War Core 2, Chapter 46.

Chapter 46.

“Hugh, the enemy bombers are making their play, they’re heading straight in, they must not realize we have flak waiting for them,” Stephan advised.

“Roger that, let them get into the kill pocket, then we’ll light them up together,” Hugh replied. He had been fixated on the disaster that had occurred at ring two and the desperate fight Jiro was putting up at the third ring. The orbital bombardment had caught them all off guard and Jiro’s forces were out of position when the whole Ssath army cut through the remnants of the Krixnas core’s army and pushed immediately toward the third ring. For some reason, possibly a perk or reward, the Ssath hadn’t been required to pause at all in their advance.

Jiro’s troops had recovered quickly and were now putting up a good fight. The enemy avatar had even jumped into the battle, and Jiro had done a good job with setting the thing up for an ambush in the narrow streets. Sadly, the infantry platoon assigned to the attack had been wiped out without so much as scratching the pain on the enemy avatar. It wasn’t a total loss, though, the units protecting the enemy were completely wiped out, and even now, the pressure was backing off of Jiro’s forces as the Ssath core pulled units from the assault to reform his protection detail.

“Cartwright, Tremaine, are we ready for the enemy air strike?” Hugh asked.

“We’re still tied up with the enemy fighters. Tucker’s trying to cut loose a few birds to help against the bombers, but we’re still outnumbered up here,” Tremaine advised.

“We’ve got four flak mechs and Stephan has four as well. I don’t know if we can bring down all the enemy bombers, but if they keep on their present course, we’ll tear them up pretty good,” Cartwright said.

The enemy bombers had been hovering at the edge of the battlefield, unwilling to join in the fight until the threat of the human fighters had been eliminated. Despite being outnumbered, the human pilot’s superior skill was proving more than equal to the task. Losses had been horrendous and out of the over fifty fighters that began the battle, twenty-seven remained. The enemy had been whittled down from over a hundred to just under forty, the humans were gaining the upper hand in the air war, but that wouldn’t do Jiro any good if the bombers were able to carry out their attacks unmolested.

Bombers were now forming up and pushing their way toward the third ring, their approach was foolish, one that would force them right over the center of the city after they made their runs. It was true that they hadn’t seen many of the human air mechs so far and the flak units had been as rare as unicorns during the battle. It didn’t help that the Krixnas only possessed ground fire from their infantry weapons to engage an enemy in the air. As long as the bombers stayed out of reach of the ground unit’s machineguns and rifles, they would normally be pretty safe. Unfortunately for them, both Hugh and Stephan had dedicated flak mechs and the enemy formation was just about to enter their range.

“Assigning primary and secondary targets, let’s not kill the same bomber people,” Cartwright ordered. Their targeting data was shared with the German commanders, the two forces able to coordinate their air defense to maximum effectiveness. Hugh had initially thought that Tremain, being his air force commander, would handle the flak units, but it turned out they were a function of the armor formations and Cartwright had the most experience employing them. Forty-eight enemy bombers were inbound and moving at a sedate pace to maximize the accuracy of their drop; the bombers were perfect targets.

“Fire!” Cartwright ordered. The four flak mechs opened up with their quad-mounted 40mm guns. Glowing plasma shells streamed toward their first victims. Almost as if in shock over the unexpected attack, the bombers began to open their formation, maneuvering erratically to try and throw the gunners off. It didn’t work, and the combat pod operators walked the rounds onto the target, the shells were proximity fused and burst into fragments of molten plasma when they neared the enemy air mechs.

Despite the fact they were more heavily armored than a fighter-based air mech, the bombers still had less protection than just about any ground unit. The plasma shredded the targets, and only a few seconds of on-target fire was needed to bring down the large Pteranodon-looking aircraft. A higher-pitched and faster rate of fire belted out shortly after from Stephan’s flak units. They had a lighter cannon, only 20mm, but they were pumping out rounds like nobody’s business, easily keeping pace with Hugh’s mechs on the kill count.

Flakmech IV, Wirbelwind. Based on the medium mech chassis, this anti-air variant features a quad-mounted 20mm battery. Optimized for their anti-air role, the guns face a drop in accuracy, rate of fire, and range when used against ground targets. A secondary 7.62mm machinegun provides some defense against enemy infantry.

