"Breakfast doesn't taste so good a second time round." Jack thought to himself as he lifted his head out of the toilet bowl, never in his entire life had he experienced weather like this, Thelème was a landlocked country so he'd never even seen the sea before but it was fair to say he wasn't a fan. Cass was handling the situation a lot better than he was, or she was putting on a brave face to help him stop worrying, he couldn't tell which. After cleaning himself and the toilet up he headed back into his room and made note of his belongings and their placement. A person's belongings weren't sacred at the orphanage and this little routine had stuck with him throughout his life. Jack nodded to himself confidently as Captain Karstens orders came over the intercom, "The Divine protects." Jack thought to himself as he took one last look at himself in the mirror. Nodding at his reflection solemnly he picked up his helmet from the bed and exited the room. Stumbling out of the door and into the wall opposite as another wave hit the Crawler.

It was much the same all the way from his quarters to the hangar; Wave hit the ship, Jack stumbled, banged his head off of something metal. Rinse repeat. He passed several crew members on the way, all rushing around with boxes of supplies, securing them in almost any free room they could find. By the time Jack reached the Hangar he was about ready to see more of his breakfast again but quickly pushed that feeling down when he saw the Commander standing on the gantry in front of him, Jack gave him a nod and followed him as he descended the stairs, turning away at the bottom to head towards his Mech.

Cardinal One, he hadn't even had a chance to think of a callsign yet, sat in its bay next to both its and his sister. Cardinal Two and Cass. She had barely left her Mech since they boarded the Crawler, spending the last few days personalising her Mech to her liking. At present she stood atop a lifter helping a crane load the last Paladin into its Launcher. With the missile in its tube she lowered the lifter and hopped off, and finally noticed him standing beneath her Mech.



Cass had hardly been able to sleep the night before, the almost crippling realisation that this was no longer just a big adventure to meet and help new people had hit her like a backhand from Sister Bertha at the Orphanage. This was real, she would have to actually fight, most definitely kill and she could be killed, Jack could be killed. She had pushed his buttons to make him agree to come, she knew mentioning Sister Francine was a touchy subject for Jack but what she said back in Serene hadn't been a lie. Cass looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and splashed cold water onto her face and shook the thoughts away.

It was late at night when she exited her quarters and made her way to the hangar; it was empty, dark and eerily quiet considering it was full of giant metal monsters. Making her way over to her Mech she flicked on some flood lights and began doing what she'd always wanted too, adding some personality to it. Behind her seat in the cockpit hung a Thelème flag but she wanted more.

By the time others began to enter the hangar hours had passed and a storm had hit. Like Jack she had never even seen the ocean before but luckily her stomach was empty apart from the water she'd been drinking through the night. She had been a busy Bee overnight, putting her artistic skills to use and had quite effectively tattooed each of her Mechs arms. The Divine Protects. was drawn eloquently down the right arm and she was putting the finishing touches to My faith is my shield on the left arm.

By the time the Captain's orders came over the intercom she was already well underway on readying her Mech for its trial by fire, but when she looked over at Jack's Mech she saw he was still absent despite the ten minute call. CLANG! Her attention snapped to the missile pod above her and the missile which the crane operator had just wacked against the Mechs shoulder. Cass shot daggered eyes at the mechanic. "By the Divine!, I thought I said be careful with these things. Do you know what happens when a Thermobaric goes off inside an airtight box? It'll be a lot worse than some paperwork and a headache. Let me guide it, just lower it into my hands."

With the last missile loaded she lowered herself back down to the floor and turned to see Jack had finally arrived. She closed the distance quickly and wrapped her arms around her brother, who even under his helmet looked rough. "You OK Jack? Look like you've been gut punched. You haven't fought one of the Vinland boys already have you?" she said, adding a slight tease to her tone at the second question. Jack rolled his eyes, sighed and returned the embrace. "No I haven't been punched and haven't had a fight. It's the damned storm, I swear Cass when we get home I'll take the Vows if it means I never have to see the Ocean again in my life. I've seen my breakfast twice and looked far less appetising the second time around if that's even possible." Cass giggled and released her brother from the hug and glanced up at his Mech. "You've got like… five ish minutes you know that rig…" Jack cut her off with a finger pressed over her lips. "What do you take me for Sister? I had that done before I went to bed last night. Just turn it on and it's good to go." Cass nodded along, impressed at her brother's diligence.

"Are you OK? Jack asked, clearly it was visible she hadn't slept much. Cass nodded at his question and watched as he searched her eyes for any shred of doubt but he would find none. He nodded back once. "The Divine Protects, Cass. We're here for a reason. We've trained on these for months, we know them inside and out, we know each other inside and out. We'll be fine. Just remember your training and have faith." Cass tilted her head to the side. "Were you saying that to me or to yourself?" Jack chuckled once. "Yes. Now mount up, systems check time." he pulled Cass into a bear hug before departing for his own Mech.

Parking herself into the rather comfy chair in the cockpit she flicked a switch and the hatch sealed behind her, ending with the hiss of the pressure seal. A few more switches, breakers and one button later and the Mech roared into life. Panels and screens lit up in front of her and the cockpit light came on, bathing her in a gentle yellow hue. Slipping her helmet on she checked over the HUD, her and her Mechs vitals were displayed so she knew she'd done the start up right. "You there Squirt? Jack's voice was loud in her ear. Hastily turning down the volume of the Comms before she replied. "Yes I'm here, damn near blew out my eardrum but I'm here. Also… you're not still calling me Squirt are you?" Jack laughed deeply into his Mic. "Don't blame me, Brody gave you the callsign." Cass's eyes almost rolled out of her head. "Yeah and Brody was almost 7ft tall. He called everyone Squirt." That was a bare faced lie. Brody was Cass's boyfriend when she had transferred to Jack's unit, one of the few Jack had tolerated until he left anyway. Jack just laughed again. "Whatever you say, Squirt. My systems are all green, you?" "Mine too." She changed from their private comm channel. "Cardinal's One and Two reporting all systems green Sir. Awaiting your orders." she said looking over her monitor to where the Commander was by his Mech.

