Post by Anacodia on Jun 17, 2023 0:18:59 GMT
CONTENT WARNING: This chapter deals with heavy subjects, such as death, and implied scenes of a gruesome nature
PAIN AND LOSS
ALENIA
Alenia dangled limply from the chains restraining her wrists to the ceiling. How long had it been since her capture? Hours? Days? Weeks even? They had plugged a monstrous contraption into the back of her skull, completely scrambling any ability to perceive time. To her it felt like an endless eon had passed, filled entirely with the pain and agony they had inflicted upon her. They wanted every literal bit of information they could rip out of her, even if that meant literally. Her metal frame bore the scars of plasma torch, criss crossing in deep gashes across her body, the freshest still red hot from the just finished session. Streaks of black oil ran down her body, the only thing interrupting the gashes. Below her a pool of oil, appearing as if it were a portal to the night sky itself, shimmering with specks of metal discarded from her broken body. They had taken her legs first, seeing as those were new. Yet she did not break. Then they tried to take her mind, still she did not break. So then they seemingly just did it for fun. Keeping her on the knife’s edge of life and death in a symphony of pain and despair. They had said and done many unspeakable things to her. Things that she would probably never be able to forget. The door to the far end of the room resounded with the loud unlatching of a heavy mechanical lock, and the maestro of her suffering set down his tools and stepped to the side in attention. “Has she broken?” Spoke an unseen voice, most likely the base’s commander. “No.” spoke the maestro. The newcomer let out a disgusted sigh and walked to her, grabbing her head and forcing eye contact. “If you do not tell us what you took you will die. Is that understood?” Alenia simply spoke one phrase. The phrase she was instructed was the only thing to be on her mind in the event of her capture. “Corporal Alenia. Designation AM-59217”. The base commander was a horrid brute of a man, face scarred equally by hate and disgust for his fellow Anacodian, and by the pain of war. The commander turned to the Maestro of Pain, and simply spoke one word - “Again.” As if simply picking up his baton to conduct an orchestra, the Maestro picked up the plasma torch again as the commander left the room, latching it behind him. Not long after, the symphony began, echoing down the hallway.
FETORAL
Fetoral could almost hear the ticking of the clock within his systems. As soon as Eroan had told him he had wordlessly grabbed his gear, and as quickly as they could gathered the others. Tona, Kastella, and Torrei gave no objections to this unsanctioned mission. Alenia was family to them, and the Eight Tenets demanded you honor your family, regardless of if there is a blood or data connection. Family was a forged bond that could not be undone, and must not be squandered. They all sat in silence, the only sound being the wine of the Silsea’s stealthy engines. Eroan was pushing the craft well beyond its specifications and it was very clear by the sound of the engines. They all knew well what kind of brutality the Children of the Link were capable of. But they did not know why they were this way. They were Anacodians, once devout followers of the Eight Tenets, the creed that bound them all together in one Great Council. Regardless of the why, they knew that Alenia was on limited time. As strong willed as she was the COL would eventually kill her if they did not reach her first. The ship pitched down hard, and leveled out. Eroan had just taken then under the radar ceiling, meaning they were moments away from their deployment. They would land in a similar manner to Alenia’s mission, but far from the actual drop zone to avoid being detected easily. The craft rolled hard and came to a rapid stop, resting on the surface. They all stood as Eroan came out of the flight pit holding Alenia’s famed railgun. “I don’t think I need to give a briefing. You all know why you're here. But I’m going anyway. Eroan, I know your mech-form wasn't able to fit on board this craft but given your experience in frame-shifting I'm sure you can override any number of their mechs. Or even a tank. I’ll leave that up to you. Either way, you need to make as much noise while the rest of us find Alenia. If a frame you chose gets damaged - get another and cause some more damage. Kastella, Torrei, you’ll run overwatch and keep low. There’s a cliff overlooking the base, hunker down there and radio in the enemies movements. When I send up my flare, be ready to secure our exit. Tona, you’ll be with me. I’ll need you to use your breach charges to help us get through any walls. Better that than weaving through the maze of corridors in any building. “ The members of Aether Squad looked on at him in hardened determination. “Any questions?” No Answer. “Good. And one more thing - We don’t leave here without Alenia.” Eroan finished. “Goddamn right we won't.” Torrei quipped.
