The LASR's tiny bullets slammed into the mountainside around the cluster of rocks the snipers were perched on.

While Helen was spraying bullets she actually saw the muzzle flash of the sniper's weapon but there was no time to aim at it. Trying to shoot in the direction of the radio had caused her to expose herself. A bright blue beam slammed into Helen and her LASR, actually striking a glancing blow off the inner side of it and ricocheting into Helen's shoulder where it tore through her body and slammed into the mud behind her, leaving the LASR wrecked and her arm hanging by sinews.

Up on the hill, the sniper slid back behind some rocky cover and activated her skin camo.

"Reinforcements are inbound. ETA two minutes," the spotter neko told her sister.

Yaiba's concerns about an enemy in the area now confirmed, she found herself in the untenable situation of not being able to assist. The target the soldier on the ground engaged was well off in the distance. So she settled for returning to the ground to render what aid should could once the gun fire subsided.

"Taii!" Takeyu muttered but bit his lower lip, he wanted to move over to her and render aid but he didn't know if the sniper was still looking in their direction, if he moved he risked giving the enemy another target to shoot. Though he was brave, and gutsy, he wasn't stupid.

He watched her for a few moments; and then glanced over his cover quickly before moving back behind it. Cursing lightly to himself, he now wished he had taken Helen's suggestion and rigged battery packs to the power armor, would've proved useful here.

Kumiko, having been slightly separate from the other two in her work, hadn't been in quite the same location when Helen started firing back at the presumed sniper. From her position, all she could see of the potential survivor was a little bit of motion, nothing more, and nothing at all of the shooter, wherever they were. That said, she made plenty sure to stay out of sight and under cover where the sniper hopefully couldn't see her. She peered in the direction she could hear Takeyu, not sure if he was going to move to help the injured Taii or not. With the situation as it was, there was no point in Kumiko even trying; there was simply too much distance, and the sniper was probably good enough to spot her if she tried to move around that much. She chewed her lip, trying to think of a way to either get Takeyu's attention, so they could coordinate something, or at least work together to get the Taii out of there.

Choking upon a breath, Helen felt that familiar sting of pain as she lost a majority of control over her arm... though, that was no reason to be discouraged as she dropped her rifle and clutched the limb and tactfully weaved through the foliage, making sure not to rustle any leaves any more than the beating rain and the blowing wind were. Once tucked behind a tree for a moment, she went to work on herself.

Field dressing a NH-27 was easy, at least to Helen, as she produced a thin tendril of hemosynth and metal, which she weaved through her arm and her uniform, actually using the cloth to serve as a means of keeping her arm from simply falling off before her body could mend the flesh back into place. As she went about the knitting of her tissues with her extended tendrils of material, she reached into one of the pockets of her uniform, producing a ration package which she simply did not bother to open, she bit into it, ripping it apart and swallowing the food and the packaging. She needed the fuel for what was to come.

As she took precious seconds, cowered behind a tree, eating her rations, Helen mulled over the situation. I know they got a signal out... they likely called for reinforcements... or even for an orbital bombardment. We do not have much time, the objective survivors are in this area... what we need is a trump.

On that note, she opened an encrypted communication line back to the Eucharis. It was no use maintaining silence since they had already been spotted. Though, she was smart enough to send the transmission on a tight band, which she piggy-backed off of one of the drones.



On that note, she moved through the foliage once more before getting within speaking range of Takeyu and Kumiko as she let her camouflage fade slightly. "Alright you two, I want you to stay low, and keep as many objects between you, and that mountain as possible. I want you two to try to swing around the clearing and get to those survivors before enemy support can get here. I will work to keep the sniper busy... you do not have long to get there, but be careful."

With the order given, she re-established her projected veil as she stepped through the foliage... and into the clearing. She sprinted over the bare rock and in the direction of the STV. She needed the energy from her rations for what she was up to, she had projected a further hologram of the rain falling as it should, instead of the way it clung to her as she made her way to the STV, and the precious machine gun that was mounted to it. She just had to make enough of a distraction for the two groups to meet up.

Takeyu nodded and looked over at Kumiko, and then out toward the mountain and the clearing. He saw Helen move, and then moved himself toward another tree and used some high grass to cover his movement.

He knelt down and waited for a few moments, then looked over at Kumiko and gestured for her to move forward, but to also use the same path he took.

Glancing back around the tree, he looked for a path around the mountain. Gotta keep moving, don't have much time, he said and kept looking.

Yaiba silently made her way over to where Ixta stood. Before approaching him she made the bird call they used as a signal. Then stepped out of the foliage.

"Situation is going down hill fast my friend. The NMX know the others are here, they've exchanged gun fire. Soon they will come or they'll lob artillery." Moving across the area to where she saw the one Neko fire at what was most likely the same damn sniper that had shot her a year ago.

When she approached closer, she whistled again the start of the anthem and waited for a reply.

Kumiko

Kumiko nodded back to Takeyu, deciding to take the same path, though not really because he'd indicated she should do so. No reason to make it easier for them to guess how many of us there are, right? After all, if we use the same path, they have no real way to know who or how many were there. Her head turned at the whistle, confused, since it seemed to be moving as well. "Takeyu-san, hold on. I think they might be moving too." Cocking her head, Kumiko whistled the next few bars back (or tried to), and waited for a response.

~~~~~

Atsukoha, somewhere in the distance

Suko moved slowly but steadily, making her way towards the gunfire she'd heard. She had no clue who it was, but she doubted that any of the other survivors (if there were any) would be so silly as to engage in open combat like that after lasting this long. More to the point though, it was a fairly safe bet that anyone who the Mishhu disliked enough to engage wouldn't be too far from a friend, so checking seemed like a prudent measure. Plus, she'd gotten decent at hiding, so if they needed it, she could help whoever it was disappear if she got the chance.

The storm picked up more now, with leaves blowing and heavy sheets of water visibly moving through the swaying trees. Thunder boomed along with the loud rain and still-playing drum music. The sky was now dim and deep gray and the drones in the air were buffeted and shaken.

The noisy STV was fully equipped. On the rollbar the Type 30 35mm heavy machinegun rested on its mount, covered in beads of water.

Mountain

The snipers steathily had changed position to a new perch a few dozen meters to the left of their previous spot to another spot mostly concealed by dark bushes. Now they began to search for targets again.

"I got a stealther on the STV," the spotter neko said. "Some movement in the grass."

Yaiba stopped when she got a response, remaining in the brush.

"Greetings Soldier, Yaiba-Jôtô Hei of the 3XF. I see you folks encountered an NMX Sniper. I'd stay in the deep brush unless you have something to shield you. I was shot by a sniper in this same place more than a year ago." she said holding her position behind Kumiko.