---

Despite the choppiness of the ride over here, Ingram found himself right at home in the middle of all the chaos, a point of calm in an otherwise turbulent storm. He sat on the lip of his frame's open cockpit, idly watching the people below him scramble across the rumbling hangar floor like a colony of ants preparing for war- which wasn't too far off what was actually happening. A flask of something strong dangled loosely in one hand as the other gripped a fat cigar- rolled with a blended cocktail of tobacco and medicinal drugs, meant to keep his body from rejecting the extensive cybernetic augmentation that took up the left side of his body. His body seemingly absorbed the shock of the Crawler hitting the sandbar without so much as a reactionary jump, idly puffing away at his cigar- his own pre-op ritual to keep things in check.

This massive mobile base was to be their new home for the foreseeable future, a far call from the caravan of camo-net covered supply trucks and light vehicles he had been used to. It was armored, air tight, and seemingly amphibious, and about as secure as any fortress on wheels could be. Ingram had half a thought to wonder where tech like this came from- it certainly might've put a stop to the Empire from invading his home. Ingram snorted as he caught himself, home. Technically he was a Ruzi, born and bred, despite having given up the Ruziyane colors for Gyrland more than a decade ago now. It didn't stop some of the Vinlanders here from looking at him like a turncoat, at least most of the Gyrland crew treated him more or less like one of their own.

Ingram's thoughts paused as he glanced down at a communicator on the floor of the cockpit, steadily lighting up with a stream of constant updates from his daughter. Especially with the hangar this busy, Ingram had banned Amanda from coming into it, for fear of her being crushed underfoot by one of the mechs or crates as people ran back and forth. Instead, Amanda made herself useful in the medbay, aiding in the meticulously counting and taking their supplies from the relative safety of an office. Though it didn't stop her from sending a string of messages to her father in the meanwhile. Ingram idly touched the golden band on his ring finger, was it foolish to bring Amanda with him on the Crawler? It was possible they all died here, and the thought of the machine being her tomb wasn't a thought that Ingram enjoyed, but not for nothing, Ingram still didn't exactly trust the Vinlanders, and certainly not enough to leave his daughter in their care while he fought a war for them.

Looking up as Commander Kaas' voice cut through the din, Ingram nodded, as he shifted from the lip of the open cockpit of the Ogre and back into the saddle, slamming a button on the side to seal himself within the dark cocoon. The interior of the machine lit up shortly afterwards as it began powering up, the walls of the cockpit lighting up as they began to display his surroundings. The Ogre was not a revolutionary machine by any stretch of the imagination, nor was it designed to be. The Ogre was rugged, tough and ugly, meant to replace both the Homeguard Gryphon and Werewolf once production was fully online. Ingram was just the first among those to test the frame in battle. Settling in his seat, Ingram buckled in and pulled on his helmet, opening the visor just long enough to stick his cigar inbetween his lips.

> Confirming Pilot Assignment: Ingram Feng_
> ...Pilot Confirmed
> Initializing systems...

> Reactor Unit: Online_
> Targeting Systems: Online_
> Weapon Systems: Online_

> All Calibrations Complete_
> All Systems Nominal_
> Standby for Launch

"This is Feng." Ingram reported across the squadwide comm between puffs of his cigar, his voice a unique gravelly mix of Gyrland and Ruzi accents, "Green, green, green, Ogre is ready."

Ingram listened to the chatter as the Commander publicly dressed down one of the pilots- Royce, one of their younger pilots, and green as grass, not that anyone else here were really veteran pilots- some smattering of experience between the lot of them. For ingram's part, most of his experience in warfare was on foot as well, though one might argue that infantry tactics would work okay for Frames too, just on a larger scale.

"Sleep is a luxury in guerrilla operations." Ingram commented, speaking from personal experience, "Take it when you can get it."

"Jackson. Cassandra." Ingram called out through the comms again, "Which one of you is Cardinal 'One' and which one is 'Two'? Need to make sure I'm calling the right one when we make contact."

She was second-guessing herself again. Rimau, the social media darling who had been graced with the highest honor Gyrland, could not help but wonder if she was finally going to be revealed as the fraud she felt she was. Ten years doing hit-and-runs, building a reputation for bravery under fire and a willingness to put herself in harm's way for her comrades, couldn't shake the feeling that she shouldn't have been assigned to this ultimate drive for victory.

It was a war between the intellectual and the emotional, the clinical soldier in her pushing against the nervous kid who had just wanted to find a fight with meaning. She was one of the most veteran Framers the Homeguard could dig up, her hours in the cockpit outnumbering nearly all of her peers. She was fast, she was smart, she knew the Chop Shop in and out and was prepared for an arduous offensive.

But what if she wasn't? The medal that said she was worth pinning the people's hopes and dreams on had been at least partially manufactured. You didn't give your propaganda producer a medal without expecting them to use it as propaganda, so how could she know that it hadn't been the only reason?

Well, at least she wouldn't be the only unqualified person on the team. The legendary Phantom Brigade now recruited untested greenhorns it seemed. Klara had been an officer allegedly, but not one valuable enough to try and get back. Ingram was a vet but an infantry one, and the twins Rimau had no real sense of. Royce was supposed to be well-trained, but apparently, he hadn't mastered the art of knowing when not to fall asleep.

That left Ramshackle as the resident old woman of the team, a position she didn't much care for.

The din of the monsoon wasn't particularly disconcerting, the thrashing of rain against the crawler's decks almost reminding her of home. Temasek was a wet country, with rain a constant companion to daily life. As such its troops practiced in mud more often than not, giving her an advantage over those poor Ruzi bastards and their love of solid ground.

"Ramshackle here, all green my end. Chop Shop's good to go."

