[NSMC 309th] Mission 3: Hope Bringer

Soko Neko

"Calm it, Duville!" Juno looked down from his command view panel to the relayed sensory information Joe had heard. "If that was what I think it is, we don't want to get hit with another! We need our driver calm. Let us get revenge for you!"

The tank throttled its way back among the mines, just in time for one of the hills that slipped between them and the AT gun to vanish in an explosion of pirate-fueled anxiousness to score a kill. But firing again had given him a head.

"Adjust cannon and armor, two o'clock facing! Frontal deflection prioritized and charge straight through that fucking dustcloud! Fire all weapons!"

Grasping the launcher system's controls, the whine of the weapon firing its anti-infantry incendiary rounds forth tore through the dust and in the vague direction of the bunker. Even though they had no proper space, the explosion of white around and above the dust ahead of them meant he was hitting. And it was even more visible for those outside the tank as they executed their retaliation just how big this was going to be.

Hillside

The hard crack of the grenade detonating was a muted one for the Golem-fitted suits, shrapnel exploding and tearing into segments of sandbags and panels around them. One piece even struck and buried itself partially into Baki's helmet; not that there was any blood. Nepleslians knew how to make armor, after all. But now the enemy pirates were ceasing their suppression fire and counter assault, tucking into cover out of fear of more random-flying missiles.

But the retaliation of the mini-missiles across the battlefield and the enemy's entrenched positions became apparent even on the hill; some of the pirates simply vanished as three of the death-bringing whistler boys found their mark in their chests. The battlefield down below was far worse, though; all around Fang, countless pirate soldiers and grunts were simply vanishing in clouds of deadly reds and oranges, eaten by flame as fast as they were blended into shreds by their raw force. The enemy bunker with its AT gun was already doused in phosphorous smoke, a few members panicked and running out the back. Not that they made it far, exploding in a gruesome execution by the hell being unleashed outside.

The enemy line was steadily vanishing; the hillside and that pesky bunker was all that the enemy seemed to have left.

@SirSkully @Primitive Polygon @Bilgecrank @Charmaylarg Dufrain @SirSPT @Syaoran @Whitehart @Biesecker @Sparkee0213

Hillside

Baki grunted loudly and clutched her helmeted head, her gauntleted fingers feeling the shard of metal that just lodged itself into the armor. It didn't penetrate, of course, but it still hurt like hell. She took a moment to shake off the dizziness, before realizing the enemy fire had begun to die down. She readjusted her headgear and hoisted up her rifle, pressing herself at the edge of her cover expectantly. Patching into comms again, she transmitted to the squad and its leader in particular.

"LT, they're holing up scared. We gonna push the offensive now, or did you have something more careful in mind? 'Cuz I'm good with just shooting my way in there and hacking 'em up with my axe. Just sayin'."

Pvt Jezper was happy with himself for the most part, he'd consider the opfor's shit reasonably fucked up by the swarm of mini-missiles but he did have one regret - that his suit's artificial respiration system didn't allow the autorifleman the opportunity to inhale the scent of his fire and brimstone he had rained down on them, what a shame. "I'll buy our tank crew a second to lick their balls, try not to shoot the friendly armour," he informed the 309th's chunk of the Nepleslian horde before putting that plan into action.

One heavy boot was brought back down into the mud of no-man's land, then the other followed suit shortly after as Jezper began a rocket-assisted sprint to the bunker - activating his suit's push-pull armour as his thrusters flared up angrily. Each step was quicker and went deeper than the last until Jezper quickly dashed sideways at the last second to bash into what little bit of jury-rigged anti-tank cannon still poked out of the pillbox, the Private carried this momentum around to the side of the concrete bunker as his chaingun began spinning up to rip any hostiles in half with 30mm rounds.

Soko Neko

Fitz was surprised to see their usually quiet driver get worked into such a fury after the impact, but rather than weird her out, it reassured her. She had questioned whether or not Ella Duville was a real Nepleslian at heart since she idolized Yamatai so much, but Fitz knew only two things in the sector that could switch on the rage so fast and that was mothers and Nepleslians.

