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Operation Kozan Ch 1: Heat Lightning

Re: Chapter 1: Heat Lightning

Blair-hei’s angry warcry belched out from his armored suit and echoed small through the muddy little gun pit, filling the frequencies where sounds of bitter fighting and weapons fire fell flat. John could see the light infantry Neko who’d been trying to steal away the satchel he carried laying unconscious while he continued his desperate attack.

She was fortunate, laying there with a bloodied face and few loose teeth following the Minkan’s shield bash. At least compared to some of her comrades, now shot to pulpy, unrecognizable ribbons from John’s forearm pulse spray and the friendly plasma coming from Takeo and Kaede’s position in the trench.

The Advanced-type Mishhuvurthyar whose visceral slop fell in thick strings onto John only seconds before wasn’t among the casualties — so far three NMX Neko, counting the knocked out thief — and howled again as it surged back away from the rejuvenated Yamataian soldier. Its cry kept up, unabated if not for the gurgling sound the thing made as it inhaled HX-13’s rancid and humid rainforest air.

One of the Mishhu’s myriad tentacles lashed out toward John and twisted his right arm as his Daisy continued to hissed out its stream of death, forcing the pulse fire away from its glistening, monstrous bulk. Another few tendrils whipped from the Mishhu’s bulk, securing John’s two feet and shield arm as well, holding him in such a way that the Yamataian’s armor thrusters would likely fail if engaged.

“Get up there!” came a barking order that John could hear clearly in his helmet. Takeo’s voice always had a little edge to it, but this time the urgency crackled in an unmistakably sharp and direct way. The heisho’s own hailing fusillade ceased as she charged, her plasma rifle swinging at hip level as she trudged the last few yards closer to John, the surviving enemies, and their objective.

By now, one of the Nekovalkyrja left manning the gun had drawn her NCO’s saber. John’s limbs, though constricted, still tried to fight back against the beast’s hold. Even inside his Daisy, he could feel gross tentacles slipping over its Yama-Dura alloy plates and the little particles of dirt and detritus dragging between him and his captor.

The NMX sergeant set her feet decidedly despite the war raging around her and raised the saber over her head. Two more Neko kept her covered with their Impaler rifles while the Advanced-type held John while he struggled for his life. The enemy NCO’s movements seemed almost ceremonial. Indeed, any soldier who knew Yamatai’s martial traditions would notice a familiarly deliberate, exacting sequence as she slowly brought her blade close to John’s outstretched arm and back up again in preparation to take it from him.
 
Re: Chapter 1: Heat Lightning

Gun Battery


Sakura's eyes snapped back open. Her vision blurry and spinning around her. The bright sunlight caused her to squint. Pain overwhelmed her. Her entire world was pain and more pain. She fought back the urge to wretch and scream and forced herself to focus.

Her vision clearing, slowly, her DAISY's readouts coming into focus eventually. So much red, but still functional, just. Her armor's emergency power had come up, waking her as the emergency systems began functioning and started pumping what little painkillers and Hemosynth into her it had left.

The pain subsided, a bit, enough for her to try and function. She knew she had to get up, she had to either get back in to the fight or withdraw. The NMX wouldn't let her laze about in their trenches all day.

She tried to push herself up onto her elbows and found it funny in a morbid way when she got no response but a sharp pain from her left arm.

Forcing herself up to sit with her right arm, her chest and torso aching and burning badly as she did. She had to have more than a few cracked or broken ribs at least, it even hurt to breath.

Sakura looked to her unresponsive left arm and saw that it was gone, just a cauterized smouldering stump protruding a couple of inches from her shoulder. That explained a lot of things.

She cursed, repeatedly, fighting back another wave of nausea at the sight of what remained of her left arm.

Turning her attention to the rest of herself, her legs were still there, right arm still there and while the front of her DAISY was scorched black and mangled, there didn't seem to be any major holes through her guts. She knew she was bad off, her injuries had a high chance of being fatal if she did not get treatment, which she sure as hell was not going to where she was now.