The cockpit was cramped and barren, crammed with panels and instruments torn out of at least five different frames from across two different decades. 'Green' was not an adjective people often applied to machines in that condition, but Rimau had worked hard to figure it all out. She couldn't sabotage the pride she felt in her ride, as much as she might have tried.

"Chop Shop's not going to do great in the water but once we get to land I'll be taking off soon enough. Shikari, I'm going to stick with you until I get out of the waves."

"There is a reason why I joined the army." Arnfinn said to himself as the ship rocked due to the monsoon and occasionally had to hold on to something. He did wonder why the higher-ups decided that their first mission would be during a monsoon. Well, at least the Ruzis will probably not be expecting an attack during a monsoon. He thought as he made his way to his battle frame. Unfazed by the near-constant activity around him as their first mission was happening very soon.

The Crawler, as it is called, was something that fascinated him. A massive mobile base that can thread on both land and sea. What a marvel of engineering, and a shame it has to be used for war. But it also made him wish they had something like this during the Markland civil war, especially during the Stakenes Islands' campaign. That was a pain to fight in, but, in the end, the islands fell to the prince's forces, and at least the seas were calm during that campaign.

By now, Arnfinn had reached his battle frame and was getting himself ready in the cockpit. He could hear what the captain and his fellow teammates were saying as he made his checks. Arnfinn's only concern was some of his teammates were green. While this would not normally be a problem for them, this is a major operation, and not knowing if his teammates have it in them to do the mission is well. If it were up to him things would be different. Yes, those green like the Vinlander were highly trained, but training can only get you so far during a battle, and it can't prepare you for everything. So it looks like he has to hope that the greens will do well during the mission. As in not getting themselves or another killed.

Now after making sure that Outlander's systems were green and his battle frame was ready did he do one last thing. A quick prayer, and he closed his eyes and put his hands together spoke in a hushed tone. "Hialti may you guide us during this battle and grant us a righteous victory."

After that, he got on comms. "This is Hylen reporting, and the Outlander is ready to depart," speaking with a clear Markland accent. "I will be on overwatch and anyone just say something if you need some fire support" I got you covered, saying it generally to everyone.

Arnfinn had decided on not using his old callsign since Outlander seems more fitting since he is a stranger in this land. But, now it is time to see if his new teammates can handle themselves and how their first mission will go.

---

The mechanics and engineers vanished up the catwalk as the last of checks were finished and the pilots found themselves nearly ready to launch. The Black Hound took a deep breath as he listened to the chatter over the comms. "Jackson is Cardinal one, Cassandra is Cardinal two. Don't make me have to start assigning push ups. I used to be in charge of selection for the Royal Guard." He barked, making it clear that he wasn't making an idle threat. Making sure his comm was muted before continuing "Between those two and Edward I'm not sure whose greener." He muttered as he checked over the Cavalier's systems he might have had first pick but Vinland had to sign on each of them. Sending out the data packet to go over the mission briefing now that they were all in place, they had to keep the operation close to the chest after all. "As for the rest of your Callsigns, Black Hound for myself. Edward goes by Saint since he's the Vinnie's golden boy." Addressing the other rookie still not over his nap in the cockpit from earlier, he allowed the others to introduce themselves then continued.

"Right, listen up." He spoke as on screen a layout of the beach ahead was shown. Three built up bunkers jutted out from the rocky hills at the edge of the beach with a small base and forest beyond. Between was a gentle slope clearly meant for landing moving supplies up the beach, Ruziyane wasn't famous for its navy though it did have one, these guns looked like they came from their ships. "Homeguard reports state the area has a moderate Frame garrison. Mostly older models, the bunkers and their guns are the main threat here. A couple shots from those will halt the Crawler and send water flooding in. So... Here's the plan to prevent that." Their navigation screens would light up as he showed predicted paths of movement and upload data from scouting reports to each of them. As he lit a cigar, knowing the techs would complain about him clogging up the filters.

As he spoke the paths and little green triangles with their call signs moved towards their expected AO. "Ingram, you and Ogre will be punching clean up the beach from the landing point. You are going right for the middle bunker. I'll follow you in, once it's down our goal is to break the line and hit what's behind those defenses. Cassandra, Jackson, you will take the bunker to our south, Homeguard forces left you some pre-sighted data, should be receiving it now. You've got firepower and surprise, but just in case Rimau, you and Ramshakle will be picking off targets that go after the twins while they focus on taking that bunker offline. Remember these things were built with navy grade firepower in mind so don't stop hitting till you are sure it's offline." The Commander then turned his attention to the remaining three pilots. "Klara." He added with a clear disdain in his voice, not much of a fan of the captured enemy now turned ally. "Wraith and yourself will be moving up with Commando and Edward you've got the longest distance to cover. Arnfinn, you'll target the bunker while the other two focus on pushing up, hammering everything you've got. Homeguard has given you the same presighted data, with a gun like that you should have the firepower to bring it down."

He'd at least done his best to mix experienced pilots with their less combat tested counterparts. Ingram and himself were the odd men out but they had the closest target and more importantly the job of trying to draw fire from the others afterwards. When it came down to planning he knew he would have to take Klara or Ingram with him up the middle and he wouldn't trust that woman as far as he could throw her. At least Ingram had his daughter and a grudge over his wife’s death, Klara had been cooperative but he didn’t trust any high born. They knew what the Empire was and had still chosen to service in its name.

Rimau probably had more combat experience than himself, the woman was the right call to back the twins. They'd need someone who could steady them, they may have been three light frames but their firepower combined was well beyond any relic the hegemonic forces here could be fielding. He wished they had more time, practice runs and drills they could do a hundred times over... But Gyrland couldn't wait any longer, the royal family had to be found... The Homeguard couldn't do it alone any longer and their organization what was left of it would fall apart.

