Roleplay Area

[Ishi123]

"Alright, everyone." Brand's voice sounded off over the ship-wide comms system. "We're in Mars airspace right now. Everyone be on standby just in case. We aren't necessarily expecting a fight but it helps to be prepares and all that."

Brand closed comms and turned to the forward console, seeing multiple space fighters coming up to meet them. They were the escorts that would lead them down to the planet.

"This is Avir 997, we are operating in this airspace." The lead fighter said. "Requesting identification."

"Flitz, give 'em what they want." Brand said.

Flitz then send out an encrypted message detailing their identification and mission as a relief ship.

"Got your message." The flight lead said a short moment later. "Everything checks out. We'll lead you to the surface if you'll follow us."

"Alright." Brand said to the crew around him. "Let's take care of this nice and quick."

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack finally wakes up, rubbing his eyes and yawning briefly.

"Ahhh...mmh...morning TESS..."

Upon hearing Zack's voice, TESS immediately sprung back online, and greeted him with a relaxed tone. After being kept away from each other for so long, it was so good finally greeting each other so quickly, even in the situation they were now in.

"Morning Zack."

Zack smiled as he patted the roof of Eclipse's cockpit before leaning back in his seat, folding his arms behind his head.

"So, you think we've already made it?"

"I would assume so. Though, I wouldn't mind if we weren't yet, if it meant spending more calming time with you..."

"Aww shucks, TESS...hmm...maybe we should contact Flitz or Brand?"

 

[Ishi123]

The ship then began to rock and shake upon hitting the atmosphere. Luckily, the ships involved were designed to be able to handle atmospheric re-entry, but that didn't make the process any less of a bumpy ride, only a less deadly one. The underside of all the ships heated up considerably, becoming white hot as it met the terraformed atmosphere of Mars, the flames created in the process spilling from underneath and covering the sides of the ships. A rocky experience, and one more than enough to concern those who aren't used to it. Fortunately for the entire crew of the ships, they indeed were, and the ships involved have survived more than plenty of such events.

Zack, however, was a different story.

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack screamed and yelped as he bumped around in Eclipse's cockpit, holding his head underneath his arms to prevent any brain damage from happening to him. Needless to say, Zack wasn't used to such rocky atmosphere entries.

"Gah! Woah! Wah! My! Head! Ow! Why me!?"

TESS, although completely shocked by Zack's predicament, couldn't help but laugh as she heard his rather childish panics.

"Ahaha, ooh Zack! I'm, ahhahaha, sorry..hahaha!"

"I wanna, get off, the ri-aahhhh!!"

 

[Ishi123]

After a few hectic minutes, finally all the ships entered the atmosphere proper, and the shaking and heat settled down, now only a soft rumble caused by the wind. The escort fighters stayed around the group as they descended, leading them to what looked like a base of some sorts, which confused Brand.

"Looks like a base of some sort." Brand noticed. "Why aren't we landing near the cities that need these supplies?"

"Got a bad feeling about this." Flitz said, noticing the LEVs on the ground looking up at them.

At the press of a button, Brand contacted Zack in his frame.

"Hey, kid. Better get ready. Something is up here."

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack groaned before hearing Brand. Rubbing his head, he quickly responds.

"Agh, uh? Ooh, alright. Me and TESS will be on standby."

"I've got a bad feeling about this..."

 

[Ishi123]

Upon landing, the three ships were quickly flanked by armed LEVs. Though they didn't look like they were about to attack them at any moment, it was a bit concerning that they would take up such positions. One of the LEVs stepped forward; a customized Phantoma, looking to be a member of the local militia resistance.

"Alright, you can unload your supplies, now." The pilot said from his LEV.

Brand put a hand to his chin, uncertain of what was about to happen, but decided to play it cool for now.

"I was under the assumption that these supplies would be going to a local city." Brand said. "That's our mission here."

"Yeah, well there's been a bit of a change of plans." The pilot said. "Those supplies will be going through us first. Processing, you know? Making sure there isn't anything suspicious like weapons and all that."

"Pretty sure this isn't part of any regulation." Brand said. "Relief workers always act independently of any militia group, and it's a war crime to interfere with their efforts."

"You got us all wrong." The pilot replied in a bit more of an assertive tone. "All we wanna do is make sure all those supplies get to where they need to go, based on how much they're needed."

"This guy's full of it." Flitz said quietly to Brand, who nodded in agreement.

"Make sure he's ready to go." He said quietly, before going back to the pilot. "Listen, I don't think that this is right. We had an assignment with specific orders to land at a nearby city. It'd be best for everyone if we could get on with our mission and then be on our way."

"I told you, there's been a change of plans." The pilot said, more aggressively this time. The other LEVs around the ships responded by aiming their guns at the ships. "Now hand over the supplies, or I can't guarantee your safety."

Brand sighed, leaning back in his seat, seeing all the LEVs around him. He'd be a little worried had he not had that ace up his sleeve.

