1.44
Killian Gray had to fight to contain his excitement as he watched his navigator pin point his targets exit from slip-space, getting more and more giddy with every coordinate he was able to confirm. Finally, after nearly an hour of standing and watching the man tap away on his keyboard, he was rewarded with a confident smirk when the navigator looked at him over the shoulder and nodded.
“We got em sir,” The kid said, causing Killian to flash a toothy grin of his own.
“Good,” He said in a dangerous low growl, turning from the helm and making his way to the bay where is precious shadow was being outfitted with Caustos’s little toy.
“Full speed ahead, Jerick,” He called from over his shoulder, “I have an appointment to keep.”
Dust kicked up from the asteroid's surface as Crusader and Headsman blasted their way towards the coordinates Kremmel had given them. They’d been surface side for only about ten minutes, yet to Cameron it felt like every second was dragging on to infinity as he and Logan began the operation in silence.
“You alright?” He asked into the comm system after a few more minutes of quiet.
“Hm?” Logan grunted back, “Oh… yeah. It’s just… something's off.”
“What do you mean?”
A sigh greeted his question before Logan spoke again, “I don’t know. Like, my guts just telling me that something's off. But I don’t know what it is…”
“Think it’s the mission?” Cameron asked?
“No. The EarthGov guys know their shit. Even though they’re not pilots, they knew exactly where we would be most effective. They had all the intel about the outpost and a plan on what they wanted to do while we drew all the attention. It’s a solid plan and is being executed by trained professionals. And that’s what worries me.”
Almost as talking about them summoned them from the very ether, there was a crackling of static before Mendoza’s voice across the comm channel.
“Anubis-Actual to Wolfhound, how copy over?”
“Loud and clear Anubis,” Logan said, “Send it.”
“Anubis and Osiris are in position. AO’s hot.”
“Roger that, we’re Oscar Mike. Two clicks out now.”
“Roger. Out.”
Cameron listened to the static die, leaning forward as the terrain evened out into a relatively flat patch, as his boosters flared and he swiftly accelerated.
“Hold up, Kid,” Logan warned, causing him to immediately pull back, decelerating, and allowing the heavily armored crusader to catch up.
“What’s up?” Cameron asked, “Something wrong?”
“It’ll be better for the raid if we hit the gate together,” Logan said, “Let me breach and move in after me. Should make for a better initial assault.”
“Ugh… fine.” Cameron huffed, “Think we can a little bit faster than the speed of drying paint at least?”
“Fuck off,” Logan shot back, raising Crusader’s mace to point ahead, “We’re already here.”
Off in the distance, the outpost loomed larger than Cameron expected. High walls comprising iron bars over a stone berm offered an oppressive deterrent to the two pilots as they both leaned forward, accelerating together in coordinated silence.
“I’m picking up a decent sized grouping of Squire and A.R.M.S. signatures sugar,” Thelma chimed inside of Cameron’s brain, “Fifteen and three respectively. Pilot rating is unknown at this time but likely under gamma rating.”
“I appreciate ya Thelma,” Cameron said sharply as he reached back and felt the Physilight rod forming in his hand, letting him know the Headsman’s hand was gripped firmly around the handle of his sword.
“Looks like we’re gonna have a fight on our hands, Kid, ” He heard Logan say over the comm channel as he looked over at him in his Crusader, raising his shield and bracing it out in front of him.
“When don’t we have a fight?” Cameron asked, with a chuckle as he whipped his sword, holding it crossbody as he matched Logan’s top speed.
“When we don’t get paid,”
“Well then,” Cameron shot back, “Let’s go make some money.”
Killian observed the two pilots raid the compound from his perch high on top a nearby plateau, using his Shadow’s active Camoflauge to meld into the dusty brown rock of the asteroid, studying his prey. He watched as Ket and his patron, Logan Rake crashed through the barrier containing their target with the intensity of an old world artillery shell. Stone and iron exploded into a fine dust, obscuring his vision for a time, until the fighting began.
His gamma class vision let him follow the Headsman’s movements rather easily, but even so, he had to force himself to focus to get a clear observation on his movements.
“Kronos,” He said softly, pressing a button to deliver solution into his eyes, preventing him from blinking, “Give me an analysis on that Headsman unit down there and it’s comparable strength as summed up in the traditional ranking system of The Fleet.”
“Of course, master,” A deep, gravelly voice rang back. In the lower periphery of his vision, Killian saw Kronos appear as always, a disembodied cloaked head. There was a few moments of silence as the two of them watch the man pick apart the compounds security detail with a speed and alacrity not often seen at the lower ranks. He cleaved through multiple Squires at once, cutting down sometimes three or for at a time, while fending off the few Beta Logos pilots set to guard this place.
“Odd… He’s definitely punching above his weight. But… it doesn’t seem like his mechs rank is having to much of an adverse effect on him.”
“The Headsman is a bespoke unit type, master,” Kronos said, “It’s a rare type of machine that can maneuver well above it’s rated rank, thanks to the litany of pulse boosters that cover the frame. I do believe this particular model has been modified as well.”
“If you had to grade it, what would you give?” Killian asked.
“If I had to do such a thing by the parameters you requested,” Kronos replied, “I would say his speed and dexterity at Bravo Sirus currently, with his offensive capabilities pushing the lower limits of Bravo Primus. His durability, however, I cannot grade because he has not been harmed yet.”
“I don’t think he will to be honest with you,” Killian said slowly, entranced by the display of death and destruction his target was presenting to him.
“I don’t understand, Master. What do you mean?”