The corporal let out a powerful laugh and turned the main gun as ordered. "You're right Private, let's return the favor." Once everything was in line and the order was given, she fired the main canon with a look on her face as if she was willing the shell to do even more damage. She would leave confirming the hit to Juno though and instead began to load the next shell so that Joe could focus on the lasers and whatever fancy radio tracking he was doing.

Soko Neko

Ella gritted her teeth at the order to calm the hell down. This tank was her home, her sanctuary from the menace of the other marines and the people that wanted to kill said marines. Now they had dented her fortress again. AGAIN DAMNIT. The explosion from the hill as she backed away made her wince.

"Bastard!"

Then the order she was wishing for came through. She orientated the tank to 2 O'clock and shifted in full gear. Bugger the clutch, she, the tank, and mini Hanako were out for blood.

Soko Neko

Busting through the dust cloud ahead of them was a decent plan, Joe thought. It allowed them to use the enemy provided cover as a surprise and it also allowed the tank a precious few moments to turn everything they had in one direction.

He knew that as the lasers were mainly a point defense and anti-infantry weapon, it had little range but he still primed them to provide a distracting light show. He held his fire until they breached the cloud so they bright beams could not give them away. Once out though he let them rip, looking how best to provide cover for the tank and his ground based squad.

Soko Neko

94 tons of Nepleslian Nerimium and Meridium responded in cruel retort; just as Jezper leaped and traced his fire at the bunker's occupants, the shell impacting the front of the bunker. The explosion threw pressure warnings into his vision as countless people's ears blew spouts of blood out from the raw force of air passing from the exploding bunker. To those even on the hillside, it sounded like someone set off a brick of explosives; a shot to the ammunition store and the combined power of the lengthy cannon did that. And all but a second later, any chance of possible survivors was sprayed down not just in the white clouds of incendiary death and 30mm... but with the laser strikes searing fist-sized holes into pirates as the beast lumbered forward. Despite the dents and damaged clinking of one of its tracks, the Maximus spit death at the pirate lines until they broke.

Countless goons started rising from their holes, dropping their weapons and running with terrified screams even as Juno directed an uncompromising burst of hot death into the group. Rights be damned; these criminals had plagued New Bernese and were a stain to be removed. The enemy formation however wasn't completely unprotected. An enemy-bought tank from Origin had finally come to play; it was already leveraging its gun at them.

Before a fighter crashed from the sky and hit it so hard that both of them exploded in a partially dirty-explosion of fusion power.

"... Continue advancing; leave no survivors if we can." Juno quickly pushed and adjusted, providing sensory details to the lasers that had the enemy in range whilst seeking the largest group once more. "Adjust gun to three o'clock; enemy group of fifteen in the open; fire for extreme effect."

It was a clean-up operation for them now.

Hillside

The squad needed to act but the events of the field had an effect on their opponents as well. The massive plume of fire - and the tank pushing through it moments later - was like a death kneel for their part of the defensive line. Half of the pirates slowed their firing and was already looking back, uncertain and wavering as the last bastion for the enemy line. It didn't help when the fighter crashed into their reinforcements; the draining of fight from their eyes was almost as bad as it had been for the poor saps running from the bunker below when their eardrums ruptured. One even dropped their gun and fell to hide, his buddy yelling and standing up.

"Come on! We can still fuck them up! They're nothing! We're the Fatnecks, aren't we!? Come on!"

The man turned and leaped over the cover, inspiring a few to follow; but the greater effect was inspiring the cowardly to at least raise up and aim their guns yet again... and fire suppressing toward the Nepleslians. They were using simple rush tactics, trying to get up-close where their less-than-optimal weapons might actually have some effect. But above all?

They were in the open without any cover to hide behind; perfect for a marksman - albiet one who was closer up - to punish them.

