[IC] Orbis: The Liberation of Gyrland

[Apollosarcher]

North Western Coast of Gyrland, The Crawler

Bridge

---

Captain Karsten felt the Crawler lurch as it made it's way up the coast, quietly thankful this thing was tested against water. "Who the hell thought the best time to do this was during a monsoon!" A couple of bridge officers braced on consoles before moving, to check the other stations. "Please tell me we are getting close to land!" He groaned, days out at sea getting ready for the operation had made him a bit woozy; he wasn't fond of boats, it was why he joined the damn army. He grunted as the crawler came out of the deeper waters, they would be getting closer now. He flicked the intercom on, as he tried to peer out into the rainy darkness of early morning but the sky was pouring cats and dogs. "All pilots to your stations, prepare for launch. Security and engineer personnel make sure everything is tied down or off the hangar floor!" He spoke as the treads hit a sand bar bursting through it as they entered the coastline proper. "They can't see us coming but it'll be up to you to clear a path inland for the Crawler, we are ten minutes to launch repeat ten minutes to launch Phantom Brigade." He placed the intercom back down and held on to his chair, rubbing his temples as took deep breaths trying not to lose his lunch as another fifteen foot wave struck the Crawler from behind.

---

---

Hangar

---

"Get your asses in gear! Strap it down or get it upstairs! I swear to god you lose my spare parts! I'll wring you snot nosed brats's necks and run this whole hangar myself!" Pops was barking orders as he marched up and down the catwalk watching the mechanics and engineers scramble between the legs of the Frames around them. Crates were lifted with cargo cranes or run upstairs. Freddie and Jack were running crates upstairs doing their best not to fall as Amber went over final checks on the Frames, Rosie meanwhile was working the cranes from her tablet. Remington and the Tailors were helping the scouts seal up the containers the ground vehicles were in, hoping the flooding wouldn't be to bad from the water that would get in when the hangar doors opened.

Lady Grey leaned on the catwalk cradling a cup off tea, watching as the hangar buzzed with action not even the most violent rocking of the vessel caused her to flinch or lose her balance. She stayed perfect still sipping her tea content to watch others work and observe, that was all she seemed to do anyway. She'd been in the medbay earlier though she had been pushed out as the good doctors were forced to make room for crates and supplies to be dropped in their work space to keep them dry. Of course it gave her the perfect time to evaluate this new brigade made of a bunch of ragtag soldiers from around the world. By any and all logic they'd be at each other's throat in a few weeks when supplies got thin and they had to make tough calls. Or maybe they'd band together and get through this... Either way, she was going to have an interesting time learning all about them... And seeing what the Ruzi's were up to.

Commander Walter Kaas stepped down, helmet under an arm as he looked over the Frames in their bays, nodding his head before tugging on his helmet. The heads up display appeared giving him readout on each frame and its pilot as he strode across the bay. "Listen up, we're gonna be dropped in the shallows, the storm will make it rough but we're going straight for the beach. Hit it and then hit their coastal barricades, identify targets and keep each other up to date. Crawler isn't gonna stop and neither are we, punch through and give it a corridor inland. Once we make it into the hills they can't track us. Show me what you can do, people." He spoke looking across at the different bays before he got the one upfront. The Cavalier, a temperamental beast that wanted to cook him alive unless he threaded the needle putting fire power and speed to use, he respected it... Reminded him of riding horses in his youth.

He thought over his current unit as he sealed up his cockpit. Klara Weiss, former Ruziyane nobility and ace now defected and supposedly eager to serve after her family were killed by friendly artillery strike. Not the first time he'd heard of the Empire sacrificing its own units to try and kill their foe.

Jack and Cass, an inseparable duo who knew each other inside and out... Jack was standoffish but he took orders well, a good soldier at least. Cass was a bit more wild and free, but she knew how to make her frame dance on the battlefield; he'd only seen the pair in training but they could fight like a squadron with just the two of them. While Cass would do well with the unit, Jack would need to find a way to get the stick out of his ass. Tight asses tended to be disliked among soldiers.

Next was Ingram, a family man who had lost it all. Damn good soldier too, even if he did come from Ruziyane. Irregulars didn't last without some skill and he had taken to the training and preparation well. He'd brought his little girl along... He couldn't fault Ingram, if Walter's own family hadn't been killed in the invasion of the capital he'd probably have his little boy here on the crawler... Well he'd be a man by now if he was still here he thought. He took a breath then settled on his last two pilots Rimau had been fighting with the Homeguard and he'd personally asked for her. She was the kind of soldier who just wanted a chance to do the right thing in the right place. He'd give her that chance here. Of the veteran's here she was one he was most impressed with, no one just earned a King's Star and if he had his way he'd give her a King to properly give her a medal for the service she'd given.

