Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction ❯ Zone of the Enders: Resurrection ❯ Castle Keep ( Chapter 11 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

"Generally, the one that occupies the battlefield awaiting the enemy is at ease; the one who comes later and rushes into battle is fatigued. Therefore, those skilled in warfare move the enemy, and are not moved by the enemy."
- Sun Tzu, "The Art of War" Chapter 6: Weakness and Strength

Chapter 11: Castle Keep

Raven Vostrikov awoke in his bed, unnerved, but awake nonetheless. It took him a few moments to remember that he was in his quarters at Aegis' HQ, that it had been four days since his ordeal with Isaac Mattheris at North Point. Since then, he had found it harder to sleep through the night, or just relax at all, probably due to that technique Isaac used on him. He had started to adopt habits to going to bed, such stripping the bed of his blankets and wearing a pair of sweat pants instead, plus listening to soft music with a pair of head phones. Right now, the track was 'My December' by Linkin Park, one of the songs Raven had gained a liking to, enough that he'd burn it on to a CD. Silently, he slipped off his headphones so they were around his neck, so he could still hear the music without totally objecting his hearing. There was no one in his room, and he always kept the door locked, but once again, the nights had been uneasy since that encounter. He felt something stir inside of him as he sat up.

"Purpose... Will of Metatron…" he murmured silently. He had heard his father talk about off and on, as well as studying it in his philosophy class back in High School, but he never really contemplated it until now. To him, it was nothing more than some mindless babble Ridley Hardimaan used as an excuse to slaughter people with the first Anubis, just an excuse for Mars' independence. Even when he became a test runner, it never bothered him. Now, after all he went through with Daniel, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Questions like 'what did it have to do with him' and 'why?' kept coming into his mind like a river. He laid back down, as the track switched to "Obsession" by See-Saw. The song was soft, but the lyrics seemed to add onto the atmosphere in his mind. This led to the image of the great god of the dead. "Anubis..." he murmured silently. He could feel its great presence, enveloping him like a dark, invisible blanket. The image of a pair of crimson eyes flashing was cast into his mind, along with the sight of red energy lines running down the dark form. He sighed, feeling his body relax under that comfort, not the comfort he felt when he 'killed' Isaac's meat puppets but calm feeling. Something that relaxed every muscle in his body, allowing him to lie back down, which combined with the soft music, slowly put him back to sleep.

He'd figure it out in time, but for now, he had to rest. Despite having his quarters deep within the barracks, Raven thought he could here rain on the outside.

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June 17, 2179 AD. That was the current date back on Mars and Earth. In deep space, dates and time didn't really matter, but James Links always made it a habit to keep things in mind. Silently, he slipped away from the embrace of his wife, Rachel, and slipped on his robe. For some reason, he had trouble sleeping at this time. Usually, he'd go into the kitchen and grab a bite to eat, watch some midnight television, and stuff that Rachel or 'Missy' wouldn't approve of if they or Sara, James and Rachel's daughter, or their niece Lia were awake, then silently climb back in bed. And tonight would be no exception to that habit. Life on the freighter Ender had been rather slow and uneventful lately. Hell, it had been that way for the last seven years, ever since the end of James Links' little adventure with Dolores and his family.

His eldest child and only son, Leon, had moved to Earth and been rehired by the Rozen Trading Company, after being tossed back and forth between competitors. He had managed to bury his Martian heritage, thus allowing him to move up the corporate ladder, becoming one of the Vice President of the company. He also married Cindy Fiorentino, the reporter who traveled with the Links family during the Orbital Elevator Crisis, and they both were in the process of raising a family together. Garrett laughed a little at that thought, thinking of how much Cindy was acting like Rachel now a days…

The second sibling, Noel, was still on Mars, but in a different way. She had apparently joined up with some sort of mercenary group as an LEV and OF technician, having married to a TV executive, LEV gladiator pilot and former `terrorist' named Tadamichi Yukito. James had the pleasure of meeting him a few years back, during a trip to Mars, and personally grew fond of the boy as well, especially of his lackluster sense of humor. Though naturally, he felt defensive of any man coming close to his daughter, but Noel was a tough woman, and if any man could make her happy, then James felt he had the right to stay with her for life. Naturally, he hadn't heard from Noel since a coded transmission that she and Yukito were looking for some guy that was involved with the Deus affair. They left their daughter Lia (who was really the adopted daughter of two of Yukito's late colleagues) in their care, as well as Petronius, now a full grown house cat, with James and Rachel. Initially, James wouldn't have approved of Noel or Yukito becoming mercenaries, but he trusted in her decision. James had long since given Noel and her friends his `blessing', which was sneaking weapons, food and medical supplies between Deimos and the Orbital Elevator.

Back on Earth, Rebecca Hunter and Axel Yager, the Selkis and AlterNeith runners James had fought against with Dolores, had also joined up with Egret's little army. They were originally allowed to settle in Tokyo, Japan and take on jobs under the status of being Terran, in exchange for information regarding the Hathor Project and Radium Lavanz to WIRED. However, when the Terran Crusade began on Mars, the UNSF put out for their arrest in fear that the two may raise arms themselves. Fortunately, WIRED's Chief Investigator Sameggi covered for their escape to mainland Asia, where they spent a good few years living in a village in China, before Dingo came to Earth and recruited them as frame runners. Though they weren't part of James' family by blood, he had treated Rebecca like a third daughter during their time together, so he naturally grew close to her. He had only briefly met Axel, but like Noel's case, if he could make her happy, then he wouldn't go against their relationship.

He finally came into the galley of the Ender, searching vigorously for something edible. He managed to come across a box of Hawaiian style pizza that had survived the trip from Antilia, and after a close inspection, he deemed the contents edible. After microwaving a few slices and grabbing a can of Budweiser, he took his little snack into the living quarters of the ship and sat down on his chair. The living quarters on the Ender were on the dorsal part of the ship after its latest refit, giving James a full view of the surrounding space, but the TV area was put into a 'den' under the view ports, so not even space could disturb his TV watching venture. Taking the remote, he began flipping through the TV channels, but despite having the best service possible for a space trawler (thanks to Noel's husband), he saw nothing of interest. Just news reports about the events in Margaritifer, the VANGUARD crisis, and some sightings of the orbital frames Anubis and Jehuty running rampant around Mars.

Something in James' gut tightened as he watched all the pictures unfold on screen, letting him give out a long groan.

"That doesn't sound healthy, Ouji-sama." the voice of Dolores sounded into the living room, making James jump out of his seat.

"Gah, Missy, I told you not to do that!" James shouted.

"I'm sorry!" Dolores squealed. On her head, which was placed on the bow of the ship, her ear fins flapped at her embarrassment.

James grumbled a little. After "Missy's" orbital frame body was drained of all energy, Rachel managed to preserve a portion of head and her personality data along with it. Since they lacked the resources to build her a new body, as well as the fact Orbital Frames were pretty much outlawed around the Earth at that point, her head was mounted on the bow of the Ender, where she would serve as the ship's guidance system. She often complained about how big she looked compared to her slim form as the orbital frame Isis, but she, along with the rest of James Links' family, was happy.

"I was only concerned about your health, Ouji-sama. You haven't been sleeping well for the past three days." Dolores explained, "And yet, you seem to relax more after spending time with Oba-sama..."

