Planet Makai, Lyran Aliance
The Makai spaceport was busy.
Usually a backwater like Makai would get almost no traffic. The world was mostly jungle, with the capitol city, Pandemonium, being in the only temperate zone. Add in the huge prison complex on the moon of Hokai and it was not a place people wanted to visit.
However it was a place people wanted to trade with. There was a lot of agricultural wealth on this planet, and food and medicines harvested from the jungles kept all of the more urbanized planets within two jumps running.
Thus the space port was always filled with Overlord class dropships, each unloading the heavy industry Makai needed to run, then getting filled to the brim with goods to transport out. The tiny Leopard class dropships like the one that dropped them off were less common, but still out in force.
Of course, Shanghai noted, her squad didn't exactly look like any of the spacers going about their business.
Shanghai smirked as a crowd of fuel techs stopped their idle chitchat and just stared at her crew. One that broke into a smile when Reimu shot her a dark glace.
?Do you have to carry those swords with you wherever you go?? Her commander asked sharply.
?Yes ma'am,? she replied cheerfully.
Marisa laughed. Sanae did as well but it was more nervous. ?Um actually I'm a little more worried about the tattoos...?
Yorihime just raised an eyebrow slightly and smirked. Toyohime hid her chuckle behind a fan. ?Don't worry. Anyone smart enough to know what these mean is smart enough to know we aren't a threat or an easy victim.?
?Probably,? Reisen added as she folded her own tattooed arms.
Shanghai rolled her eyes. Reisen was always a worrywart. Still that was a good trait in a comm tech, and an even better one in a lookout. It was probably something she'd picked up in her time as a 'rabbit,' as the yaks called their petty thieves. And no matter how panicked the girl sounded, she never backed down under fire.
Marisa just kept walking, ?I'm sure they get weird people all the time around here. So long as we go about our business they'll forget about it fast.?
Marisa turned out to be mostly right. Customs gave them a bit of a hard time, but mainly because the teams paperwork was deliberately designed to look out of date.
The officials worked themselves into a tizzy over the discrepancies, figured out what the differences were between the new and old documents, and then confirming they all matched up. Of course by then they'd forgotten to authenticate the papers themselves to make sure they weren't forgeries, but hey, that what you get when you pay your security guards barely more then minimum wage.
Tokiko met them at the exit gate with a hovervan. Shanghai gave her demo master a friendly nod then chucked her gear in the back. ?Do you need me to drive, or were my directions clear enough?? Shangahi asked.
Tokiko smiled briefly. ?This city was actually planned by someone with a brain, so we should be fine. Not like those crazy Drac cities with their 2-3-4 Chou 3-2 street garbage.?
?Alas, our illustrious coordinator only has so much time for his great reforms, thus fixing street naming was not among them,? replied Yorihime with a shrug.
As the mech pilots started piling into the hovercraft Shanghai felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Figuring there was only one person who could sneak up on her like that Shanghai stepped back away from the rest of the crew and quietly asked, ?What is it Rin??
Rin Satsuki materialized next to her. The squads second sniper had an almost supernatural ability to avoid attention. Shanghai was almost certain that most people who saw the group leave would have missed her entirely. Still Rin glanced about to make sure no one was looking before replying, ?There was another suspicious ship in addition to our own. Another Leopard class. Looked like it was designed to hot drop mechs onto the field. Paint jobs old, but there's some obvious Com Star mods on it. Might be nothing but....?
Shanghai nodded almost imperceptibly. ?You get film??
Rin nodded in return. ?Two shots only.?
?We'll check them out at home then.?
Rin raised an eyebrow. ?Is that safe??
Shanghai smirked slightly in reply. ?Don't worry. Everyone there is loyal to Mother first, God second and country third.? Seeing the rest of the crew had just embarked she began moving to board the craft herself. ?If that.?
***
If there was one thing that stayed constant throughout history, it was that a true warrior never missed a chance to sleep. A good commander knew, if their troops didn't fall asleep as soon as they had nothing better to do, then they were getting soft.
Shanghai didn't say this out loud of course. She respected the mechwarriors of the battalion too much to really try to rub their noses in it. After all, while less frequent then Shanghai's training, the ?Yamaxandu's? drills made everyone suffer equally.
The fact that Reimu was a Colonel to her mostly honorary Lieutenant 1st class was another factor.
Admittedly Shanghai probably should be catching some Zs with her squad, but she had other things on her mind. She was going to be spending a week at home, something she looked forward to, and feared equally. There was no chance she'd be able to sleep.
Deciding that just staring out the window and worrying wasn't helping, she decided to do something more productive. ?Hey newbie. You got any questions about us??
Sanae started and turned away from where Marisa and Reimu were probably going over supply details. ?Oh!? Is that alright, I mean, I wouldn't want to pry.?
Shanghai could barely keep herself from giggling. It seemed impossible that Sanae could hit so many of the 'new girl' cliches, but she did. ?Well I won't give away anything private, but I'd like of you to think of us as something more then 'the infantry.' Especially if you're going to be running around with our crew instead of the royal guard or whatever.?
After all, Shanghai thought to herself, Mechwarriors that liked the infantry were less likely to shoot missiles near them during firefights.
Sanae looked worried for a bit more, then finally gave in. ?Okay! Um, well, are those three really Yakuza?? she asked pointing at the trio.
?Indeed,? Toyohime said her eyes flickering open. That was the other trick of the true warrior. Waking up fast.
?My sister and I were the daughters of an influential businessman on the moon of Tsukimi. Reisen here is my sisters pet.? Toyohime stretched a bit. ?We were requesting a former associate of my father's company to return to his employment, when the Nova Cats invaded.?
Shanghai didn't add that this 'request' had apparently required man portable SRM launchers and autopistols. Neither the sisters, Eirin, Kaguya or either of the Reisens were talking about the matter.
Instead she continued the narrative. ?We'd been picked with three other groups to help guard that moon. We got lucky at the start. The Clans always underestimate mercs and no one was expecting the yakuza to have mechs lying about.?
Sanae gaped. ?The Combine Mafia had mechs??
?A full company.? Shanghai shrugged, ?Dracs take their organized crime seriously, apparently.? Toyohime smiled smugly.
?Anyway between us and the yakuza we actually managed to knock them about a bit,? Shanghai sighed. Bbut then they called in their bombers. We only had one air wing, so they blew the crap out of us. Destroyed most of the city too.?