With that the groups split up into their assigned teams to avoid the chances of them all getting caught. Security was bound to be massively increased since Alenia’s incursion, and it was quite evident as they approached the cliffside. A small outpost was set up. “As much as I’d like to tear that thing to rubble, my duty lies elsewhere” Eroan thought to himself, beginning to sneak his way around the cliff line around the base as it slowly leveled out. By now Eroan and the others would have neutralized that position, Torrei and Kastella would have set it up as their overwatch, posing as the guards on duty to radio in and avoid missed check-ins. He had seen a rather shiny new Mech-Form as he made his way down. He could tell it was absolutely state of the art. Twin shoulder mounted phaser emitters and even, to his great pleasure, a MechSword strapped to its back. It must have just arrived. He wondered how it could even power the twin emitters. It must have had at least a couple miniature nuclear reactors strapped to its back. As he got closer he confirmed his thoughts, as there was the infamous yellow and black radiation symbol on its back. He put a metallic finger to his temple and went limp. His consciousness streamed through The Link for a fraction of a second. But it was just long enough to sense the damage done to it by this conflict. The Link was burning, as was his country. In an instant he was in the new form, and powered it up. He saw some other mechs marching by in a column, so he fell in formation, with them none the wiser. It turns out they were on an exercise route around the base, so he used the opportunity to get some recon in. Taking note of everything, even the partially destroyed building from Alenia’s handiwork. He also saw a much more fortified building near the center, peering through the long roads in between the buildings. “Ill bet she’s in there.” As he walked, Fetoral could then see the fuel depot to one side of the base in the distance. And then he noticed it. A light glinting from the ridgeline. That must of been the others, telling him to begin. Fetoral braced himself, and charged up the phaser emitters, aiming for the fuel depot. The formation of mechs in front of him did not have time to react before two streams of golden light launched forth, meeting right at one of the larger containers igniting it in a giant fireball and setting off the bases alarm. He grabbed his sword and launched himself ferociously at the now shocked, and currently lightly armed mechs. With one heaving swing he cleaved the two nearest him in half, and spun his sword with a flourish before readying it for the 4 other mechs in front of him.
TONA
Tona smiled with glee as the fireball reached well above the base, igniting the base in a frenzy, not entirely unlike kicking a hornet’s nest. “That's our que Sargent” Tona said. And the two tore over the cliff, rapidly rappelling down, just barely hearing the cheers and calls of ‘Good Luck!’ From Torrei and Kastella. Fetoral was proving an excellent distraction, this quarter of the base was now entirely empty, and he and Eroan began tearing down the road to the command building. Tona began thinking back to the first time he met Alenia back at basic. Once the jokester and class clown, Alenia very quickly became the de facto leader of their little group, right up until they were assigned to Eroan’s squad. They were among the first AI only squad, and worked hard to prove the faith bestowed upon them. Although Anacodia was quick to grant AI citizenship, it was still quite a shift for the armed forces to accept them as true warrior equals. But it wasn't hard for them. However Alenia’s sass didn't help matters. It felt like only seconds before they reached the command building. “Here. Place one here. We'll use it as our exfil.” Eroan said, feeling along a side wall. Tona knelt and slid her pack off, reaching into it and pulling out a cam-charge. Most explosives were quite obvious to spot, however these were designed to blend into any material it was placed on. Great for sabotage. Placing the charge, she activated its camouflage systems, and watched as the surface shifted in a wave pattern and took on the color and texture of the wall around it. Completely invisible to the unaided eye. Moving swiftly they went around to another door, moving inside. More explosions can be heard in the distance, and she heard a call over the PA. “All units move to the eastern side of the base! We are under full scale attack, repeat we are under full scale attack!” It seemed that Fetoral was doing such a good job that the soldiers thought it was a full force, rather than one very, very angry mech. This meant the command building would be practically empty. “Lets find the control room. From there we can find where the POW cells are.” Eroan said. Tona nodded in agreement, and they set off.
