Atop the edge of a ridgeline peeked the barrel of a high caliber rifle, the camera inside its recessed scope focusing on the ravine below. Holding the rifle was an einherjar, its humanoid metal body pressed against the slope of the ridge. The presence of a retively stocky torso indicated it was a Mk.2, the previous generation that was on the way out. It was painted in muted tones of white and blue, meant to blend in with the predominant colors of Thrasir’s environments. On its right shoulder pte the numbers 02 were painted in bck. Sitting inside of the einherjar was a blonde woman dressed in a thermally insuted pilot suit. Her body was limp and restrained by padded metal braces. Behind her, in a recessed section of her seat, were the wires that connected the rig that ran down her spine directly to the artificial neural network inside of the machine. The camera bank inside the einherjar’s cranial unit were as her own eyes, the ocur in her rifle’s scope acting as another feed, one she focused on as she scanned a rough path through the ravine below.
“This is Laine in the Vajra 02, reporting.” Her trigger finger made contact with the mechanism, not enough to fire, but resting as the systems within the einherjar made adjustments for distance and the howling wind. “Convoy is beginning its approach from the North-east down the predicted route, should arrive at effective range shortly,” she said with her own voice, one of the few bodily systems not either locked into basic homeostasis or paralyzed for safety.
Inside of the ravine, another of Laine’s squad shifted position. The Vajra 01 kneeled, its rifle holstered on a hook on the back of its pelvis, hands holding onto a rocky outcrop in front of it. Attached to its shoulders were a pair of rge missile racks which were in the process of moving to their active position, each with three sets of four cells and a further three sets below those in reserve.
“Ed reporting, the Vajra 01 is in position.” The caps of the readied missiles popped off then nded heavily in the surrounding snow. “Vertical unch capabilities are online, awaiting targeting sensor link.” Ed sighed inside of the cockpit, frost appearing in front of his lips. “I think the 01 needs its weather seals touched up.”
Laine willed the connection between her own einherjar’s senses and that of the Vajra 01 to broaden, acting as a point to help triangute missile guidance. “That was your responsibility before we took off.”
“Took us a couple days to get here without setting off any long-range sensors, and it’s only been getting colder,” grumbled Ed.
Laine’s vision focused on the trio of Mobius Sci-Tech einherjar at the front of the convoy. “Any sign of frostbite when you broke sync this morning?”
“No, but my lips were chapped. Potentially worse now,” replied Ed as the targeting suite in the Vajra 01 began its work.
“You poor baby. For what it’s worth, it doesn’t sound like they’re much worse now,” Laine sighed. “There’s three more behind the convoy, Ed, all Mk.2s.” Laine wedged one of her einherjar’s feet against a boulder. “We should probably open the channel to our forward team.”
“Rico and… Ugh, what the fuck was his name?” The targeting system indicated full locks on the Mobius einherjar. “I’ve got locks set.”
“We’ll fire once they’re in position, we don’t want any escaping.” Laine looked between the targets, the one on point would be a good choice given its heavier weaponry. “And Ed, it’s Ben. That’s the other one’s name.”
“I’d remember him more if he ever actually talked with us. S’always just a nod or a grunt from him.” Ed sent a ping to the advance team, opening the channel. “Ben, Rico, we’re ready back here. Are you prepared for the operation?”
The Vajra 03 stood further north and closer to the approaching convoy, hiding in a crevasse. It held a burst-fire rifle in its right hand along with a shield attached to its left forearm, a pistol stowed inside the forearm itself. Attached to its shoulders were a pair of linked two-cell forward unch missile pods raised into a ready position. It was the default armaments for the model, the one the suits put on the front of their technical manuals and on the show floors posed dramatically.
“This is Ben inside the Vaja 03, receiving comms and ready for the operation,” he said with his voice slightly muffled.
“Yeah, we’re ready.” Rico groaned, a slight edge of synthesized static to his tone. “How many more goddamn hours are we waiting?”