James nearly gagged, "Didn't I also tell you that our room is off limits?" he shouted again, mostly out of embarrassment. "No, it doesn't have to do with that! I just have trouble sleeping when we're this close to Mars, that's all. We're two days from Deimos Station, and I want everything to go smoothly."

"But, I have the ability to monitor the Ender for that time length, Ouji-sama." Dolores piped, "If anything were to happen, I would inform you. Can you tell me what's really troubling you?"

"How do you know something's troubling me?" James quipped snidely.

"Because Oba-sama told me to block out all 'questionable' television channels from my data feed. There should be no real reason for you to be up this late." Dolores replied.

That explains why I can't get Exotic Paradise. James thought bitterly, taking another swig, "Missy, exactly, how much do you think we went through in our little venture?"

"What do you mean, Ouji-sama?"

"We went through a lot, didn't we? BAHRAM, the UNSF, the Mafia and to top it all off, your evil step sister." James said, regarding his battle with the orbital frame Hathor, "All that to save two worlds and they have the gall to go back to fighting each other like two siblings."

"Are you referring to your attempted peace making between BAHRAM and the Space Force?" Dolores asked.

"Yeah. I really thought I made something there, on that street, between those ground troops." James sighed, "For the first time since I married Rachel, I thought I did a great thing. The right thing, bringing an end to a war that's lasted for most of the century." he gritted, "And what happens? They go back at it, like nothing happened. First, Ridley Hardimaan takes control of BAHRAM after Radium and Vascilian Parliament are killed off and then destroys the UNSF presence on Mars, only for Dingo Egret to single-handedly defeat him and Anubis in combat. But, the Earth isn't going to turn the other cheek, oh no, they go on their stupid Crusade and then re-occupy after that. Now another war is starting up again with this VANGUARD thing, not to mention all these reports about Anubis, and the `Endless Waltz' continues. Do you know what I'm saying, Missy?"

"In other words, after all you've done, nothing has changed?" Dolores speculated.

"Exactly!" James yelled, throwing his now empty bear bottle to the deck, letting it shatter. He took in and let out breaths of air rapidly, sweating, as the temperature in the room seemed to increase drastically, “Damn it, wasn't that why Noel and the rest went to Earth in the first place? To stop any of this from happening again?” he barraged, feeling the threat of tears coming over his eyes.

Dolores, if she were human, would've had a shocked, yet caring expression right now. In the back of her mind, she herself felt something re-assuring her, something that was beyond all reason and physical law telling her how to console James. "Ouji-sama..." she murmured, showing no fright, but definite concern. A wave of comfort slowly overtook James, as if a Dolores had manifested into a little human girl and was now gripping his massive leg in an attempt to make him feel better. "You've been through a lot and done your part, and I know how much you wanted humans to accept each other... But I don't think it was meant to be that way."

James was a little awe-struck at this.

"Something in me is telling me that it wasn't meant to end like that... the conflict between the two brothers..."

"Missy?"

"It will only get darker from this point on, Ouji-sama." Dolores said, "I'm sorry, but there is no other way for me to explain it. It will come to an end, like all things, eventually, but until that time, things will only keep getting worse. It is the path mankind as a whole has chosen..."

For some reason, James could sort of understand what Dolores was talking about, "Revelations 6." he muttered, "The seven seals, am I correct?"

"Hai, Ouji-sama. That's a good way of describing it." Dolores said.

"So, what does this lead to, Missy?" James asked, "The Apocalypse? Armageddon? Any other religious nonsense on the end of the world as we know it?"

"I don't know." Dolores said, trying her best to make it so James wouldn't teeter over the edge, "But I can tell you this: everything is put into motion after the next battle on Mars."

Hastily, James began to search his pocket for a cigarette and his lighter. Rachel didn't like it when he smoked either, but after this conversation with Dolores, he decided now was the best time for a smoke.

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At Margaritifer County, Taggart watched from his observation deck on the land battleship Cerberus as several Phantoma II LEVs charged into formation. The defense force comprised by Mason in the last few days were a definite force to see for any Terran, since the first invasions of Mars and the Orbital Elevator Crisis in '72.

There were about three battalions of UNSF Phantoma IIs, one thousand five hundred in all, heading up the main edge of the defense force, followed by a full fighter wing of Vic Viper R air assault LEVs for air-to-air support and two flights of AI operated fighter craft for reconnaissance. Also, the Orbital Frame Corps had been deployed on orders directly from High Command, giving a couple wings of Raptor-type orbital frames, plus several UNSF operated AlterNeiths, which were discernable for their gray colors as opposed to Aegis' black. However, these were merely appetizers; the full course was a whole different story. The key to the taskforce were five Behemoth LEVs, parked behind the main defense lines so they could use their long-range beam cannons for support. Taggart himself hated the Behemoth, since it represented the Space Force's hatred toward Mars, but for once, he saw it as 'useful'. All that, plus Aegis' own Division of AlterNeith orbital frames, plus the various custom models that made up Nemesis Squadron.

Yes, it was very impressive, but against a force of orbital frames, which ranged anywhere between one hundred to a thousand, plus the enemy's own Type C, B and A frames, Taggart had his doubts. The best units in the Space Force, besides Aegis' AlterNeiths and Nemesis Squadron, were the Behemoths since they were armed with Vector Bombs. It was proven five years ago that a standard Phantoma could stand up to a pack of orbital frames, and the Phantoma II was even more powerful than the LGM-005, but that didn't change the fact they were still pitted against orbital frames. Suicidal? Hell yes, High Command still thought in two-dimensional terms when it came to warfare, by the fact they still saw the Orbital Frame as a mere variation to the LEV. Sure, he had heard rumors of a prototype OF being experimented on Earth, but the fighting was on Mars.

Before Taggart could think any further, he was forcibly turned the other way and was nailed with a massive fist into his gut. He huffed air out, feeling shocked by the surprise attack and extremely disgruntled at who punched him. It was a very familiar General. "No offense meant, General Taggart." the massive man grinned, "But I personally felt you needed that."

"What are you doing on my ship, De Franz?" Taggart coughed slightly, straightening himself out faster than one would think possible.

"He has come on my behalf." a female voice said, entering the room. A middle aged woman with short brown hair and a rather serious demeanor entered, effectively displaying up front her Admiral tags. The woman was Vice Admiral Harriet Clinton, one of the chairwoman of High Command, and one of Taggart's many, many headaches. "I have come on behalf of High Command to inspect the battle, General Taggart, along with Major General De Franz and some representatives of High Command."

"May I ask why I wasn't informed of this, Vice Admiral? I made my report on the situation some time ago." Taggart said, still recovering from De Franz's unexpected punch, "I thought it was improper for an officer of your caliber to take part in a battle." he said, with a touch of sarcasm in the tone. Command officials didn't take part in battle because either the higher ups didn't want them to die a 'premature death' or they were just cowards.

"Quite frankly, Major General, neither I nor High Command approve of your 'unorthodox tactics' at best, and your failure in Vascilia doesn't bring faith. Therefore, I wish to supervise the battle and Aegis' strength." Clinton explained, in the typical higher-than-thou vocation that most UNSF officers loved using. "Do not worry, I know the strategic importance of Margaritifer, so in case you fail in your task, I will turn command of the battle over to General De Franz." De Franz grinned evilly at the sound of that, his red eye goggles glowing brighter.

