A/N: Uh... It's been over a month... I apologize. On the bright side, half of that time was because I was/am on a dev team that was trying to get a video game ready to show off at PAX West, so... yeah? That, plus my usual procrastination.
Anyways, here.
[X] Charge the waiting group. Do it before the two bad machines to your sides have time to double back. Divide them, make them fall.
You aren't a delicate hummingbird, who'll shatter at a touch.
You aren't a swallow, zipping away from danger.
"I…" you push the throttle forward, and the cockpit rattles as the remaining booster pushes your machine forward with unmatched acceleration, "am a Phoenix."
The first thing to appear on sensors isn't what you expected. Large, derelict, and drifting, it slowly comes into range off to the side.
"That's a ship. Battleship tonnage, definitely." Lutetia remarks as the data gradually becomes more detailed, "It's cold on the thermals. No running lights. No IFF."
So, it's dead. The question is, how recently dead?
The answer becomes obvious as you get a clearer picture of it. Even rent asunder as it is, the Federation's flagship is unmistakable.
"The General Revil…" You mouth as you survey the damage. The prow of the ship has been torn off, and you see hull breaches almost everywhere. The superstructure has been cleaved off with some sort of beam weapon, all the way down to the main body of the ship.
There probably aren't any survivors, but… it feels like there are still people there.
You're obviously not the only one to think so, as the Zeta breaks off from the group, leading a couple of other Mobile Suits towards the wreckage.
Dr. Bidan must want to search for survivors. That's… good. They're probably Federation, but if they can tell you anything about your opponent, that would help a lot.
The General Revil shrinks into the distance behind you as the distant fuel depot finally comes into visual range, albeit as a cluster of dots. Strange, you're not seeing any weapons fire. Sherman Team should have engaged Rita by now.
"Getting a reading from thermal." Lutetia reports, "It's getting stronger. Capital-class, closing distance."
A capital ship? There shouldn't be any in the area. Unless…
"Charge the Bigwig, switching optics to main scope!" You order, and the monitor in front of you flickers to the feed from the Bigwig's rangefinder.
That's no capital ship.
Sherman Team is nowhere to be seen, the plan is already ruined.
"Enemy incoming!" You flip through the menu and select the appropriate signal flares, "Assault Teams, form up!"
Three bright colorful flashes light up the sky around you, and to your team's credit they immediately maneuver behind you and Sicilia. Alex and Argama Teams are quick to follow.
Just in time too, as yellow beams sweep through the space around you. They splash against the I-Fields of both Mobile Armors.
"Big Sis!" Sicilia's voice echoes through your head, "Together!"
Yeah. Together. You center your scope on the Neo Zeong II, and begin the Bigwig's firing sequence. The Fiver II thrums with power as light begins to gather at the cannon's aperture. Nearby, the Lord Frith's own Mega Beam Cannons have dropped into firing position and are preparing to fire.
Rita brakes hard, still a fair distance away, and ejects her last booster. She makes no moves to dodge.
"Let's see how strong that I-Field of yours is."
You pull the trigger, and both you and Sicilia fire in unison. The beams from the Lord Frith are impressive, but the Bigwig blows it out of the water entirely, firing a beam big enough to swallow a Salamis whole!
The light seems to engulf the Neo Zeong II. It won't be that easy, though. You knew this going in. Already you can see the sparkling around the impact, the beams splashing off of the Mobile Armor's I-Field.
After a long few seconds, the Bigwig peters out, and the pink beams fade to reveal that Rita is virtually untouched.
With a few commands, your machine begins to shift out of Cruise Mode and into MS mode. The Bigwig comes off of its mount and your TR-6 grabs the gun with its manipulators. There's something awesome about manually aiming a gun this big, but you don't have time to geek out about it.
A couple of flares burst to life above your formation. It's Amuro's signal for the first wave to advance! Alex Team begins to maneuver out from behind your bulk, as does Argama Team from behind Sicilia. Cascadia takes positions alongside the Fiver II and Lord Frith, preparing for long range bombardment.
You glance over at Argama Team. They're led by Elle in the Re-GZID and Mondo in the Methuss Kai, and the MS taking up their rear are three Nemo Cannons. They are certainly packing heavy firepower, but you worry about those Nemos…
Not that you can afford to let your mind wander, which Rita reminds you as she fires a volley of rockets, forcing a quick interception by Eris.
"Cybele, focus!" Lutetia scolds you, "Nevermind, I'll handle interception. You standby with the Bigwig!"
Hey, she can't give you orders in your own Mobile Suit!
You mean, sure, you would do this anyways, but still!
The Fiver II shudders slightly as four Incoms launch from its frame. They look like spheres with four spikes on one side. Weirdest Diffuse Beam weapon you've ever seen. One of them pivots in place and blasts a narrow spread towards an incoming rocket, detonating it. Seems like you can leave point defense to her.
Your job is to shoot down those hijacking incoms when Rita uses them. You don't want to end up like that assault force from the Zeon Republic.