“Just a few more minutes until they’re in striking range,” said Laine, her aim lingering over the head of the back most Mobius einherjar. “For you two up front, there’s three close-combat models leading, with three midranges in the back– soon to be just two.”
“They’re just fucking mark twos, they’re nothing compare to my Asura.” The einherjar drew a compact cylinder with a set of prongs recessed in the top end from a compartment in its right forearm. “Could probably manage it with just the eitr bde.”
“It’s better if we just stick to the pn,” groaned Ed.
The Asura ignited its eitr bde, producing a coruscating bde of energy. “Whatever, I’ve got this.” Thrusters across its body fred to life as Rico charged forward, bde out and shotgun leveled with the other arm.
“Damn it!” Laine pulled her rifle’s trigger. The cranial unit of the forwardmost Mobius einherjar was blown apart a moment before the boom of the shot echoed through the ravine. “That’s one,” she said as she readied another shot, tracking the now scattering einherjar.
“Firing volley,” said Ed as the readied missile racks fired their payloads, twenty-four missiles total, the empty racks falling heavily into the snow as they were spent.
Rico pushed ahead, the thrusters on the Asura propelling him forward and leaving trails of rainbow in its wake. Behind him followed Ben in his Vajra, shield raised and rifle firing in tight bursts. His Vajra was, however, a Mk.2, and cked the raw power of the Mk.3 Asura. Thus the distance between them widened as Rico made contact.
The Asura’s eitr bde cut through both the cold air and the shotgun of the closest Mobius einherjar, the barrel of his own pressing against the cockpit. Before he could fire the other close-range einherjar shot at him, knocking his aim off and letting the other machine bring a solid bde up. It slid off an armor pte, sending sparks flying.
“Rico, move!” Ben closed in and bashed the other close-range unit with his shield, then fired three rounds into the stunned machine’s cockpit, caving it in. “The ones in back have missile locks on you.” The Vajra 03 pulled back from the disabled einherjar and put the lead convoy vehicle between it and the other Mobius units.
“I’m fine, it’s just–”
A rifle round punched through one of the Asura’s camera banks, briefly bnking Rico’s vision before adjusting for the damage. The onboard systems bred their warnings as over a dozen missiles flew towards him. With a thought he kicked on his thrusters again, flying up and through the rain of warheads fired by Ed moments earlier. Friendly and hostile munitions collided around him as he broke for the ridge.
“They shouldn’t hit you, the flight paths are meant to account for friendlies.” The remaining racks locked into pce as Ed steadied his machine. “Next salvo is ready, pull back a little.”
The Asura cut its thrusters and fell after it crested the side of the ravine. “Cool, yeah, love that, Ed!” shouted Rico as the remaining missiles chasing him exploded against the ridgeline. He contorted, jets of eitr adjusting the einherjar’s fall and letting it nd just a little less roughly on the rocky slope beneath it.
Back in the ravine Ben raised his shield and pulled back, rifle braced against it as he fired another controlled burst into the torso of the remaining close range unit. With the distance and movement of both machines the shots pinged off as it pursued him, a solid bde drawn. The Mobius einherjar jabbed and struck at Ben, desperation clear in its movements. Its bde pressed into the 03’s shield and in response, he twisted it, pulling the Mobius einherjar forward and allowing for another point-bnk burst of gunfire, tearing the cockpit apart and spttering the snow with gore. “Three left,” said Ben as he repositioned.
Behind, the mid range machines struggled to avoid the rain of missiles from Ed. Despite their best efforts the Mk.2 architecture cked the raw power to avoid ordnance of that velocity in-gravity even as they pushed their reactors beyond safe ranges. As the missiles found their mark they ruined shields and blew off armor pting, leaving one open to another shot from Laine. The round connected with the pelvis of one of them, kinetic energy ripping through the machinery and functionally removing one of its legs.
“All my missiles are inflight, movin’ to help mop up,” said Ed, the st of his racks falling to the ground, snow hissing around the hot metal.