Toyohime continued, ?When the DCMS regulars lost the fight for the worlds surface Reimu ordered a full evacuation, offering space on her ship for anyone still alive. We surviving yakuza figured we wouldn't be treated well if we were captured, so we escaped along with some of the local defenders, and the surviving mercenaries from the other bands.?
Shanghai frowned at the memory. Reimu had held them together surprisingly well, and they'd managed to avoid a lot of deaths, but it was still a brutal beating. ?Yeah, we nearly didn't make it too.? She reflexively crossed herself. ?Clans did their best to keep us from our ship. Poor Chen lost her mom when the command deck took a hit, and she had to pilot the whole dropship from auxiliary, with only Sango and Flan as backup.?
Shanghai shook her head to clear the bad memories. ?Anyway that's how our resident princesses joined up.?
Sanae bowed her head to Toyohime. ?Thanks for telling me.? She then turned her head to Shanghai. ?So, um, about you. You just crossed yourself. Are you Catholic??
Shanghai winced as a stab of guilt went through her. ?Er, something like that.? Looking out the window she could see they were very close to their destination. ?We're about to arrive at my old home in fact.?
?Oh right! You came from this world.? Sanae looked out the window.
The hovercraft slowly came to a stop in front of a moderate sized building with a good sized yard. The building looked aged, but not run down, and the garden was well maintained. Around the place was a wrought iron fence with a gate. Above that gate sat a very worn placard, proclaiming the place to be ?Our Lady of Bethlem's Children's Care Center.?
As Shanghai's crew awoke, Sanae turned from the window to ask. ?An orphanage? And isn't that contraction for Bethlehem the source of the word Bedlam??
Shanghai couldn't help but smirk. ?Yeah, but don't mention that around Yumeko, or she'll give you a time out for sure.?
Planet Suwa, Iron Ring Mech Center
Utsuho stared at the screen trying to make sense of all the circuit lines. ?I am not sure why it is not working, tech Rinnousuke. You have all the circuits set up correctly, and so long as the materials are in order the device should perform to spec.?
Rinnousuke groaned and looked out at the offending PPC again. ?That's what I've been saying too. There's no reason why it shouldn't work just like a Clan PPC. But the thing just isn't doing as much damage as it should.?
Utsuho nodded in annoyed agreement. Mech weapons weren't really her specialty, but the theory wasn't that difficult. Unfortunately even the Clans had yet to make theory match consistently with reality.
She looked over at her friend. ?There is not anything outside the PPC device that would interfere with the process, quineg??
Orin ignored the schematic entirely to look at the weapon itself. This was one of the reasons the two worked together so well. Utsuho was a master of theory, but she had difficulty with concrete things. Like people's names. Orin was much better at constructing things.
?Where is the coolant casing?? Orin asked.
?The coolant casing?? Rinnousuke looked surprised by the question. ?It's on the bottom.?
Orin stared hard at the device for a long time before chuckling and shaking her head. ?Ah, that is the problem.?
?Unyu?? Utsuho looked at the casing, but it looked correctly constructed to her. Rinnousuke seems similarly confused.
Orin pointed at the wiring. ?You made sure that the coolant system will not interfere with the PPC's magnetic field. However the stravag who first slapped together our ER PPCs was not as rigorous. The resulting interference makes the beam more ragged, decreasing range but increasing the impact.?
Rinnousuke took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. ?Are you telling me we made it too good??
?Aff!? Orin replied cheerfully. Rinnousuke groaned again. Utsuho just shrugged. These things happened. ?We just alter the wires until it is properly calibrated. It should only take about an hour.?
?Right.? As Rinnousuke set his glasses and moved to give the instructions to the crews, Utsuho looked over the PPC once again.
It was a marvel of engineering, made even better by generations of Clan improvements. Part of her still felt a twinge of discomfort at giving this awesome weapon to the inner sphere, but a much larger part of her was thrilled that she had been part of the team that had brought such shoddy technology up to the best specifications available in the universe.
She smiled. And soon her designs would surpass those limits.
?This was the last part needed for the areomech, quiaff?? she asked as Rinnousuke turned back to them.
?Yeah.? Rinnousuke nodded. ?The design depends on those two PPCs as a primary weapon, so we needed them to be perfect. Everything else can be covered by our existing technology with minimal loss.?
Utsuho frowned at that. While her designs still packed all of the firepower and armor of a Timberwolf onto an aeromech, she was annoyed that the inefficiency of IS design lost some of the extra armor and firepower she'd managed to put into the Clan prototype. It seemed wasteful to her, and Snow Ravens abhorred waste.
Still there was one addition she was quite happy with. ?Khan Kanako Yasaka has acquired the Laser Anti Missile systems, quiaff??
?Yeah, they came in system today, and they'll be on the ground by tomorrow.? Rinnousuke smiled. ?We'll have a full wing of fighters within 5 months I think.?
Orin grinned at that. ?Excellent. We never managed to get that working. I am not sure why either.?
Rinnousuke shrugged. ?Don't ask me, I'm just a repair tech with an eye for theory. I can't build the stuff from scratch.? He turned off the computer and motioned to the two of them. ?In any case that's all we're needed for. You two should head off to the simulators, that is if you're still crazy enough to want to pilot them.?
?Thank you, Rinnousuke,? Orin said.
---
Planet Suwa, Youkai Busters Training Center
Utsuho found herself looking forward to today's exercises. For the first time they'd be actually be training with proven aeromech warriors. She was curious to see what they thought of her designs as well. She still had pride as a scientist.
When Orin and her entered the room they found they were early. Neither her warrior leaders, nor the Scarlet duo were here. Instead a tall white haired woman and a small woman who'd dyed her hair light pink were present.
Orin of course was quick to speak. ?Ah, greetings warriors.?
As soon as the taller woman turned Utsuho could tell her white hair wasn't dye. She obviously suffered from albinism. Utsuho was surprised that someone with that affliction would be fighting as a warrior.
?Ah hello. I'm Mokou. Fujiwara no Mokou.? the tall woman said.
The smaller woman nodded in greeting as well. ?Mystia Lorleili.?
?So you are also trying out for the aeromechs?? Orin asked.
?Yep,? Mokou replied. ?I had to learn both at the academy anyway so I'm getting my mech training back into top shape.?
Utusho raised an eyebrow at that. ?You are a pilot? Does your size not work against you??