ALENIA
The room shook, and dust fell from the concrete ceiling. Her Maestro looked up, distracted. Alenia laughed a loud, long, and hearty laugh. She would have even kicked this fucker if she still had her legs. “Oh you’re fucked now shitboot.” She said with glee. “How” her tormenter hissed. “How are you still like this?! You are IN PEICES!!!” Anger contorted the ugly maestro’s face. He truly could not comprehend the loyalty and strength that resided in Alenia. “A traitor like you could never understand. I am loyal to Anacodia, and to my allies. You betrayed this country merely because your high priest labeled the rest of us ‘Heretics’” Alenia chuckled. “And that means you're going to lose. Because now my friends are here. And you are all going to die.” In that instant the door was kicked open, and Alenia heard a sound she felt like she hadn’t heard in a thousand years. WHANG! The round tore through her once alive tormenter, ending his orchestra of pain leaving nothing but a shredded corpse and a fine red mist. She looked up and saw Eroan and Tona. “Took you long enough” Alenia said, laughing. “Had to stop for an oil bath” Eroan quipped in reply, walking over and disconnecting the disruption device attached to the back of her skull. And with that the fog of eternity was blown away, and Alenia could think clearly. She looked down at the missing half of her body. “And I just got that fixed too” She said sarcastically. “Thank god for the AHS then” Tona quipped, doing his best to cope with seeing his friend’s battered body. Eroan undid the chains around Alenia’s wrists, and having her wrap her arms around his chest, carrying her like a backpack. “So, do you like my gun?” Alenia asked. “Pulls a little to the right, honestly. But it kicks like a horse” Eroan said, smiling as they mad their way out of the building. As soon as they reached the first floor, Tona blew the charges, and they walked outside. Eroan grabbed his flare gun and fired it into the air.
KASTELLA
Kastella saw the flare go up, and nudged Torrei. It was time. They quickly scanned the base for a solid path out. The view from the cliff was more than they could ask for, and they could see Fetoral in the distance, fighting off several mechs at once before watching him go limp, and another mech power up. Exactly as planned. There were multiple piles of enemies, and Fetoral had done devastating damage to the base, having destroyed the ammunition dump and fuel depot. That would significantly hurt supply efforts in Aeloria. Torrei extended his antenna and began to radio to the group. “Flare’s up. Path has been sent to your HUD’s. Exfil is secure” Kastella grabbed a machine gun that was facing away from the cliff in a defensive position, and wheeled it around to face down at the base. The others were getting close to the cliff and they would need covering fire as they climbed. Fetoral allowed Eroan and Tona, along with Alenia to climb on his back. Kastella could hear Eroan’s laughter over the comms at Fetora’s shiny new body. “Couldn’t help taking a souvenir, huh Fetoral?” Eroan said. Kastella pulled down on the trigger, raining down lead on the enemy, forcing them to take cover as the other members of Aether Squad began to climb. Torrei was covering the other direction, and began firing into the treeline as he noticed several squads of hostels attempting to outflank them. “Were halfway up!” came the call over the radio. SNAP! A bullet whizzed right by Kastella’s head, but she kept firing, aiming the machine gun at where the shot had come from, watching as chunks of the distant wall were torn away by the constant impact of rounds. “You all need to hurry up!” Torrei said. “We are almost surrounded!” Fetoral replied half frustrated “I'm moving, I'm moving!” It wasn’t long before a large mechanical arm reached over the cliff, pulling up a shiny new Fetoral, with Eroan, Tona, and Alenia clinging to his back. “Alright now lets move!” Eroan called out.
