemy's attention and break for the target. We have the target marked 1 mile due south east. On me Storm 1, we’re all taking point, so keep up.] He clutched the handle of a sword at his left waist, drawing out a thin sword.
Chisuke gave a wide grin and Stella pointedly glared at Itsuki as if she wanted no part in being around him. She shortly then had to relent, calming as she exhaled the irritation out of her. With Storm 2 and Storm 3 at their backs, Storm 1 pressed the attack without their tank. The constructs found themselves run down as their own charge fell apart to explosive shells and a rush of bullets that filled them with enough holes to be considered swiss cheese.
Academy students pushed the enemy line back as they engaged with their manifested weapons upclose. Thrusting blades and edged points that flashed like lightning, firing off bolts of energy conjured from focusing energies, and quaking the air with core energy infused punches, the puppet constructs turned to nothing but heaps of scrap. The golems had little chance to get near as storm 2’s and 3’s tanks always found their mark.
For the enemies that moved to flank them, Stella charged alongside Chisuke, who followed meters behind Itsuki. The thin sword from the large rectangular box-like sheath at Itsuki’s side cut with an unparalleled persistence. Itsuki fiercely stepped ahead under the threat of being caught under friendly fire. Yet, Stella heard him yelling for everyone to keep firing, not caring if he got hit.
The deluge of crossfire that surrounded him was what made Stella, and even Chisuke, hesitate to follow. It was frustrating to see that there was such a gap between them. It made the growing struggle against the tension inside her harder to fight. She wanted to be that strong, but the distance to her goal was always so high that no matter how far she tilted her head back, she couldn’t see the top. She thought she was used to this, the pressures of combat and expectation, except alongside Itsuki, those pressures were amped and it was like standing next to a hurricane. There was no respite, there was no end, only the endless battle that went to the next and next.
[Welcome to my world.] Chisuke said all of a sudden, he ducked as a golem’s fist swung over him, he countered, slipping past the puppets guarding it to take out its legs. [Told you he’s insane.]
Stella followed up and slammed her weapon in its boardsword form into a golem’s face, trying to push past the ever growing mental stress inside her. [Does he always fight like this?] She said, catching her breath, [I never knew.. That.. explorers fought this hard..]
[Not all of them.] Chisuke replied, [Just Itsuki in my opinion.]
Stella wryly laughed. [Hah, then I think I’m getting a picture of why you hate this guy so much, he’s.. He’s]
She didn’t have the words to describe Itsuki at the moment. The words like creepy, lethal, or impossible came to mind, though those didn’t feel right. Reckless would fit the feeling, but reckless didn’t capture the whole picture, and impossible didn’t feel right either. If only there was a word that combined all three.
[Just call it crazy.] Chisuke said, moving onto the next enemy. [He’s a crazy bastard and that’s that. But he’s pretty good with a sword, you’d never think he could fight like this since he prefers guns. He’s got some kind of.. Thing.. With them.]
[I can hear you, you know.] Itsuki cut in. [And what the hell do you mean by thing. Guns are just effective, and who are you calling crazy?]
Stella silently agreed with Chisuke's assessment, though Itsuki’s performance with a blade was well beyond her expectations. She failed to think she could best him. Her eyes only saw his sword arm as a blur as he dashed and darted from one enemy to the next. She was amazed that he could talk under that circumstance and at such a high pace. She, Chisuke, and their pair of trainees were making their way through tens of enemies at a time. But Itsuki was matching them in pace all on his own.
He cut down the enemy in front of him in a flash and moved with an efficient.. grace? No, that wasn’t right. Stella again found herself unable to describe Itsuki. She at least found some similarities in his style of swordsmanship. Like herself, Itsuki’s stature was small and he used that to his advantage. He dodge low and ran with his head down to come up swinging with a slash from below that left his opponents not knowing what hit them.
Chisuke scoffed at Itsuki. [Then how would you put it? Because I think crazy fits you well.]
[This isn’t the time.] Itsuki scolded, weaving between a towering golem’s legs to slash and sunder their joints out from under them. He leapt up its crumbling form, vaulting from it to run his blade into another golem. His other hand clenched and slammed one of its glowing green eyes with his fist in a fluid follow up.