Taggart nodded with reluctance, "May I inquire why such supervision is necessary at this time? Because in case you misread my report, Vice Admiral, this is not a demonstration of our weapons capabilities."

"On the contrary, Major General, you brought this upon yourself." Clinton stated, "Because of your failure to contain the situation, we now have to face the VANGUARD threat head on."

Taggart's eye brows sloped downward and his eyes narrowed, keeping his even tone as always, "I will not make any excuses on this, but you knew well about this long before we did. Why is it that you have to wait just after the situation turns critical that you drop a report on my desk? Why do you wait until petty groups like Einherjar, Zion, Chimera Corp., Skull Squadron or anyone else to grow into what VANGUARD is right now before you call on us? Frankly, I don't like being kept in the dark, and not being able to do my job..."

"You are not entitled to that information, General. My patience is growing thin." Clinton growled in warning.

"And so is mine." Taggart shot back, still even and unemotional, "I want to know now, why you choose to ignore such conflicts, not the excuses Secretary General Kerensky or the UN make on 'public security'."

"Alright, you want to know?" Clinton replied, anger breaking through her verbal barrier, "Because, General, you have gone so far as to accept Martian technology from NUT Ltd. and enlist those ender scum into a UNSF elite force. Sure, we can over look that, but it comes down to, General, where do your loyalties lie?"

"Pardon me?" Taggart asked, now curious, "Vice Admiral Clinton, are you branding me as a traitor?"

"Yes, I am." Clinton said, "You seem to value Mars' well being as much as you do Earth's, if not more. In the past, officers of high caliber, such as Major General Browning, Commander Leo Stenbuck and even members of High Command, like Vice Admiral Weinburg, made the grave mistake of listening to those bleeding heart liberals and hippies. Because of that, they betrayed their home planet, their heritage and their honor!"

"And you think I'm going to make the same mistake?" Taggart said, "My loyalties are to the Earth, and Earth alone. But, it is because of that attitude that causes such rebellions. Or, dare I say, Mrs. Clinton that you have forgotten about the forming of BAHRAM in 2158?"

"How dare you..." Clinton started.

"Dead men dare." Taggart finished for her, "We are not as naive as you or your fellow chair members may think. After all, we are the ones that fight the battles you start. We are the ones that endure the vengeance caused by the pain and suffering you inflict on this world."

"That's enough out of you, General." De Franz stepped in again, about to punch Taggart. His punch never landed though, as a large hand grabbed the punch and held it down.

"I believe it's against regulations for a fellow officer of the UNSF to strike one of his own." Esteraund replied smoothly, "And by the way, Grandma, what big eyes you have." He let out a surge of electricity through his arm that traveled into De Franz, making him jolt before kneeling down on the ground stunned.

Clinton was about to draw her side arm, when the click of a hammer on a Colt Government M73A1 stopped her dead in her tracks. Colonel Nadia Velasgo casually walked around the Vice Admiral to stand beside General Taggart.

"With all due respect, Admiral, such hostility is not necessary." Nadia said, "And if you wish to observe the battle, then please go the bridge now. Our recon squadron has picked up several metatron signatures heading toward Margaritifer as we speak."

Clinton sighed, "Have it your way, Taggart, but if Margaritifer falls, I will personally oversee your execution for treason." she growled, stomping out of the room, with a now fully recovered De Franz following her.

"What was that about?" Esteraund asked, "A member of High Command coming here is unheard of, but having a lapdog attack you... Did you say something about her husband's affairs or something?"

Taggart just took out a cigar and a pair of clippers from his pocket. After clipping off the tip with the clippers and then picked out a match, igniting the cigar, and taking a puff of smoke. He reveled at the incense, relaxing a little, before blowing the smoke out, "I'm getting too old for this sort of thing, you two." Taggart said, still in his even tone, "Especially in a situation like this. At least High Command finally took interest in our situation."

"What's that mean, General?" Nadia asked.

"It means, Nadia, paraphrasing an old hero of mine, `we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled it with anger'.” Taggart said, making another cloud of smoke, "We won't be held back anymore by politics or the brass."

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Leo Stenbuck gritted his teeth together as the g-forces impacted with his body. In only a second, Jehuty cleared the Atlantis' launch deck, shortly followed by Garrett Shatner in his Ifrit. Their little sky fleet, dubbed Taskforce Bravo, probably since Jehuty was the spear head of the group, was comprised of the Atlantis and the two Manticore-class aerospace battleships Gorgon and Hydra. Leo knew that this wasn't even the main taskforce of Operation Crusader, with Volkovo's Zakat squadron and the rest of VANGUARD's fleet were on the other side of the planet providing a show case for the Army, all the while he and Garrett broke into Artemis itself and sacked everything that he came across.

It had finally arrived, the day he was waiting for, thanks to the efforts of General Wilhelm. Originally, he thought the man was in over his head, but as time passed, he and several others of the Atlantis had referred to him as a genius. Thanks to the publicity spread around about VANGUARD's rebellion, a large number of other anti-Earth zealots had begun to rally under Wilhelm's wake, providing their fair share of technology and services, most of which were possessed very advanced technology that had survived the Terran Crusade. Zeon, a pro-Ender organization that possessed experimental orbital frames, the Midnight Fenrir, an ex-BAHRAM special ops unit that had fought against the Earth since '58, comprised of seasoned LEV pilots and orbital frame runners, Black Chamber, a militia that had once struck fear into the UNSF until their leader mysteriously disappeared with the orbital frames Iblis and Nerokurbina. Even several of the smaller armies that were comprised of foot soldiers and possessed nothing above an old model Phantoma were welcomed into Wilhelm's little alliance, promptly rearmed and refurbished with weapons that fit the age of Metatron.

He now realized that Wilhelm meant to do: refuel their hopes of an independent Mars and unite them under one banner. Needless to say, Leo was quite impressed, and as he thought about it, he felt a cruel and amused grin creep onto his face. They now had the army to fight their war with, possibly the Second Earth-Mars War, but that's when he realized where he was uncomfortable. Even though they had fought for a long time, most of the resistance movements Wilhelm had brought in were not regular army, rather, several unorganized guerillas that cared little for their cause and were fighting merely as an attempt to gain power. VANGUARD was more than capable of winning a war, but could these people be trusted? He himself had experienced the effects caused by a power hungry madman. And as was seen at Gustav, the United Nations had accepted the orbital frame as a regular weapon for their forces.

Just what exactly were they stepping into? Up to now, the only advantage VANGUARD had over the UN military was that they had one orbital frame for every five Phantomas the Earth possessed, and they were more serious about the conflict than the UNSF was. If the Earth could have destroyed BAHRAM if they themselves used OF, then what did that mean now that they were using orbital frames for more than experimentation? And now that VANGUARD possessed an entire army, why wasn't Wilhelm making broader attacks on the Earth forces rather than surgical strikes like this one? Why weren't they taking advantage of their allies' resources and increasing their weapons capabilities to adapt to a possible war? Certainly, a lack of budget wasn't an issue, and Wilhelm wasn't the type of guy to rely on his own resources alone. In fact, according to Elena, he had been negotiating his ties for quite sometime now, planning in the shadows for something. Something big.

But, that didn't matter to Leo right now. He would use this situation to his advantage, and pay back all the pain they had made on him. After all the hiding away, all the fear of being hunted, the fear of losing Celvice to the same fate as Rock Thunderheart and his friends in Antilia... Today was the first step to his revenge. Up to now, he had kept his true agenda in the back of his mind, trying not to show his anticipation, except now, he didn't have to hold back his feelings anymore.

