[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/4xTfM6S.jpeg[/img] [h2]...Into the fire.[/h2][/center][indent][code]Skogsrå, Gelcastre City Outskirts, LZ Delta_ 101st Special Forces Legion. Local Time: 1215_ [/code][/indent][hr] [color=pink]<>[/color] Sabine remarked sarcastically enough that Kilmer could practically feel her eyes rolling from behind her polarized faceplate. [color=pink]<>[/color] Sabine's head pushed into her seat as the G forces began to take over, pushing the Sparrowhawk faster and faster as she began to seek out targets to cover the boys on the ground already. She'd barely had time to get herself into position when she heard Commie's voice crackling on the comm. She sighed, banking the Sparrowhawk's wing down and breaking into a sharp turn, a pair of sledgehammer missiles screaming after her. [color=pink]<>[/color] her reply automatic as she turned away from the LZ, dropping chaff and flares to intercept the missiles before turning back to take another pass at the LZ. [color=pink]<>[/color] Sabine's laugh soft and lifted as she observed the pair of blooming fireballs below them, taking the Sparrowhawk on a wide orbit around the LZ, observing the carnage below from on high. While command may have chosen LZ Delta as the insertion point for the 101st, seeing as it would have relatively fewer defenders, making it easier for the 7th to break away and get started on their own tasks, it hardly meant the point was undefended. By this point, basically the entirety of the planet's surface had been configured into an anti-air emplacement, or at least, that's how it may have seemed from up above. The suburbs and side streets that made up LZ Delta hardly seemed as idyllic as it may have some days ago, as heavy machines and cannonfire ripped through wood and brick. Smoke and dust from exploding buildings, asphalt and dirt kicked up in a near constant haze, as UEE regular forces rallied around the elite squad. Radio chatter garbled in a near indecipherable mess, the Venator's sensors picking up a half squadron of Sentries landing behind them, thrusters flaring. Each mech was painted with the bright red and orange stripes of the 111st Helldogs, the 5th fleet's premier assault unit- aside from them, of course. As close to elite as it got, while still being considered a 'regular' unit, each of these Sentries were equipped with a large, rigid backpack, which they quickly set down onto the ground after landing, turning the soccer field that they had landed into an impromptu staging area. The backpacks opened up with a mechanical hiss as a dozen marines climbed out of each, a pair of mortar sections, and a command unit, along with several teams of assault infantry. One of the marines made eye contact with the Venator's ocular sensor, and the man quickly snapped off a casual salute at the mech before grabbing the mic on the side of his helmet. [color=steelblue]<>[/color] Conversation was quickly cut short as the marines- along with their Sentry escorts, and the Secutor and Venator by proximity began taking return fire. An explosion ended the short run of a few marines as the rest rushed forward to occupy cover, and the Sentries took up the positions conveniently manned by Fenrirs a few short moments ago as Coalie forces began to push back against the advance that the 7th had built. Down on the ground, combat was considerably less 3 dimensional than fighting up in space, there was still up, but there was no more down to worry about, not to mention plenty of cover as squads of enemy infantry crouched behind burnt out cars for cover and an advancing pack of Fenrirs used the ruined remains of a few nearby houses as cover to fire at the 7th from as they began to counter their advance. [color=steelblue]<>[/color] The same marine's voice crackled into the Venator's comms as Braide's warning sensors simultaneously tracked a pair of heat signatures exiting the 5th story of a nearby apartment building, streaking towards his flank. The rest of the building began to light up like a rave as muzzle flashes began to appear from several windows on the same floor, peppering the marines' position. The same apartment building rumbled as a Garmr dropped from the sky and landed on top of the building, its rifle and launchers traded out for a mech sized rocket launcher, using the vantage point to line up a shot at the Secutor's cockpit. A blue-green beam of plasma streaked down from the sky, almost completely vertical as it pierced the Garmr's launcher, causing it to explode in its hand, shaking the foundations of the building and shrouding the roof in smoke and fire. A second and third beam punched through the smoke a moment later, coring the poor bastard as it ruptured a fuel line and exploded, taking the building's roof off with it. [color=pink]<>[/color] came Sabine's unprompted demands as the Sparrowhawk, now a bright pink, streaked past overhead, plasma rifle taking potshots at another pair of Garmr flying towards the Secutor and Venator to harry their advance. A blast of plasma clipped one of the Garmr's thrusters, causing it to flame out and crash to the ground- down, but not out just yet. The other Garmr broke off from the engagement and began evasive actions as another flight of Garmr broke from their previous engagements to chase after her. In the burnt out husk of the second AA position, the Blackout had a clear vantage of the forces approaching the Secutor and Venator, as well as the Watchdog not far off. Some number of different units were converging on their location, totaling some dozen Fenrirs, 8 approaching the Venator and Secutor from the north, and 4 preparing an assault on the Watchdog from the northeast. They carried a mix of weapons, though mostly regular autocannons and AT launchers. Of note however were several of the support vehicles the Coalies had with them, a half dozen infantry fighting vehicles were advancing ahead of the Fenrirs, and a battery of mobile missile artillery- likely stuck a bit too close to the fighting for comfort- were in the final stages of reangling themselves some few miles away. Alongside with the artillery, Sköllr and Garmr were getting set up as well- the Garmr no doubt acting as a spotter as the Sköllr had traded its weapons for a heavy cannon emplacement. [color=pink]<>[/color] Sabine blinked as she saw a lock-on warning out of the corner of her eye, her hands barely throwing her mech into a dive as a blast of yellow energy arced past where her cockpit was at a split second earlier, streaking out from, apparently the sun. Just the heat wash from the near miss was enough to shatter her shields. The blast must've also possessed electromagnetic properties as the Sparrowhawk's systems shut off mid air, thrusters cutting out and mimetic paint disabling as the Sparrowhawk tumbled out of the sky. Suddenly surrounded by darkness, the idea of the Sparrowhawk becoming her coffin flashed through Sabine's mind at least once before her systems finally began to reboot themselves, her engines and sensors blinking to life just in time to watch herself crash into the remains of a burnt out apartment building. Warnings blared as airbags deployed. Despite the roughness of the impact, the angry stream of profanity- mostly french- broadcasting across the squad comms informed the rest of the 7th that Sabine was, unfortunately, still alive. [color=pink]<>[/color]