Edward, even if he was green, could be trusted to fight. They had an insurance policy against Klara, which didn't mean he would trust his life to her though. Arnfinn was combat tested and a proven warrior, he'd be perfect to depend on for bringing down the bunker as well as to handle anything the greenhorn couldn’t. "Speaking of which, Edward, time to show them all what Vinland sent you out here with."

Edward smiled as connected Aurelia into the battlenet, suddenly all of their screens lit up for a moment as each frame found itself humming a moment, a new voice spoke up. "Greetings Phantoms, I am Aurelia, Vinland's first Battle and Support artificial intelligence. How can I be of service?" The screen, usually meant for face to face communications, lit up. Aurelia's chosen Avatar avatar displaying itself for the crew as she gave a wave at them all. "Pleasure to make your acquittance I've read plenty about you all."

Commander Kaas grinned then spoke into the comm. "Well go on boy, tell them about your girlfriend." Edward gave a groan as he sighed and then spoke up unwilling or afraid of back talking a superior it seemed.

"Right, this is Aurelia. First of our completely autonomous learning AI initiative. She'll be able to link our systems and keep everyone running smoothly using Commando as her relay. She's not gonna be able to do the work for you but she can help update and manage systems, she'll also relay messages in real time probably faster than we can." Edward spoke up for the first time really, having up until now been nervous.

"She's based here out of the crawler, so other than us living here, she’s another reason to keep it safe. She can do the work of an entire support platoon, coordinating fire and updating our HUD's as we move along. Though I'd be polite, she picked the researcher's humor back home when they had her in testing. Didn't help, the Commander has been trying to teach her sarcasm." Edward spoke clearly annoyed with Walter still over his insistence on trying to teach her non-mission related information.

Walter rolled his eyes. "If it's going to be human-like, it needs a sense of humor. You barely have one and I sometimes mistake you for a machine." The Commander spoke to Edward giving up with a sigh of defeat.

Aurelia then spoke up for herself. “Commander, shouldn’t you be focusing on the mission briefing? After all I’m Edward’s responsibility not yours.” She was clearly opinionated. “Besides, if someone is going to give him a hard time ought to be the person using his Frame as a glorified comm buoy.” Aurelia addressed them with a smile. “Either way, we should focus on the operation first. I’ll answer questions afterwards or Edward will, I promise.” Aurelia added as the conversation was cut into by Captain Karsten.

“Hangar doors will drop in one minute. We will follow at quarter speed, good hunting Phantoms” He spoke as from the catwalks mechanics and engineers watched, even the security personnel gave them waves. The room shook a moment then suddenly it grew quiet, the massive hangar bay doors opened a meter of sea water flooding followed by rain at forty-five degree angle pelting hard enough to sound more like hail, think mists rolling off the water. If not for the optics and advanced equipment it would be like fighting blind.

Commander Kas and the Cavalier led them out, taking a few graceful long strides before his thrusters kicked on, as he took up position on the beach, letting the others follow him up out of the water. In the distance they could just make out jagged shadows through the spray and surf as they came ashore. “You know your teams. Break off and handle the guns. Once the guns are destroyed, push past the line, they’ll have a base nearby to send reinforcements in from. Once we hit them, they’ll know we're coming but we can see and they can’t.”

Cass physically cringed in her seat as Commander Kaas threatened her and her brother with push ups. It was a stupid mistake, one which the pair of them shouldn’t have been making. They knew procedure, they knew protocol. They had been living and breathing it for almost over twelve years, the threat of physical punishment didn't exactly scare her as the orphanage had never shied away from it when she and Jack were growing up. But embarrassing themselves in front of their new teammates when they were already being judged for being inexperienced? Now that terrified her. "Apologies Commander, it won't happen again." she put on a brave face but the smallness in her tone was obvious to all who were listening.

Despite the several feet of distance and armour plate between them she could practically hear Jack chuckle at her embarrassment. But he had always been better at putting on a brave face, Cass wore her heart on her sleeve but her brother… Well he didn't. Switching to their joint comm quickly she gave Jack a quick lecture. "Stop laughing Jack, we're not exactly making a good impression on these guys with stupid mistakes like that."



"How did you… never mind, Cass you gotta relax a bit. I don't even think any of us have actually spoken to each other yet, at least not more than a; Hi how are you? My name's Jack, what's yours?" He sighed gently at his sister's worry. "Just Breathe Cass. It's what comes next that counts, not a callsign. Besides you remember what Sister Agnes was like with the Cane, push ups are nothing." That earned him a brief chuckle from his sister. But before he could continue Commander Kaas beginning his briefing cut their conversation short.

The mission seemed simple enough for the most part, storm the beach, destroy the bunker and garrison and await further orders. The data flashing across Jack's screens along with the targeting information kindly provided by the HomeGuard painted a bleak picture for the defenders; exposed positions, open trenches, old Mechs and crumbling infrastructure. The actual bunker housing the gun seemed the only thing which had been cared for but even then "cared for" seemed a bit of a stretch. From the pictures, if it wasn't for the few feet of dirt atop it then the roof might collapse from a stiff breeze.

Bad weather, zero visibility, an enemy that can't target anything beyond visually thanks to poor maintenance. If Jack played his cards right this could be easy. Could… that part was important to remember, this wasn't training and it wasn't just his life on the line, a quick glance to his left reminded him of just that. Jack steeled himself and reached above his head to the comm panel and dialled in Rimau's frequency. "Ramshackle, this is Cardinal One, sorry you're stuck babysitting. We'll try not to disappoint."

Water flooded the compartment and the rest of the Brigade made their way out. As their turn came the twins stepped forward in sync. "No please, age before beauty, old man." Jack rolled his eyes and he knew his sister was giggling to herself in her seat. The weather outside was even worse than it looked through the windows. Were it not for the Cardinal's extensive sensor suites he and Cass could have been wandering off into the unknown. The IFF signal was strong which was good and kept them on Blackhounds path until they hit the sand.