The Ssath bomber mechs give up their juking and instead begin to try and climb above the flak, desperately clawing for altitude as one after another were swatted from the sky. Stephan’s guns went silent first, the lighter caliber weapons just don’t have as much range as Hugh’s 40mm guns, which were still scoring kills, but the hit rate was plummeting as the range opened up.

“That’s it, we’re out of range,” Cartwright said with disappointment.

“Well done, you took down twenty of them and forced the rest to break up their formations and fly high, which will cut down on the accuracy of their bombing run,” Hugh said. Looking back at the fighter battle, the human units were still winning, the count between Ssath and human fighters was now dead even at twenty-one each, but there was nothing they could do against the bombers.

The bomb bay doors opened, and Hugh's vision was fixated on them until the first bombs started to drop. These were regular plasma-based weapons, not Ssath infantry this time. Breaking up into smaller pairs and flights of four, the bombers tried to hit at several of Jiro’s strongpoints at the same time. Forced to release at maximum altitude and likely shaken up by the pummeling the flak units had given them, the Ssath bombing run was sloppy, and while they devastated several of Jiro’s positions, many of their drops landed wide and also tore into the attacking Ssath units.

With the bombers out of range and flying toward the edge of the battlefield once more, Hugh and Stephan tried to support Jiro as best they could. They only had a pair of artillery mechs each, so they focussed on any large groups forming up to push at the Japanese defenders. Jiro had taken losses, but the attacks currently underway were beaten back with the help of the Krixnas infantry that had been assigned to help with defense construction.

Three main defensive sites were left for Jiro, two of which were positioned to cover the valuable factory. The Ssath core had to know that killing the factory wouldn’t stop Jiro’s core, but it was critical to rebuilding his forces, so the majority of their troops still seemed fixated on the location. Large groups were gathering, but the delays had bought Jiro more time. The countdown timer was sitting at just over twenty minutes. Jiro had held for far longer than any other core since his countdown timer didn’t start when the Ssath attacked him, instead, the GCA had made Jiro wait until the previous core’s timer had counted down completely, and only then could Jiro’s time begin.

Artillery peppered the gathering Ssath, who were using their artillery mechs to pummel Jiro’s defenses. If Hugh had the superiority of numbers in artillery mechs that the Ssath core had, he would have focussed on counterbattery fire to eliminate the only support the other cores could give to the defenders. The Ssath might have been easy to goad into action, but he wasn’t an idiot, so Hugh chalked it up to some kind of GCA restriction placed on them, preventing any attacks on the next ring before the current ring was taken.

Eventually, the Ssath were ready and moved in, Hugh figured that Jiro was down to maybe a reinforced platoon of infantry and a half dozen light mechs. The only other support he had were a dozen remaining Krixnas who were all holed up in the two strongpoints protecting the factory. The solitary strongpoint on the other side of the ring was completely surrounded, but there was only an understrength squad of infantry positioned there and they were doing good work at tying up the enemy forces that would otherwise be hurled at Jiro and the rest of his battered army.

When the timer hit fifteen minutes, the Ssath opened up with everything they had, fire pouring into the defensive structures Jiro had built. The artillery and larger mechs kept up the barrage as the Ssath light mechs and infantry began their assault. Krixnas tentacle mines burst forth, tying up and damaging the first ranks of enemy attackers, stalling the advance. As the others passed through the minefield, panels burst open on the strongpoints, and Jiro’s troops charged out, guns blazing and blades glowing with blue plasma fire.

The Ssath seemed confused, they had expected to fix the enemy in place with their fire and then tear them down piece by piece, instead, they were under assault from the numerically inferior foe. Always ready to respond with aggression, the nearest Ssath charged in. More minefields activated, and instead of crashing into Jiro’s forces with a hammer blow, only a trickle of enemy mechs were there to meet the initial charge. Without any hesitation, Jiro’s infantry and light mechs laid into the foe, their blades slicing through the light armor of the enemy infantry, with Jiro’s avatar taking on any nearby light mechs.

Jiro’s avatar was essentially a scaled-up version of the infantry mech, only with much better defenses, and an insane amount of agility. Holding a large spear tipped with a sword blade, something Hugh thought was called a naginata, the avatar swept through the attackers, punching a hole for the rest of the army to pass through. The enemy heavy and medium mechs kept up their fire on the strongpoints for too long, and by the time they realized the prey was escaping, Jiro’s men had made it back into the second row of structures, and out of the enemy line of sight.