Rico struggled for a moment, the Asura’s systems off bance from the rough nding. The fight was wrapping up and all he’d managed to do was destroy one einherjar’s weapon, then get shot. It burned. He was… He was meant to be the star here. He alone was qualified to use the Asura, and yet the others with their out of date Mk.2s were the only ones picking apart the targets. He leapt, thrusters firing as he joined the second missile salvo like a falling star. His shotgun pointed at one of the two remaining einherjar. Once he was close he fired. His target was already heavily damaged and reeled back from the bst just before the missiles from Ed connected, finishing it off.
The Asura nded heavily, joints whining under the stress. In the time it took to recover the st of the Mobius einherjar charged Rico, its hand grabbing the Asura’s cranial unit. His vision bnked again as more of his camera bank was crushed by the einherjar’s thumb.
“Get the fuck off me!” he shouted and brought his eitr bde up, only for a solid bde to stab through the wrist of the hand holding it.
The eitr bde fell and went out as the two machines hit the ground. Rico struggled, bashing the other einherjar with his shotgun. The Mobius machine held tight to the Asura’s cranial unit as it tore its bde from Rico’s ruined wrist and stabbed at the armor pting over the cockpit. It wrenched the front-most pte off and brought the bde up, held in an icepick grip. Rico brought his shotgun up, trying to use it to block the killing blow, only for a hole to appear through its torso. It froze, energy sparking from the ruined cavity in its torso. The arm fell forward, bde skidding over the internal shell that protected Rico’s cockpit.
“I’ve got you, Rico,” said Laine.
Ben approached where the Asura id in the snow, stowing his rifle and dropping his shield. “Let’s get you out from under that wreck.” The Vajra 03 pulled the ruined machine off the Asura and let it fall in the snow before offering a hand to Rico. “Your cockpit doesn’t look like it’s ruptured, are you alright in there?”
Rico felt his sync waver. The connection between his own body and the machine he was inside faltering and leaving him painfully aware of all of his corpus. His lungs were full of thick fluid, and they burned. Across his body he could feel the spreading ache that even the pressurized cockpit couldn’t prevent. He’d been so close to dying mere moments ago, of course he wasn’t alright. But he was chosen for this. He was special.
The Asura batted the Vajra 03’s hand away with its mangled one, sitting up as it did. “I’m fine.”
Ed arrived at the convoy, rifle drawn and pointed at the remaining vehicles, turning on his external speakers. “Mobius personnel, you are to come out and y down your arms. Cooperate, and by Council w your lives will be spared!” He switched back to the squad’s channel. “How are we lookin’, Laine? Any reinforcements coming?”
“Not getting anything on the sensor suite. We’ve got a little time.” Laine stood, resting the rifle against her einherjar’s shoulder. “Gonna call the salvage team, we’ve got a pretty good window to mop this all up.”
Rico stood shakily, the sync having stabilized, but the damage from combat robbing the Asura of its usual grace. He held up its right hand and through his damaged ocur feed briefly saw his own overid on the warped metal. He shook his head, the Asura following suit.
Ben bent down and picked up the Asura’s eitr bde. “Rico, your weapon,” he said, offering it to him.
“Just have salvage pick it up. I’m not feeling too good, and my hand’s fucked anyway.” The Asura’s boosters fired briefly as he checked if they were working. “Once the team’s here I’m heading back,” he said, trying to pce his shotgun on its back hook only to find it had been bent closed in the fight; instead dropping it to the ground.
Before any of the squad could respond Rico cut his connection to the comms channel. The Asura took off, heat from its thrusters melting the snow around it. He settled on the ridge opposite to the one he’d used as cover earlier and watched Ben and Ed secure the convoy. In total there were a couple dozen of them all bundled up in the snow, the Vajra’s rifles trained on them. The rifles were meant for einherjar scale combat and a single round would be more than enough to blow a human body apart; it was excessive, but that’s how it had always been.