( @SirSPT @SirSkully @Biesecker @Bilgecrank @Charmaylarg Dufrain @Primitive Polygon @Syaoran @Whitehart @Sparkee0213 )

Hillside

McClain, finally recovering from his scare with the mine, looked around for a good vantage point as the enemy recovered from the attack by their allies. Where though? It had to have good sight, yet good enough cover to easily protect him from return fire or even counter-sniping. To his right there was a larger than normal rock towards the edge of the hill. There was some grass beyond it to the right, helping conceal his position to any enemies over there, but to the left it was wide open. Once he went prone as long as his team covered his sides from counter-attacking enemies, he could provide decent sniper coverage. He keyed his mic: "Guys, cover me in five seconds. I see a good spot to provide sniper coverage. Just make sure I get there safe." He said, motioning to the rock give or take forty feet away. "It'll be a quick sprint, but after I get there I should be relatively safe. I won't step on a mine this time, promise." He said half-jokingly. His cybernetic eyes didn't show any mine-like locations, everything seemed to belong where it was, and his own observations didn't show anything out of place. He decided on a route to take, which would mean a bit of snaking to avoid smaller rocks so he didn't trip or activate a very well disguised mine. "Can you guys do that for me?" He asked, hoping to get to his spot and take out some HVTs that threatened his allies the most before the enemy knew what hit them.

Soko Neko

As Juno willed, the tank rolled forward over the shattered enemy lines with indifference towards the pirates plights. The screams and wails of those caught in the path of the treads fell on deaf ears as the driver kept the tank moving. She glanced up at the doll for it's silent reassurance that maybe she wasn't a bad person for this. Normally she'd be afraid about doing this, but they were pirates dented the tank, and they were probably going to kill her if she didn't kill them first.

Soko Neko

Fitz laughed loudly in excitement as the pressure wave from the blast washed over the tank. It had been too long since she had been a good brawl in a tank, everything had been at a safe distance since they got on the surface. "Time to blow them apart!" She did not feel sympathy for the men being blown away on the battle field, they knew what they got themselves into when they joined, and they had not called a retreat, so they were still combatants.

"Turret to Three!" Fitz called out in response to Juno as she quickly turned the turret to the designated direction "Gimme something good Joe!"

Hillside

Of course the sniper wanted to pull away from the unit to hide, Taking away some of the squads force composition. It was a very snipery thing to do the mouse mused as she continued the charge, Trying to swat and wipe away still hot bits of plasmic discharge that still clung to her armor.

"Go." her breathless response was less of an order and more of her own condescended input into writing him off. She couldnt actually order him around, Seniority mattered little among privates, Even when they never stuck around in a unit like the 309th, Even more so when there was a lieutenant just meters away to make the actual decision. Regardless she kept on nearing the front of the charge, Now shouting and screaming as a bright approaching beacon to draw attention her way.

She learned it from Fang.

Baki, And a couple other sister-squaddies where present; Baki was closing fast and... Jezper? She assumed from her minimap, Had just crashed into the pillbox ahead and to the side of them evoking one of the more simple tactics of Power armor too close, Everyone open fire. It was a good distraction, One Fang used a lot. Though the hostiles obviously offered less suitability than slep. With the majority distracted by Jezper and all factors more or less covered Minnie was closing the distance faster than she hoped they could react, Cresting the hill at speed with her carbine blind firing infront of her while her armor soaked up the more reckless of the fire, keeping her immediate front covered and her head lowered, Cybernetic arm holding her carbine locked in place at the front while her free hands thumb rested on the buckle securing her axe to her flank, Ready to slide the weapon out into CQC as she neared the trench line and its fatnecks.

She wasnt a killer, Not like Autumn or like Fang could be. The thought still made her physically sick at times. But there was a bearable difference between injuring people in a fight and blowing their brains out like MCclain was about to do.

There was a faint, yet oh so satisfying crunch underneath Jezper's metallic hoof as a chest cavity became concave with such little effort, crimson liquid signifying the passing of life were forced out of any new orifices that were forced into existence as the enemy liquified and mixed with the torn-up mud beneath the Lieutenant's form. There was a brief moment where his 30mm rounds were not cutting through the waning enemy hordes, followed by a sigh of relief as the tank was consumed by a mighty fusion roar that sent a wave of soil gently pattering against the autorifleman's armour - during this brief moment Jezper had a somewhat philosophical question pop into his head.

If Gods created life, and he was taking it so easily - was he better than a God?