Mokou frowned deeply, as did Mystia. ?Why would it? And why are you asking? You're taller then me.?
Utsuho and Orin both jumped at the woman's harsh reply. ?Ah, my apologies warrior. The Clan breeds aerofighter pilots to be small. I was worried my size might be a disadvantage.?
?Hmph.? Mokou violently flipped her hair behind her. ?Maybe, but it's nothing a good pilot can't overcome just by reflex. You've seen that huge Unzan guy, and he must be a hot hand to still be alive as an aeromech pilot.?
?Indeed. I can not reject that data point,? Utsuho said. ?And it gives me comfort.?
Mokou gave a faint smile at that.
Further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Satori Komeiji, Koishi and the Scarlets. Utsuho gave the true warriors appropriate respects and retreated to the back with Orin. They were still unproven after all, no matter what the Inner Sphere people said.
Shou and Nazrin entered soon after. ?They look like abtakha themselves,? Orin quietly said beside her. Now that her friend mentioned it, Utsuho could see the two seemed uncomfortable with their new uniforms and patches. The mercenaries seemed to not have a standard uniform, but they couldn't wear Word of Blake fatigues. That would only cause confusion. So Khan Kanako Yasaka gave them Suwa uniforms.
Still the two quickly regained their focus. ?Peace of Blake be with you all. Our apologies for not starting focused training earlier, but we wished to see the miracle of new technology that the spirit of Blake had granted you. Learning how to use these new systems to their best potential required a great deal of study and prayer.? Shou smiled. ?However that gave us time to review your performance data as well.?
?Now we'd normally praise Blake for his revelations, but I'm sure you terrible heretics are already sick of that.? Nazarin stated with a smirk. ?So instead we'll get straight to the training.?
Shou sighed then smiled again. ?Indeed. We'll be focusing on your aerospace prowess first.?
?Forgive me warrior,? Satori Komeiji said, ?but most of us have great skill in aerocombat. Why focus on this??
?An aeromech's just a mech if you can't bypass enemy air cover,? Nazarin said reasonably. ?Besides we've got some tricks to teach you.?
?And the best way to show you that is in combat.? Shou pointed to the simulators. ?May the light of Blake grant us all revelations.?
------
Utsuho kept a close eye out as she flew. She wasn't sure what training style these warriors preferred, but Eiki had taught her to always keep her eyes open.
Shou's voice crackled over the radio. ?Sisters, you are passing over the main enemy lines. We are picking up a flight of four Shilone fighters moving to intercept at 10 o clock. You are cleared to engage.
?Engaging.? Utsuho clicked over to Orin's frequency. ?Long range fire then mix and break??
?Aff,? Orin replied as she closed the distance between the two.
Utsuho forced herself to breathe slowly as the range finder slowly decreased to weapons range. Finally the targeting reticules flickered red and she pulled down the two PPCs triggers. Lightning burst forth from her weapon pods across the sky.
She didn't bother looking to see what damage she'd done, she simply moved up above Orin's fighter then pulled away as quickly as she could. The blue of heavy laser beams and automated warning sirens told her that the enemy had unleashed their own barrage as well. Utusho grunted as the massive G forces slammed her against the seat and just kept pulling. Shilones carried missiles as well as lasers.
When she'd turned 90 degrees she pulled up and tried to take stock of the situation. She smiled to see one enemy fighter down. She'd gotten a lucky cockpit shot. As a bonus the man's wing had panicked, preventing him from following her.
Orin hadn't been as lucky, dealing pure armor damage with her hits and getting both of the bogeys on her tail. Still, their initial maneuver had worked to shake the missiles.
?Do you need assistance Orin?? Utsuho asked as she turned back towards the fray.
?Neg,? Orin's voice sounded a little strained but still cheery. ?I can hold them off until you destroy the fourth. Maybe even catch one.?
Utsuho broke off her turn and started towards the free plane. ?Aff.? She kicked in the thrusters and started towards her prey.
As she began approaching within weapons range of the ship it seemed to stutter and then abruptly turned in a new direction. Utusho's eyes narrowed at that. It seemed like one of the instructors had taken over the simulated craft. ?This may take longer then original estimates Orin.?
?That's always the way with you scientists.? Orin chuckled. ?Fortunately I almost have a lock with my rear SRMs. I'll finish off these two on my own.?
?Of course Orin.? Utusho kept her disbelief out of her voice. She focused instead on her now stronger opponent.
And what a difference it was. It took all of Utusho's efforts to keep the enemy aerofighter in her sights. Her foe didn't just pull three or four gee turns, the pilot kept randomly adjusting thrusters. Utsuho learned rapidly to default to slow. If you were a little slow you could speed up, if you were too fast you would blaze past your foe and give them a perfect shot.
?Got it!?
Orin's cry of triumph distracted Utsuho for just a second, but that second was too long. Her opponent took advantage of her slowing down in order to slam on the afterburners and climb. Utusho swore and sped up to follow after the enemy. The other pilot was going nearly straight up, and Utsuho was trying to correct her flight to get a proper targeting profile.
Then her foe cut engines.
Utsuho blinked as the enemy craft dropped right past her weapons. Then her craft shook as the Shilone emptied her weapons into her. Red lights flicked on as one of her heat sinks went down. She was lucky the range was too short for LRMs.
Utusho's mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do. Her opponent was dropping away now as the Shilone stalled. There was no way Utsuho could match that stall and get back in behind her foe.
Then clarity struck. She could do something better then stall.
She turned off her own jets and pulled the transformation lever. There was a grinding of gears as her aeromech shifted into it's mech form.
And then she dropped like a rock.
Her stomach churned a little as zero G kicked in, but her targeting reticule freed up, allowing her to point her weapon straight at the fleeing fighter. The fall was a little hard to compensate for, but her computer quickly kicked in and aided her.
When the lock tone kicked in Utsuho fired all her weapons.
The Shilone tried to dodge, but it was too late. The twin PCCs slammed into it's left wing right before all twenty four SRMs impacted. The resulting explosions ripped the entire left side of the craft to shreds.
Utusho pulled the lever again to revert back to aerofighter mode. As she finished transforming and leveled out she looked on her radar to find Orin had taken out both of her foes. ?Congratulations Orin. How did you do it??
?I saw your move and did it to my pursuer before she could force me to learn it,? Orin replied. ?Do we pass the test??