“I mean… that I bet his armor is almost non-existent. He’s traded weight and safety for speed and agility. Assuming I’m right, I think that given the right circumstances, a squire would be able to kill him.”
“That is quite the observation master,” Kronos said, “Which means that for a Gamma Sirius such as yourself…”
Killian grinned wolfishly, “It’ll be child s play.”
Cameron finished cutting down the last A.R.M.S. unit, a Lancer, with high vertical slash, using the momentum of the Headsman’s heavy blade, couple with his thrusters to force the weapon through his opponents lance, held up high in an attempt to block, and down into the skull, bisecting the unit in a perfect line.
“Whew,” He said, breathing heavy through burning lungs, “These Betas are a little harder to deal with compared to the Squires and Alphas from Celephis.”
“Oh shut up,” Logan said, wrenching his mace free from a crumpled beta chassis, “I wouldn’t have even dreamt about taking on one Beta class at your rating, let alone multiple.”
“What can I say?” Cameron said, “I guess I’m just a natural.”
“Natural jackass maybe,” Logan said, switching over the comm channel back to the EarthGov teams, “Wolfhound actual to Anubis and Osiris,”
“Send it Wolfhound,” Kremmel called back a moment later.
“Big bastards are dealt with, breach is a go,”
“Roger.”
The channel clicked off abruptly, and Cameron was concerned that he hadn’t picked up everything that was relayed over the link. That was until walls to the left and right were disintegrated in two massive explosions that caused Cameron’s chassis to jostle from the magnitude.
“Woah shit!” He exclaimed, “These guys know how to party.”
“Yeah, they’re not fucking around,” Logan said softly.
The pair of them watched as the two kill teams poured into the compound like a colony of ants, going building to building. They broke down doors with a speed and deftness Cameron had never seen before, before filling the windows danced with the repeated bright blue flashes of rail-rifle fire. Barely three minutes after the explosions went off, the deed was done, leaving both teams gathered together outside the last laboratory, waiting to proceed with the next phase.
“Osiris to Wolfhound,” Kremmel called back, “Ready for a snatch and grab?”
“Yessir,” Logan said, “Moving there now,”
“You sure about this?” Cameron asked after he heard the click of the EarthGov channel closing, “I mean, even with your weird little feeling, you’re still down to do this?”
“Am I sure about this?” Logan repeated, slowly moving his mech to the back of the compound with Cameron in tow, “Absolutely not. Am I going to do this? You bet your ass I am.”
“Fair enough boss, let’s get this shit over with.”
The two of them glided over to the rendezvous, now filled with EarthGov soldiers, and stopped, letting both mechs idle as Logan called over to Cameron to remind him of the plan.
“Here’s how this is gonna go,” He said, “I’m going to exit my crusader, run inside the vault with these guys, grab the module, and then we’re getting the fuck out. Quick, clean, and efficient.”
“Roger that,” Cameron said, taking in the brief overview, “What about oxygen? Pressure suits?”
“Not needed,” Logan said quickly, “Manna Group built their own artificial atmosphere that covers the entire rock. Just enough to breath and walk around, I’ll be fine.”
“Fair enough… what do you need me to do then?”
“The most important job I can think of,” Logan said, “Stand guard and make sure my paint doesn’t get chipped.”
“… You’re a real asshole you know that?” Cameron said after a minute of silence.
Logan laughed, his Crusader shrugging as it mirrored the gesture he had performed from the cockpit.
“I’m sure you’ll learn to live with it kid. I can trust you in mech, but behind a firearm? That makes me a little nervous.”
“That’s hurtful,”
“Well maybe later you can cry on a pile of silver,” Logan shot back, “Look, just pull security and I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Fine…” Cameron huffed, “But next time, you’re playing the babysitter and I’m doing the cool shit.”
“If I’m feeling generous that day, then sure.”
“Eh, I’ll take what I can get,” Cameron said, watching as the back hatch of Logan’s Crusader lifted its plates, exposing his muscular back as the uplink threads removed themselves from his body. Slowly, he turned his body in such a way that allowed him to reach out and grasp the first ladder rung going down the mech’s left leg, and climb his way to the floor below. He wore a comm set, that Cameron knew was still transmitting as he heard Logan’s heavy breath with every foot he climbed, the thin air of the artificial atmosphere making any physical act more laborious and challenging. Stepping off the ladder and onto the dusty floor, Cameron watched him pull out a rail pistol and prime it, before making his way over to the EarthGov troops. As he walked, he tapped the headset with his finger, and his voice was coming over Cameron’s comm channel once again.
“Testing testing. Can ya hear me kid?” He asked.
“Loud and clear boss.”
“Roger,” Logan said, “I’ll be out soon enough then, stay safe.”
“Awe… and hear I was thinking you didn’t care.”
“… Kid you make it so hard to be nice to you sometimes.”
“You know, I think it’s somewhat of a talent.” Cameron said.
“Well I’m glad you have one of those after all,” Logan shot back, “Just don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone, alright?”
“Like what?”
“Oh I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
Killian watched as the soldiers and Rake entered the laboratory, and grinned. How lucky he was that his quarry was left alone, saving him from the mundanity and tedium of having to massacre the whole raid force just to get to Ket. He inhaled through his nose, closing his eyes as he did, feeling a wave of calm wash over him. Slowly his eyes opened, instantly locking onto the black hooded figure of the headsman. The high-pitched ring of Caustos’s little toy being primed as Kronos confirmed the action inside of his brain.
“Pulse cannon is armed, Master. We are ready to begin the mission.”
“Excellent.”