Hugh’s friend had taken casualties, and while his avatar was still untouched other than some depleted shield energy, he only had a pair of light mechs, three Krixnas, and a score of infantry remaining. The Ssath immediately gave chase, Hugh could even see the avatar stomping its way toward where Jiro’s troops had disappeared into the city. To clear this ring, the enemy had to kill the avatar and defeat the defenders. Jiro was not going to make this easy for them and while they tried to hunt him down, the time kept ticking away.

A squad of infantry peeled off Jiro’s force, staying behind in the ruins of a building, hiding as the lead elements of the pursuing Ssath had passed by. When the first medium mechs made their appearance, Jiro’s squad struck. Anti-armor rockets crashed into the Ssath mech’s, tearing down shields and burrowing deep into the armor. The attack was followed up by a barrage of rifle fire as the infantry closed in to test their blades against Ssath teeth and claws. With the shields collapsing, the medium mechs’ legs were vulnerable to the blades. It took several hits, but they eventually brought down one of the mechs, the T-Rex looking mech crashing down even as secondary weapons cut down the last of Jiro’s ambush team.

The rest of Jiro’s army turned and fought, tearing into lead Ssath units who were all alone as the rest of the force dealt with the ambush squad. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Ssath fought hard, taking down many of Jiro’s remaining troops before the last Ssath fell. Jiro’s army continued to run deeper into the city, leading the main Ssath force on a chase that ate up more time. Hugh and his armor commander Cartwright worked hard to keep the artillery pounding the Ssath anytime they could get a clear shot. It was causing casualties, but there seemed to always be more Ssath.

Ssath hunting teams spread out and worked to seal off Jiro’s remaining units, slowly tightening the noose over the last of the Japanese core’s army. Falling back into an open courtyard bordering an intersection, Jiro prepared to make his final stand, the remaining troops moved into the surrounding buildings while Jiro stood out in the open at the center of the intersection.

“Hugh, the timer is getting ready to expire, I’m going to try something that will hopefully buy us enough time to win the fight for this ring,” Jiro advised.

“Don’t do anything stupid, we’ll need you back home. The Ssath aren’t going to stop here, and we’ll need cores that know how to fight them,” Hugh said.

“I’m taking a chance, but I think I’m reading the situation and our opponent correctly. Even if I’m wrong, you’ll at least know how this Ssath will react to a direct challenge, and maybe a little bit about how the GCA reacts to cheese tactics,” Jiro told him before cutting off the comm feed.

“Ssath core, I challenge you to personal combat! Come and fight me if you dare!” Jiro called out, every external speaker on his remaining mechs broadcasting his challenge. Hugh wasn’t sure the GCA would let the message go out, but it was something that would entice viewers of the campaign, so he figured Jiro had read the situation correctly.

“Foolish simian core, my kind eradicated your species from our world millennia ago, and to fight you tooth and claw is beneath me. It is beneath me, but I’ll honor your request if only to show the remaining human cores that they have no chance to survive the might of the Ssath!” The Ssath core replied. Time ticked by as the Ssath approached, surrounding the intersection but not engaging Jiro or his forces. The ground shook ominously as the giant Ssath avatar hove its way into view.

“Ah, there is the little lizard, tell me Ssath, will you face me with your pitiful teeth, and claws, or will you rely on cowardly ranged weapons?” Jiro asked, powering down his cannon and machingeuns, pointing the barrels toward the ground as slammed the haft of his naginata into the street.

“Ha, I like your courage little human, and yes, I will fight you and your little stick without my guns. Watch carefully humans and Krixnas, watch what happens to those who resist. It will be best if you go into the feeding pits willingly. We’re not an overly cruel race and if you comply, we will make your end a painless one. Of course, those selected for the hunt will fare a bit differently,” the Ssath boasted.

“If you are done, let’s begin,” Jiro said, twirling his naginata with skill. The smooth movements of Jiro made Hugh’s avatar look clumsy by comparison, but Hugh preferred clumsy when it came with heavy armor, shields, and enough firepower to level a city block.

With a roar, the Ssath started forward, Jiro standing still as he waited for the enemy to close in. When the Ssath’s jaws shot forward to take a bite out of Jiro, the nimble avatar leaped forward rolling past the bite and follow up claw attack, slamming his weapon into the side of the Ssath as he passed. Shields flickered but held, whatever protected this Ssath was much stronger than the shield units Hugh possessed. Jiro was able to slash twice more with the naginata before the Ssath turned his mech around. Sparks shot from the Ssath’s mouth as the grinding chainsaw-style teeth revved up in anticipation of taking a bite out of Jiro’s avatar.