The group split, with Jack and Cass heading in a southerly direction, always checking to make sure Rimau was keeping up with them. It was an instruments only trip which made it more perilous and the thought of physically bumping into an enemy Mech before seeing it made Jack sweat enough to turn up the AC in the cockpit. For all its advanced systems the only one Jack actually wanted to use, the autonomous recon drone, couldn't actually take-off in weather this bad sonic was thermal sights and the motion tracker all the way. At 500m the motion tracker returned a ping and Jack stopped in his tracks, Cass only a stride later. "Ramshackle, multiple contacts, 500m, Southwest, Mechs and Infantry. Doesn't Look like they know we're here yet. What's the play?"

It was never her preference to go in from the front. The Chop Shop was, by its nature, unsuited to leading glorious charges or anything of that nature but part of being a soldier was sucking it up and accepting the fact that things just weren't going to go your way. With the combination of her smoke and the howling storm, Rimau felt moderately confident the Ruzis wouldn't be able to lock onto her.

Or at least not before they got sidetracked by juicier targets.

"Hello Cardinal, no apologies necessary. I'm going to be flitting around, if you see anything particularly angry at you just shout it out."

She knew nothing about how they fought, only that it was now her job to provide cover. If only they had a week to run some drills, or even a weekend to discuss basic tactics! Frames were an inherently individualistic weapon, pilots finding their own particular way of doing things. In a well-ordered strike team this was an advantage, the various pieces of the whole were aware of each other's strengths and moved to cover their weaknesses. In this cobbled-together kill team it was a liability. Rimau just had to hope that the Cardinals weren't too unorthodox for her to keep up.

The AI was noticed but not remarked upon. There was nothing to say about it until it revealed its utility or became a problem, until then Rimau would trust Vinland's prized pooch to manage it. She would focus on piloting, the roar of the monsoon echoing in her ugly little cockpit as she followed her dance partners out into the surf.

It was never her first choice to fight blind, but she was far better equipped for it than the enemy. The Chop Shop existed to hit hard, finding targets regardless of conditions before reducing them to scrap. A few punched commands and her sensors were up and running, sonar pinging off the twins so that she didn't accidentally ram into them.

"I see them."

For a given value of sight anyway. The Chop Shop's thermal cams rendered the enemy as orange blobs amid the swirling blues and purples, Rimau shouldering her main gun in a ready stance.

"Hold for now, I'll check with the others. If they take notice light 'em up."

Switching frequencies was done with a dial of all things, not fancy touchscreen or simple buttons. Rimau slid back to the crawler's general comms so that the whole team could hear her.

"Ramshackle here, the Cardinals and I have infantry and Frames to the Southwest, five hundred meters. We've yet to be spotted but the clock's ticking. What's everyone's status?"

---

Introductions were made and orders were dolled out. His was by and large the most simple: A straight run up the middle. To be fair, line breaking was what the Ogre was built for, and in these terrible weather conditions, it was better for him to charge right at the enemy than to get lost faffing about in the wings. A wall of bunkers was a simple problem, and a frontal assault was the simple solution to said problem, so Ingram had no complaints. Had he been in the commander's shoes, he too would've sent the Ogre down the middle. What remained to be seen was the efficacy of their flanks. The majority of their frames were lightweight and not suited to heavy return fire. If they couldn't wrap up their respective bunkers quickly, Ingram would quickly find himself outflanked.

The introduction of their resident AI was a bit of a surprise. AI weren't anything that Ingram had ever seen first hand, so being introduced to one a few short moments before their first mission set him on edge. He didn't really trust anything he couldn't manipulate with his own hands, and the thought of a machine reading all about them and their backgrounds wasn't exactly something he was a huge fan of. As far as the mission itself went, time would tell if it was an asset or a detriment to their operations, but Ingram would've preferred a heads up or a practice run with it first- who knew what would happen if it went on the fritz in the middle of a battle.

All of his thoughts were pushed to the side however as the hangar doors opened, opening up the inside of the crawler to the monsoon outside. The Ogre took a few trudging steps off the crawler before crashing into the water below, where it began its slow climb to the beach. As expected, he could barely see anything, even using his frame's combined sensors and detection suite, he could barely make out the outlines of the beach and bunkers through the chaos of the storm.

Pulling the Ogre up alongside the Cavalier, Ingram lined himself up with the central bunker- if all went to plan, he'd move straight to it and smash it before wheeling around on what defenses they had. He quickly checked his comms, so far everything was still steady and strong. A few adjustments to his controls, and the Ogre's manipulators pulled out a pair of its grenades from their storage containers. It didn't seem like they'd been spotted yet, but they still only had a limited amount of time to get the job done. It was times like these when Ingram wished they'd had more practice together, so they could strike as a team, instead of carefully gauging each other's aggression so as to not get closed in on when one of them ultimately overstretched.

Ingram looked up as he heard the voice of the twins and Rimau crackle across the comm network. Reaching out to trigger his own comms, Ingram reported in as well.

"Shikari. I've got a line on the central bunker. Best we all strike at once. Waiting on signal."

Arnfinn listened to what his orders were, and they were simple. Fire on the bunker while Klara and Edward move up. Something he is okay with since the Outlander was made for, or at least partly. Long range fire support and having the Mjolnir Cannon just makes his job easier. Though in these weather conditions, it would be difficult to see, but that is why he has ways around there. It will surely make things interesting fighting in a monsoon, and Ruzis will be surprised once they make themselves known to them.

But the one thing that did stand out during the briefing to Arnfinn was the AI, Aurelia. So a AI will be aiding us, and it makes me think about what else the Vinlanders have in their R&D labs. He thought as Aurelia introduced herself, and it is a good thing she has a sense of humor. If anything, he has learned while being in the military it is that it is important to have a sense of humor. Otherwise, the dullness gets to people, and no one wants that. However, he will actually see if AI will be useful given this is her first run.