Forcing herself up to her feet with what little power her DAISY had left. She faltered, almost collapsing as waves of siring pain washed through her body. She gritted her teeth and forced herself through it with sheer willpower. She had no intention of being found dead face down in the mud.

Sakura stumbled forward, lurching as she tried to make her way through the wreckage that had once been the gun battery and the sticky goo that had once been the Mishhu she had fought. The place was a wretched mess.

Somehow Sakura managed to stumbled out of the area. Maybe a burned up disarmed Infantry Neko wasn't a threat. She knew she was no good to the others anymore, hell she was just having to focus hard just to keep moving and not pass out from the pain.

Her world slowly ebbed in and out of a throbbing, burning painful haze, the corners of her vision darkening, her world closing in as she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. She had no idea how long this lasted. She just forced herself to keep going. One foot in front of the other.

Then, just as she felt her knees about to buckle from exhaustion and pain, her world about to cave in around her she thought she heard voices speaking Yamataian. Through her blurry vision she could see green armored forms of DAISY's ahead of her, though she couldn't make out what they said, her helmet's audio pickups must have been blown by the grenade detonation.

She waved to them weakly, then grabbed her helmet, pulling it off of her head, letting it drop to the ground. "Hey!" she said weakly, stumbling.

One of the DAISY's rushed forward, catching her as she went down. "We've got wounded over here!" Yelled the friendly Neko.

"Get her to the medical evac transport" she heard another say as her world went dark. The next time she woke, would be in the Hemosynthetic Reconstruction Tube aboard one of the fleet's medical ships.
 
Re: Chapter 1: Heat Lightning

John watched as his PEW cut the enemy to pieces. His fury was surprising to everyone, even himself as he watched as the NMX troopers fell before him. Killing was something that John knew he would never enjoy, but it was something he was going to get used to.

As John went to turn his PEW towards the advanced type NMX above him, he felt a tendril whip his hand. It flew to the side before being held above him. Before John could jettison his shield and equip his other PEW, another tendril grabbed him by his feet.

"FUCK!!!" John exclaimed as the advanced type NMX began to pick him up and stretch him out. John struggled against its grip with all the power in his daisy. His manipulators groaned as he tried to get free. John knew he was in trouble, he just didn't have any idea how much trouble.

When John heard Takeo's order though, he knew things were bad. As he was held up, he saw to armed NMX troopers run past him, towards the entrance of where he had stumbled into his trench line. He could see the green HUD marker of Takeo and Kaede just meters from where he was.

That wasn't John's primary concern though. As another NMX wearing markers of an NCO approached, he knew why Takeo was so concerned. John could see the flash of the saber she could carry reflect in the light. She brandished it towards him and she walked in front of him, preparing to strike and his outstretched arm.

As much as John struggled he couldn't quite get free. The full weight of the situation sank in, "TAKEO SHOOT THIS BITCH!" he exclaimed over the comms. But he could see that he was busy with his own problems. Nothing short of a miracle would save him now, or so he thought.

John knew that he couldn't get free, but perhaps with a hard enough swing, he could block the move with his shield, and hopefully, if he impactor deployed, perhaps make the NMX trooper work for his strike. John stopped and took a deep breath before putting everything he had into moving his left arm in front of him and praying that his impactor wasn't covered by the NMX tendril. If he could get those out and moving, he might have a chance. And he knew that if he got free, he was so going to beat this bitch to death for trying to take his arm.
 
Re: Chapter 1: Heat Lightning

The world around Kaede slowed down. As she got around the bend of the trench with Takeo she could see John lifted in the air. She could see the NMX neko raising a blade to cut the man. Was the blade able to cut through the armour? Kaede did not know, but she herself had one such blade at her hip.

Kaede did not really know John very well yet. That did not matter though, he was a comrade in arms. A part of her team and man who just seconds ago jumped to save her from a Mishhu. She could not live with herself if she could not help him now. Her honour demanded it as well as the Tamahagane blood in her veins.