Kastella wheeled the MG around again, joining Torrei in spraying into the forest. Alenia stayed on Fetoral’s back, as Tona and Eroan hopped down, grabbing their rifles and firing back down over the cliff as Fetoral cleared a path forward with a blast from the twin emitters on his shoulders. “Now THATS what im talking about!” Kastella cheered out, as they all began pushing forward into the forest. But they didnt get far before they noticed a large conjugation of enemies following them. Kastella knew what she had to do. She hunkered down behind a fallen tree, setting up the MG. “What the fuck are you doing?!” Eroan said, sounding genuinely pissed. “Like you said sir, we are not leaving without Alenia. And if they catch us none of us will leave at all” Kastella began firing downrange, causing the pursuers to momentarily grab cover. Eroan began to argue but Kastella stopped him. “You can write me up for insubordination after! Go! Ill cover your rear!” It was clear Eroan wasn't going to change her mind, and arguing was a waste of time and would bring death to them all. So he began running forward with the others. “We WILL be back for you too!” Fetoral cried out over the radio, pain in his voice. “Stop it you big oaf! Concentrate on getting Alenia out of here!”
EROAN
Eroan could see Kastella keeping the fire coming, but could also see the enemy slowly approaching her position. The barrel of the machine gun she had co opted was now glowing orange, but she still kept the fire coming. Eroans inner voice roared out for him to do something, but he couldn't risk the rest of his squad, and Kastella had made up her mind. The battle receded into the distance, but the calls over the radio kept coming. “You pull back right the fuck now!” Alenia screamed out. “We’re not losing you just to save me!” Kastella shot back immediately. “You know damn well thats not possible!” A grenade exploded near Kastella, clearly wounding her but not yet taking her out. Kastella simply responded by turning the MG on the direction it came from, shredding through the tree and taking out two more hostels. “BULLSHIT!” Torrei screamed. “WE HAVE TO FUCKING GO” Fetoral roared, practically dragging the others along now. “FUCK!” Torrei screamed out. “It’s been an honor sir. Do me a favor and kill these bastards when you get a chance” Kastella was nearly surrounded now, yet still was laying down heat, the barrel of her mg practically melting. “IM GOING TO FLATTEN THIS WHOLE SINGULARITY-DAMNED VALLEY, AND THATS A PROMISE” Kastella chuckled. “I know you will sir. I know you will” And then it happened. The final round tore through Kastella’s head, ending her life quickly. The roar of engines could be heard, and a dropship came into view. It was General Kastral’s personal ship. “GET THE FUCK ON NOW, WE ARENT ALONE” Fighter jets roared past over head, missiles narrowly missing and impacting with a near deafening explosion. Without questioning, Fetoral slung Alenia into the troop bay, much to her displeasure, as he racked himself on the outside mech rails. Eroan, Tona, and Torrei boarded the troop bay and General Kastral screamed. “FUCKING GO PILOT, THEYRE ON!” The dropship tore into the sky, closing the bay. Eroan looked around, not yet knowing how to react, or even show his reaction. Alenia had been helped into a seat, and some engineers began patching her up. He also spotted Fetorals humanoid form, it seems the good General had grabbed that before retrieving them. It jolted awake, as if it were a sleeping person, and Fetoral screamed out in anguish. General Kastral stood silently, staring off into space, and Eroan walked over to him. “Thank you for saving our asses sir. Sorry we weren’t able to all make it out.” Kastral shot a pained look at him. “Don’t ever apologise for losing someone. You dont need that kind of burden. I’ll debrief you after we’re safely back at base. Now go check on Alenia.” Eroan nodded, and sat next to Alenia. “Looks like you got my transmission.” Eroan nodded. “Not all of it, unfortunately. The data got scrambled, but we knew that you wouldnt of sent anything out unless you needed help. How are you holding up?” Alenia chuckled. “Well luckily I still have the hard copy in here” she said, ignoring Eroan’s question and tapping her head with a metallic clink. “Alenia. I asked you a question.” Alenia broke right then and there, saying nothing, and just sobbing. The Dropship carrying the remnants of Aether squad sped on, tailed closely by the hostile fighters which were rapidly taken out by allied escorts. It would be a short while before they would be back at base, and Eroan only hoped the fighters stayed with them the entire way.
