RP: OIF Atuan [OIF Atuan] Episode 7: Mine

Re: Episode 7: Mine

The Chain Straight removed itself from from its target, having achieved its task, and sheathed momentarily to replace its belt.

"I'm damaged, but I'm going to make sure every last one of these assholes goes down painfully," Taela growled, speeding around the Ashigaru Viktoria was engaged with and stabbing it in the back where the control center was. And then stabbed again.

And again.

And again.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

"Verdamnt," Viktoria cursed as the thing did not exactly went her way. The enemy was dangerous and now her lovely Blitzkrieg was dangerous. This was no time for style and fancy fencing. She need to destroy the enemy fast.

With more distance between them, Viktoria jumped into air a little to lessen the impact of enemy firepower, holding her blade above her hands, ready to land in front of the enemy and slash at him with both her hands and opening fire on him from her hull-based weaponry.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

"Stop doing shit and swallow!" Mark commanded, glancing only briefly to the approaching enemies before kicking at the controls from above in a desperate attempt to do anything at all.

"Kelly, you gotta swallow these shits or die, you hear me, boy?" Mark shook his commanding officer with the force of a thousand muggers, all the while smacking the buttons and levers up front with a thick boot.

"Ya hear!?"

Re: Episode 7: Mine

As pieces of the enemy frames flew across Lucien's field of vision, all three hundred and sixty degrees of it granted to him by the Frame's advanced optic systems, he did note that the Ashigaru were without pilots - probably being piloted by rudimentary combat AI's. He knew that he had to clear a path more than ever now.

Gripping the frame-sized longsword with both hands, he knew he could let his hair down against them, but something in the back of his mind was crying for a meatier foe. The Zillants would've provided just that, even if he had to change his armaments out.

After all of the chaff was cut down his next focus would be to go after the wheat - he planned to pull out his 50mm Gauss Cannon and fire a few volleys of minimissiles at a Zillant once he'd cut down enough Ashigaru.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

The enemy Ashigaru toppled like ninepints.

Fire spurted from the frame that Victoria and Taela had ganged up on; the Neko's sword pierced it from behind over and over again, skewering it in place. The Abwehran woman came down from above, her sword cleaving it in two from shoulder to hip across its chest with the sheer force of the sword and weight of her machine. A shocking explosion engulfed the two as the reactor was completely and utterly breached - paint boiled and blackened while the temperature in the cockpits rose a few degrees, but otherwise only the two women rattled and blackened.

Meanwhile, Lucien quickly cut down the mindlessly aggressive Ashigaru that rushed him - the sword came in from the side and cleaved an arm away in a shower of shrapnel and sparks! The blow continued on, embedding in the torso of the frame, the blow knocking it off course and down into the ground. Blade embedded in his struggling foe, Lucien quickly tore the blade out before it could recover and swung it down from on high again, and again until it was still.

Like ninepins. Except for the one Mark, and everyone but Kelly, forgot.

As the Disk Jockey shoved pills down The Team Leader's mouth, and as Kelly choked on them, the enemy frame got back up and pulled back its bladed fist for another go at the hapless duo. Though theirr own fights just ended, everyone could see this moment pause in time as the AI driven Frame rose in triumph over its helpless prey. They could see the sunlight diffuse through the black smoke of the battlefield and reflect off the crude and cheaply made blade as it drew back to stab.

And also watch as a pink blur slammed into it, feet first.

Both feet of Yoshiko's frame collided with the head of the enemy Ashigaru and brought it down, crushing the armored skull against pavement like a metal watermelon. "Run away!" she cried over the comms, her battered frame running right into the elevator. One of the point defense Impulses looked back at where she came and swore loudly.

"^@#$! Follow the ditz or die!!" he yelled out in a panic - almost like a wave of knee high toddlers, the escorting power armors quickly broke out of nooks, crannies and cover to stream past the Origin frames. Back where Yoshiko had come from, one Zilant had been completely gutted, while another was cut up. But it was accompanied by the untouched third. And a seemingly endless wave of Chicken-Walkers.

They had taken too long, and now all of HIGA was coming down on them.

A large gulp could be heard before Kelly's voice boomed over the comms, "Run damnit!"

Re: Episode 7: Mine

"Not. . . gonna. . ." Taela growled. The neko was fed up with this. With the fighting. With the nonsensical odds levied against them. With the damage constantly forcing her sirens to blare in cacophonous rhythm. Her sensors indicated that her last little kill did no damage, but the shockwave from the explosion rocked the Garuda enough.

"Not going to. . . " Taela hissed a second time, grabbing one of the impostor rifles and flipping her Chain Straight into a reverse grip.

Across all channels, somehow, the following was broadcast.

"RUN"

Oh hey look music

The Garuda went full thrust towards the horde, then dove between two buildings on the left. It emerged moments later, to flank and cut through the chickens. Every last weapon she had went blazing with heat and fire, her sword went slicing, and every other chance she could get she used the walkers as shields against each other.