Shou's chuckle came over the airwaves. ?You pass this part. Your mission isn't over until you land, warriors. Continue on to your destination. That's not the only trick we have to teach you.?
Utsuho nodded absently. ?As you command. Orin, take my wing please. We have a long flight.?
-------
Planet Suwa, Suwa City
?I'm surprised, Shinki. Normally when we go out Yumeko insists on accompanying us.? Byakuren stated as they walked through the open air mall. ?Has she finally decided I'm not secretly a Lyran agent??
Shinki laughed lightly. ?Oh she knows that already. She doesn't trust you because you seem too nice. As for why she isn't following us.? She turned back to smile at Alice. ?We already have a chaperon, don't we Alice dear.?
Alice groaned. ?Please don't call me a chaperon, mother. It makes it sound like you two are dating.?
Shinki's smile twitched a little upwards and she looked over at Byakuren who gave a conspiratorial nod. ?Well it has been a while since your father passed away...?
?Don't even joke about it,? Alice muttered while looking away.
?Ah, you see, my older children don't let me have any fun,? Shiki heaved a mock sigh. ?I hope your trainees aren't as over protective.?
?Hm... Not that bad, though they do have their moments.? Byakuren's smile softened. ?But I can't complain too much. After all they did come to rescue me. My only fear is they're more loyal to me then Blake's vision. Though perhaps Shou would claim they could not abandon one for the other.?
Shinki nodded at the other woman's soft words. That was perhaps the main connection between the two women. They both shared the same feelings of responsibility, love, and gratitude towards warriors they had personally trained or raised. It was hard to explain to the younger commanders, and honestly it wasn't something to complain about. And it was the one connection that brought a rather poor Catholic spy turned orphanage matron and a crazy Blakeist mechwarrior together despite their different world views.
Though it helped that for all of Byakuren's craziness she didn't share the Word of Blakes need to bring about the apocalypse personally.
?So, if it's not too much to ask, what convinced you to retire?? Shinki asked.
?Ah.? Byakuren hesitated for a bit, and chewed on her lip. ?That's...?
Shiki raised her hands. ?You don't have to explain if you don't want. I can understand that sometimes field commanders have... certain things go wrong.?
?No, no.? Byakuren sighed. ?You must understand my failure comes not from anything I did in the field. I have regrets, but I always served my best for Blake. No, my failure was in command. I led my people astray.?
?When you joined the word of Blake?? Shinki asked quietly.
?Yes.? Byakuren shook her head. ?I disagreed with the Presenter Martial. I still do. But in my disagreement I failed to reason clearly. He was right about Com Star having lost it's way. The Primus had lost her mind trying to bring about prophecy. She wanted to destroy the world in order to prove Blake right, not protect the world to save people from the destruction he foretold.? Shinki shook her head. ?And I was too foolish to see that. I led my people further down that path of madness instead of trying to work with the sane in order to reform Blake's works in a better manner.?
Shinki nodded slowly. ?I see.? She personally thought ComStar's changes were all for the better, but she didn't feel like throwing it in the contrite woman's face. ?So you question your ability to lead??
?Yes.? Byakuren looked up. ?And honestly my reflexes really have gotten much worse. It's best for Shou to take control of her destiny.?
Shinki nodded. ?At some point you have to let the kids leave the nest.? She smiled and turned back to Alice. ?Though visits are always nice.?
Alice sighed ?Visits are nice but-? Alice's eyes suddenly shot wide open. ?Look out!?
Shiki instinctively rolled forward away from the threat and drew her laser pistol. She landed in a firing crouch just in time to see Byakuren punch a knife wielding woman in the throat. Further down the street she saw a man raise a gun, so she burned him down with a sustained shot.
Behind her two more people approached, but Alice produced a small iron wand and moved it in a complex gesture. The two men exploded as the invisible monofilament whip cut them into pieces. As the civilians caught on and started screaming she positioned herself behind a car and checked for other threats on this side of the street. Byakuren quickly arrived beside her, holding a laser pistol as well. ?I hit the first attacker too hard. I fear he's dead.?
?Unfortunate. Yumeko would have had questions for him.? Shinki confirmed this side of the street was clear, then winced as bullets started hitting their cover. ?They seem persistent.?
Alice rolled behind a car of her own then popped up with two SMGs and started blazing away. The young girls style caused conniptions among most professional shooters, but she made it effective with her dexterity.
Shinki took the respite to pop up and begin her own suppressive fire. Bykauren quickly rose beside her and began firing as well. ?Is that a Sunspot pistol? Very nice.?
?I see you have a Deadeye yourself. Not a bad model.?
Shinki smiled grimly. The banter might have been cocky, but it seemed they did have the advantage. The three women had killed at least three more assailants, and the rest were keeping their heads down. It seemed their ambushers had made a mistake somehow. And now Shinki would make them pay for it.
----
Nue looked down at the chaos. ?Holy shit! What the hell are those guys?? They'd taken out the disguised assassins easily, and then shot down the reinforcements seconds after they came into play. This wasn't how black ops was supposed to go outside of movies.
?Filthy apostates,? snarled the mission's leader. ?Alright, signal the snipers.?
The two other members of their party pulled up rifles and started firing down at the three targets. Nue on the other hand ducked down. This was not her fucking thing! She was starting to seriously regret coming to this ambush. Especially since she hadn't been part of any of the briefings.
She began regretting it even more when one of the snipers heads was flash boiled from a laser shot. ?Dammit! I thought this was supposed to be a low key ambush!?
The commander snarled. ?That was our hope. But I fear it has failed. I guess they will be ready when the rest of our troops arrive.?
?Rest of your troops?? Nue stared at the man.
?Well yes. We need to claim the new technologies being created here.? Both of them winced as the other sniper screamed and fell back with three SMG rounds in his head. The commander swore. ?I guess we'll have to use the car bomb.?
Nue's mouth dropped open. The mall wasn't packed, but there were still dozens of people there. There was no way a car bomb wouldn't kill innocents. ?Really??
The man didn't even acknowledge her. He just pulled out a modified cellphone. Nue watched as he punched in a code.
Her hand moved before she even realized the choice she made. The needler pistol in her hand barked twice, shattering the cell phone and peppering the man with deadly fragments. He reared backwards from the pain, then jerked and crumpled as the sub machine gun from below opened up again.
Nue held her breath as silence descended on the mall.