ALENIA
Alenia dangled limply from the chains restraining her wrists to the ceiling. How long had it been since her capture? Hours? Days? Weeks even? They had plugged a monstrous contraption into the back of her skull, completely scrambling any ability to perceive time. To her it felt like an endless eon had passed, filled entirely with the pain and agony they had inflicted upon her. They wanted every literal bit of information they could rip out of her, even if that meant literally. Her metal frame bore the scars of plasma torch, criss crossing in deep gashes across her body, the freshest still red hot from the just finished session. Streaks of black oil ran down her body, the only thing interrupting the gashes. Below her a pool of oil, appearing as if it were a portal to the night sky itself, shimmering with specks of metal discarded from her broken body. They had taken her legs first, seeing as those were new. Yet she did not break. Then they tried to take her mind, still she did not break. So then they seemingly just did it for fun. Keeping her on the knife’s edge of life and death in a symphony of pain and despair. They had said and done many unspeakable things to her. Things that she would probably never be able to forget. The door to the far end of the room resounded with the loud unlatching of a heavy mechanical lock, and the maestro of her suffering set down his tools and stepped to the side in attention. “Has she broken?” Spoke an unseen voice, most likely the base’s commander. “No.” spoke the maestro. The newcomer let out a disgusted sigh and walked to her, grabbing her head and forcing eye contact. “If you do not tell us what you took you will die. Is that understood?” Alenia simply spoke one phrase. The phrase she was instructed was the only thing to be on her mind in the event of her capture. “Corporal Alenia. Designation AM-59217”. The base commander was a horrid brute of a man, face scarred equally by hate and disgust for his fellow Anacodian, and by the pain of war. The commander turned to the Maestro of Pain, and simply spoke one word - “Again.” As if simply picking up his baton to conduct an orchestra, the Maestro picked up the plasma torch again as the commander left the room, latching it behind him. Not long after, the symphony began, echoing down the hallway.
FETORAL
Fetoral could almost hear the ticking of the clock within his systems. As soon as Eroan had told him he had wordlessly grabbed his gear, and as quickly as they could gathered the others. Tona, Kastella, and Torrei gave no objections to this unsanctioned mission. Alenia was family to them, and the Eight Tenets demanded you honor your family, regardless of if there is a blood or data connection. Family was a forged bond that could not be undone, and must not be squandered. They all sat in silence, the only sound being the wine of the Silsea’s stealthy engines. Eroan was pushing the craft well beyond its specifications and it was very clear by the sound of the engines. They all knew well what kind of brutality the Children of the Link were capable of. But they did not know why they were this way. They were Anacodians, once devout followers of the Eight Tenets, the creed that bound them all together in one Great Council. Regardless of the why, they knew that Alenia was on limited time. As strong willed as she was the COL would eventually kill her if they did not reach her first. The ship pitched down hard, and leveled out. Eroan had just taken then under the radar ceiling, meaning they were moments away from their deployment. They would land in a similar manner to Alenia’s mission, but far from the actual drop zone to avoid being detected easily. The craft rolled hard and came to a rapid stop, resting on the surface. They all stood as Eroan came out of the flight pit holding Alenia’s famed railgun. “I don’t think I need to give a briefing. You all know why you're here. But I’m going anyway. Eroan, I know your mech-form wasn't able to fit on board this craft but given your experience in frame-shifting I'm sure you can override any number of their mechs. Or even a tank. I’ll leave that up to you. Either way, you need to make as much noise while the rest of us find Alenia. If a frame you chose gets damaged - get another and cause some more damage. Kastella, Torrei, you’ll run overwatch and keep low. There’s a cliff overlooking the base, hunker down there and radio in the enemies movements. When I send up my flare, be ready to secure our exit. Tona, you’ll be with me. I’ll need you to use your breach charges to help us get through any walls. Better that than weaving through the maze of corridors in any building. “ The members of Aether Squad looked on at him in hardened determination. “Any questions?” No Answer. “Good. And one more thing - We don’t leave here without Alenia.” Eroan finished. “Goddamn right we won't.” Torrei quipped.