"Incoming message from the Gorgon." ADA said, interrupting Leo's thoughts.

Not even the sound of her voice broke his demeanor, "Put it on." Leo said.

"Faulkner Lead, this is Wilhelm." Wilhelm began, from his ready room onboard the Gorgon, "I just wanted to share a moment with you, because I was curious. Out of all of my men, you seem to be the most enthusiastic toward freeing Mars from the United Nations, and yet, you yourself are Terran."

"Because, General, I've been waiting so long for this. For everything those bastards did to me, Celvice, Elena and the rest of the Atlantis crew. I don't intend on letting the Earth forces survive this attack." Leo said with a low, sadistic tone, but loud enough that Jehuty's communication's channel received and broadcasted it. "Even if it costs us the sphere." ADA remained silent at that comment.

"Determination for vengeance, one of the very few traits to be displayed in a human being." Wilhelm remarked, "I'm growing to like you, Commander. Don't let yourself get killed early on, because I want to share the spoils with you, Elena and Garrett. You three have been very helpful to me."

"It's alright. I'm only anticipating the battle." Leo replied, taking in air, "You know, for the first time since I became a runner, I'm not afraid to go out at fight. I'm not hesitant to take other lives, or to doubt my own abilities."

"Because you are fighting for your own cause now." Wilhelm said, "Nobody's holding you back Leo. Just, don't let it consume you. So many people have died because they let their ideals overcome their sanity."

Leo laughed a little at that, as if the General had said a joke, "As long as I have Celvice, ADA and Jehuty, I see no reason to follow in the footsteps of Radium Lavans." he leaned forward, a determined look in his expression, "I won't die here, not until I see the Earth in ashes. For myself, and the rest of the universe."

"Very well then. Good hunting, Commander. Wilhelm out." the communications window switched off.

Seeing that Jehuty's runner was fully intent on combat, ADA decided to chime in, "We are still approximately twelve minutes and fifty six seconds from combat area, based on our current speed." ADA explained, probably trying to offer Leo some relief. “On full thrust, Jehuty and Ifrit would both reach their destinations in less time.”

"No need to rush into things." Leo said, still possessing the sadistic monotone, "ADA, I need you to setup operation waypoints within Margaritifer once we infiltrate the sphere, and designate targets by mission relevance. I don't want to hit random buildings for 'a bit of fun'."

"Of course, sir." ADA replied, "Shall I transmit the data to Ifrit as well? "

"That's probably a good idea, since it will make us more coordinated." Leo said.

With that, ADA booted up a map layout of Margaritfer's Artemis City dome on the left side of the cockpit. "Please name selected targets." ADA said.

Leo grabbed the map display and held it in front of him, looking across, "Our primary targets are St. Peters Air Field on the Northeaster quadrant, the four LEV garrisons that serve as enforcement posts around the city, the New Norfolk Missile Facility, Taskforce Aegis' HQ building in the middle of the city, and the Earth Embassy Building." he said, red markers appearing on the different locations, "Secondary targets are any LEV, OF or ship units operating within the sphere, as well as defense installations. Anything that thing the UNSF could use against us."

"Any specific secondary targets?" ADA inquired.

Leo shook his head, "No, aside from the primary targets I listed, there aren't any target sights that are relevant to the strike. However..." Leo said, "List any specialty orbital frames with an Aegis insignia as a secondary target."

"There are six models that fit that category." ADA replied, displaying the schematics of all three, "AFX-001B Anubis, BFX-300C Grafficane, BFX-301C Scarmiglione, EFX-007B Raijin and EFX-015B Idolo, all classified under UN Special Taskforce Aegis' forces."

"Very well, list them." Leo ordered.

"Reason being?"

"Those six frames are the only real obstacle we'll have to face if they're in the sphere, ADA. Think of it as a fail safe, in case either of the two don't fall for the Talons' little show." Leo explained, "Transmit those last six targets to Ifrit as well."

"As ordered sir." ADA said, "Beginning transmission… Incoming message from Garrett Shatner." ADA said.

"Alright, put him on." Leo said, watching as the profile of Garrett Shatner came up upon his display.

"Commander Stenbuck, I'd like you to leave Grafficane to me." Garrett said, with some bitterness apparent, but it wasn't aimed at Leo, "It would be better if either of us picked an Aegis frame and let the Zakat runners deal with the rest. That is, after our primary objectives are complete."

"Alright, but if I may ask, why do you want Grafficane?" Leo wondered, "I thought you'd want to settle the score with the Raijin runner, after your battle at Gustav."

"I have nothing against Esteraund Legato."

"But you do with Lieutenant Ishikawa?" Leo asked, a little amused by Garrett's display.

Garrett's eyes hardened like ice, "Lieutenant Ishikawa is the subordinate of someone I've been hunting for a very long time. If I attack her, it may draw out my true target."

Leo still wondered, but he figured Garrett wouldn't tell him if he asked, knowing how secretive the guy was, "Alright, I'll update the profile so Grafficane is your target only. I'll take Anubis."

"Thanks." Garrett said, signing off.

Leo keyed in the commands to the mission profile display, then had it transmitted to Ifrit. He sat back in his cockpit, seeing the dome structure of Artemis City come up upon his display. The moment he had awaited was about to come at last, the revenge he had long sought for everything he had gone through for the past few years, both working and running from the UNSF. Earth would pay, and pay dearly. "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate." he murmured softly. All hope abandon, ye who enter in.

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The bridge of the Cerberuswas the standard set up for an Thiazi land battleship. It wasn't as big as Aegis HQ's control room, but it was still spacious nonetheless. The bridge was divided by two levels, one being the control area at the front, and two was the tactical area in the back end, both accessible by a pair of slopes on either side of the commander area in the middle. All the control stations were put on the sides of the bridge, with the helm placed up front, weapons and monitoring on the right side, sensors on the left and damage control at the back end. The commander's chair and the first officer's chair were put in the middle, with the Captain's chair being on the right side and the first officer's chair on the left side. The bridge was just as busy as the control room, as the bridge crews were working at their stations, the detection of several metatron signatures and anti-proton reactors causing uproar on the bridge. Stepping out of the elevator, Major General Alan Taggart, Colonel Nadia Velasgo and Esteraund Legato walked onto the bridge, the Major General and Colonel immediately walking over to the glass tactical screen that divided the tactical section from the control section.

Vice Admiral Clinton and Major General De Franz were looking over the sensor post with Captain Taine Nikolai when the elevator came up. As Nadia could see, Taine was entertaining them with his usual charisma and charm, which made the Aegis Colonel relieved. She didn't know how, but Taine had a knack at working with even the most asinine people, without stooping down to their level. This was one of the major benefits of his being here. Though Taine had no interest in deploying the Antilia Energy Fleet to aid the UNSF, he at least came aboard the Cerberus to watch the battle, maybe even go out in that custom orbital frame he recently acquired, if the tide turned for the worst. Either way, Nadia was glad that he stuck around. She might need him later. She turned her attention back to the glass screen, which flickered, bringing sensor data to the present.

"Confirmed, multiple contacts incoming North Northwest." the sensor operator exclaimed, "Approximately two hundred Raptor class orbital frames and two battlecruisers, possibly more."