Stella had a difficult time keeping her eyes on him. She caught a momentary glimpse of his weapon.. The implement was frail looking except that was obviously a facade. It cut the golem’s thick rocky limbs with an unnerving edge. It wasn’t a manifested weapon, but whatever technique Itsuki was using was well beyond anything she could understand or mimic, even with her S rank core affinity.
This was a good reminder that experience made the difference, she knew her father would agree. As she kept focus on her own fight, she found several brief seconds to gaze at Itsuki. She knew this was dangerous but seeing how he fought up close piqued her interest, like her first fight with Ikki. She wanted to perceive a clue to becoming stronger. Ikki had a strength in spirit that went well beyond human norms. And Itsuki had something too, she just couldn’t put a finger on it.
As explosions of dust from Storm 2 and 3 flew up around him, it made it harder for her to gleam anything as he sprinted from construct to construct. The haze grew denser as Itsuki’s swings kicked up the air. The only way she could follow him was with her ears. Every slash and sudden change in step he made sliced or shifted the air with a sharp hiss, followed by a flashing spark of silver flaking energy.
Just how is he doing all this?
[Phase 4 Complete!] S1 reported in their ears. That broke Stella from her thoughts. [Enemy air contacts detected. Switching to Phase 5! Storm 1, what’s your status.]
Itsuki fell back to join Stella and Chisuke. He shot them a few gestures, telling them to cover him. Stella sent out a wave of blasting balls of fire while Chisuke went headlong into all the danger he could pit himself against.
[Condition Green.] Itsuki replied. [Enemy contacts are thinning. Progress to the target is slow, but I’m ready to deploy our countermeasures.]
[Affirmative! Begin Phase 5!]
[Roger!]
Itsuki reached for the storage ring on his right arm. Touching it, he selected the battlewalker stored inside through his HUD. The 3 meter tall robotic humanoid mech appeared standing poised behind him with its powerpack humming to life. [This is Storm 1 to 00, Uplink established.]
[Query.. Uplink Signal confirmed.] Said 00.
00 maneuvered and spread the battle walker's bipedal bracing legs apart. The soles of the walkers' metallic toes clawed deep as its arms actuating joints whirred to shouldered the flak rifle up. The oversized rifle seemed to aim at nothing but the blanket of gray clouds above. From everyone's point of view the mech would hit nothing at this rate, though from 00’s outlook it had its eyes on the prize.
[Targets locked, Shoulder Mounted Missile Ports, Opening.. Adjusting Aim.. Pneumatics Primed..] After a second of pause, 00 actuated the walker's trigger finger. [Engaging.]
The flak rifle thumped in an in step rhythm. Four measured beats repeated without slack or error. The shoulder mounted missile ports followed suit and hissed, releasing compressed air as they launched their payloads. As each port emptied, the missile ports disconnected from their shoulder mounting hard points, falling off so that another mounted missile port could materialize from the walker’s onboard storage ring system. Fired one after another, sets of 4 trails of smoke shot up like arrows, soaring as if to strike at god above. The barrage pierced the gray veil, each disappearing spear of light echoed into booming flashes that colored the cloud in the briefest of red and yellow flashes.
[Query.. Enemy Aerial forces will be neutralized in 124 seconds.] 00 reported, running another check on its calculations. It seemed satisfied. [Switching to Phase..] There was a break in 00’s thoughts as its tone suddenly changed to a somewhat annoyed manner. It flipped so fast in mood. [Warning, new hostile Aerial units inbound. Estimation of Total Number, Unknown. They will make contact with the middle guard in 180 seconds.]
[What? Are you sure?] S1 asked hurriedly, [Where are they coming from?]
[Query.. Point of Origin Unknown, insufficient data for any conjecture, but the current quantity of ordinance on this battle walker is insufficient to counter.. I am unable to..]
[Then we’ll improvise.] Itsuki interrupted, [S1, send part of Group Epsilon to my position.]
S1 needed a second to think on the request. Stella heard him snicker a second later.
[Heh, I guess that could work.]
Stella’s gut clenched all of sudden, along with every other part of her that she hadn’t thought could crawl with this unease rising up inside her. This feeling reminded her of the time she had infuriated her father. He struck so much fear into her at that time that she never forgot it. For it to flare up now meant one thing. Trouble.
She scowled, starting to regret her decision in coming to this academy. Though the thought of returning home and being the subject of nepotism seemed far more regrettable.
Why.. She asked herself as she glanced at Itsuki. Why did I have to meet this lunatic! I swear this is all his fault!