When the sirens kicked in she ditched the needler on the body of the dead sniper, then crawled towards the fire escape as fast as she could. She didn't want to be around for when the police began to search the roof.
Once she was off the roof she joined the civilian crowds trying to get the fuck away. Fortunately she looked about as panicked as the rest of them, so anyone looking at her assumed she'd just gotten a scare from the firefight. Not from being on the losing end. She followed the crowds for five or six blocks, then as they began to thin out she jumped into an alley way and started towards one of her safe houses.
It took more effort then normal to keep her composure when walking the streets, but she doubted anyone noticed. The police probably wouldn't figure out the gun had been used by a fourth person until a day had passed, and her fingerprints weren't on anyone's files so there was no need to worry on that account. She had far greater reason to fear her employer.
After ten minutes she reached the tiny studio apartment that she'd rented as a safe house. She casually walked in, then changed clothes, grabbed another pistol then considered her options. She was stuck on planet with no easy way out, and she'd just screwed up the plot of a mad apocalyptic cult.
She didn't like her options right now.
Nue paced back and forth in the small apartment, trying to think of a way to get out without surrendering to the local authorities or being hunted by Word of Blake through all known space.
Finally she gritted her teeth and headed out again. She was out of options.
She headed north one block and waved down a taxi. ?Okaya,? she said as she hopped in before leaning back and looking out the window. The man took the hint and didn't try to engage in small talk as he drove off. News of the ?terrorist attack? was all over the radio, but it seemed that the planetary government had focused their efforts on checking the spaceport and airport. Good. They wouldn't find her then.
It was two hours later when the cab dropped her off at Okaya's main boulevard. Nue paid the man, then tossed on a reasonable tip to make sure she was forgettable. Putting the cab driver out of her mind, she walked into a nearby hotel, lingered in the gift shop, then headed out the back into the alleys of the city.
It was another two blocks to the ?abandoned? Com Star facility, then another thirty feet to the hidden entrance.
The Presenter was there as she walked in along with a single guard and a tech. He whirled as she entered. ?Nue?! What happened? The whole operation-? His speech cut off as she shot him twice in the chest.
She quickly adjusted her aim and cut down the guard using three shots this time. The tech turned to flee, but she fired two more shots to bring the woman down.
Nue re-holstered her weapon and moved to the hyperspace pulse generator. It was a marvel of engineering, able to send information faster then light. And better yet, now that ComStar had started to secularize, a spy like her could learn how to use it.
She carefully set the coordinates, then typed out a short message before turning on the machine and running into the night.
?I've fucked up big time Mamizou. Could use a hand. -Nue?
-----------
Planet Suwa, Chairman's Office
Kanako drummed her finger along her desk as she considered probabilities. She didn't like surprises. As a general she'd gotten used to them. In fact she considered herself good at handling them. But she never liked surprises.
She sighed then turned her attention back to the others in the briefing room. ?My apologies. I wanted to confirm the information we've gotten so far.?
Byakuren and Shinki were both present, and flanked by their respective bodyguards. Even if neither Yumeko or Ichirin would admit to that position. Kanako figured those two would find it difficult to get a free moment for a bit. Reimu was there as well, along with Yukari.
?We are now certain this was a Word of Blake attack, designed to assassinate Byakuren Hijiri. We confirmed this both by interrogating the one survivor, and because a hyperpulse transmission was spotted from our old ComStar station.?
?So it had no connection to my questionable past?? Shinki asked quietly.
Kanako drummed her fingers a few more times. ?Unfortunately, we are also certain that there is a third party involved as our investigation into the matter found some of the Word of Blake spies already murdered.?
?So we aren't certain if the LAFF is going to drop in on us then,? Yukari said darkly.
?Not certain, but unlikely. If the Lyrans had known about us they'd have started moving already. They don't care if Hijiri is dead or not after all. We believe the third party to be a freelancer.? Kanako sighed again. ?Our spies will be working full time, both to try to find this third party and to keep an eye out in case we're wrong.?
?What are the chances there will be another attack?? Byakuren asked.
?Almost certain.? Kanako turned to the view screen and flipped it on, showing a holoprint of what was obviously a Draconis Combine government building burning with three broken mechs outside it. ?Word of Blake has shown it doesn't care about the power of governments or diplomacy. Their assassination of Percival Fillington on Hachiman was done openly. We can expect a similar small unit strike in the future. Fortunately they also seem to get the hint when their attacks fail too often. A bloody nose should send them home for good.?
Byakuren shook her head sadly. ?I'm sorry. It seems I've caused you trouble.?
?Eh, NBD.? Reimu waved her hand. ?Unless they bring more then a company it's no different from bandit raids.?
?Don't tempt fate Reimu,? Yukari said. ?It's bad luck.?
Kanako smirked a little. ?Well we do also have our warships. The Native Faith is back in orbit, which should give any unexpected system traffic pause. However I'd like it if you sped up your training regime.?
?If we speed it up any more we'll have pilots before we have machines to put them in,? Yukari pointed out. ?That's not great for morale.?
?All of the pilot candidates are aerofighter qualified right?? Kanako asked. ?In that case we can supply them with standard aerofighters while they wait. No one will be dispossessed on my watch.?
?The four clan girls aren't qualified.? Reimu pointed out. ?I figure the warriors are up for it, and that tech girl managed in battle, but I'm still not sure about the scientist.?
Kanako paused a moment. Keeping Utsuho on as a scientist permanently was tempting. That girl had ideas. Usually weird ideas, but ideas that could blossom into great advancements. It seemed foolish to put her on the front lines.
On the other hand she'd used Utsuho rather badly already. Because of Kanako the girl had a death sentence from her old clan.
In the end she chose to let life run it's own course. ?Well then, you'll have to see if she's got what it takes to be one of the first aeromech pilots then. I leave it to your discretion commander.?
?Thank you, Chairman,? Reimu replied dryly.
Kanako nodded. ?Now that we've cleared that up, let's discuss our security plans. While you aren't required for this Shinki, you can stay if you wish. I've heard you're good with security...?
------------
Commercial jumpship Strawberry Crisis, Free Worlds League periphery space
Yumemi looked over the manifest list. ?Is there anyone worth picking up Chiyuri??
Chiyuri groaned and shook her head. ?Sorry boss. It all seems to be singletons. I got an offer from a merc team that's almost enough, but not quite.?
?Ugh.? Yumemi leaned back as far as her chair would allow. ?Kana, how long before we start losing money just from sticking around??