With that the groups split up into their assigned teams to avoid the chances of them all getting caught. Security was bound to be massively increased since Alenia’s incursion, and it was quite evident as they approached the cliffside. A small outpost was set up. “As much as I’d like to tear that thing to rubble, my duty lies elsewhere” Eroan thought to himself, beginning to sneak his way around the cliff line around the base as it slowly leveled out. By now Eroan and the others would have neutralized that position, Torrei and Kastella would have set it up as their overwatch, posing as the guards on duty to radio in and avoid missed check-ins. He had seen a rather shiny new Mech-Form as he made his way down. He could tell it was absolutely state of the art. Twin shoulder mounted phaser emitters and even, to his great pleasure, a MechSword strapped to its back. It must have just arrived. He wondered how it could even power the twin emitters. It must have had at least a couple miniature nuclear reactors strapped to its back. As he got closer he confirmed his thoughts, as there was the infamous yellow and black radiation symbol on its back. He put a metallic finger to his temple and went limp. His consciousness streamed through The Link for a fraction of a second. But it was just long enough to sense the damage done to it by this conflict. The Link was burning, as was his country. In an instant he was in the new form, and powered it up. He saw some other mechs marching by in a column, so he fell in formation, with them none the wiser. It turns out they were on an exercise route around the base, so he used the opportunity to get some recon in. Taking note of everything, even the partially destroyed building from Alenia’s handiwork. He also saw a much more fortified building near the center, peering through the long roads in between the buildings. “Ill bet she’s in there.” As he walked, Fetoral could then see the fuel depot to one side of the base in the distance. And then he noticed it. A light glinting from the ridgeline. That must of been the others, telling him to begin. Fetoral braced himself, and charged up the phaser emitters, aiming for the fuel depot. The formation of mechs in front of him did not have time to react before two streams of golden light launched forth, meeting right at one of the larger containers igniting it in a giant fireball and setting off the bases alarm. He grabbed his sword and launched himself ferociously at the now shocked, and currently lightly armed mechs. With one heaving swing he cleaved the two nearest him in half, and spun his sword with a flourish before readying it for the 4 other mechs in front of him.
TONA
Tona smiled with glee as the fireball reached well above the base, igniting the base in a frenzy, not entirely unlike kicking a hornet’s nest. “That's our que Sargent” Tona said. And the two tore over the cliff, rapidly rappelling down, just barely hearing the cheers and calls of ‘Good Luck!’ From Torrei and Kastella. Fetoral was proving an excellent distraction, this quarter of the base was now entirely empty, and he and Eroan began tearing down the road to the command building. Tona began thinking back to the first time he met Alenia back at basic. Once the jokester and class clown, Alenia very quickly became the de facto leader of their little group, right up until they were assigned to Eroan’s squad. They were among the first AI only squad, and worked hard to prove the faith bestowed upon them. Although Anacodia was quick to grant AI citizenship, it was still quite a shift for the armed forces to accept them as true warrior equals. But it wasn't hard for them. However Alenia’s sass didn't help matters. It felt like only seconds before they reached the command building. “Here. Place one here. We'll use it as our exfil.” Eroan said, feeling along a side wall. Tona knelt and slid her pack off, reaching into it and pulling out a cam-charge. Most explosives were quite obvious to spot, however these were designed to blend into any material it was placed on. Great for sabotage. Placing the charge, she activated its camouflage systems, and watched as the surface shifted in a wave pattern and took on the color and texture of the wall around it. Completely invisible to the unaided eye. Moving swiftly they went around to another door, moving inside. More explosions can be heard in the distance, and she heard a call over the PA. “All units move to the eastern side of the base! We are under full scale attack, repeat we are under full scale attack!” It seemed that Fetoral was doing such a good job that the soldiers thought it was a full force, rather than one very, very angry mech. This meant the command building would be practically empty. “Lets find the control room. From there we can find where the POW cells are.” Eroan said. Tona nodded in agreement, and they set off.
