RP: Bahram Wing [Bahram Wing Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

[Exhack]

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."

 

[Kokuten]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

"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."

 

[Phe0n1x]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

"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.

 

[CadetNewb]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

"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.

 

[Blackbird Lore]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

"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.

 

[Kai]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

"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.

 

[Exhack]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

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.

 

[Kokuten]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

"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!"

 

[CadetNewb]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

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.

 

[Kai]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

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.

 

[Exhack]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

Glittering blue beams criss-crossed between the advancing squadron and the enemy missile screen, cutting a swath through the barrage and causing them to detonate into a flash of orange and white. Mu'Tasim's defensive barriers glowed faintly as the spatial shear his united projected captured plasma ejected near him, while Akjit's panic attacks neatly cut down any remaining projectiles.

Szemis and Zus meanwhile succeeded in drawing the attention of the enemy automatons, destroying three of their number with their initial salvo with precise impacts to the control modules in their lower abdomens. The remaining remote-controlled units scrambled around the wreckage of their destroyed comrades, raising shields to weather the remnant of the volley. Behind them, a pair of manned units raised handheld plasma cannons and fired bilious gouts of hyperaccelerated fusion plasma at the two.

Zus' radar intercept subroutines immediately lit up at the sudden buildup in energy, allowing her the time to evade. Strangely enough though, Szemis' did not, the high-energy burn of his alpha strike obscuring his sensors. Unlike his sister, he didn't have a chance to evade.

His NI system almost cried out in agony as the shot struck his Erla VANDR II, bypassing his shields and depleting them to an eighth their normal effectiveness and causing his left leg to split open into a charred wreck. Were it not for the protections of his suit and the surrogate mind of his NI, the agony the unit suffered would have been plainly agonizing. Worse yet, with spatial-warping geometry of his unit suddenly fouled, he found himself in an uncontrollable spiral through the air, sensors screeching false positives and internal damage.

He was out of control.

 

[CadetNewb]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

Ok, ok - the point defenses are just as good as the ERLA II.

Missiles streaked in but exploded well away from Akjit at a safe distance, illuminating his bulky titan of a frame as it hurtled closer and closer at the enemy. The sensors on his HAIDAN zeroed in on a pair of the higher performance and piloted enemy units - they were a priority. Without them, the drones would be easy pickings. As Akjit raised his clawed arms, he swore.

"Szemis! They're trying to pick off our support first!"

Quickly taking aim, he let loose dual beams of brilliant blue, the particle lances stabbing out of the Shockflails to converge on one enemy frame.

 

[Exhack]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

The two piloted frames released grip of their weapons as the broad silhouette of Akjit's VANDR burst through the brilliant mire of the detonated fusion missiles, turning to escape and interpose more automatons between themselves and him. The first shot succeeded in destroying the abandoned hardware, causing the fusion cannons to crinkle and warp into uselessness beneath the onslaught of the Haidan's main guns. The second shot impacted one of the NVR frames, smashing through shields in the first moment of sustained fire and stripping away armor plating like scouring desert wind might peel paint from a house.

Both frames attempted to turn to react, releasing a volley of a few dozen fusion missiles to waylay their attacker, while their automatons drifted in more closely to attend to the enemy. Perhaps recognizing the threat that the Haidan unit represented, five of the remaining twenty automatons on the enemy's outer line of defense had moved to attack Famasir to keep Mu'Tasim from attacking as well.

----

A little more distant from the main of the squadron's fighting, Isha Ragnar's Noblisse and Kuzman Nadav's Nuk'dukam were suddenly alerted by their frame's radar intercept and EWAR protocols. The signal was weak and scattered, and took seconds to piece together, but eventually revealed something out of the garbled static caused by the interference of the battle.

... scuttling charges... reactor... preparations in progress...

 

[Phe0n1x]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

Upon deciphering the transmission he immediately alerted Mu'Tasim. "Sir, I think we may have a problem. I just received a staticy message about scuttling charges and reactors. That cannot bode well."