"Hmmm, that's not bad for a first wave." Taggart replied, some vague admiration present, "Have Nemesis Squadron deploy first, followed by Avenger, Marauder and Guardian Squadrons. We're going to have them face the enemy head on while the five Behemoths provide support fire."

"That's only fourteen orbital frames." Esteraund said, "Are you sure that's enough to keep them held back?"

"The trick is to slow the enemy down while the Behemoths get in position." Taggart explained, "As much as I hate to say it, those things are our only hope to survive this." he looked over to see De Franz grinning victoriously. After all, he was the one that reinstated the Behemoth. "When the second wave comes through, we'll deploy our own Orbital Frame Corps and Vic Vipers to aid our three squadrons. Basically, the whole point is to keep the Raptors away from the sphere, but close enough that the vector bombs will strike."

"What about support from the orbital fleets?" Nadia wondered, "Better yet, could we get some HarutMaruts out here too?"

"All orbital fleets are currently defending Deimos, but Admiral Ferdinand will send units planetside if things get messy." Taggart replied, "It's hard getting units deployed, because Aegis doesn't really belong to any branch of the military. We can only get support from so many contacts."

"Such fools." Esteraund said, "If I were in High Command, I'd be focusing most of the attention here with everything I got."

"That thought is the main reason you're not in High Command, Mr. Legato." Nadia remarked, though sounding more like a remark of disappointment than sarcasm, "They haven't abandoned the though that this could be a D-Day strategy, that by focusing our attention here, Deimos would be unprotected."

"But the alternative doesn't look that great, Nadia." Esteraund said.

"It doesn't matter." Taggart said, "It's how you use your tools of trade in a battle that makes the difference, not how many tools you have." Without another word, he turned around and made his way to his command chair, "Communications officer, have all of our squadrons deploy to the center of that swarm. Also, order the Behemoths to move into shooting positions, and to arm their rail guns but do not open fire until ordered."

"What about the rest of the troops?" the communications officer asked.

"Have them remain on standby." Taggart ordered, as Nadia and Esteraund came up beside him. Then an after thought came into his mind. They still had one more unit. "Also, tell Lieutenant Vostrikov to deploy in Anubis."

"What?" Nadia and Esteraund both exclaimed at the same time. Nadia was the first, "General, we still haven't figured out what made Anubis go berserk. I strongly advise against deploying it until we know..."

"Noted." Taggart said, "Right now, we can use all the power we can get, and Lieutenant Vostrikov is probably our best bet short of Lieutenant Roanoke and Idolo. An experienced soldier is much more valuable than one that doesn't understand battle, like many of those LEV pilots out there."

"But what if Anubis goes berserk again?" Nadia questioned.

"Actually, I'm hoping for it." Taggart said, indifferent, "If Anubis does go out of control, it's going to be out there." he pointed to the viewscreen, "Since Anubis took you on, Nadia, then I imagine it will do damage to several unmanned Raptors."

"That's a rather heartless show of berserker tactics." De Franz interjected, giving off an impressed whistle, "I like it."

Esteraund didn't know what to say on the matter. He knew Raven was much more of a runner than he was a month ago, but this seemed way to early for him to go out. What if he were to die before...

"Esteraund, Nadia, I'm going to need you out there to." Taggart said, looking over to the mercenary "I want Guardian Squadron to provide aerial support for the rest of the UNSF forces. Show me exactly what Anouke can do." He told the last part to Nadia.

Both hesitated for a moment, but they found themselves agreeing, "Alright, we're going out kids." He waved at the rest of the bridge crew, “Keep the place standing until we get back.”

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"Code Red Emergency! Enemy units detected! All personnel, man your battle stations! All personnel, man your battle stations! Three minutes until deployment!"

Raven finished zipping up his black and red jumpsuit, silently rubbing his hand across the red 'Aegis' shield that was placed onto the left shoulder blade pad. He still felt exhausted, even after resting. The sheer attention in the air, around the Cerberus's hold, people scrambling left and right to get ready for the coming battle. With his suit finally on, he slipped Anubis' controller headset over his head, adjusting it so the receiver his directly in front of his lips, and then slipped on his helmet. The visor was left retracted and his mouthpiece was left open, but that would be until he launched into the sky. When he was over Martian soil. "...Then I beheld a pale horse, whose rider was Death, and Hades dwelled not far behind." he muttered to himself.

"That's not very hopeful, is it?" Mirielle Faroh said, while leaning against the doorway, immediately drawing Raven's attention.

Raven was about to respond, but he noticed that she wasn't joking this time. She wasn't broken down, but she still had that grim, concerned expression, similar to his stay in the 'ward' after his fight with Gold Phoenix. In a way, Raven thought it was cute and admirable that she could be caring and concerned, and yet keep the professionalism that came with being a Lieutenant. Raven just smiled a little and shook his head at her, "It's not supposed to be hopeful, none of the Seven Seals in Revelations are." he replied, "Something I learned during my very short lifetime. Death seems to run by reverse psychology. Denying it only provokes it to pursue you more, and accepting it means you'll either die in less pain or you'll end up living longer than the other guy."

"Stop it, Raven." Mirielle snapped. Raven remained unphased, as usual, but deep down, he felt is gut start to tighten. "You don't have to do this, hell; you're not even supposed to be doing this. Not after your encounter with North Point..." she said, in an attempt to be matter of fact.

Raven said solemnly, "I chose to do it. Like it or not, Mirielle, I joined knowing that they'd send me into something like this. If I run away now... It just wouldn't be fair..." he continued, "...to all the other runners and pilots I trained with. And much more, I'd be labeled as a coward by Yuriko, and Colonel Velasgo would..."

"Don't bullshit me." Mirielle interrupted, "It's too out of character for you." she stepped over to him, hesitantly, but close enough that she could reach him, "Look, I just want the real answer, before you go out, because everyone I've known... Everyone I've grown fond of in the past, that I could relate too..."

"They died." Raven finished.

"Some not even in combat." Mirielle came in again, "Hell, some of their deaths were just freak accidents."

"If you don't like death, then why did you join the military?" Raven asked, "Or the medical branch for that matter? If I'm so used to death, then you should to. Otherwise..." he could feel his tongue threaten to choke him for what he had to say next, "I might have overestimated you."

Mirielle softly shook her head, "You're wrong Raven." she spoke up, with a bit more strength, "Like you, I've been used to death for a long time..."

"Eh?" Raven wondered, before he felt a strange power start to eclipse her, like a large, crimson flame slowly growing around her form. He knew what that energy was. “You're one too, just like me and the rest of my squad.” He said, looking at her knowingly, “Why couldn't I sense the Metatron before…?

"I've learned how to keep my energy low, so other Elementals couldn't sense my presence." she smiled a little, then continued, "I'm a Fire Elemental, Raven, and like everything born of the fire, I can only cause destruction to everything around me, so don't lecture about death. I've known it my entire life." she bit her lip a little, sighing.

"And your point is?" Raven asked, "I'm listening."

Mirielle nodded, ever still hesitant, "To tell the truth, I don't remember how it all began. I just remember one day I woke up, and I started working for the military." she tried to hold back from crying, "I was an assassin that High Command sent out to kill any person or people that they considered a threat. I know so much about medicine and the human body because as an assassin, I was trained to seek out and sever all critical points in specific ways."