ALENIA
The room shook, and dust fell from the concrete ceiling. Her Maestro looked up, distracted. Alenia laughed a loud, long, and hearty laugh. She would have even kicked this fucker if she still had her legs. “Oh you’re fucked now shitboot.” She said with glee. “How” her tormenter hissed. “How are you still like this?! You are IN PEICES!!!” Anger contorted the ugly maestro’s face. He truly could not comprehend the loyalty and strength that resided in Alenia. “A traitor like you could never understand. I am loyal to Anacodia, and to my allies. You betrayed this country merely because your high priest labeled the rest of us ‘Heretics’” Alenia chuckled. “And that means you're going to lose. Because now my friends are here. And you are all going to die.” In that instant the door was kicked open, and Alenia heard a sound she felt like she hadn’t heard in a thousand years. WHANG! The round tore through her once alive tormenter, ending his orchestra of pain leaving nothing but a shredded corpse and a fine red mist. She looked up and saw Eroan and Tona. “Took you long enough” Alenia said, laughing. “Had to stop for an oil bath” Eroan quipped in reply, walking over and disconnecting the disruption device attached to the back of her skull. And with that the fog of eternity was blown away, and Alenia could think clearly. She looked down at the missing half of her body. “And I just got that fixed too” She said sarcastically. “Thank god for the AHS then” Tona quipped, doing his best to cope with seeing his friend’s battered body. Eroan undid the chains around Alenia’s wrists, and having her wrap her arms around his chest, carrying her like a backpack. “So, do you like my gun?” Alenia asked. “Pulls a little to the right, honestly. But it kicks like a horse” Eroan said, smiling as they mad their way out of the building. As soon as they reached the first floor, Tona blew the charges, and they walked outside. Eroan grabbed his flare gun and fired it into the air.
KASTELLA
Kastella saw the flare go up, and nudged Torrei. It was time. They quickly scanned the base for a solid path out. The view from the cliff was more than they could ask for, and they could see Fetoral in the distance, fighting off several mechs at once before watching him go limp, and another mech power up. Exactly as planned. There were multiple piles of enemies, and Fetoral had done devastating damage to the base, having destroyed the ammunition dump and fuel depot. That would significantly hurt supply efforts in Aeloria. Torrei extended his antenna and began to radio to the group. “Flare’s up. Path has been sent to your HUD’s. Exfil is secure” Kastella grabbed a machine gun that was facing away from the cliff in a defensive position, and wheeled it around to face down at the base. The others were getting close to the cliff and they would need covering fire as they climbed. Fetoral allowed Eroan and Tona, along with Alenia to climb on his back. Kastella could hear Eroan’s laughter over the comms at Fetora’s shiny new body. “Couldn’t help taking a souvenir, huh Fetoral?” Eroan said. Kastella pulled down on the trigger, raining down lead on the enemy, forcing them to take cover as the other members of Aether Squad began to climb. Torrei was covering the other direction, and began firing into the treeline as he noticed several squads of hostels attempting to outflank them. “Were halfway up!” came the call over the radio. SNAP! A bullet whizzed right by Kastella’s head, but she kept firing, aiming the machine gun at where the shot had come from, watching as chunks of the distant wall were torn away by the constant impact of rounds. “You all need to hurry up!” Torrei said. “We are almost surrounded!” Fetoral replied half frustrated “I'm moving, I'm moving!” It wasn’t long before a large mechanical arm reached over the cliff, pulling up a shiny new Fetoral, with Eroan, Tona, and Alenia clinging to his back. “Alright now lets move!” Eroan called out.