As he received the presighted data and was ready to go. The crawler's doors opened exposing them to the monsoon, and he started his slow march through the waves. Even with his advanced targeting systems, it was still bad trying to see through the monsoon, and at least the enemy would be in the same boat, hopefully. But, as he started to see the bench, and stopped along with his teammates and using the presighted data combined with Outlander's advanced targeting systems. Did he manage to see and get a lock on his bunker and set himself up to start hammering the thing. Luckily since the Mjolnir Cannon is laser based, that means he does not have to worry about the monsoon affecting the shot midair.

When he heard from the rest of the team on comms, Arnfinn got on comms too. "This is Outlander, I got a lock on the bunker, and I am ready to fire and waiting on the signal."

---

Edward frowned as Klara called him and Aurelia her 'handlers' he spoke up deciding to try and clear the air. "Hey... I don't have any issue with you. You chose to be here like anyone else... You've got your reasons for what your doing but I got your back, so let's prove the commander wrong about you, alright?" Edward tried to reassure, hoping he could work with the former enemy, he wanted to trust and work with his unit like he had back home. He heard Rimau ask for status and jumped on the comm. "We are all good here, just about in position. He stopped as the commando thermal sights could make out the bunker in the distance as he looked over Klara's machine. He was about to say something to wish them all luck, when the machine intelligence he was babysitting spoke up instead.

Aurelia cut him off knowing it wasn't the time for pleasantries, updating the unit with their new contacts and positions. "Syncing all brigade systems, acquiring enemy silhouettes." A moment later their camera's and sensors pinged and Aurelia highlighted the targets as well the moving patrol. Even picking a second patrol moving towards the northern bunker, Edward readied his rifle as he sighted one of the suits. Aurelia soon broke down the two patrols, letting them know what was in the unit two units. "I count five widow makers, three lancers, and a large number infantry and their support vehicles in each patrol. Guns are out of position to fire... Our arrival is unanticipated, shall we ring their bell?" Asked Aurelia with a giggle. Everyone now able see what their fellow pilots had encountered and even in storm Aurelia was able to monitor and highlight enemies for them seems Vinland's little computer was proving useful already.

Edward finally spoke up. "Outlander, I'll keep their attention so don't worry anything but that bunker. Sanngridr, let me get the patrol's attention once the shooting starts. I can take a beating and give it right back." He added as he stay about five hundred meters out crouching down and planting his shield for cover as he aimed his rifle for the lancer in the lead. He shook a bit before taking a deep breath, he jumped out of planes with nothing but some silk... He could pull a damn trigger.

---

The Cavalier stood ready just behind the Ogre as the commander listened to Aurelia's report. Watching the screen highlight targets he gave a nod. "Thank you Aurelia, do try not to make wonder why you can't operate the Commando yourself." He spoke as drew his heat sword and revolver, lining up on the bunker. Only two patrols meaning the middle was wide open. "Shikari, we hit that bunker push straight on through if the patrols are out that means the rest of their Frames and support are close enough to the bunkers for certain. We find their base we can prevent any additional hostiles." He spoke letting his fellow pilot now the plan hadn't changed, they would still still burst straight through the enemy and find their main facility.

The commander finished his cigar snuffing it out as he clicked on the frequency for all teams. " Operation is a go, hit'em hard Phantoms!" Came the order as the Cavalier waited for the Ogre to launch forward following it in as he fired on the bunker to damage any smaller guns they try to use to stop their charge. They wouldn't see a damn thing coming.

This was it. No more training, no more simulations… no more time. Do or die, literally. On the other end of his sights were the enemy, an actual living, breathing enemy and not just a static target on a range. And they were about to learn the Divine's wrath. "Come on, come on… gimme tone, gimme tone." Jack gritted out while staring at his fire control. Though the Cardinal was as advanced as they came with its systems the weather was still playing havoc on its targeting software. And without the drone to give an independent lase actually picking out a target was proving difficult.

He and his sister held their ground on Rimau's order, careful not to get too close to their target as the others called in their contacts. Finally after a few more moments a solid beeping noise came from the fire control and only a second or two later Black Hounds authorisation came through. "Copy commander. Cardinal One engaging."

"Blessed be the Lord my strength." he muttered to himself as he flipped the trigger guard up on the controls by his right hand and. "Who teaches my hands to war." his finger squeezed the bright red button and the Mechs left shoulder recoiled. "And my fingers to fight." The woosh of an engine igniting filled the air as the Missile jumped from its tube, its engine igniting after a few feet sending it soaring into the sky, a trail of smoke followed behind it as it flew higher and higher.

Only seconds later the missile reached its peak altitude and began to plummet back to the earth at high speed. Its target, a lone Widowmaker at the edge of the Ruzi line. The poor walker had no idea it was even being targeted before the Paladin struck home, slamming into the top of its hull with a vicious explosion. The walker appeared to shudder after the impact for a few seconds, then it went still. Another second passed before jets of flame erupted from its access hatches, the flames burned intensely and were followed swiftly by a second explosion from inside the walker which lited its turret from the hull, hurling it several feet through the air before the entire frame crumpled to the floor, black smoke still pouring from its hatches.

Before the missile had even struck Jack had sprung into action, the smoke trail was like a big tracer and he wanted to be nowhere near it when the Ruzi's looked his way. "Two, break for that treeline. Hammer the bunker, I've got the Mechs."



Cass watched as her brother opened fire on the defenders before breaking to the left and away from the missile trail. She followed her brother's orders to the letters, stepping on the gas as hard as she could and dragged Cardinal Two's frame towards the trees, by now the missile her brother fired had hit its target, the explosion of what was the Widowmaker ripped through the stormy sky, alerting the defenders that they were no longer safe. Cass said a silent prayer to herself for the souls of those who wouldn't see the sunrise tomorrow as her Mech went into a full sprint.