Lastly was Edward, while he had an impressive amount of training like most Vinland soldier he had never really faced the horrors of war. He considered him greener than the twins, even if he was Vinland's golden boy. As he checked the life signs of each of the pilots climbing into their frame's he noticed Edward had been in his... And his heart rate was unusually calm, flipping on the open comm channel he decided to give the rookie a wake up call. "Royce wake your ass up!" The Black Hound barked, loud enough that anyone on the pilot's comm channel would hear it. And its result, the loud jolt and fumbling of someone who just smacked their head on the roof of the cockpit. "Get yourself together boy we are launching soon... How the hell can you sleep through this shit kid?" How the hell was he supposed to take a pilot serious when they were napping before a massive operation like this?

---

The Commando

---

Edward jolted awake at Black Houd's shouting, his face impacting the monitor in his cockpit. "Right sorry won't happen again sir!" The young man's face was flushed, thankful no one could see him at least as he began to run through the Commando's final checks. Thinking it best to stay silent for now, afraid of getting in trouble if he tried to justify his nap. The Black Hound was intimidating even if Edward Royce callsign 'Saint' was one of the best of the best in Vinland, it didn't really matter here. Most of the folks here apart from the twins had seen plenty of combat. Now embarrassed in front of all of them he figured it would be best to just not say anything.

Shaking it off he muted his comm line running a hand along the Commando's consoles. "Alright... Aurelia let's get you ready. Gonna need you helping organize all this data coming in once we get out in the storm." He talked to his machine, having still been a bit to nervous to really talk with the other pilots. But this run was supposed to be a cakewalk so... Maybe they could talk a little out in the field? "Well Aurelia at least I have you to talk with... Techs said your supposed to grow and change more with time. Maybe you'll be able to do more than collate data and predict enemy movements eventually." He added before starting up his reactor to and check his rifles charge.

[ASDAValueMilk]

Serene

A month prior
It had been a long time since Jack and Cass had been back in Serene, years in fact, not since they left the orphanage had they tread foot on its streets. The pair stepped out of their hotel and into a bustling market street, it was Harvest season in Thelème and farmers from all over the country had come to the capital for its yearly market festival to sell their goods, one of Cass's friends had told them that if the farmer was lucky they could make their entire yearly revenue off of just this one event.

It had all been rather cryptic, the reason for the twins being recalled from their training exercise with a few neighbouring nations. A simple message from command that they were required to attend a meeting at the Grand Cathedral, urgently at that. The streets of Serene were busy, packed full of vendors and tourists alike and if the twins hadn't known their way around the city's back streets it could have taken almost two hours for the pair to reach their destination.

The Cardinal guards at the main gate scanned the pair's ID and after a few checks they were let through and escorted up and up the building till they found themselves in front of the Arch-Bishops office. It had been an even longer time since the Twins had seen the man sitting inside. The guard opened the set of double doors and stepped into the room ahead of the twins. "Jackson and Cassandra Parker, as requested, your eminence."

The man behind the desk looked up from the paperwork in front of him and looked towards his visitors, his expression changing immediately from a soured grimace to a gentle smile. "Cass, Jack, come in please." He glanced at the guard. "Thank you Arthur, you may leave us." The Guard nodded and closed the doors gently.

The man looked at the pair and sighed contentedly. "My, my look at you two. By the Divine haven't you grown. It must be, what, ten years now since you've seen your old man?." Cass's face broke into a big grin and she almost skipped across the space between her and the man and hugged him. "Hi dad." she breathed, squeezing him tightly. The man glanced over Cass's shoulder at Jack and smiled. Jack simply nodded. "Your Eminence?" he said Inquisitively, raising an eyebrow as he did so. "Yes, yes. A lot has changed since we last spoke, my boy. Now come, both of you sit, there's someone I want you to meet." The man finally managed to break free of the vice grip Cass had him in and moved back around the desk.

