“There’s no one inside,” he says in confusion over the Comms. “There’s no one inside!”

Reo tosses the shredded husk deeper into the forest.

“Roger that,” Chase says, taking action and blasting down out of the sky as fast as he can. He breaks through the tree canopy to the east. “I’ll take this side!”

Chase aims his Laser at the front cab of the nearest mobile rocket launcher and fires a sustained stream, sawing through the cab until the entire front of the vehicle falls off.

Chase sees that the vehicle has been strangely modified where, instead of fitting a driver and passenger, some sort of electronic device is built in with what looks like a reinforced video camera.

“The launchers too,” Chase calls out. “Someone’s controlling them, but they aren’t here. It’s all remote!”

Chase prepares to fire his Laser again.

[Ronin: Laser overheated. Cooldown commencing – 10 seconds]

Chase lines up his Semiauto Cannon instead and fires a three-round burst. The MRLS explodes in a huge red-orange fireball, knocking trees to the ground and sending debris pelting Ronin at close proximity.

[57 rounds remaining]

[Armor – 71%]

Hearing Chase’s report, Hanami feels restored confidence. She zooms in the camera to max with her Aerial Drone, looking for bursts of gunfire or rockets coming from the forested sections. She tries to tag possible locations of enemies based on this limited data.

“I believe I am seeing three remaining armored vehicles to the west and three launchers; four armored vehicles to the east with two launchers remaining. I cannot get a clean target with my artillery because of the trees.”

She then sends her drone higher, doing a wider scan of the island.

“I do not see any other vehicles or installations on the island so far. Whoever is controlling these things must be doing it from a distance. I think it would be wise for the Medic… for Kora… to get to a safer area.”

The armored vehicles and launchers to the west begin to converge on Bombardier, but the tree trunks provide partial cover, and the enemies in the back don’t want to risk hitting the vehicles in front. Reo uses this to his advantage, sidestepping through the forest, trees crashing with every step. Tree trunks splinter all around him as the firing continues. High caliber bullets crack and bounce off his armored bulk.

[Armor – 74%]

To the east, rockets from the two launchers furiously pound Ronin as the armored vehicles try to spread out for more advantageous firing positions. Chase checks his screen.

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“I’m down to 51% armor integrity!” he says through gritted teeth.

Chase fires another three-round burst from his Semiauto Cannon and destroys the closest launcher.

[54 rounds remaining]

Then he gets an idea.

“Hanami, I’m going to give these woods a haircut!”

Chase puts full power into his Laser and cuts horizontally, lopping the tops off the trees in a wide cone in front of him. Then he jets Ronin backwards away from the zone.

[Laser overheated. Cooldown commencing – 15 seconds]

Meanwhile on the other side of the battlefield, Reo murmurs, “I got you,” before firing a rocket propelled grenade off his shoulder between a row of trees, then another. An armored vehicle explodes, lifting partially off the ground with the blast.

[18 grenades remaining]

Reo aims, checking his accuracy rating, then fires a missile, threading the needle through shattered trees and nailing a launcher. The massive explosion cripples a nearby launcher as well.

“That’s what I call the two-for-one Spam Special!”

[3 missiles remaining]

The sudden switch from defense to offense has drawn the fire away from Kora. Able to catch her breath, she makes a quick decision.

“I hope your armor is holding, big guy,” she says over the Comms to Reo. “I’m going to give Ronin some extra shield support.”

Templar double moves across the ground and ducks in front of Ronin, holding both Directional Energy Shields out to provide additional protection while keeping her Mech lower than his shoulder-mounted weapons.

“Thanks!” Chase says.

Now Hanami sees her opening. The decapitated trees reveal the black vehicles, scuttling like roaches from her drone POV. She launches three mortar shells in rapid succession from her Medium-Range Artillery Gun. The massive blasts shake the ground as they explode over the eastern side, decimating the targets.

[12 shells remaining]

“One armored vehicle left to the east,” Hanami says, checking her screen as the smoke clears. “One and one to the west.”

Chase fires a burst over the head of Templar at the final armored vehicle on his side. Missed! [51 rounds remaining] He hovers into the air, and lines up the shot. Another three-round burst from his ballistic weapon. The vehicle explodes. [48 rounds remaining]

Reo fires a missile at the last launcher to the west. It zips past the retreating launcher and demolishes part of the forest with a fiery blast. [2 missiles remaining] He checks his accuracy rating—50% chance to hit. He fires another missile. Another close miss! [1 missile remaining]

“Come to papa…”

BA-BOOM! The last launcher is engulfed in a massive explosion as his final missile finds its mark.

[Bombardier: Missiles depleted]

There is only one enemy left—the final black armored vehicle. It has nothing to lose, charging at Reo and firing nonstop directly at the cockpit with its high caliber machine gun.

[Armor – 72%... 71%... 70%...]

Kora triple moves across the field, away from Ronin and towards Bombardier. As she goes, she scoops up the depleted shield generator and stows it away. Even though it is advertised as single use she figures, Waste not, want not.

Hanami, watching the final target pelting Bombardier, jets up from behind the rocky outcropping and flies over the smoldering western woods. She lines up a shot from her Long-Range Cannon. Accuracy rating—89% chance to hit. The shoulder-mounted weapon lets out a mighty CRACK as the vehicle’s roof is nearly blown clean off.

[19 rounds remaining]

An eerie silence descends over the island but for the crackle of dancing flame in the trees and the ringing in the pilots’ ears. One by one they remember to shut off their QPS systems. The battle is over.

“The puppets are destroyed but where is the puppeteer?” Chase wonders aloud.