He could feel Nuk'Dukam solemnly agree and then showed Kuzman an image of a giant explosion with an emotion of glee mixed in. Of course you would. You and your explosions. You know, one day you're going to get the both of us in trouble with an attitude like that. Nuk'Dukam merely ignored Kuzman and kept up his happy mood brought on by the destruction of the current battle.

 

[Kokuten]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

"Press the advance!" roared Mu'Tasim unhindered as the enemy presented a line to halt their advance, despite their dwindling numbers. Szemis was suffering intense VANDR failures, but they had little time to attend to the boy's troubles. The fervor of war was slowly overtaking the Temple Guard's mind, especially as he found a small sea of missile coming to overtake them.

"Command!" the Vaytulri related to mission control, as his LEMB relay lit up a small circular pattern of missiles, "We've reason to believe the enemy plans to scuttle the defense station by overcharging the reactors, advise!" His LEMBs fired out their lasers, chopping through the mild missile field, aiming to make a hole just large enough for Famasir to fit through, while firing off counter-measures for the rest.

The fearsome Haidan didn't stop there, it fired right into the line of Automatons, claws blistering brightly and sinking into one. His victim found he continue on fervently, his claws delving into the puppet's engines, crippling them, and pressing his shield straight into one of the manned units. Then, firing his Shockflail right through the torso of the automaton at the commanding unit behind it.

 

[CadetNewb]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

'Are they trying to run?' he pondered. 'W-hy were they trying to run? I'm just...me.'

'But they don't know that,' The cacaphony of voices harshly replied. 'Do they?" it then sweetly asked, the silky feminine voice suddenly whispering in his ear. Her words quickly went hard and cold. 'Push, push, push! Faster, harder - they know you're stronger than them!' the NI went on cajoling him. The Haidan gritted its teeth as it made its next move.

'The cannons have a long cooldown - tell me when they're ready again so I can fire them again,' Akjit replied. His mind kicked into gear at this revelation - he was stronger than them? It was hard to believe, but since when did Nightmare encourage him, tell him he was anything but weak? It had to be right! 'Incoming missiles - I gotta swat them out of the way!'

The shoulder mounted bazookas started to hammer away, firing the projectiles in a wide spread; they airburst near the enemy missiles to do just that while beams of light lanced out to spear the stragglers that made it through. Like an unstoppable being that smashed through walls with a cry, the Haidan continued to hurtle right at the damaged frame marked for death through the blossoming fire and thunder. 'Quickly Akjit! The piloted ones - the drones may not function without them to lead. KILL THEM!'

Some red bubbled and boiled out of the vents to hurry the cooling as Nightmare made the weapons cool a hair earlier. A nudge in the mind -the cannons were safe to fire again. Taking aim, he prepared to finish off the damaged enemy.

A mouth. Luscious lips being licked and moistened in anticipation. The image of this seeped across their connection and briefly flashed across the Ivuori's mind, sending chills down his spine. He was going to kill someone; it couldn't be helped, this was war after all! But...this time, he was the strong one. He held the cards in his hands!

Akjit did his damned best to pluck the limbs off like petals on a flower.

With cannons.

 

[Blackbird Lore]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

Noblisse was all lasers alight and Shockstings blazing to clear the micromissile assault. It was a kick between the horns, something to get the blood pumping, and a blatant declaration: the fight was now. As the haze dissipated, a message came across.

Before she could offer her analysis, Kuzman had done just as well in far fewer words than she would have used. "If I may, sir," Isha added in a soft tone contradicting the scenario, "I can't see any means of interrupting them, and we can't verify the presence of civilians aboard the station..." It was a hard thing for her to admit, but even the Field Physician was willing to recognize the situation for what it was. If it fell out of orbit, people died; if it detonated, people died; if they attempted and failed to cool the reactors, not only did civilians die, but the squad would go with them. Things don't get much worse than that.

A cool mind and a hard heart are the most valuable assets of the warrior, Nubia whispered sagaciously. Isha began to wonder if Nubia was the right NI for her, but was quickly refocused on the conflict.

She had orders. She was to flank the enemy, and had continued to orient herself so all the while. Only now with her enemy lined up and herself almost completely unnoticed did she begin to pick away at the nearest living opponent, aiming for center of mass with the MCPA.