Jack moved next to Cass and the pair sat in the chairs on the other side of the desk. The man fell down in the large leather chair with an old man groan. "As you can tell I'm not quite the spring chicken I was when you two were kids." He said with a chuckle. "Anyway, sadly I didn't call you here to reminisce. The gentleman over by the window." The Bishop said, gesturing over to the man staring out of the large pane window on the far side of the room. "Is Commander Walter Kaas, of the Gyrland Royal Guard. As you two are no doubt aware, Gryland was invaded some time ago by those Heathens of Ruziyane and he has come looking for pilots to join the Phantom Brigade, a resistance group… I believe helping to fight back against Gyrlands occupiers. I may have got that last bit wrong but they're fighting Ruziyane, I know that much. He's been very impressed by the two of you and how well you've been putting the Cardinal through its paces. Commander please, they won't bite. I supported Jack and Cass throughout their childhood, they're my children in every way but legally." The Bishop gestures for the man to come across to introduce himself.

"You two have shown remarkable skill. The Phantom Brigade is looking for folks with skills and dedication. Specifically for an operation to begin retaking my homeland." That was a bold claim it had been ten years since the invasion and the Homeguard hadn't exactly won many major battles. The fact they were still going was mostly thanks to foreign aid. "And I'd like you both to join."

Jack's brow furrowed as his head turned back towards the Bishop. "And you want us to go as well, why? We don't exactly have any actual combat experience." The Bishop nodded in agreement and shuffled a few papers on his desk. "That's very true my boy, you don't, what you do have, however, is experience in the Cardinal and it has yet to be combat tested, there are a number of buyers eyeing both it and the Paladin Missile. So as much as I am sanctioning this mission so you two can help the people of Gyrland, you are also going to gather much needed performance data on the Cardinal." Jack's eyes narrowed at the Bishop. "Well at least you're being honest that we're gonna be guinea-pigs…" He was cut off mid sentence as Cass's hand landed on his knee.

"Jack we have to go, forget the whole data thing, those people have been suffering, they need our help. Remember Sister Francine? She's originally from Gyrland and I've kept in contact with her. She was able to save her parents and bring them here but the rest of her family has just disappeared after the invasion." Bringing up Sister Francine was a low blow, even for Cass, she had been Jack's boyhood crush and Cass knew that. Even after ageing out of the system he had still checked in on her occasionally. He sighed in defeat, this wasn't a debate he was going to win. "I go where you go Cass. he said plainly.

Cass's face lit up at his words and he turned to the Commander. "We're in. Where do we need to go?"

"I'll send you the details. Welcome to the Phantom Brigade." He stood and gave a salute. "Enjoy the festival. Orders and logistics personnel will help you get everything ready for the crawler."

Jack

"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

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.

[13org]

Adapting to her new 'life', showed not to be as difficult as Klara previously thought. The crew's rooms in the crawler, while not as luxurious as the ones she had back in the Empire, were still much better than the war prisoner cells and the interrogation sessions she went through just after she was captured.

With that said, Klara did notice a rather evident difference in treatment compared to how she was treated on the Empire. Despite her skills and contribution to the Empire, a stock lancer was all she was given, with the custom modifications that were made to it coming directly from her family's pocket. Here, not only she was given a frame despite being technically a defector from the empire, still under probation, but the frame she was given was an experimental prototype. Something that normally would be kept under absolute secret... Especially from someone with ties to the enemy. Still, Klara wasn't as naive to think that there weren't other motives for her to be given an experimental frame... Such as avoiding losing one of their 'loyal' pilots due to a frame malfunction... Regardless, it still felt good being recognized by your skills. Something that the Empire didn't do that much, especially with their tendency of looking at their forces merely as numbers.

Unfortunately, the trip in the crawler was far from a pleasant one. More due to the terrible monsoon they were facing than the stares she received from the other crew members. Being pummeled by waves and shaken by the stormy waters was enough to make even Klara, who was used to being inside a fast-moving frame feel a bit nauseous... Even if Klara was good at disguising that fact... Which was mostly thanks to the cheap chamomile on the crawler's kitchen that she kept taking small sips from, while sitting on one of the kitchen's chairs, being as quiet as she could to avoid the rocking caused by the waves. Again, the flavor was nowhere as rich as the teas she had back in the Empire. It was at best a bland tea, hot water with a faint taste of chamomile, but it was more than enough to help her with the constant nausea... Besides, the tea's aroma helped to distract Klara of the other crew members' constant visits to the bathroom to vomit and the resulting smell whenever someone opened the bathroom door.