Kaede no longer felt any pain. Adrenalin in her veins boosted her already fast reflexes that were provided by years of training and minkan body. Time was of the essence here. Time and skill. She picked a target. The neko was obscured by John, but not all of her. Her hand with raised blade was clearly visible.

She could not rely on AIES as her helmet was broken. Just her eye and iron-sights on the plasma rifle. Target was not far luckily. The rifle was raised and aimed at the hand armed with sword. A small prayer to the empress for luck and then Kaede pulled the trigger.
 
Re: Chapter 1: Heat Lightning

Kaede exhaled just as her quick prayer was done. As she squeezed her rifle’s trigger, the ponderous moments crawled to a stop. A twangy metallic clack rang out over the din of battle and farther away rumblings of the war raging on HX-13 and, just like that, the ojou was back to reality.

She hadn’t noticed any spark or flash — though one had flashed bright across the gunpit — but the NMX Neko’s saber was already spiralling down to the dirt. While Kaede didn’t take any flesh from her foe, it was enough to save John’s arm. Or so it seemed.

The enemy squad leader didn’t waste a heartbeat. A growl rolled out from beneath her masked helmet, frustrated that she hadn’t taken per prize. Before Kaede or Takeo-heisho could move any closer she’d drawn another, smaller combat blade and lunged toward the hapless Yamataian infantryman. He’d be dead before his mind could process any of the vicious battle maiden’s actions since Kaede had disarmed her.

But John didn’t die. Instead of finding the vulnerable Yarvex armor that protected his throat, her blade slashed through the satchel’s strap. What her comrade had failed to retrieve, she snatched with ease before shoving herself back and away from her Minkan prey, still suspended by the Advanced-typed Mishhuvurthyar.

In a moment, the Nougpift Neko retreated out of sight, lost in the trenches that stretched further past their current target. But her monstrous friend remained.

“Take it down!” Takeo barked while the Mishhu tightened its grip on John. The sergeant fired her Daisy’s thrusters in desperation — a notable departure from her usually conservative strategy — and fired down as she closed feet-first with the beast.
 
Re: Chapter 1: Heat Lightning

"I got it!" Shouted Kaede. She was displeased with her accuracy. She knew that with AIES she would not miss, but she had none now. Only her eyes and that seemed to not be enough. She needed more training. Days when she could focus on her sword were over. Now in the legion, her rifle was a much more important weapon to master and her skill were not good enough. Until she can shoot where she wants to shoo it won't be good enough.

Now there was a Misshu to be deal with though. Armoured nasty beast, hovering sligthly about the ground. Shooting at it would take two long, she would be just burning flesh. She had to go for the vitals and use the advantage that the monste was busy with John.

She started moving, speeding up into a sprint, never letting go of her rifle. She needed the rifle right now. Kaede ran straight at John so the Misshu did not have clear line of sight at her. Plan was simple get to the John, slide on her knees under the man and ram her rifle into frontal, toothy orifice and then keep shooting until the monster stops moving. Thinking up a plan was one thing, completing it was something completely else.
 
Re: Chapter 1: Heat Lightning

As John hung there, he closed his eyes, waiting for the strike to come. He wasn't sure if the others would save him. A brief second past and John exhaled. He then heard a clang and didn't feel anything. He opened his eyes to see the enemy NCO disarmed.

"Holy shit! Can't believe that worked!" he said out loud to no one in particular. His excitement at the small miracle was quickly smashed as he saw the NCO pull her knife. "Fuck" he said as he watched her thrust her blade at his neck.

John figured that his pain would be over in an instant and that it wouldn't hurt too much. Or so he hoped, there was the possibility that he could end up gargling on his own blood until he bled out. This of course didn't happen as John watched as the NCO cut the strap on the satchel that he was carrying.

"FUCK!" he cursed as he watched the intel he had worked so hard to get slip away from him. "I'll get you!!!" he shouted. He however didn't know what he was going to do as he hung there, unable to move, still held in the klutches of the AT. "SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF HERE! he shouted again. His prayer was answered as he watched a friendly object move in on his hud. It was Kaede running towards him. Whatever she was going to do, he hoped that she did it quickly.
 
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