?We've still got three more days, captain,? the girl cheerily replied.
?Well that's something at least.? Yumemi punched in sensor data to look over her competitors. ?And if more jumpships don't show up we may end up getting booked just out of necessity.?
The crew all returned to their various pursuits. Yumemi opened up some of the new research journals that had made it to this part of Marik space, while Chiyuri and Kana amassed space fleets against each other on some hologame.
Five tones brought a frown to Yumemi's mouth. ?Looks like some new people jumped in. Chiyuri??
?On it.? Her first mate tapped a few queries into the computer then whistled. ?Whoa! Well these guys won't be stealing our business.?
Another keystroke brought the new arrivals on screen. Yumemi found herself awed as well. ?Warships. Three of the damn things.?
For over a century warships had been all but forgotten, the technology needed to keep the massive vessels running lost to the violence of the succession wars. Then the Clans had returned and brought their own warships. ComStar had it's own fleet, but it was too small to match that of the Clans. So they released how to build and refurnish the behemoths the successor states had mothballed years ago. And with that warships once again returned to active duty.
Yumemi tried to look over the designs a bit. ?Hm... Those are Word of Blake, not Marik ships. I wonder what classes they are??
?I dunno but they apparently don't have much in the way of carrying capacity. Looks like they're full up,? Chiyuri looked over the ships. ?They've got a lot of troops though.?
?Maybe they're going to Terra,? Yumemi mused.
Another tone caused Yumemi to start again. ?What's that??
?Comm transmission,? Kana replied. The girl hit a few buttons to buffer the message then opened up a patch on screen. ?Can't do two way, but given signal delay...?
The message composed itself into a woman wearing WoB fatigues and what looked like admirals tabs. ?Greetings captain of the jumpship Strawberry Crisis. I am Alia Sanders of the Word of Blake. Your vessel has been honored with a special purpose this day.?
Yumemi's eyes opened wide. ?Oh fuck no.?
?We have need of a transport vessel in order to bring mercenaries loyal to Blake to our theater of operations. Yours is the only one capable of matching our fleet's speed. With the will of Blake so obvious we are certain you will join our cause.?
?Are they pressing us into military service?? Chiyuri yelped. Yumemi just ground her teeth.
?We of course will pay you proper rates for your services, though I'm sure it will not be necessary.? The woman's eyes narrowed. ?Just as I'm sure it is unnecessary to remind you that our missiles can shatter small jumpships before they can reel in their jump sails.?
?Once again we praise your loyalty to Blake's cause. Know you will be rewarded spiritually for this.? The comm-stream cut off, leaving Yumemi to seethe.
?Um, captain?? Kana turned towards her, a look of worry on her face. ?What should we do??
Yumemi closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. ?What can we do? They've got the warships.? Yumemi slammed her fist down in anger, then took a deep breath. ?Give me a moment to get my composure back and I'll send them our surrender. Then clear docking bay three.?
?At least then we won't have to talk to the bastards more then needed,? Yumemi muttered.
Planet Suwa, Youkai Mountain Airspace
Utsuho had to concentrate to keep her breathing from becoming ragged. She was heading back to base as fast as she could, but because of the pirate point enemy fighters and dropships had already entered the planet's atmosphere. And they were between her and home.
The radio chatter was not helping either. ?What the hell happened with our warships?? ?The bastards brought four fucking regiments of aerofighters!? ?Blue three are you okay? Blue three respond!? ?They've taken out radar control at Okaya city, we're flying blind up here!? While the speech was filled with inner sphere jargon, the tone was the same as the battle when she'd been captured by the forces of Suwa. That was not a good sign.
Finally Kyoko's high voice cut through the chatter. ?This is AWACS Echo! I'm taking over command. The current battlefield is over Okaya city and environs. All local Aerofighters converge there. Blue and Black flights, fall back, regroup then attempt to regain control of the air space. Your primary targets are the Dropships. All ground forces in Okaya prepare for a fighting retreat.?
The leader of the Stukas guarding Utsuho opened his own channel. Utsuho was impressed by how calm his voice was. ?Echo this is Escort one. What are the orders for X flight??
There was a pause, then Khan Kanako Yasaka's voice came over the line. ?Escort flight and X flight, you are to combine into Red flight. Escort one has lead. Break the enemy formation and proceed home after dealing as much damage as you believe possible!?
Utsuho's heart skipped a beat. She was being ordered into combat as a warrior! Fear, excitement and anticipation seemed to blend together within her into something new.
?As ordered command. This is Red one. Red three and four form on my right. Keep your eyes open and try not to die, nuggets.?
?Aff!? Utsuho and Orin replied at the same time. Utsuho moved her plane to just off the leads right wing as they began to crest the top of the volcano.
The first thing she saw as they burst over the volcano was the explosion of a fighter. Enemy fighters swarmed the skies, while dropships slowly drifted towards the surface. A few allied fighters zipped among the massive invasion fleet, creating swirls of chaotic death. Missiles and lasers swirled within small deadly clouds as warriors dueled in the sky.
?Red flight, you are cleared to engage!? Kyoko called out.
?Aff! Red Three engaging!? Utsuho replied. The formation loosened up almost immediately as they all picked targets. Utsuho decided on a Thrush that had not seen her yet. It was almost too easy to line up the craft as it arced towards some other distant target.
When the crosshairs turned red she pushed the firing button, sending two PPCs into the light craft. The Thrush shuddered, then exploded and died as it's fusion engine lost containment.
?First kill, Utsuho!? yelled Orin. Utsuho beamed widely in response. She had done it! She had bested a warrior in combat.
?Don't get cocky,? Red two said. ?That got their attention. Incoming at ten o'clock.?
Utsuho looked up and saw a four wing flight angling towards them. Corsairs. Stronger then the Thrush, but no match for her Timber Wolf mark three. ?Going head to head,? she replied as she moved to engage the new threat. Orin glided in by her side as the two Stuka's moved in as well.
As the two groups reached long range they began firing. Utsuho's twin PPCs missed high, but Orin's shots sent her target to the ground trailing smoke. ?Splash one, Red four.? Red one's heavy laser barrage took out his target, while Red two got mostly armor. The Corsair's return fire only hit Red one.
When they hit short range Utsuho locked her short range missiles and fired. A shudder from her craft warned her some of the Corsair's small lasers had hit, but it didn't matter. The other craft exploded as Utsuho's missile barrage ripped into it.