Fortunately, it didn't take long until orders started being shouted by the captain and soon after, the commander. The shaking of the Crawler as it hit a sandbank served as an additional warning both for the crew and the pilots, urging them to move and take their posts.
Those orders were received by Klara with a satisfied and excited expression. Having a chance to go out to the battlefield and have some fresh air was a very welcome change compared to being stuffed inside the crawler, continuously being toyed and thrown by the waves.

"Regardless of the weather, a chance to go outside and have some fun is a very welcome change... It's definitely preferable to having to stay stuck inside the crawler." Klara said to herself with a smirk and a satisfied expression, finishing her tea before calmly walking to the hangar to enter the frame that was given for her to use.

Even though it definitely wasn't Klara's first time seeing her frame and by now was already more than used to it, she couldn't help but stop to admire the frame for a few seconds whenever she saw it.

The IRISU-002X - Wraith was a very brutal unkind frame, reacting in a terrible way to any errors made by it's pilot but if one was skilled enough to tame it, the frame was capable of moving exactly how the pilot wanted it to. Thanks to her talent, Klara didn't take too long to get used to the frame and by the end of the training, she had already became quite attached to it.

Klara quickly got inside the cockpit, which, despite simple, was still somewhat comfortable. One of the few places in that frame were some degree of luxury, although basic, was present. Whenever Klara got inside it's cockpit, she couldn't help but be grateful for whoever designed it. Controlling that frame was already something that required extreme concentration and even physical effort. She had no doubts that it would be much worse if it wasn't at least comfortable.

Klara was still in the middle of checking the frame's systems when the commander shouted through the comms, making her flinch and hastily lower the volume, adjusting after the commander stopped shouting.

"Pardon me, Commander Walter, but wouldn't it be equally as effective to use a direct channel to yell at the offending pilot?" Klara said through the comms, with her ears ringing and a slight tone of annoyance in her voice as she readjusted the volume.

"As my first operation as part of the Phantom Brigade, this is Klara Weiss, reporting. All systems are warmed up and ready. The IRISU-002X - Wraith is ready to go." she said with a clear note of excitement in her tone, formally indicating all the systems were warmed up and ready for combat.

[vietmyke]

Ingram Feng

---

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."

[Smike]

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."

[Theyra]

Arnfinn Hylen

"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.

[Apollosarcher]

Hangar

---

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.”

[13org]

Klara quietly listened as the other members of the Phantom Brigade made a small introduction each, coupled with their respective call signs. To call their little group 'diverse' was indeed quite an understatement but regardless of that, Klara could clearly see that quite a decent amount of effort was put into the Phantom Brigade, both regarding equipping them and the entire operation. The expectations for each one of the pilots should be quite high. Due to that, even if they didn't really trust her, she knew she could at least expect them to be competent.

"Regarding my call sign... I have no problems in using my old one... 'Sanngridr'." Klara said with a proud smirk. Even though she knew that the name would likely bring some terrible memories to people who had seen or heard about her on the battlefield, she didn't seem to care at all about it. Instead, she seemed to almost be proud of such call sign and by extension, the terrible histories that were told together with it.

"It would be quite exciting to have the very same call sign that once terrified their enemies, the pilot they once threw away, back into the battlefield, now slaughtering their own forces..." Klara said, the very brief excitement in her voice before it suddenly went back to the calm, polite tone from before only made her words even more unsettling.

The very moment the commander started briefing them on their mission though, Klara stopped speaking and paid attention. Unfortunately, it seemed that the enemy frames wouldn't be the real threat about that mission, with their forces mostly consisting of older models. Instead, what they would need to be worried about was their fortified positions. Heavy caliber guns and bunkers would their worst enemies. The plan seemed to be quite solid, with the pilots being paired with each other carefully by the commander, before he finally gotten to Klara. Upon hearing the disdain on his voice, Klara couldn't help but let out a mischievous smirk.

"Yes commander?" Klara replied, clearly teasing him as a reply to the disdain on his voice.

"Understood." Klara said, satisfied after hearing the role the commander had for her.

After that small briefing, the commander gave Edward permission to show them the AI he was responsible for and would be assisting them on their next missions. As soon as he finished saying so, Klara's screen lit up as the avatar for the IA showed up, introducing itself. Apparently, it was Vinland's first AI designed for combat support.

Edward's explanation followed soon after the IA's introduction, mentioning that she would be helping to link their systems and assist them in many ways.

