ON, VSV Astarte
Navpoint Antilla, Near Draseed System
Bukor 26, 936
8:59, Commonwealth Standard Time

As the ships of the advancing Commonwealth force disgorged their frames onto the field of battle, Bahram Wing found themselves to be one unit among many for the first time. Frames of many makes and eras were among those deployed, though most were of the latest Solanii craftsmanship. The thick and bulbous forms of the Haidan, to the slender flitting shapes of the multi-form Raevr VANDR, and even the ailing first-generation Erla VANDR, all were represented.

Squadrons dropped into formation and swiftly set out, gliding on faster than light drives to launch assaults on their various targets, bypassing the massing defense fleet that had marched forward to engage the Vanguard taskforce. Sensors flickered with innumerable signatures, as the single largest battle in Commonwealth history was about to happen.

----

The frame runners of Bahram Wing's 1st Squadron were met with the familiar voice of their missions operator, a curt and somewhat lively woman who had been their lifeline in their last engagement. "Alright 1st Squadron, this is Lanbalri Gellian Romdo and I'll be your lifeline this morning."

"Proceed to Navpoint Babel and disable the orbital defense station. Just be careful not to destroy it or send it on an impact course towards the planet..." A single point lit up in the field of view of those Runners who had deployed, marking a distant point of vision as [BABEL]. Internal displays immediately listed a single large battlestation, roughly the size of a Vayu-class frigate and protected by a half-dozen piloted frames in one of a dozen orbital positions around the blue world that loomed beneath. "We have confirmed light enemy defenses, including six controlling units and automata. Lethal force authorized."

"MACD-type artillery is authorized and will be flown to you in one minute after request, due to distance from the field of operation."

"Confirmed, control. 1st Squadron is en route to Navpoint Babel." replied Mu'Tasim, Famasir spreading it's arms and legs to propel itself forward through the darkness of space. Certain chills ran up the man's spine, chills that were felt in the spine of the VANDR itself. What they were about to fly into would be the height of intensity. The squads current load-out could fit on an assault like this, they just needed to spread their resources carefully.

"You all heard as she said. The defense station is to be disabled, not destroyed. As such, I expect all of you to have the prowess not to cause any unnecessary death. The controlling units will be busy trying to defend the station, so we need to put them on the defensive, have them take their attention off the platform.

"Akjit, you and I will take the Haidans in to attack the controllers themselves. All Haidan units will take those controllers as their priority targets. Reavr units will be on missile support, Zus. All Raevr units will have the stations defense at their primary targets. Erla units will be on ranged fire support, while the Haidans are causing trouble, I want you all making shots on the controllers." The sensors picked up on the station, with his targeting system lighting up potential targets and having his N.I. sort them out to the Squadron. "Don't worry as much over the doll units, but don't disregard them."

His VANDR's claws lit up the vast blackness, his Muted Resonance Shroud blanketing their immediate presence in darkness.

"Akjit, you and I will descend on them first. Afterwards, i need the rest of you, excluding Raevr units, to work on circumventing and flanking the defenders. Multiple angles will make it easier to pick them apart, and I doubt they will eagerly shoot their own station. Reavr units need to manage a distance unless otherwise provoked or fired upon. Remember everyone, this needs to be swift, agile, and quick. Fanir will guide our blows, but the rest falls to you finish the strike."

"Loud and clear sir. Let's mop these guys up and go home." From habit, Kuzman checked all of his VANDR's systems and set out to accomplish his task. While he was more of a direct person in both combat and in person, he understood quite clearly that flanking and other battlefield tactics are what win battles. Iromas standing in a line shooting at each other would be simply archaic.

"Yes sir," Akjit replied to Mu'Tasim. The Ivuori gunned the throttle on his Haidan, but quickly found he wasn't exactly rocketing off - it was slow, with what seemed like easily half of what the Erla VANDR II was capable of. It was big, bulky and slow, just as it's appearance suggested. "Something tells me I'm not going to be able to run away," he spoke to himself, noting the frame's dismal cruising performance.

"Because you won't need to - you can kill everything instead," she sweetly whispered in his ear. And it was true. That was what the Haidan was made to do by the looks of things; kill everything.