A sharp warning tone caused her to pull up. ?Missiles!?
She pulled up and left as the sky rocked with explosions. ?Red one eje-? ?Red one is down.? ?Freebirth! That was a dropship!?
Utusho quickly realized Orin was right. One of the dropships had decided to add it's own fire to the dogfight. The massive barrage had hit their leader, leaving his Stuka a burning wreck. Worse it had forced them to break formation, and enemies were sweeping in to get on their tails.
?Red flight break as needed,? Kyouko's calm voice helped Utsuho banish her fear. She dived towards the ground to pick up speed, then rose again to reenter the dogfight.
Orin peeled off to intercept a different flight. ?I am breaking off Utsuho. Call for help if you require it, quiaff??
?Aff.? Utsuho began moving towards the dropship that had attacked them before, seeking to damage it and stop it from unleashing it's payload of mechs. As she did so four separate craft began descending on her forcing her to break and begin twisting and turning to gain advantage.
The next seven minutes was a haze of high speed turns, rolls and dives. Every time her missiles got a lock she'd pull the triggers. Every time the dropship lined up in her sights she'd fire her PPCs. Twice she'd gotten kill confirmations from Kyouko out of the blue, since she couldn't stick around and watch her missiles hit. The only things she could focus on were evading and the little blue light that told her Orin was still flying.
Suddenly there was a burst of static. ?Red two, respond!? Utsuho shivered a bit. Had they lost both the warriors in their flight? ?Red three, Red two is offline. You are in command of Red flight,? Kyoko said.
Utsuho blinked in shock and was rewarded with an SRM hit for her mistake. She twisted away, avoiding more attacks as she tried to get control of the situation. When she was certain she had broken away she forced herself to state over the comm, ?Red three. Understood. I am taking command of Red flight.?
?So what are your orders Utsuho? Do not die, quiaff??
Utsuho smiled at Orin's cheeky question. ?Aff, Orin. Also it would be nice if you did not break the craft.? She reversed her dive and moved back towards the drop ship for another pass. A missile warning forced her to break away immediately, but she was back ahead of her pursuit.
Kyouko's voice swept over the airwaves again. ?All Suwa aircraft currently engaged, we are not in operational range. Establishing AWACS assistance. All accompanying units you are cleared engage!?
Remilia's voice came strong and clear over the airwaves. ?Roger. Demon flight engage.? Shou's followed quickly behind. ?White flight, redeem the sacred name of Blake.? Another voice she couldn't place called out, ?Yellow Squadron, engaging.?
Utsuho smiled as her radar range increased. Her allies had arrived. They might win this fight. ?This is Red three. If you can spare some assistance I believe we can destroy this Overlord.?
Mokou's voice responded. ?Affirmative Red Three. Sparrow and I will clean those fighters off you two.?
To Utsuho's surprise a Sparrowhawk with a brilliant Phoenix painted on it blew past only seconds later. She'd known the attack craft was fast, but seeing it in action was another thing entirely. The five pursuers she'd managed to accumulate all broke to try to keep track of the small hunter killer craft. Sparrowhawks did not have strong armor, but if you caught one in your aft arc you were usually dead.
Now that she had room to breathe Utsuho could survey the battlefield a bit. The air was a mess of aircraft and dropships, but the difference in forces had been trimmed down to about three to one. Still, there were more dropships and fighters streaming in from space.
She felt Orin's craft move in close to her and she turned towards the Overlord that had been her target so far. ?You are unharmed Orin??
?I only have suffered armor damage. You??
Utsuho double checked. ?There is an oil leak in the transformation gear. If I switch to mech I will be stuck.?
?Then I suggest you do not switch.? Orin replied.
?Aff.? Utsuho checked the rangefinder. ?At one kilometer break right and then arrow in. We target the Word of Blake crest. Use full barrage.?
Orin waggled her wings. ?Understood!?
Utsuho slammed her throttle forward to try to evade any pilots that weren't focused on Mokou and Mystia, then slipped left when her PPCs got in range. The dropships gunners shot between her and Orin while their own shots went true. This time however they didn't break away. As the heat from the PPCs slowly cooled off Utsuho fired another barrage that sent her heat up to yellow.
The four PPCs from their two craft burned through the last armor protecting the ship, then 36 SRMs slammed into the hole and exploded. Utsuho flinched and pulled hard left as secondary explosions ripped out of the dropship.
As Utsuho peeled off a tertiary explosion tore a huge hole in the egg shaped craft, then one of the three giant jets on the bottom shut off. The massive craft unbalanced, then swerved as the two surviving jets pushed the craft violently to the side.
?All craft brace for turbulence!? Kyouko cried as the massive ship tumbled end over end into a neighboring dropship.
Utsuho was slammed against her seat as the two craft exploded. She desperately fought to keep the aircraft pointed skyward as the shockwave bounced her around. Panic struck her as the the ground filled her view, but she forced the fear down and just kept pulling up. She was Snow Raven! The engines she had built would give her the power to escape!
She breathed a sigh of relief as the blue sky once again came into view. When she leveled out she quickly checked her radar. Apparently her escape had brought her close to the city, and she had lost a lot of altitude. She was at the fringes of the fighting now. ?This is Red three reporting. I am fine. Red four, where are you??
?My plane's okay. I am descending to your altitude, Utsuho.? Utsuho looked up to see Orin's craft flying down to join her. And to Utsuho's horror five enemy aerofighters were following behind her.
?Orin dive and break!? she yelled out as she maneuvered to intercept the enemy wing. Orin started to evade, but it was too late. The two Centurions on the right fired their gauss rifles almost as one, and their aim was perfect. The two slugs pierced through the upper armor of the aeromech and out the other side.
Utsuho saw smoke burst from Orin's stricken craft. Screaming in rage she slammed her thrusters forward again, targeting the far right craft. As she streaked in from below her own PPCs shattered the bottom armor of the Centurion. The plane billowed smoke, then caught fire a second before the pilot ejected.
The other four craft all expertly broke away from Utusho's sudden attack and began angling towards her. She knew she was in trouble now, but she did not care. How dare they strike down Orin?!
Suddenly her radio crackled to life. ?This is Orin. I think my craft is going to stop being a plane soon. Looking for a touchdown point.?
?Orin!? Utusho looked around to try to catch a glimpse of her wing. ?Be careful. I'll try to keep these guys off you!?