 

[Exhack]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

A flickering glint of blue lanced out from Famasir, cutting down the swathe of missiles before it and taking minimal damage from the remaining projectiles. Claws rended through cleanly, crippling the unit and giving the Temple Guardsman easy purchase as it oriented itself to attack one of the commanding units.

The enemy was fast though, and had managed to interpose another drone between himself and the burly frame. Another Soono detonated in the resulting conflagration of white and blue plasma, leaving the commander behind it relatively unharmed as it proceeded to return fire. A few streams of high-energy radiation glanced off his shields in turn, but the more pressing issue was the sudden alarm siren that rose up from Mu'Tasim's assisting VCANIOS suite.

The unit we are grappling has been commanded to self-destruct!

----

Akjit meanwhile swept in to intercept the enemy in their moment of vulnerability, overpowering shields with the sheer power of his unit's wrist-mounted beam cannons. The unit could only manage a token resistance, raising a secondary directional barrier at the moment it was attacked to negate part of the damage. Limbs melted and buckled before seemingly tearing off, trailing off in red-hot plasma, while the torso was left cooked and glowing.

Initial scan revealed the pilot pod had survived, albeit barely.

----

The sole remaining piloted frame now found itself dealing with limited resources, with most of its automaton escort destroyed. Displaying reason, it retreated at the moment that its companion unit was disabled, immediately placing a large number of frames between itself and the attacking Vanguard units and powering up its internal FTL drive to escape.

A single bolt of blue from Isha's handheld sword-rifle put an end to that, clipping one of the MASC-like control fins that adorned the unit's back before it fled. In that instant, the unit flickered out and seemingly accelerated off to parts unknown. Sensor feedback was ambiguous, but it was clear the unit hadn't managed to retreat back to the orbital station.

----

With the first line of defenses disabled, the remaining thirty or so automatons orbiting the defense station remained close, voiding their bays of their remaining missile payload to waylay and slow down their attackers.

 

[Kai]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

After her initial evasion, Zus pressed a counterattack against the units firing upon herself and- Her brother?

"What In nightmares, Szemis! Are you insane! get out of here!" the Eyr ranr sent to her sibling as she noticed his predicament. She asked Paralovi to focus on removing the nearest of the two manned frames while she did what she could to possibly help Szemis, although any of her actions proved unnecessary, as her squadronmates dealt with the immediate threat, well, immediately.

Szemis would have nothing of it. "I can still fight!" the haughty Storhan boy retorted to his elder sister. "This won't be the end of me yet!" he stubbornly held, before looking at what he could possibly do. He asked his Ni "Hey, can we jettison the legs? We don't need those right? It should stop us spinning!"

As Szemis did his best being a terrible pilot, Zus noticed the incoming wave of missiles beyond what they normally had coming at them. The Eyr Ranr opened up, responding with as many of her own missiles as she could spare, as well as using any and all point defenses that she had. "Szemis! Missiles! You need to do something!" she hissed over the comms, Paralovi doing her best to make sure the tone of Zus' thoughts were conveyed properly.

 

[CadetNewb]

Re: [Phase One: Mission 5] The First Line

'I-I did it?' Akjit asked nobody in particular with surprise. 'I...I did it! Whoo!' the Ivuori cheered his success as his HAIDAN actually pumped its fist once - he then suddenly cringed and braced himself for the inevitable scathing remark from Nightmare. It just didn't come though. Instead, he could only hear the feminine, girlish voice sigh.

'Not even you're not as bad as he is,' the NI admitted, commenting on something else entirely. It was telling him something was wrong it its own way - this instantly brought to Akjit's attention to the plight of the rest of the wing. Mu'Tasim was locked in a furious bladed duel while Isha sniped from the distance with lances of light. Meanwhile...

'Szemis!' The Ivuori desperately racked his mind for what to do to save his teammate before firing his lesser beam weapon over the vast distance between them in an attempt to shoot down the barrage baring down on the hapless pilot. 'No, no! This shouldn't be happening - everything was going fine!' He was one of the biggest, strongest ones here! He was supposed to protect them!

It coldly dawned on him then; he had gotten tunnel vision.