"That's no surprise there. The same hands that save lives are still capable of destroying them in similar ways." Raven said, "But that doesn't answer how you got your frame..."

"Scarmiglione has been mine since I can remember. I was trained to operate LEVs and different types of orbital frames, but I had Scarmiglione from the beginning." she admitted, a little shyly, "I don't like to use it though, since it's only an instrument of destruction to the Space Force..."

"So you took on a side job as a medic when you joined Aegis..." Raven finished for her.

Mirielle nodded, "In a way." she laughed a little. “I guess like you, I made my choice, even if it only means more death…

"Mirielle, I didn't mean it like that." he tried to calm her down, but he saw she was still holding back. He grimaced, mentally kicking himself in the gut for making her like this, Way to go, Vostrikov. After everything she did for you... "Look." he spoke up, in one last attempt, "Just because you didn't grow up with the thought of your life at someone else's mercy like I have doesn't mean you don't know death. I think you know death too well, and that's why you're talking to me right now. Right?"

"What do you mean?" Mirielle asked.

"I might sound a bit arrogant and selfish, but..." he gulped, "You don't want me to die, am I right?"

"Of course I don't!" she said firmly, the tears finally started to appear, "No matter who it is, nobody deserves to die like this, for some stupid political dispute! This isn't World War II, Raven, we're not fighting to protect the 'motherland', we're fighting in order to keep the UNSF's foot hold on Mars." she sobbed, "You think I want anyone to die like that? You think I want someone I know, someone I've grown close to, to die like that? For some cheap ass dictatorship?" the energy she exerted was too much for her, seemingly. She ended up on her knees, kneeling at Raven.

"Whoa." Raven said, coming down at her level. He placed his hand on her forehead, "You have a slight fever there, doc. I think you're working to hard."

"That was my own decision." she sobbed, "Just like your choice to go out there." she pointed at the hangar bay.

Slowly, Raven drew her forehead in and kissed it softly, which immediately made her stop crying. He then bent over to her ear, "You want to know the real reason I want to go out? The real reason..." he paused, "It's Anubis."

"What?"

"I don't know why, but whenever I'm in that frame... I feel comforted." he said, "Even amidst the chaos, Anubis seems to be in it for my interest as well as its own."

"You speak as though it has a personality of its own." Mirielle interjected.

"It does." Raven said, "As much as I hate being its runner, Anubis has been looking after me since I first got inside it. I don't know why, but it's taken care of me up until now." he sighed a little, not wanting admit his next claim, "I trust it."

She knew she was defeated, that there was no way of preventing him from going out. Mirielle also sighed a little, "Alright, go." Raven was about to reply, but she shook her head a little, "Just go!" she nearly yelled out loud.

A thin silence was put between them for a few seconds. The klaxon alarms, the sound of people running around the ship, even the faint rumble of the Cerberus's catapult system launching an orbital frame into the sky; they were all blotted out by the silence. Neither Raven or Mirielle said anything in those few seconds, the two were only breathing heavily, as if the air around them was being pulled down by the gravity. With no words to say, Raven closed his eyes, strangely feeling relieved. He placed his right hand on Mirielle's shoulder, giving her a small grip, before getting up and walking past her.

Mirielle remained in that position for some time, knelt down, in front of the spot the Aegis Lieutenant and frame runner once stood, trying as hard as she could to hold back sobbing. She was so concentrated on keeping herself from crying, that she failed to notice Xander Roanoke leaning against the opposite end of the wall, arms crossed, with a suspicious look on his face. He peered into the room for a second, and then looked over to see Raven walking toward Anubis, obviously now intent on fighting. He slowly exhaled a long, uneasy breath, before getting up and walking over to Idolo. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling of déjà vu; that something like that had happened in the past. The image of a red-haired woman reaching out for her loved one entered his mind, except instead of Anubis being in the picture, the orbital frame was Idolo…

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Grafficane's control panel activated, as Yuriko tightened her grip on the half spheres, commanding her orbital frame to generate more power. Orange energy flowed through the nerve lines from each sphere, flowing into the control panel until it was outlined by the orange lines. Display screens popped up over the panel, displaying tactical readouts on her frame's anti-proton reactor, AI module, weapons, subweapons and thruster status. Seeing that all of her orbital frame's systems were clear, she had the display screens close, waiting for the sound of hangar rack that held Grafficane to unhook. When it did, she let Grafficane drop a little before bringing its hip and leg thrusters online, then floating over to the catapult that had been designated for Nemesis Squadron. She took a few moments there, waiting for Anubis to step behind her.

"Ready to deploy, Three." Raven said through comlink, noticing her patience. Yuriko only nodded, and stepped Grafficane onto the catapult. Though she wouldn't admit it, she was starting to feel a little uneasy around Lieutenant Raven Vostrikov for the last couple of days, ever since the North Point incident. It was like she could sense a dark aura around her wing mate, something that actually made her tremble in fear whenever she felt it. To her, fear was a rare feeling, only expressed upon the most extreme situations on the battlefield. Like all humans, she felt it from time to time, but not in this way. She never feared a presence of another human being, atleast not like this one. Domineus deus... she thought, the fast paced music track of 'Salva Nos' playing in her mind, Exaudi nos et misrere exaudi, Dominus.

"All systems check. Nemesis Three is cleared for launch!" announced the CIC operator's voice over her comlink, signaling her to launch, and snapping her back to reality.

"Yuriko Ishikawa. Grafficane launch!" she called out, then activating her frame's thrusters and letting the G-forces overtake her.
----

"Raven Vostrikov. Anubis launch!" Raven announced, engaging all power to Anubis' verniers, and launching out of the Cerberus's hangar. Once he was airborne, he spread Anubis' wings open, and went into a dash, pulling up in front of Grafficane. Almost immediately, Xander Roanoke pulled Idolo up on the other side of Anubis, completing Nemesis Squadron. Raven adjusted his course, his sensors immediately detecting several Raptors flying on a direct course for the sphere. "Enemy bogeys confirmed over op point Alpha. Nemesis, Guardian and Avenger Squadrons advance." Yuriko reported. Just up ahead, there were two Manticore-class battleships on a course toward the sphere, and with them, a swarm of Raptors, roughly two hundred in total, all different variations. Raptors, Mummyheads, Clods and Cyclops, all flying in battle formations. "Nemesis Three, engaged." Yuriko announced, not holding back on her usual excitement for battle.

In his cockpit, Raven remained silent, even as the others sped ahead of him. A feeling washed over him, making his blood run faster. You've taken me from the land of the shadow and delivered me into the light... Continue to guide me, Anubis… He thought in his mind, like a prayer. "Nemesis One, engaged."

Anubis charged head long into the battle, staff materializing in its right arm, its arm and tail blades igniting in red energy. Its first victim was a Cyclops that had just begun to maneuver away as the formation broke up, as orbital frames entered the fray. It only survived a few seconds before Anubis sliced it in half with its staff, the two pieces exploding. Raven twisted around, targeting another Raptor frame, and firing several shots from Anubis' left hand into it. The first shot hit the Raptor, disorienting it, but by the time the next shots reached, the opposing OF activated its energy shield. In response, Raven switched over to his Gauntlet subweapon and fired a single burst, which smashed through the shield and slammed the Raptor back. As a result, it impacted into a Clod as the other orbital frame was heading after Grafficane, disorienting the Clod. Anubis zero shifted over and made a staff combo onto the Clod, slashing off both of its wire-like arms, then its right leg, and vaporizing it at point blank with a single beam shot. Raven mentally spat at the Clod, now counting three frames on his kill number, turning about and blocking a punch from an attacking Cyclops with its right arm blades. He threw the Cyclops back, and brought Anubis' staff about in time to block another clash. Both frames remained in a tight duel, until Esteraund's voice cackled over Raven's com-link.