The harsh tone of a two missile locks brought her back to her own fight. Somehow her enemies had already gotten behind her! A cool female voice came over the open radio. ?We don't murder defeated foes. Just worry about yourself.?
To Utsuho's surprise Shou's voice burst over the radio. ?Toyosatomimi no Miko! Have you truly fallen so far that you would make a deal with the devil in order to face us??
Even more surprisingly the four craft broke off their pursuit of Utsuho. ?Shou. We've been waiting for you. I'd hoped Byakuren could join us too, but since your ally caught Yoshiaka it seems we have a fair fight.?
?So it seems,? Shou replied. ?If you wish to battle us that badly then we shall accept. We will duel in this sector, four on four. We shall prove the righteousness of our cause!?
The woman's voice almost seemed happy at the ultimatum. ?Agreed. All Word of Blake forces, stay out of our dueling grounds or we'll shoot you down ourselves.?
There was another static burst as Shou switched back to encrypted transmissions. ?Utsuho, this is our fight. Tend to your friend, and may Blake's Wisdom guide you.?
Utsuho was still uncertain about what had happened, but she understood honor. ?Bargained well and done warrior. Fight well in the circle of equals.? She pulled away from the duel to try to catch up to Orin.
As she got closer to her friend her stomach began to rebel at the sight of the damage done to Orin's aerofighter. The way smoke was gushing from it, the craft really should not still be flight capable. It was, in every sense of the word, a deathtrap. ?Orin, what are you doing?! Your craft is unsafe. Eject!?
?It is fine,? Orin protested weakly. Utsuho could hear she was straining to keep the craft up. ?I see a lake nearby. I'll land it there. It would be wasteful to lose the plane if I can save it, quiaff??
?Neg Orin! The plane is scrapped. There is nothing to save. Eject now!?
?That's right. We can build more planes,? Kyouko's voice intervened. ?Please eject Red four.?
?Savashri.? Orin snarled. ?I can hold it together!?
?Orin, you idiotic surat!? Utsuho yelled ?You will-!?
?Freebirth!? Parsee's voice shocked Utsuho into silence. ?Any Snow Raven who gets themselves killed just to save a few spare parts is being wasteful. Aim your craft at soft ground and eject. That is an order, warrior!?
?Yes sir!? Orin snapped in reply. Utsuho saw Orin adjust her craft slightly, then breathed a sigh of relief as the plane's cockpit blew off and Orin ejected.
She circled once to make sure Orin had control of her chute before turning back towards the battle. It looked like the dogfight had moved away from the dropships. While the Suwa fighters had damaged the invasion force, the Word of Blake forces had claimed air superiority. With that their beachhead was all but assured.
Utsuho really had no clue what to do in this situation. It seemed doubtful her craft could turn the tide of battle alone. She only had so many missiles, and eventually a lucky shot would break her armor.
For that matter she could tell she was getting tired. High G maneuvers drained a pilot. Even as a scientist she understood that anything over two hours of combat flight was deadly, not just from physical stress, but mental stress as well.
She decided it was best to ask for orders. ?Red three. I have broken through enemy lines. I request additional instruction.?
Kyoko chuckled. ?You've gone from nugget to ace today Red three. I think you can go home. We'll need you for the next sortie too.?
Utsuho blinked then mentally counted. She had in fact shot down five craft. A smile slowly grew over her face. ?Well. I guess I have empirical evidence I can serve as a warrior.?
She was just about to turn away and head back to base when something caught her eye. A small moving craft heading towards the volcano of all places. She clicked on the radio again. ?Understood control. I will finish up here, then head back.? She lined her craft up with the speck, then sped up in order to move past the city and terrain mask.
Ten minutes later she caught a much better glimpse of the craft. ?Heavy stealth transport,? Utsho muttered. Even people in the clans would be hard pressed to place the strange radar deflecting angles of the craft. But what could such a rare and wasteful transport be doing here, away from the battle?
Utsuho wanted to call out a challenge to the craft, but surrender was not something easily done between aircraft. Instead she took careful aim at the tail, hoping that would give the pilots time to bail out. When she was certain of the shot she pulled the triggers.
Unfortunately the pilots took that moment to bank. Her shots clipped the tail, then smashed the wings, sending the craft tumbling towards the ground. To her surprise the craft seemed to hit the mountainside and disappear. No explosion. No smoke. No wreckage.
?Control this is Red three. I have found and disabled a stealth craft. However I can not place where it has crashed.?
?What?? There was a pause as Kyouko thought. ?I'm going to put you in direct contact with upstairs.?
To her surprise it was Shiki Eiki's voice that came through next. ?You say you saw a stealth craft. Did it have red tips on the wings??
Utsuho thought for a moment, then pulled up her computer's recording. ?Aff, commander.?
?Damn. Of all the things...? Shiki Eiki trailed off for a second. ?Very well. Utsuho are you certain you can't switch between mech and aerofighter mode??
?I can switch, but only once. Then I will be stuck,? Utsuho replied.
?What bad luck. Well we work with what we've got.? There was a sigh over the comm. ?Alright. Utsuho, those craft indicate transports equipped to place atomic mines.?
?Freebirth!? Utsuho's eyes widened. ?That is madness!?
?Yes,? Shiki Eiki replied grimly. ?What's worse is the mine is still down there.?
?I don't want to have to ask this of you Utsuho, but you're our only force in the area. I need you to land and take control of the mine. Word of Blake must not have it! Chances are the craft fell into one of the many lava caves beneath the volcano's surface. I'm transmitting a map to you now.?
?The good news is the caverns are a maze, and they disrupt radio transmissions. In addition we have a resupply base hidden there.?
?The bad news is there will be no reinforcements until we reclaim Okaya airspace. You'll be on your own.?
Utsuho nodded slowly to herself. ?Understood. Please give my apology to Orin for not meeting her at base.?
?I will. And Utsuho, I have a message for you. Kanako wants you to know you've proven your loyalty. You and Orin both should consider yourselves free. And Satori and Koishi wanted to congratulate you on becoming a blooded warrior.?
?Seyla.? Utsuho said softly. ?Thank you Shiki Eiki. I will fulfill my orders now.?
Static covered up any further transmissions as Utsuho flew down towards where the crash had occurred. Sure enough there was a small dark opening in the ground. Utsuho carefully switched to mech form, then used her jump jets to decend into the darkness.