Speaking of…
"More machines detected moving out from the shadow of the Neo Zeong." Lutetia reports, quickly going pale, "It's… it's my…"
Yeah, you can't mistake that shiny Qubeley for anything else. It's Camilla's unit. And the machines following it must be the hijacked Jagd Dogas. You hope that you aren't too late for the pilots.
Alex and Argama Teams engage them, and you see the flash of weapons fire as the three groups entangle. The Neo Zeong's arms come up-
"Sicilia! Suppression, now!"
At your order, Little Sis begins firing at the Neo Zeong's hands, and you pitch in with a semi-charged shot from the Bigwig. Pink energy once more slams into the MA's I-Field, but you notice tiny flashes as little Incoms are destroyed. So Rita was going for the hijacking strat again. You won't let her!
You're in the middle of repositioning when a proximity alarm sounds. Where?! Radar is already useless due to the Minovsky density, so it has to be in visual range already! You glance around. Where is-?!
"Above!" Lutetia shouts as she increases the I-Field's strength. Not a moment too soon, as the pink glare of beam fire descends from above, with an intensity strong enough that even as the field scatters it, the bleedoff manages to sear the paint off of Mort's Methuss.
"Hot!" He puts some distance between you and him as his MS's armor visibly glows in some spots. It's probably toasty in there.
"Alright, Cascadia Team!" Eris announces as she redirects herself towards the new source of enemy fire, "Protect Cybele and Sicilia!"
The rest of them call out affirmatives as they reposition themselves further out. Who's firing at you, though? That approach vector could only be from…
"Blue Wolf…" you mutter through grit teeth. Walker, that bastard. You're gonna kill him! So narrow-minded that he can't see the big picture…
Damn it, focus! He's not your problem! In fact…
"Hunting Pack sighted!" Lorelei cheers as she looks towards the approaching Mobile Suits, "Pick your targets, but Walker is mine~!"
And with that she redlines her thrusters and shoots off towards the incoming Feds like a comet, leaving the rest of Cascadia Team in the dust as they struggle to keep up.
You wish you could help… but that's not your role.
"Stay safe, everyone…" you mutter as you redirect your focus back to Rita, "Alright, Sicilia, let's see if we can't put more pressure on Rita and give Alex and Argama Team an opening to hit the Neo Zeong!"
"You got it, Big Sis!" She chirps back. The Lord Frith's tail rises and shivers as she shouts, "Funnels!"
Luke is leading at the front of the group, like he always does. Seems like he hasn't changed much since you left the Hunting Pack. His machine seems a bit bigger than you remember though. You train your telescopic cameras on him and zoom in as far as you can.
He comes into focus, his MP Nu clad in large optional parts that bulk up the frame. Large panels cover the skirt, there are missile pods on the shoulder and chest, massive verniers reminiscent of the Zeta are attached to the outer sides of the lower legs, and the shield has a double beam cannon attached that's taller than the suit itself.
Yeah, you recognize that. It's the HWS, the Heavy Weapons System. Seems like Luke came loaded for bear. You take a moment to adjust your new mask. It's go time.
Grabbing the Beam Javelin, you give it a spin and charge your former teammate. If he's gonna go heavy firepower, you'll just close the gap and prevent him from doing so! Thankfully he's still the same predictable Luke, so he whips out his Beam Saber and blocks as opposed to trying to get some distance, something that you know he can do with this loadout's increased thrust.
"That Mobile Suit-!" You hear him over the contact link as your beams spark off of each other, "It can't be! Lorelei?!"
Ah, so he recognized your MP Nu? But of course he did, you were the fastest member of Hunting Pack! Still, you can't let him think that you're alive, otherwise the Feds will punish your family! So you open a video feed and do your best stage laugh.
"Foolish Federation dog!" You cover your mouth with the back of your hand, laughing like some kind of anime noblewoman, "I am not Lorelei! I am the enigmatic Londo Bell pilot Katerina Eierkuchen! I have pilfered the Mobile Suit of your precious Lorelei!"
He stares at you in confusion for a moment, before his face twists into a rictus of rage.
"How dare you-?!" He snarls, and you feel your machine start to get pushed back. Uh-oh.
"I'll kill you!" He screams as he delivers a kick directly to your Nu's midsection, barely missing the cockpit but still hitting with enough force that the airbags deploy. Ow. Whiplash sucks. It takes a moment for you to recover from that, and he capitalizes on it by gaining some distance from you. If you keep letting him do that, he'll be able to open up with his missiles and beam cannons!
You see the others race past you to intercept the rest of Hunting Pack, but it looks like Luke is all yours.
So… how to take him down?
[] Keep going for melee. If you let him widen the gap, he'll be able to use his heavy weaponry.
[] Funnel duel! Funnel duel! Launch your Fin Funnels!
[] Play the mid-range game. You'll be under more fire, but you have confidence in your ability to dodge, plus you have two shields.
[] Psychological attack! Make up stories about how you've disrespected his precious comrade's machine! Luke will be so angry that he'll slip up!