"Hey, Buddy." Flitz said in the comms to Zack. "I hope you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty."

 

[Raptordude115]

Zack thought briefly after listening to what Flitz said, the images of destroyed Earth Force LEVs flashing in his head. He then remembered just who he was more than likely going to fight upon landing on the plant: Neo BAHRAM supporters who would gladly kill him or others without hesitation. He knew they wouldn't show mercy, so he wasn't going to show them any either when things get ugly. He quickly stretches his arms before speaking in a less than casual tone.

"Can't say that me and TESS are strangers to it. Just give us the signal and we'll launch."

 

[Ishi123]

"Alright, get ready." Flitz said, before giving a thumbs up to Brand, who nodded.

"Alright, alright." Brand said. "We're opening up."

Flitz then hit the switch to open the cargo bay doors on the top of the ship, which slowly opened up over Eclipse, giving way to the dusty Martian sky. It was Zack's turn, now.

 

[Raptordude115]

"Eclipse, launch!"

Eclipse's visor eye lights up as the thrusters go off, blasting Eclipse into the Martian skies. Eclipse withdrew its X2 Shot and aimed downwards while in mid-air.

"TESS, you know what to do!"

"Targeting closest LEV unit!"

Without hesitation, Eclipse fired off a three round volley down, striking the one LEV right of the ship's flank in the left arm, chest, and head.

 

[Ishi123]

"An Orbital Frame?!" One of the LEV pilots shouted.

"What's one doing here?!" Screamed another.

"I thought only Neo BAHRAM had Orbital Frames!"

"What is this?!"

"Enough!" The lead pilot said. "Concentrate your firepower on that Orbital Frame! Don't let those ships get away!"

"Time to go!" Brand said. "We're launching! Hey, Buddy, cover us while we get out of here!"

"Alright, will do!" Zack responded over the comms.

"Flitz, man the guns, give him some fire support."

"Alright, let's see what we got." Flitz smiled, turning over to a different console, which controlled the frontward guns. The cameras came up and the targeting system activated, the multiple guns on the front responding to his controls. He saw the LEVs clearly in his sights. "Like fish in a barrel."

He began firing the heavy turrets, laying down firepower on the ground below them as the three ships took off in unison, all returning the fire that was coming at them from below.

 

[Raptordude115]

Eclipse switches to its Phalanx and lets out a burst of plasma bolts into a nearby LEV, blowing it to bits in seconds.

"Alright TESS, switch to Homing Missiles!"

TESS made a firm hum in agreement as Eclipse switched to its Homing Missiles, firing a barrage of six missiles that flew down before striking three LEVs with ease.

"Now for some close quarters combat..."

Eclipse switched to its claws and flew down back onto the ground, skiing across the ground and making a small dust trail behind it as it thrust forward and stabbed a LEV unit through the cockpit region, quickly kicking it away before it exploded.

 

[Ishi123]

The LEVs clearly weren't in any position to be doing combat with an Orbital Frame. Even when they were able to hit Eclipse, the frame's superior armor easily shrugged off the projectile weaponry. On the other hand, it took hardly any effort for Zack to destroy scores of the enemy LEVs, especially when supported by the guns of the Merchants ships. All three of the ships quickly made a retreat while firing down at the opposing forces, who quickly began pursuit, sending multiple aircraft after them which easily outmatched the cargo vessels in terms of speed.

"They got fighters!" One of Brand's crew said, seeing them on radar.

"Flitz, can you hit them?" Brand asked.

"It's gonna be tough." He responded. "It's not like these guns are for point defense.

"Hey, Zack, we got fighters incoming. How accurate are your weapons?"

 

[Raptordude115]

"Homing Missiles are as accurate as you would think!"

Eclipse turned around and switched back to Homing Missiles, firing off another barrage of missiles that flew fast towards the enemy fighters. They struck them dead on, the fighters exploding as TESS made a woohoo in response.

"Bullseye!"

Eclipse glided across the dusty ground as it returned fire on the LEVs, using its Phalanx once more to blast away at two nearby LEVs.

"I just hope we can get the supplies to those citizens soon..."

 

[Ishi123]

Despite Eclipse's firepower, a few of the enemy jets got through the missiles. They quickly fired their guns at the Merchants ships, supplementing that with their own barrage of missiles.

"Got missiles incoming!" One of Brand's crew said, manning the radar.

"Flitz?" Brand said.

"I'll do what I can." Flitz said, biting his bottom lip as he aimed his guns towards the incoming missiles, firing the laser cannons towards them. Just being near the beams was enough for missiles to explode, so the wide-angled blasts provided at least some defense against them. However, it wasn't enough and some missiles managed to hit their mark, making the ship shake with the blasts.

"They hit anything important?" Brand asked.

"Superficial damage, looks like." Another operator responded. "We're still good!"

"Zack, those fighters are gonna surround us! We need you back here!"

 

[Raptordude115]

"Copy that!"