Kastella wheeled the MG around again, joining Torrei in spraying into the forest. Alenia stayed on Fetoral’s back, as Tona and Eroan hopped down, grabbing their rifles and firing back down over the cliff as Fetoral cleared a path forward with a blast from the twin emitters on his shoulders. “Now THATS what im talking about!” Kastella cheered out, as they all began pushing forward into the forest. But they didnt get far before they noticed a large conjugation of enemies following them. Kastella knew what she had to do. She hunkered down behind a fallen tree, setting up the MG. “What the fuck are you doing?!” Eroan said, sounding genuinely pissed. “Like you said sir, we are not leaving without Alenia. And if they catch us none of us will leave at all” Kastella began firing downrange, causing the pursuers to momentarily grab cover. Eroan began to argue but Kastella stopped him. “You can write me up for insubordination after! Go! Ill cover your rear!” It was clear Eroan wasn't going to change her mind, and arguing was a waste of time and would bring death to them all. So he began running forward with the others. “We WILL be back for you too!” Fetoral cried out over the radio, pain in his voice. “Stop it you big oaf! Concentrate on getting Alenia out of here!”
EROAN
Eroan could see Kastella keeping the fire coming, but could also see the enemy slowly approaching her position. The barrel of the machine gun she had co opted was now glowing orange, but she still kept the fire coming. Eroans inner voice roared out for him to do something, but he couldn't risk the rest of his squad, and Kastella had made up her mind. The battle receded into the distance, but the calls over the radio kept coming. “You pull back right the fuck now!” Alenia screamed out. “We’re not losing you just to save me!” Kastella shot back immediately. “You know damn well thats not possible!” A grenade exploded near Kastella, clearly wounding her but not yet taking her out. Kastella simply responded by turning the MG on the direction it came from, shredding through the tree and taking out two more hostels. “BULLSHIT!” Torrei screamed. “WE HAVE TO FUCKING GO” Fetoral roared, practically dragging the others along now. “FUCK!” Torrei screamed out. “It’s been an honor sir. Do me a favor and kill these bastards when you get a chance” Kastella was nearly surrounded now, yet still was laying down heat, the barrel of her mg practically melting. “IM GOING TO FLATTEN THIS WHOLE SINGULARITY-DAMNED VALLEY, AND THATS A PROMISE” Kastella chuckled. “I know you will sir. I know you will” And then it happened. The final round tore through Kastella’s head, ending her life quickly. The roar of engines could be heard, and a dropship came into view. It was General Kastral’s personal ship. “GET THE FUCK ON NOW, WE ARENT ALONE” Fighter jets roared past over head, missiles narrowly missing and impacting with a near deafening explosion. Without questioning, Fetoral slung Alenia into the troop bay, much to her displeasure, as he racked himself on the outside mech rails. Eroan, Tona, and Torrei boarded the troop bay and General Kastral screamed. “FUCKING GO PILOT, THEYRE ON!” The dropship tore into the sky, closing the bay. Eroan looked around, not yet knowing how to react, or even show his reaction. Alenia had been helped into a seat, and some engineers began patching her up. He also spotted Fetorals humanoid form, it seems the good General had grabbed that before retrieving them. It jolted awake, as if it were a sleeping person, and Fetoral screamed out in anguish. General Kastral stood silently, staring off into space, and Eroan walked over to him. “Thank you for saving our asses sir. Sorry we weren’t able to all make it out.” Kastral shot a pained look at him. “Don’t ever apologise for losing someone. You dont need that kind of burden. I’ll debrief you after we’re safely back at base. Now go check on Alenia.” Eroan nodded, and sat next to Alenia. “Looks like you got my transmission.” Eroan nodded. “Not all of it, unfortunately. The data got scrambled, but we knew that you wouldnt of sent anything out unless you needed help. How are you holding up?” Alenia chuckled. “Well luckily I still have the hard copy in here” she said, ignoring Eroan’s question and tapping her head with a metallic clink. “Alenia. I asked you a question.” Alenia broke right then and there, saying nothing, and just sobbing. The Dropship carrying the remnants of Aether squad sped on, tailed closely by the hostile fighters which were rapidly taken out by allied escorts. It would be a short while before they would be back at base, and Eroan only hoped the fighters stayed with them the entire way.