The treeline sat a few hundred metres away, slightly behind the Ruzi lines it would give Cass the perfect firing line down onto the bunker itself. Just as she made it to the treeline an alert warning flashed across her HUD from the LWS causing Cass to slam the brakes on, Cardinal two's feet digging into the floor in an attempt to stop quickly. She stopped just in time for a large calibre shell to whizz across her front and explode several feet to her right, ripping a tree apart as it did so and showering her Mech in wood splinters and shrapnel. No idea what fired that at her, though by the composition listed by that AI of Edwards it was probably another Widowmaker. The patter of small arms fire impacting both the ground and Cardinal Two came shortly after as Infantry and Machine Gun emplacements engaged her.

"One…" She began with a slight panic in her voice. "I've been engaged… Three new signals popped on her IFF cutting her off mid-sentence, a trio of missiles launched from Cardinal One towards the Ruzi positions. Three more explosions followed shortly after followed by the distant glow of muzzle flash from Cardinal One's Rifle. "I'm on it Two, just Hammer that damn Bunker. The quicker we're done here the quicker we can jump that second patrol." as Jack finished the gunfire in her direction stopped, the enemy's attention was not on her anymore.

Shouldering her Rifle she fired a few AP rounds at the Bunker, each punching a hole through the deteriorated metal plating the lights from inside the bunker spilling out into the darkness. This gave Cass an idea, she remembered back to what she yelled at the crane operator about Thermobaric's and airtight boxes, the bunker was anything but airtight anymore but the principal still apllied. With a flick of her right thumb the missile control changed from Fire and Forget over to Beam Riding, she lined up her sights and squeezed the trigger, the missile flew from the tube leaving a smoke trail in its wake. The Missile tore through the few hundred metres between Cardinal Two and the Bunker in less than a second, ripping a hole through the plating before detonating inside the structure.

Even from so far away and with the storm raging Cass could hear other, smaller explosions going off through the gaping hole she'd left in the side of the structure. Then came a deafening silence for a few seconds followed by the very ground itself beginning it shake. "What the… Again she was cut off as the largest explosion she had ever seen ripped out of the ground from beneath the Bunkers superstructure. Several tonnes of dirt and metal were flung hundreds of feet in all directions as the ammunition for its main gun detonated in their stowage racks, the roof of the Bunker itself was seemingly thrown like a child would a Frisbee. The fireball which reached high into the night sky could probably be seen for miles around. "By the Divine Two… I said Hammer the bunker… not crater the place…" sigh "This is Cardinal One to all Phantoms, the Southern Bunker is uhhh… "Gone" Cass interjected. "Yeah, gone. Support elements probably know we're here now, permission to hunt and engage QRF, Commander?"

---

"Engaging." Ingram confirmed as he pushed forward on his controls. Taking a few sluggish, running steps up the beach, Ingram made sure he was clear of the Cavalier before he reached out for his control panel and triggered the Ogre's booster. As the first missiles from the Cardinals crashed down, the dark beach was illuminated by a bright flare of intense blue afterburners, water vaporizing behind it as the Ogre surged forward. It's shield was held in front of its cockpit even as the other arm hurled it's held grenades across the beach. Ingram's head was pushed back into his seat as the sudden force exerted pressure on his body.

The beach rumbled as miniature explosives rippled across their lines. Any infantry or light vehicles caught in the overlapping explosions would've been shredded, but direct damage wasn't the prime intent of the toss. Rather, the explosions and smoke were meant to further increase confusion across the field. With any luck, in the darkness the Ruzis might have thought they were up against a force far larger than a scant half dozen frames.

Panicked return fire from small arms and light cannons flew through the chaos, ricocheting harmlessly off the Ogre's heavy armor and shield as it charged through the smoke. One of the lancers straggling from one of the patrols had stopped when it noticed the explosions, firing wildly into the smoke. Despite it's large size, the Ogre was already upon it, smoke and flame trailing from it's armor as it burst out of the smoke cloud, maul unsheathed and held low.

The Ogre swept low with it's giant maul, it's handle extending to it's full length as it crashed into the legs of the unfortunate lancer, metal crunching as it's legs crumpled underneath it. The ogre didn't so much as miss a beat, a heavy foot caving in the cockpit with a hefty step underfoot as it continued onwards towards the bunker.

Witnessing the explosion that the first bunker created as one of the twins destroyed it, Ingram opted not to swing his maul through the ceiling. The ogre was durable, but not quite that durable. Instead the Ogre shoved another pair of grenades into the open slot, quickly backing away before the resultant explosions sent the second bunker roof careening into the sky.

"Second Bunker down." Ingram reported, "If they didn't know before, they know we're here now."

That was the most nerve-racking part, the waiting. Sitting there in the dark listening to the crackle of comms, safe for the moment but keenly aware that you were balancing on the edge of disaster. One accidental sound, an unfortunate gust of wind to blow away the fog, the merest hint of paranoia in the enemy, any number of minor mishaps could flip the ambush on the poor idiots setting it. And as one of those poor idiots, Rimau was understandably concerned.

She drummed her fingers against the rickety armrest of her frame, beating out a silent rhythm as her team chimed in one by one. The golden child's AI friend tagged all known hostiles and Rimau whistled in approval, the markers a welcome addition to the signatures her own systems had picked up.

There was a dull thud of metal feet against sand, the sound of surf being displaced by some monstrous charging figure as the Ogre moved forward. The twins shifted into action against the bunker, and the telltale thump of a missile tube gave way to the horrendous sound of impact.

Rimau had no time to stare at the twin's handiwork, fingers already blurring across her jury-rigged setup. The hiss of smoke canisters comforted her as she surrounded herself with chaff, the Dustcloud suite activating in time with the shoulder of her weapon. At this distance she could stick with the HBR, sighting it on a Widowmaker attempting to acquire a target.

Two slugs punched straight through the tank's hull, a gout of flame spurting from the jagged gash as ammo and fuel cooked off. Rimau switched targets immediately, dropping her Frame to a kneel as she eyed a Lancer attempting to close the gap between it and Cardinal One. Another burst slammed forth, the shell blasting the chassis open before the pilot even knew it had been seen.