A second time Jiro rolled away from the Ssath when it began its attack, taking down one of the shields protecting the enemy mech. With wild swipes of his claws, the Ssath tried to corner Jiro against the side of a nearby building, ignoring the powerful jabs that Hiro answered with, the plasma-enhanced blade flaring against the last shield protecting the Ssath avatar.

“I’m done toying with you human, time is nearly up and I have three other cores to destroy before my work is done,” the Ssath called out.

“Ha, your avatar may have heavy armor and shields, but it can’t touch my avatar,” Jiro replied while spinning his naginata, the blade slamming into the Ssath over and over, quickly dropping the final shield.

“You are just prey, nothing more,” the Ssath taunted as he tried to close in. Jiro was focused on the gnashing teeth and claws, keeping them at bay while his weapon burned into the thick armor of his foe. What Jiro hadn’t noticed was the tail slowly snaking its way behind him. A flick of the appendage forced Jiro to stumble, bringing him into range of the Ssath’s waiting claws. Jiro’s shields popped and armor squealed as the claws sought to crush his chest in their grasp.

“I should tell you one thing before this is over,” Jiro grunted out, the damage to his avatar obviously causing him great pain. An overhead sweep of his naginata clove through the barrel of one of the main guns mounted on the Ssath’s shoulder. A second strike dug into the armor underneath the main gun on the other shoulder. The ssath chomped down, severing the haft of the weapon and one of Jiro’s arms.

“Just what do you have to say prey, you fought hard so I can let you have one final cry for mercy,” the Ssath taunted.

“No cries of mercy, only a warning. On my world, your kind was the race driven to extinction, and if you show up anywhere in Earth territory, we’re going to make it happen again,” Jiro replied, his remaining arm grasping the portion of the naginata sticking from the Ssath’s shoulder and levering it all his remaining strength. The squeal of the cannon being pried from the Ssath’s shoulder was overridden by the sound of the jaws snapping forward to decapitate Jiro. Hugh’s friend was out of the fight, but his sacrifice had pulled the fangs from his opponent. The Ssath avatar was still powerful, but unless it had some way to repair itself quickly, it now lacked both its main guns.

“Kill them all, quickly!” The Ssath avatar shouted, his voice still pumping from the loudspeakers, that he forgot to disable. Hugh figured the Ssath was having some trouble with pain feedback, which helped you to forget the little things like toggling a speaker icon.

Less than a minute remained, but with Jiro’s avatar destroyed, his mechs would just blindly attack the Ssath. Some emerged from the buildings, the light mechs and Krixnas infantry, weapons firing blindly. They were cut down easily, but it wasn’t Jiro’s entire force. Somehow, the others had managed to hide themselves. The Ssath went crazy, charging into the buildings, slashing and firing at anything they could.

“I think I know what he did now,” Stephan offered.

“What did Jiro do?” Hugh asked.

“Did you notice that only the light mechs and Krixnas came out to fight? My theory is that Jiro ordered most of his infantry buried in the rubble of the buildings. The Krixnas and his light mechs piled enough rubble on them to prevent them from following their programming once the connection with the combat pods was cut. Instead of charging out into certain doom, they’re squirming under the rubble, preventing Ssath from finishing them off before the timer runs down,” Stephan offered. Just as Jiro had hinted, it was a cheese tactic that seemed to work, and a system prompt soon after confirmed it, and told them it was no longer a viable option.

Your forces have successfully defended the third ring of the city.

Rewards:

1. Survivability for all human cores and combat pod operators has improved by 5%.

2. Bonus resources have been allocated to each core based on their position in the defense of the city. You have been granted 500 resources.

3. The standard resource flow for each factory has been increased.

A short reprieve has been granted to allow you to prepare for the next assault. The Ssath may continue hostilities after 10 minutes have passed. Evacuations will continue during this time.

The remaining defenders of ring 3 are incapacitated. Any unpiloted mechs that are unable to follow their programmed commands will self-destruct after 60 seconds have passed. This rule is now in place for all further battles of this campaign.

Jiro’s exploit had been patched, but it had worked, buying the remaining three cores some extra time and resources. Hugh could only hope that his sacrifice in the battle didn’t prove to be a permanent one.