This moment passed though as his ever-heating chaingun cut another swath through the disoriented foes, the recoil rocketed up the blonde man's synthetic biceps - it took him a second to realise what that reverberation in his helmet was, then Jezper realised.

It was laughter, good thing his mic was off.

Soko Neko

Joe turned from the point defense console briefly on hearing his name, reached out and grabbed the next round in line, he gave it a little peck before he lined it up and slid it in to the awaiting chamber with a cocky grin he called back, "I pushed one in and gave it to you good Fitz, now just make sure to hit with your load!" He let out a quicky burst of laughter as he spun back to the controls, giving the wall a rap of his knuckles as further indication that the gun was loaded and ready.

Soko Neko

"Save the fucking for later, you two!" Juno watched through his command view for a moment before the massive shell thumped outbound and mulched yet another group. "We have bigger things to worry about... let's keep mopping them up as best we can. Even if they run, we don't give them quarter-"

Hillside

The group of fatnecks were on them. Not all of them at once, of course; the first man leaped over the sandbags just as the marskman broke away, throwing his gun at Minnie's axe-reaching hand and forcing it away. She could smell the fear on him - as well as likely him having soiled himself - as the two fell toward the ground. She was small and likely the kind of person this guy liked to pick up on kidnapping jobs and have his way with; but her carbine's preparation paid off as they thumped into the ground and the weapon discharged. Two holes blew out through his back and the man spat blood over her helmet and face before being thrown just off-balance enough that one of her comrades fired a single shot that blew his entire head off.

It was Fang, returned from the battlefield to save the day with her macho arm strength... and more precisely her power armor's main weapon.

But that wasn't the only man; three more came over the sandbags charging Minnie and the others... but some had also abandoned the charge and were starting to try and run. Their backs were mostly turned as they fired over their shoulders frantically whilst they paced into view.

But then the entire battlefield shook, a massive explosion ringing out from the direction of the tank. A single enemy had waited among corpses and the laughing-mad Jezper nearby. And when the lasers stopped humming, he had taken his chance to rush up on them with a farewell gift; a massive artillery shell to detonate within the shields of the tank.

Soko Neko

The turret ruptured and fragmentation flew everywhere; both Fitz and Joe were shoved down as blood spattered over them. Juno's robotic hand bore fragments of Nerimium wedged deep into it that could have cut away any of their scalps in one go... and the commander was bleeding from plenty of smaller fragments in him. A gaping hole in the side of tank's thick armor let the smells and sounds of the battle outside of it enter the tank. The turret was no doubt inoperable and the guns were done; the engine still roared with life but one entire section of track ran itself through with the link severed. They were immobilized and the command pit was fully ruptured. Bullets thunked against the shields as Juno slumped against the two soldiers from above.

"Fuck... me... can't feel... my legs." The man spat blood away before turning to look back and grab his trusty hand-made sidearm. "Bail... we need... to bail. Lock down and... call the Jack...a...lope..."

Juno's good hand laxed but thankfully didn't drop his gun; the fact he wasn't screaming from the amount of damage was impressive... but the leader of the platoon was definitely messed up. They'd let their guard down in a close-range battle and suffered the one disaster.

The Soko Neko was immobilized and needed to be abandoned.

Hillside

She had to throw herself into the momentum just to stay upright, her cybernetic eyes forcing her to watch each and every gruesome detail as it unfolded before the corpse was behind her.

"Melee!" She called out, Grateful for Fangs presence and declaring her intent before someone threw a grenade or opened fire where she was running. Her whole vision was tinted red, Not by some rage or blood lust but the blood coating her mask and goggles, She could swear she felt its warmth through the armor but knew it was likely just still active plasma somewhere on the carapace.

Three men, She could handle that. She could handle that. Minnie motivated herself, Calling back to more of the intense sparing sessions between her and Fang with autumn or chiaki tutoring them on taking down larger opponents, Fang had been the perfect example.

Her carbine dropped onto its sling, Empty, Replaced by her axe. Which dug into the back of the vanguards calf with a two handed swing deep enough she knew with a glance he would never walk on it again. Ripping her axe out while still moving left him crippled behind her.