"Nemesis One, break right!" Esteraund ordered. Raven didn't think to question, he complied and had Anubis go into a dash to the right side. A second later, lightning-like energy slashed through the Cyclops and several other orbital frames in the formation, as Raijin's defensors maneuvered around the large cluster like small gnats buzzing around a swarm of bees. Gnats, with a more powerful sting. "Thanks for the assist, Guardian Two." Raven replied, watching as Colonel Velasgo's Guardian Squadron entered the battle.

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Esteraund nodded back to Raven, then focused back on the battle. Drowning out the various explosions happening around him, he had a track called "Battle Symphony" playing over his cockpit's sound system to keep him focused. Currently, he only had the twelve defensors from Raijin's back binders deployed, along with his arm beam blades for close combat, if anyone got past the defensors. Raijin ascended, the defensors flying behind and eventually orbiting around the frame in circular patterns. It was a little difficult to control defensors, since it required Raijin's metatron computer to constantly scan Esteraund's brain patterns for command impulses, then channel them to the remote discs, but it was what made Raijin special. Especially to its runner's eye.

Esteraund targeted a Clod the next second, and lanced three of the remote weapons toward its position, firing off bursts of blue energy into the enemy frame. Naturally, the Clod activated its defense field, but Esteraund had the defensors maneuver up and around the Clod, striking it in points unshielded. The Clod disintegrated as a result, but not before it launched a barrage of homing missiles from its back racks. "Shit." Esteraund snarled, throwing Raijin's full thrust into play. He burst to the left, avoiding three of the missiles, then ascending to dodge the fourth and fifth. The sixth was easily picked off by a spray of lightning from an orbiting defensor. Close one. he thought, but well too soon, as his cockpit rocked. It didn't take him a moment to figure out one of the Mummyheads had tagged him with its halbards, and judging by the fierce resonating, it scored a large hit. He made Raijin dive to dodge a second sweep from the halbards, then targeting the Mummyhead and mentally ordering the defensors to attack. Just like the Clod, the defensors tore through the Mummyhead's armor with acid efficiency, burning past the torso shield and into the thin, spindly Raptor frame behind. Esteraund barely had a moment to check the damage on Raijin, which was, fortunately, minor.

Two Raptors flew at him, beam swords active, just now appearing to Raijin's left side. Esteraund deflected both sword blows with his left arm alone, then back flipping and launching a triple homing laser shot from its right arm while lowering altitude to ground level. Both Raptors brought their shields up to deflect the burst, then dropping them to dash at the blue samurai orbital frame. Three more Raptors decided to join in the attack, pursuing Esteraund's frame with the savage-yet-coordinated nature of their prehistoric namesakes. Esteraund re-launched his defensors, lancing more blue energy beams at his pursuers, but they managed to avoid the attacks. Not that Esteraund expected anything less; it was enough to allow him to run.

That's when a new attack shot at Raijin, this one appearing like a whirlwind filled with boulders spearing its way through the sky at Esteraund. He shot into the air before the attack hit and tracked the lasers from their targets. Two of them... he thought. They were both VANGUARD models, having the Animus-based humanoid body structuring, not to mention hints of Jehuty influence, yet there were differences among them. The first one was the more humanoid of the two, being tall and slender, seemingly without armor. It had reflective chrome colored chassis with pink energy lines running up and down the frame. As well, it had a head design like that of a Vic Viper's, with a black, reflective visor, slim arms and legs, a pair of wing binders like the ones on the Ifrit, and it wielded a long sword and shield projector as its armaments. The second was generally the same design as the first, except it had dark brown, Cyclops-like heavy armor over its equally dark brown body, with extended shoulder paldrons and a thick breastplate. As well, it had a large staff as its main weapon, along with the same shield projector as its brother.

”Esteraund Legato…” a voice hissed from the chrome orbital frame, possessing the deranged nature of a serial killer, “I am Gray Owl of the VANGUARD Talons Unit, runner of the Nebula Gray. We're here to kill you.”

”No shit.” Esteraund let off, just as the brown frame launched a burst attack, which in this case was energy forming into a boulder-like solid projectile and throwing it at Raijin. Esteraund identified them right off, judging by their combination attacks. “Gray Owl and Brown Owl, the Talons' Air and Earth Elemental soldiers.”

”How nice it is to be recognized, right brother?” Brown Owl said, sounding a bit more stable than Gray Owl.

”Oh yes, brother, how could anyone not recognize us?.” Gray Owl snickered, readying his tentacle. “Now, which of us should fight him first?” Nebula Gray looked at its twin frame, as if open for suggestions.

Nebula Brown merely shrugged, “I suppose the one with the strongest advantage should go first.”

”Hmmm… Or I can just go after him myself and cut that beautiful blue frame to pieces.” Gray Owl licked his lips, “It's so hard to find challenging prey with these UNSF scum…”

”I'll make it easier for you.” Esteraund said, as Raijin began to charge for a burst attack, “DON'T TALK! JUST DIE!” With that, Raijin raised its fist and shot a lightning bolt straight down between the two twins, forcing them to separate.

Both frames rushed at Raijin, attacking with their individual weapons, with Esteraund blocking each attack with martial arts-like blows, then putting up Raijin's shield. Nebula Gray flew past, taking a position well away from a target, then shooting a concentrated blast of air. A half second later, Nebula Brown went into a dash and flipped in midair, throwing Floating Mines at Raijin's direction. Raijin ascended and barrel rolled to dodge each burst, then began firing countershots with its twelve defensors. The first attack scored a hit in Nebula Brown' torso, bringing it forward less than a few meters and allowing the second beam to score a hit around the neck, almost beheading it. Nebula Gray then flew around its twin and lashed out Raijin with its tentacle claws, just clashing against Raijin's own right energy blade. Esteraund decided to turn the tables on the would-be bird of prey, back flipping and flying at it with beam blades drawn, and defensors active. Nebula Brown took notice of him, and intercepted its way between him and its twin, blocking the attack. Esteraund had Raijin go into a flip, dodging each blast, then retaliating with his defensors. Both Gray and Brown Owls dodged all attacks from the defensors, and flew back, firing the same combination attack that lashed out at the discs, drawing three of them into the funnel and destroying them just as Esteraund pulled the rest back. No matter what Esteraund did, the frames seemed to 'dance' around each of his shots and attack with synchronization, giving him vibes of a boss battle from a video game.

Esteraund activated his dash again and deployed three more defensors to replace the units that were destroyed from his Vector Trap, repelling Nebula Gray and Nebula Brown' fire with twelve repeated bursts of blue beams combined with Raijin's triple homing lasers. Both frames effectively dodged the shots, dashing to the right, to which Esteraund responded by firing Raijin's burst lightning directly along the Nebula Brown flight path. The frame barely managed to evade the pillar of energy, its shoulder armor disintegrating at the tip as it touched the 'lightning bolt'.

”You'll pay for that.” Brown Owl snarled.