Akjit couldn't put a finger on the new feeling he felt swelling up inside of him.

"Sir." Isha was curt as ever, always a sign that she was in the mindset for combat- and perhaps a little nervous. Noblisse tailed Famasir by some distance, and hung left, intent on doing as commanded.

In this brief lull, and despite her best efforts to free her mind, the Field Physician's thoughts were a whirlwind of activity. Strangely she could not really keep track of it all, or chose to ignore it. It was hard to tell which. The feeling was akin to flipping a switch and setting your subconscious on auto-pilot: all the random little thoughts came tumbling forth in a mumble as soon as they came to exist.

Isha! The thoughts stopped.

Yes, Nubia?

Calm, child. It sounded very motherly.

I... yes. I'm trying.

Don't try- DO. And if you can't, ask for help. Don't be a fool. Isha had always been one to take criticism well, but this still stung a little.

Then help me clear my mind for battle.

Together, they sought a peace of mind fit for war.

"Alright" Zus responded to Mu'Tasim informing her the Raevr units were on support duty. She seemed a bit miffed, used to being in the thick of things, even though her frame wasn't exactly meant for it, but, she understood the wisdom of the order. She hung back with the rest of the Raevr's, but took up a forward position amongst them.

"Just tell us where to shoot, and when you need help, I'll be by your side swiftly"she informed the Sund Wakir, determined to do the best she could do to make sure that the squadron would make it home alive.

Paralovi. Zus asked her frame. It responded with a feeling of curiousity.
Are you ready for this? We will need all you can give me, and more. The frame flushed Zus with a sense of confidence and a bit of excitement, and, were she able to, she would have grinned.
Good. Now don't go too overboard, we need to come back alive, too.

NVR forces began to scramble in response to the unit advancing on their defense satellite, while those already deployed from the facility massed and advanced as an initial guard to stop the runners of the 1st Squadron. Arms undocked from the tubular bodies of the AI-controlled automatons, loosing disposable missile tubes which split open and scattered their payload in a wide arc. Glittering orange missile contrails whirled and spiraled from their now-freed hands, followed by loose bursts of laser fire.

Most of the beam fire was ineffective, scoring only a glancing hit on Akjit's unit which was mitigated by his shields, but was followed shortly after by low hundreds of missile lock-on warnings flaring up on their RADAR and HUD displays. The wing had mere seconds to respond to the volley before they ran the risk of being entirely overwhelmed.

"Missile volleys! Countermeasure, spread out, and advance!" roared Mu'Tasim as he rolled upwards, blasting two salvos of flares from his Haidan, while also lasing out others with his LEMB arrays. He kept moving forward, though, even as the missiles bared down on them. "Akjit, push! We need to get into their lines!"

Akjit wordlessly obeyed and fired off as many countermeasure missiles as he possibly could to stave off the incoming onslaught - the glancing beam from before startled him a little, but the sheer amount of missiles more or less pushed him down the sliding slope of panic. I'm not going to be able to evade! I'm too slow! Too slow! Nightmare was right, I'm too slow! A sudden, hard slap was suddenly felt by the Ivuori, and despite all logic, his Haidan went crosseyed with all four of the smaller orange sensory organs.

Regaining his wits, Akjit opened fire with their point defenses, shooting down anything that got through the protective fireworks before hurtling forward.

With a Frame like this, it was all or nothing.

ZUs and Paralovi responded with a volley of missiles of their own, as well as whatever smaller beam weapons they could manage, tracking on their own. However, for her part, Zus took to picking out enemy missiles that had managed to come through the screen and actively targeting any that got too near a wingmate.

Come at us! We can take it! the Eyr Ranr thought, counting down the moments before she could fire more volleys of missiles, keeping up her own barrage without completely depleting her own stores.

The back of her mind, though, was starting to get a bit worried, with Mu'Tasim, and the rest of the wing out front, and her forced to stay in the relative safety of the rear with the other Raevr units.


******

Szemis used an NeN cap, as soon as he could, working to bring his shields up to maximum while spraying beams and whatever missiles he could at the wall of missile fire that was in front of him. He wasn't afraid! They couldn't get him! such were the kinds of thoughts running through his mind as he brazenly pushed forward toward the defense station, readying himself for closer combat.