"Oh, not only doe she have a sense of humor, but also quite a sharp tongue!" Klara said, laughing as Aurelia replied the commander, after he mentioned Edward's lack of a sense of humor.

With the Captain giving the last few words before the hangar doors started to open, Klara gripped the controls tighter as she began getting ready to exit the Crawler.

"Good hunting... I like it." Klara said to herself with a chuckle as the water flooded the hangar, followed by heavy rain and wind.

To call that weather harsh would be an understatement. Fighting in those conditions without the assistance of advanced equipment was simply impossible. Fortunately, the frame she was equipped with seemed to be perfect for those conditions. Equipped with advanced detection systems would make it able to see it reasonably well in that weather and the fact that it specialized in close combat made such low-visibility battlefield perfect for it to move around without being focused by enemy fire.

Both to Klara herself and even to other pilots close to the Wraith, it was almost frightening to think a battle frame was able to move the way Wraith did despite not using any thrusters and more importantly, doing it so almost completely silently. It's small profile and light weight made it incredibly hard for anyone who wasn't marked by it's systems as being an ally to spot it, both with visual and other detection systems.

As Klara and the other pilots reached the beach, Commander Kas gave a few words, reminding them of their objective before the mission formally started.

"Saint, do you copy? It seems you and Aurelia will be my 'handlers' for this mission." Klara said with a discreet, but still noticeable 'acid' tone on her voice as she changed to the frequency she would be using with Edward, clearly referring to how the commander seemed to not trust her and paired her with someone he knew he could trust.

[ASDAValueMilk]

Cass

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."

Jack

"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?"

[Smike]

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?"

[vietmyke]

Ingram Feng

---

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."

[Theyra]

Arnfinn Hylen

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."

[Apollosarcher]

---

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.

[ASDAValueMilk]

Jack

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

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?"

[vietmyke]

Ingram Feng

---

"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."

[13org]

Klara couldn't help but raise her eyebrows a bit surprised with Edward's words. The commander wasn't the only one who made no effort to hide his... opinions about her. Many were the stares of hatred or disgust Klara received since she chose to volunteer as a member of the Phantom brigade. Sure, Klara herself was never fazed by those, but in a certain way, she could still understand their feelings... Klara Weiss, Sanngridr, the cruel Valkyrie that would lay waste to anyone in her path... Those were only some of the tales that spread through the battlefield due to her cruelty and ruthlessness. If those weren't already enough to paint Klara in a bad image, she was still someone who fought for the empire for pretty much anyone else that was working for the Phantom Brigade, an 'enemy' and to make it even worse, she was a traitor, someone who turned her back to her nation.

Whether they were deserved or not, the reasons for Klara's infamy were many and despite all that, Edward still believed that they could prove the commander was wrong about not trusting her, that her reputation wasn't entirely deserved.

"No wonder why your call sign is 'Saint', you are incredibly sweet, Edward." Klara said with a smile and a chuckle.

Just as that moment, Rimau's voice sounded through the main channel, asking the each team's status as the mission was about to begin.

"Sanngridr here, we are in position and ready to move in." Klara said, agreeing with Edward after he replied to Rimau on the general comms.

"Don't worry, you can count on me. Even if the other stories are true, I am not someone who backstabs her own allies... Like the Empire did with me." Klara said with a cold tone, just as as Aurelia alerted them to the silhouettes of the enemy frames appearing on the distance, clearly excited about the oncoming combat.

"Aurelia's suggestion sounds quite... exciting. I am starting to like her more and more. I might get quite used in having her assistance." Klara said on the general comms, with a chuckle after hearing Aurelia's suggestion and the playful way she brought it up.

"Understood, Saint and Outlander. Engaging active camouflage and activating data link with allied units. Outlander, you and Aurelia should have total access to the Wraith's radar, detection systems and accurate position at all times, regardless of the jamming and disruption systems used by the Wraith." Klara said as she heard both Edward and Arnfinn's words on the comms, activating the active camouflage which made the Wraith's image distort for a moment before gradually becoming transparent then almost completely invisible.

"Getting into position." Klara said as the frame began to move.

With almost no visual indication of the Wraith's position due to the active camouflage and how frighteningly silent the unit was while moving carefully, it quickly became evident of the reason why that prototype unit had that name. Despite being restricted to melee weapons, It's capability of moving unnoticed and getting close to the enemy was frightening to say the least. The only reason why they knew where the Wraith was as she got away from the main unit, stealthily positioning herself for the assault was the data link, which displayed her position in real time on her allies' radars.