The second man was downed when her claws flung out from being folded in her fingertips and cleft through his cheek and jaw with little resistance.

The third she had intended to drive the flat of the axe like a spear into his throat, Leaving him wheezing while she progressed. She never had the chance. The tank died in her peripheral, The blast staggering her and drawing her attention away like a moth to a flame.

She screamed, Incoherently in panic, The brave brawler facade slipping away faster than the few seconds it had taken to dispatch the two men. She was already routing without knowing it. Retreating one step at a time, Fumbling for her carbine to reload, her axe falling back on its lanyard. She knew she had to reach the tank, Triage, Rescue, Stabilize. But her body wasn't listening to her commands.

She had to tell Larson to throw the tanks smoke canisters, She had to warn Fang to stay away, She had to get away from the front lines.

She turned on her heels and bolted towards the tank parallel to the known minefield, turning her back to known enemies. Abandoning Jezper, Baki, Chiaki, MCclain.

Soko Neko

The explosion took Fitz by surprise, she was practically frozen until Juno pushed her down. It was loud and the tank shook violently, but it was all over in an instant. But that instant was all it took for Fitz to remember her not so distant past, flash backs of her last assignment.

Her breath got short and her eyes widened as she began to panic, it was all happening again in her mind, the sensations too real to be ignored. She felt like she couldn't breath, and her cybernetics began to go dormant. They were still there, but her mind was certain that they weren't. It took all she had to pull herself out from under Joe and Juno with only her right hand, and drag herself up by the wall, a distant, far off look in her eyes.

Soko Neko

Ella went pale as a hole was torn in to the tank. Her stomach felt like it was going to tear itself apart, her vision blurred as her eyes felt like exploding, and she couldn't hear much of anything; Juno's orders, the plinking of bullets off the side of the tank, or her heartbeat. The only things she could hear was the screeching pain of hers ringing and the soothing voice for Hanako as she looked up at the doll still on it's perch.

"Run." The velvety voice whispered to the driver.

Ella reached for the ESG at the side of seat and tried to stand. Her muscles felt like and legs wobbled as she stood, but reached up and grabbed the handle to the driver's hatch to pull herself up. She reached over and grabbed the Hanako doll, slipping her into a pocket before turning the handle on the hatch and peaking out with her ESG, looking around for any immediate threat.

Soko Neko

Joe groaned as he clutched his large ears, the pain and the ringing caused tremors to run over the mans body. He knew something bad had just happened and also knew it was Juno that really saved him and Fitz. His minor mutation, always so much of a boon, had become a nightmare of deafness. He looked around realizing he was squinting his right eye thanks to his goggles being cracked over that eye. Fitz struggled beside him and seemed to start crawling to escape the tank, what little he could see was that she seemed to be stunned or possibly in shock.

He reached out and tried to gently tug her belt back to get her attention while he used his muscle memory to reach for his familiar console. Protocol, the most pushed training he has received, follow the steps. His hands found what they sought and he activated the smoke dischargers. It was truly disorienting to Joe, a man who used sound so readily in his daily life and here he was, complete silence. After the activation he then motioned to and also nudged up Fitz knowing they had to disembark.

Soko Neko

Fitz was tugged on and with her weak balance it pulled her back over. But she was still out of it. Not until she saw Joe stand and clearly alive, as well as catch the acrid smell of the smoke that slowly entered did she snap out of her nightmare. She quickly shook her head and got her barrings. "Shit...this is bad...okay" She pulled herself up and opened the cabin compartment and fished around for her gun, pulling out a Nova Pistol. She also got whatever sidearm Joe brought and handed it to him. "Make sure it's clear."

After speaking she quickly checked Juno over, she knew he was in bad shape at a glance but she wanted to make sure she wasn't going to pull his leg apart by moving him.

Soko Neko

Joe did his best to read Fitz's lips but she was slightly slurring her words and he had to decide between 'Maybe a little queer' or 'Make sure it's clear.' He decided that the latter was probably more akin to what she would say. He accepted his .45 and headed up the ladder to peek outside and hopefully find some kind of help for them and their badly wounded Officer.