While he waited for the salvage craft to arrive he thought of his life before joining up with Necker Group’s armed forces. He’d been a forfeit to the corporation, given up by a family that couldn’t afford him. Much of his earliest years were a blur as he was passed through various institutes and facilities where he was prepared for this moment. He was practically made for the job. He raised his einherjar’s mangled right hand; yet still…
The first of the salvage craft arrived, swooping over the convoy and lowering itself onto a retively ft section of the trail through the ravine, its wings folding up. From the back of its cargo hold came a team of alfar frames, smaller machines more akin to a rge exo-suit than a small einherjar. They stripped the cargo from the freight vehicles of the convoy and piled it inside the craft. As the other salvage craft arrived and attached hooks to the Vajra units in preparation, Rico kicked the Asura’s thrusters back on.
Rico reconnected to the comms channel. “I’m heading back.”
______
The Asura slowed down as it approached the Necker Group base. Before the war started it had been a retreat for corporate higher ups built around an active geothermal site; now it had been fortified and staffed with a skeleton crew of military personnel. For a moment the exterior defenses locked on Rico's position and he came to a full stop.
“This is pilot Rico Estrada, ID code NG/e3-0589, requesting to nd,” he growled over the comms channel.
“Ah, your Asura didn't transmit its code automatically. Apologies,” replied someone from the base.
“Yeah, fine. Now get those damned turrets pointed away from me.” Rico sighed and flew into the hangar, nding with a brief skid. “Gonna need a hand getting out, the capsule shield is reading non-responsive.”
Rico guided his einherjar into its dock and the safety cmps locked it into position. The exterior pte had been torn off earlier, and the capsule’s shield stayed stuck in pce over the oblong tube that contained him. With the einherjar finished docking, Rico’s sync cut off and his mind returned to his own body. Since it was in standby mode the inside of the capsule was lit by mps at the top and bottom, the cables that had connected him casting thin shadows as they detached from his body and retracted. His chest ached from the effort of breathing the fluid he was suspended in. It was thick and had a generally unpleasant taste, but it kept him safe from the G forces the maneuvers the Asura was capable of; even if it felt like trying to breathe a brick.
Even through the shielding, the gss, and the breathable liquid he could hear as the others began to arrive inside the hangar. “A little help? The damn shield’s stuck,” he messaged the others of the squad.
“I’ve got you, Rico,” said Ben, the slightly muffled and softer voice easy to parse as his.
Rico braced, but instead of the shield being torn up and off there was a brief whining from the shield’s housing before it smoothly retracted. In front of him was the Vajra 03, stepping backwards into its own dock. The hatch at the top of Rico’s capsule spun open and he removed the tether cable that kept him roughly in the middle of the capsule. With the tether off he floated to the top and climbed up and out onto a catwalk, coughing up most of the fluid that remained in his lungs.
As he recovered and stood the remaining members of his squad brought their einherjar into dock. He took a moment to watch what happened across from him at Ben’s machine. The torso opened with a hiss and its pilot stepped out, shrugging a thin, oversized and neon green jacket onto himself. It cshed with the bck and grey bodysuit he wore, as well as the strangest thing about him; the glossy bck mask he insisted on wearing over his face. Ben paused and waved as one of the engineers in an orange work suit walked into Rico’s vision and offered a hand.
“Kid, you’ve gotta be more careful with your machine,” grumbled the engineer.
Rico grabbed onto the engineer’s hand with his and stood. “Tell that to my squad. I took all the risk!” He let go and coughed again, wincing. “I’m going back to my quarters. I need to get this shit off me.”
He pushed past the engineer and quickly walked down the stairs to the floor of the hangar, still coughing periodically in an attempt to get the st bits of the breathable liquid out of his lungs. As he reached the entrance to the rest of the base he paused for a moment, coughing up some more of the fluid.
“You alright?” asked Ben, face still obscured by his mask.
“I–I’m fine.” Rico stood up straight as he could, not wanting to be seen struggling.
“I just wanted to tell you that your weapons are on their way back too,” said Ben, walking over to the door.
Rico nodded. “Good.” He walked through the door and paused. “Thanks, Ben,” he mumbled before hurrying away.
Dark_Sun_Morrigan