"Sanngridr in position. Saint, Outlander, waiting for your signal to engage." Klara said, her voice quivering with excitement as she said so.

[Smike]

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."

[Theyra]

Arnfinn Hylen

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.

[Apollosarcher]

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.

[13org]

Even though it didn't take long until the unmistakable signal that marked the beginning of the operation, Klara could feel her heart beating faster with every second she had to wait. The excitement growing as she imagined the oncoming battle. It was close now, so close she could feel the scent of burning oil in the air, the screeching noise of metal being cut and melted, the smell of gunpowder... She could barely wait...

The order to begin was marked by Outlander's shots. The powerful light coming from his laser cannon, followed by the rhythmical noise of five shots, one after another as they struck the bunker, annihilating it in the blink of an eye. The very moment the fifth shot hit it's target, the Wraith began moving. Even before Saint gave her the confirmation, the Wraith began slowly moving towards the battle-frames. Almost imperceptibly, the only hint of Klara doing so was her position on her allies' radar, which was slowly approaching the group of lancers.

"It'll be my pleasure..." Klara replied as she heard Saint's orders through the comms, her voice quivering as she let out an unsettling giggle.

The moment Saint's shots hit the three widows, causing the lancers to immediately go on alert, the Wraith, who was already a few steps away from them, pounced in one of the lancer's back, piercing each shoulder with heated daggers, immediately immobilizing it's arms.

"Too bad the shots ruined my entrance..." Klara said with an unnerving chuckle on the open comms, clearly talking to the enemy Lancers.

"No worries... There are still quite a few of you left for me to play with!" Klara said, laughing as the Wraith's tail pierced the immobilized lancer's chest, going straight through the cockpit before it got up, it's arms rotating and splitting into four, with a third pair of arms unfolding from the battle-frame's legs, all of them armed with heat knives.

Before the other lancers could even attack, the Wraith engaged it's disruption and counter-measure systems, quickly enveloping itself and the group of lancers in an electrified smoke and chaff cloud, completely jamming their radars and detection systems. Completely blind, the lancer pilots were forced to rely on their very own eyes and ears. The sounds of shouting through the open comms coming from the lancer pilots was almost drowned by the gunfire as they fired their gatling guns shot wildly, trying the unknown attacking battle-frame. Unlike the lancers, her allies, especially Aurelia, Saint and Outlander had a direct link to the Wraith's radar and detection systems, which allowed them to know it's position regardless of the emp and the other counter-measures employed by the Wraith.

Amidst such chaos, a deeply unsettling giggle could be heard coming from the open communication channel. Teasing, provoking and playing with them.

"You're neext~" Klara said excitedly as she and the wraith dashed right besides another lancer, carving open a deep cut on one of it's legs, causing it to immediately lose its balance and fall to it's knees before she jumped away, dashing through the group of lancers, getting close enough so they could catch a glimpse of the Wraith only to bait them to swing their lances, only to miss her as she disappeared in the smoke once again.

"I wonder if your superiors still remember me. It would be so cold of their part if they didn't... Don't you agree?~" she continued as she approached the fallen Lancer once again, just as one of the other lancers sent a salvo of bullets towards her direction, only for Karla to hide behind the fallen lancer, using the Wraith's tail to hold it's lance while staying just behind him, where it's gatling guns couldn't hit her.

"Maybe this might refresh their memories!!" Karla said, laughing hysterically as she plunged two of her heat daggers into the fallen lancer's chest, slowly moving them towards the center where the pilot was, making them get closer and closer to the center.

"Go ahead, call your superiors... Let them hear your cries and tell them... Tell them Sanngridr is back~" Karla said, stopping the heat knives just before hitting the center, waiting for half a second only to pierce the lancer's cockpit from the back with one of the Wraith's extra arms as she giggled excitedly before tearing the head from the fallen lancer and throwing it far outside the smoke, landing between her position and Saint's, just as Aurelia mentioned if they could make any more noise.

"Two down~ How many of you are still left again? I am having so~ much fun I ended up forgetting!" she said, her voice quivering with excitement as she let out a blood-curdling laughter, jumping away just as one of the other lancers charged against her, his lance going straight through the lancer she just destroyed.


"So weak and insignificant... I really thought more of the empire's pilots... No matter... You will all end up like your friend over there once I'm done playing with you." Karla continued, openly mocking the lancer pilots as she continued moving through the smoke.