"I'll gut you all, make you squirm! I swear that none of you are going to make it to see tomorrow!" Taela shrieked over broadcast comms. The enemy almost certainly heard her. She wasn't even sure whether video footage was being broadcast as she idly fiddled with the controls, but if it was, then it would show one very pissed off nekovalkryja with a soul-churning glare.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

"Shite. C'mon, lets-" Lucien watched the situation unfold and stowed his Sword. Just before he was able to abscond, he watched as Taela's frame went in the opposite direction from safety. He gasped. "Ae! Get back 'ere!"

It might've all been thud, blunder and glory but there was simply no way Lucien and company could destroy ALL of the HiGA mecha. And he wasn't about to let Taela get herself killed in a blaze of glory. If anything, she could come back another day with an Aether Shock Array - then Lucien would've let her go kill all the things.

He boosted towards the melee and grabbed Taela by the neck. "NAE LASSIE, GET OVER 'ERE!" He tried pulling her away from the fight, but not before spraying a few volleys of minimissiles to cover his escape and get to safety. "WOT DA FUCK WERE YA THINKIN'?!" He roared to the other pilot as he pulled her to safety, assisted by boosting and a warrior's grip.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

The Garuda thrashed about, apparently in an attempt to rejoin the fray

"Goddamnit, let go of me let go of-" Taela shrieked, but then her screens went dark. The whole mecha went limp, and it was at this reaction the neko realized that she not only damaged vital systems in her little frenzy, but also broke one of the interface spheres that allowed her to actually pilot her Frame. She just then noticed how badly she was shaking. Even under Impulse armor, Taela could feel herself quivering with a flurry of adrenaline-fueled pathos.

"I'm a failure. . ."

The whole machine was about as useful as a pile of scrap right now, and Taela knew that.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

Mark slid back into the pilot's seat and wrapped his fingers around the controls again with a heavy feeling in his stomach. The enemy numbers, losing Taela, heavy damage on Yoshiko's mech-- all of it was putting a very negative slant on the situation.

"... And I don't even really know how to pilot this thing." Mark muttered, yanking the appropriate levers and stomping the appropriate pedals to move the lumbering machine around to run away-- post haste.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

There was no more time to fool around. Those giants of a mecha were closing in and if there would be battle, it would a pyrhic victory at best for the Frame Team of OIF Atuan. Movement and retreating was part of combat too. As was emotions. And Taela' emotions exploded.

Viktoria hurried to Lucien, grabbing Taela's mecha with him. "Schnell, schnell!" VIki shouted, she did hear Taela's laments, but thsoe would have to be addressed later. Now it was time to move.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

The rapidly retreating team was met with withering fire.

In a matter of seconds, their shields were stripped away and their hulls battered by the mass fire - but there was one blessing. Their attackers completely closed up the passage with their barrage. Concrete and mortar fell as gauss slugs and cannon rounds pounded the entrance and brought the structure down behind them in quick order. As they all stood there, both frames and power armors, in this red lit tunnel, something beckoned to them.

The Elevator.

Large enough to accommodate them all, the heavy lift sat there silent and empty.

Harsh coughing came up from behind Mark, "Geeze man...there's an injector version in that kit," Kelly wheezed, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to breathe.

"Uh, we need to go deeper, right guys?" Yoshiko asked, nervous. "Right?" Like the rest of the team, her frame was battered. The outer armor was dented and crumpled in many different places, while at others, deep craters and molten edges were well visible from weapons that had hit the frame. Everyone else was in much the very same state - having taken so long to dispatch the guards at the entrance, they paid the price. All were all beat up as though they had taken on three Zilants at once, solo.

"Guys?" she asked again.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

The systems were down in the Garuda, so Taela took the easy way out. Pulling an "emergency release" lever overhead, she opened up the hatch and leapt out, using her Nekovalkyja agility to her fullest ability. A combination of gravity control and her naturally tacky fingers got her up Mark's Kirin, and she forced the hatch open with a remote access code.

"Scoot up, you're terrible at this," the blurry-eyed girl hissed, "and take care of Kelly."

The neko seached the medikit for two things. The first, she took out two packaged tablets and handed on to Mark - Dr. Fixit to help Kelly's wound. The second? Panick.

I need to focus. Taela told herself, popping the two pills into her mouth and swallowing. She waited for Mark to move up with Kelly.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

"No shit, Kitty." Mark shot back-- though he was already gratefully clambering up into the increasingly crowded co-pilot's area with the Doctor Fixit. He dumped the new pill into his hand and held it out palm-up the very short distance between himself and Kelly.

"A'ight, Farms." Mark muttered, "Stick dis down your fat throat too, man."

Re: Episode 7: Mine

Viki stopped to take a breather. They were safe for now. Or rather out of immediate danger. That was good, but not the best. Still they did not loose anyone, and only had one damaged mech and hurt soldier. After all that fighting those were not bad numbers. Viktoria sheathed her chain-straight and took out her rail-gun reloading it.