Anyone who happened to turn their attention towards the Chop Shop would see nothing except an inky fog rolling across the waves, a walking cloud moving at a steady pace towards the Ruzi defenses. The Dustcloud's constant activity ensure that Rimau was forever concealed, her Frame hidden from all. There was simply no way the enemy could get a lock on her, forcing the enemy to fire blindly at the roiling mass.

Another Widowmaker fired and hit nothing, a snapshot in return its legs out from under it as Rimau switched on her comms.

"Cardinals I'm moving up on you,I'll take the Widows if you can snag the Lancers."

The calm before the storm, or in this case, during the storm. As Arnfinn waited for the order to open fire. This was the part he had learned to tolerate. The uneasy feeling of any wrong move and they would be exposed and be fired upon by an enemy that now knows you are here and where you are. But, Arnfinn has learned to suppress that feeling and just stay focused. True, the enemy would soon learn that they were being attacked, but in the swirling storm around them and as they prepared to fire. He was calm and ready to use the Mjolnir Cannon when everyone was ready.

Then the order came down, and as the others moved ahead and engaged the enemy. So did he. He stayed where he was and after making sure his target was still locked on and nothing was in his way. Arnfinn fired the laser cannon, doing its max volley of five shots. Each shot taking about five seconds to fire in between shots, and he watched as each one hit the bunker.

Now as the Mjolnir Cannon cooled down, Arnfinn scanned his target, and he smiled as he only saw what remained of the bunker. A pile of rubble, and he got on comms, "my bunker has been destroyed, and they know we are here now, and I will focus on supporting you two, Saint and Sanngridr. Tell me if there is a Frame that is bothering you two or if you need some laser fire." Arnfinn said as he readied his sniper rifle and started to look for targets.

Time to see how the rookie will do, and maybe he does not have to watch over him much.

The first patrol to the south, was hammered hard. Within seconds they had destroyed two Widowmakers and two Lancer, as the bunkers blew the crew of the damaged Widowmaker tried to scramble out abandoning the vehicle. Comms lighting up, they had been trained to expect guerilla operations at the rear. Never a coastal assault through the worst weather of the season, no one in the homeguard had the bravery for that. The remaining Lancer surged forward with excellent speed diving for the Cardinal's firing it's rotary cannons as it brought back the pile bunker. The two remaining Widowmakers locked down and took aim for Rimau doing their best to buy time for the infantry to fall back towards the woods and deploy anti-frame weapons.

The Northern patrol spun towards the southern and central bunker... Before finding their own bunker detonating, as they tried to trace the source of the energy weapon back down the coast. The Widowmakers scampering down the coast to find the target as the Lancer's prepared their rotary cannons. As the infantry and support vehicles booked it towards the base, knowing if they couldn't get a radio call in they wouldn't know it was an assault by crazy new Frames.

Meanwhile along the central bunkers a handful of personal emerged from the ground lucky few escaping the blast of the central bunker with the patrols to far away to help they began run towards the tree line. Indicating to the pilots where they might find the base for their comrades.

---

As the fireworks Edward took a deep breath, as he lined up on the incoming Widowmakers. "I'll target the Widows, Sanngridr go for the Lancer's. Show'em whose better up-close. Outlander pick off any widows I don't get with the first volley we can't let the twins be the only one making fireworks." Edward added as he came up, engaging the burst fire on the M3 manages to get two volleys off as three Widows caught the plasma rounds that scorched directly through their hull and left smoking glass on the sand under them. Unfortunately, the remaining two let their cannons roar as they fired on Edward's shield, pushing him back as he waited for the coolant to cycle on the rifle.

Aurelia of course was busy keeping her network together. "Enemy alarm has been raised, they are attempting to establish communications with their reinforcements. All bunkers are down, using the Crawlers sensors to expand combat profile database." As behind them on the beach the roaring sounds of the crawler breaking through the waves as the lights came on across it. Casting the imposing shadows as an array of sensors, lights, and more equipment came online. "Enemy reinforcement position triangulated, sending approximate co-ordinates for Cavalier and Orge will attempt to breach and disable their comms, standby." Aurelia spoke to the Phantoms as the full might of their force could now be seen.

"Do you think we could make anymore noise?" Aurelia asked cheekily over the line as a waypoint appeared marking a base behind the cliffs buried in the treelines. No doubt the majority of hidden by the great pine forests ahead. "Enemy units expected to deploy in the next three minutes, I suggest extreme speed and urgency towards the base Commander." She advised the Blackhound and Shikari as she turned her attention back towards Edward's own struggle. "Outlander, could you be a dear and save our Saint before Vinland's finest goes down to Ruziyane's expendable tanks?"

---

As the attack progressed the Cavalier has gone on past the Bunkers letting the Ogre handle that, instead he spun around and took the hand cannon his suit was issued. Aiming for the infantry from the patrol's firing on them with it's beehive rounds as the convoys poor fucking infantry crumpled. It was fish in a barrel to a pilot of the Blackhounds skill, as he fired he place his steps on the survivors of the bunker he and Shikari had assaulted. His attacks would have earned the ire of the surviving frames and tanks if they had not otherwise been engaged. When he was satisfied with the lack of life signs and movement he turned back towards the forest. "No one survives. I don't want them to know were coming. No prisoners, no mercy for the invaders." He spoke with conviction as he pushed his machine on towards the base.

As they entered the forest several underground elevators arrived, delivering a pair of Ironguard to the surface that instantly brought their rifles to bear slowly moving off the elevator as they let off heavy cannon shots towards the Cavalier who barely managed to change direction with a quick thrust left. The heavier frames were not what he expected to run into first thing. "Shikari I believe these guys are just your type!" The commander yelled smoke curling off the Cavalier as it heated up even further as Blackhound pushed the machine harder.