”I'll charge, thanks.” Esteraund snickered at the pun as his fists tightened around his control spheres. He flew at the disoriented Nebula Brown to finish it off.

Nebula Gray, much like how its brother did before though, intercepted Raijin and slashed at it with a three strike combo that placed cuts on Raijin's armor, and then smacked it away with the sword hilt. Esteraund attempted to block the follow up blow, but Nebula Gray charged energy and unleashed a burst slash that cut into Raijin's arm. Nebula Brown soon appeared behind him and smacked Raijin to the side with its claw palm. “You…” Esteraund began to growl, getting frustrated as his computer warned him that he was already down to 76 percent armor.

Both frames charged with their weapons ready, but they didn't reach Raijin. A second frame put itself between them and opened its wings, launching a multi-burst attack that forced them to back off from their attacks. “What the-? A newcomer? And a skillful one too…” Gray Owl lashed, confused.

”There's no data on this one brother.” Brown Owl informed.

All Esteraund could do was peer over his comrade's shoulder and wonder why. “What are you doing, Guardian One? Stealing my spotlight?”

Nadia just grinned, “Saving your sorry ass, Legato.” Anouke looked back over its shoulder to its counterpart, then looked over the two twins as they flitted about. “So these are the new VANGUARD models? I suppose they would make a good training tool for Anouke…” Anouke's eyes flared green, and Nadia grinned wickedly at her new prey.

”Save some for me. I want to try Raijin's true power…” Esteraund said, just before another gale attack shot at them. Both frames separated, as the fight began a new…

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Raven, Xander and Yuriko had all proceeded on the offensive, breaking through the various Raptors that had just appeared, trying to lance their way through the enemy lines. "Attention all units, two minutes until first barrage." the Cerberus's operator said over broadband. Raven was starting to sweat now, feeling the combat drive threatening to overwhelm him again. He managed to keep it down for the moment, but it still remained, evidenced by the rising heat in his body from his blood flowing faster. And yet, he still managed to suppress it.”

"Stay with me, Nemesis." Raven said, "We have one minute and thirty-six seconds to clear a path to those battlecruisers." The three other frames all acknowledged. It was still a little strange to him, being the leader of an attack force in the military, but he felt a little more comfortable with it now. As he split open a Cyclops' head sensor with Anubis' staff, before zero shifting away, Raven felt as though it were déjà vu, but he didn't concentrate on it. Yuriko soon turned her attention to the enemy battlecruisers. The two former BAHRAM Vascilia-class battlecruisers had deployed their orbital frame forces forward and had split away from their OF squadrons, providing some covering fire in the swarm. Raven assumed the taskforce commander was going to have both ships fly around the swarm and make a run at Artemis' main defense forces, where the battlecruisers' firepower would be effective. Especially against capital ships and LEV units.

"Lead, the cruisers are splitting out of their formation." One of the AlterNeiths runners reported, watching as the two warships began to make a turn opposite directions, moving away from each other. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were going to fly around the battle and head straight to Artemis."

"Only makes things easier for our side, Avenger Three." Yuriko replied, "I've tagged both cruisers for the Behemoths' attack. Nemesis Lead, Keep cruiser one distracted until the countdown ends. I'll go against the cruiser two."

"Roger. Avenger Squadron, please lay in support fire for Yuriko and I." Raven ordered, signing off.

Seeing Anubis break off from formation, Yuriko immediately put Grafficane into a full dash, flying at the battlecruiser with vengeance in mind. Dodging the anti-aircraft CIWS fire, she returned fire with her gilius clamps, blasting shots into the enemy cruiser's gunner points, then following up with a homing laser burst that struck more anti-aircraft hard points. By now, the captain had seen that he was running out of guns, and now turned the larger anti-ship cannons on Grafficane, as well as charging the ship's main particle cannon. Yuriko just laughed under her breath. She was already too fast for his CIWS to keep track, and now he was going to turn the cruiser's main cannons on her? Usually, she loved unorthodox strategies, but this was blatant stupidity. She pushed Grafficane into a dive, avoiding the shots from the main guns and placing her under the ship's underbelly. More fire poured from the gunnery points, which she effectively dodged and returned fire with her homing lasers, destroying the bulk of the cruiser's AA arsenal. Quickly, Yuriko made a glance at the countdown, seeing that she now had thirty-five seconds before the behemoths would fire. I've broken your fighting power, now let's see what color blood you bleed. She felt her body become warm, a fuzzy feeling coming over her at that thought.

She pulled a Split-S, ascending just meters away from the ventral hull of the cruiser, before going into an arc that made her go the opposite direction, then flipping straight and activating Grafficane's full thrust. Ascending past the bow, she saw that the enemy commander was going to make one last shot with the cruiser's main cannon, seeing energy charge begin to gather at the ship's bridge base. After a few moments, the beam lanced at her in bright yellow light. Maneuvering under the blast, Yuriko brought her right gilius forward, and struck the cruiser hull at full force. With the clamp still pierced into the enemy vessel, she flew toward the bridge at three-fourths of her full speed, creating a large tear as she flew. Flame trailed through the scar she was making from the various circuitry and internal systems she had severed, before she finally came to the bridge. At a speed only an orbital frame could move at, she brought her clamp upward along the neck, and shot up into the air, her claw trailing and eventually coming across the bridge. She could see somebody, probably the helmsman, standing there pissing in his pants before her claw past through and adding onto the injury, firing two energy shots into the bridge. The bridge tower exploded like a volcano, spewing fire and molten metal into the air. Yuriko figured members of the crew would be scrambling to the secondary bridge at this point, but she knew it was too late.

"Vector Bombs, incoming! All units evade!" the operator ordered. From their positions, both Raven and Yuriko could see three black orbs coming straight at them, one heading for the Raptor swarm, the other two toward the battlecruisers. Immediately, Yuriko put Grafficane back into full throttle, and Raven had Anubis zero shift, both ascending as fast as they could. The AlterNeiths continued to battle with the Raptors until the last seconds, when they split apart and flew in all directions, just as the Vector Bombs impacted, causing a white flash to engulf everything for a minute. As Raven shot up into the air, he could see the black orbs expand into the swarm and the two heavily damaged battlecruisers, engulfing them completely and continuing on from there. Anubis' monitors fuzzed as the voids expanded, sucking everything in with the abnormal gravitational forces they emitted like miniature black holes.

He made Anubis zero shift a second time, but he could still feel the air itself being drawn in. How could any human make such a weapon? His mind screamed out in fear. If what he was briefed on was right, then these bombs were nothing more than expanding vector traps, literally drawing anything and everything into compressed space and breaking them down to their basic levels as they passed through the rotating axis. Vector Traps were used mainly for storing objects for orbital frames and some metatron powered LEVs, but they were inanimate objects. These bombs were meant to engulf humans, and though Raven didn't want to find out, he could figure it was a painful experience dying, having your every molecule ripped from your body by a revolution that was a million times more powerful than a tornado or hurricane. Eventually, the orbs died out, leaving behind large, perfectly smooth craters where the Vascilia battlecruisers and the Raptors once were.

Anubis' sensors beeped, as four large anti-proton reactors and many, many smaller types entered its detection radius. "Four more battleships coming in with escorts, from the west." one of the AlterNeith runners said.

Raven could feel his blood run cold when he looked at his readings, "Approach is too fast. Those aren't battleships; they're Type A Orbital Frames."

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TO BE CONTINUED...