"Ja," she replied to Yoshiko, walking closer to examine the elevator platform. "No way back, that means going forward. That means going deeper." She said.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

Warning! Shields are Down!

That warning was only the beginning as Lucien's tactical retreat meant that his previously untouched frame was pelted with missiles and slivers propelled by gauss. Lucien could feel himself having to counteract each impact to continue running towards cover and his goal out.

Warning! Hull Damage Sustained!
Redundant Systems Engaged - Rerouting Fluids & Oils
Optics Damaged

There was now a permanent, ugly gash across Lucien's field of vision where a Gauss round had struck near the camera, a little too close to home. The heads-up display would occasionally flicker or distort with static as the Scotsman caught his breath.

And yet, the rest of his frame was still alive, stubbornly so through his retreat. What mattered is that the frame was still moving by virtue of its toughness and its pilot's refusal to roll over. "Ae... fookin' ell." He said, lifting his hands off of the spheres to rub sweat from his face before wiping them against his suit and putting them back down.

He put the longsword back over his back and lifted the 50mm Gauss Cannon to bear, reloading it and letting the empty magazine fall to the floor - like a car being dropped on its nose.

Re: Episode 7: Mine

It was more like dropping a very big motorcycle.

Lucien's empty magazine fell from the "machinepistol" of his frame with an incredibly loud clang of thick, heavy, stamped and pressed metal against concrete floor, bouncing ever so slightly just as a normal magazine would. The sound reverberated through the otherwise quiet and somber chamber they all found themselves in. Yoshiko herself merely nodded to Victoria resolutely within her frame, but suddenly remembered that nobody could see her do so.

So she had her frame's head bob up and down in a nod instead, its hand moving to gesture the Impulses into getting the lift to work. "H-hey, Taela, what are you doing? I thought that mech was still working?!" the Ex-Neko suddenly piped up in surprise.

As the Neko made herself comfortable, Mark shoved more pills upon Kelly, which he stared at for an odd moment. The semi-lucid man quirked an eyebrow as he swallowed more medication dry. "Uh, you want me to sit on your lap or something? I don't think it'd be good for me if you sat on mine," the dark skinned Nepleslian asked, his voice and gaze still a little distant from the prior shock.

"Hey, the elevator thing's good to go from down here," came a voice from knee level of the frames. "If you guys are ready, we can all just cram on and start moving."

"W-wait, we're not ready yet I think!" Yoshiko spoke up in a fuss.

"Eh, we can just burn out the systems if we need to," Kelly remarked.

"But, but! I think it's still good!" The Nepleslian settled his eyes on Taela as Yoshiko objected. Then, the damaged frame. Then the Nekovalkyrja in the cockpit again.

The very first thing that came to his mind was something long the lines of 'They really do look all 'kawaii-desu' if you're looking down on them.' Of course, his fuzzy thinking eventually got on track again as his blood was slowly refilled and replenished by the sheer amount of medication being given to him. "Taela, it's your call - if everyone's ready, we'll go."

Re: Episode 7: Mine

"Yoshiko, my frame is damaged, missing a main cannon, out of ammunition for the primary weapon, powered down, and I broke one of the interface spheres. Accidentally. It's not going anywhere again," The cat growled viciously, settling into the seat. Checking the systems of her "new" frame, she found it to be in satisfactory condition.

"Let's get a move on."

Re: Episode 7: Mine

Viktoria checked the elevator and looked around if there are not stair the infantry could use. If they all be on the elevator, they could all get killed right away. Though if the elevator was roofless, Impulse wearing infantry could just fly down.

"Alle," she started speaking to everyone. "Reload your weapons and let your shields recharge. Enemy might be dug in under the elevator, better to go down on full shields. I think the Frames should go down first, infantry can fly down right afterwards. First thing we can expect is a buttload of rockets flying at us so get your point defense ready."

Re: Episode 7: Mine

"Uh..." Mark gently slipped his arms behind Kelly's neck and under his knees to fork his boss up and onto his lap while he situated himself in the co-pilots' seat.

"You ain't gonna bounce around a lot, are you, man?" Mark asked, his arms sliding around Kelly to reach for the controls, "Cuz I ain't crazy about that shit when the other person's wearin' heavy metal, y'dig?"

Re: Episode 7: Mine

Shields Recharging...
'50mm' Successfully Reloaded

Lucien had taken his hands off of the globes and looked into the storage compartment under his seat. He bent forward to open it and found a personal stash, including a sandwich he'd spared from the supply drop. He took it and started munching on what was left of it.

While the shields were busy recharging, Lucien was scarfing down the rest of his meal, and recharging himself. He washed it down with a thermos of tea. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and awaited further instructions. "Ae that's comfort fud." He mumbled before putting his hands back down on the control spheres.