Eclipse boosts itself back into the air and flies upwards, switching to its X2 Shot and going into close range with the fighters. It blasts one fighter into pieces before dashing to another, repeating the process before switching back to Homing Missiles, launching yet another barrage of missiles that strikes down another pack of fighters with ease.

"Still got more fighters inbound, Zack!"

"Nothing we can't handle!"

Eclipse uses its Claws to cleave through one fighter as Zack spoke.

 

[Ishi123]

Soon enough, the chase died down, remaining enemies pulling away and returning back to their base of operations.

"They're retreating." The radar operator said.

"They don't have enough forces on hand to pursue us at length." Brand said. "Alright, let's get these supplies over to the people who actually need it."

He then opened comms with Zack.

"Hey, good work, out there." He said. "If you don't mind I'd like you to stay out there for the rest of the mission, just in case we run into any more trouble."

"Won't people be scared seeing an Orbital Frame around?" Zack asked.

"We're humanitarian aid, here." Brand said, leaning back in his seat. "Even if they question it, if you're with us I'm sure they'll figure you're around to help."

 

[Raptordude115]

"Hmm...alright. Let's hurry and get those supplies to them."

"I'll keep our scanners on in case they have enemies hiding."

"Good idea, TESS."

Eclipse flew at a steady pace with the ships, flying above them with Homing Missiles prepped and ready if need be.

 

[Ishi123]

"Keep on the wide-range radar." Brand ordered his crew. "Let us know if anything comes at us."

"Got it." One of the radar operators said, switching the scanning range on the ship's radar to wide, while the other two ships of the convoy did the same.

Luckily for the convoy, the rest of the ride to their destination was hassle free, and the three ships as well as Eclipse arrived in time. The city looked torn to pieces... it was hard to imagine anyone still lived there. But these people had nowhere else to go. They were forced to stay for lack of alternatives. Shanties had been set up in city streets using scrap and rubble from collapsed buildings, at least providing shelter for the people here, and there luckily was electricity still powering homes, though it was mainly off of generators as the city's power grid had been knocked out. In addition to food and medicine, the convoy brought supplies to help restore that power grid, which would be a huge step in the recovery of the city.

"Alright, let's set down." Brand said, directing the ships to an area just outside the city, wide enough to fit all three ships as well as the equipment necessary to unload everything.

Just as Zack suspected, some people were startled by the presence of an Orbital Frame, especially one of the tech that Eclipse was comprised of. Some people refused to come out of the shelter of their homes; children hid behind their parents. But most fears were soon disregarded when the cargo ships opened up, beginning to unload the much-needed supplies. A further explanation on the Orbital Frame's presence cleared any further doubts after that.

Brand sighed and leaned back in his seat as he oversaw the unloading of all the supplies. Crewmen and residents of the city all worked together to get the supplies out and to where they needed to be. Zack remained above, overseeing the entire operation, on sentinel duty and keeping an eye out for any hostilities.

"Keep your heads on a swivel." Brand told the radar operators. "Don't want anyone catching us with our pants down, here."

 

[Raptordude115]

"Right."

Eclipse continued hovering in the air, turning around clockwise as it stood watch of any enemies that would try to ambush them. Zack, however, also glanced down to look at the supply unloading, feeling relieved that the citizens were able to get the much needed resources. From how war-torn the city looked and knowing how ruthless these Neo BAHRAM supporters were, it made him all the more better about how he was finally helping innocent civilians as oppose to aiding a corrupt, vile organization. He sighed before leaning back slightly in his seat, continuing to stand guard.

 

[Ishi123]

"Multiple incoming!" One of the radar operators shouted.

"How many?" Brand asked.

"5... 6, no... 12... a lot! Incoming at high speed!"

"Fighters?"

"Missiles!"

From the vantage point Zack was at, multiple missiles could be seen incoming, forming a trail of smoke as they traveled at high speed, heading for the city.

"So they've resorted to just destroying the city outright, huh?" Brand said, clenching his fists. "Cowards. Hey, Runner! We don't have proper CIWS defenses on these ships. We need you to take those missiles out before they hit the city!"

"Crap! Alright, I'm on it!" Zack said before thrusting forward to meet the missiles.

"Stop unloading those supplies!" Brand said. "Let's get airborne!"

 

[Raptordude115]

Eclipse quickly switched to Phalanx and unleashed a barrage of blaster bolts, firing upwards and striking down a majority of the missiles. Zack grits his teeth as the explosions happen close to Eclipse, as they tried to get as close as possible so that the Phalanx bolts could take out the missiles.

"C'mon, c'mon!"

 

[Ishi123]

"More missiles coming up on radar!" One of the radar operators shouted. "There are too many!"

"C'mon, let's go!" Brand said. "Get these ships up over the city! Delta formation!"

The panicked residents of the city began running for their homes as the ships stopped unloading and took off as quick as they could, beginning to ascend over the city, following in the ordered formation, stopping over the center of it and across a wide area.

"Alright, all ships maximize shield output!" Brand ordered. "Make it as wide as you can! Any missiles that might get through we'll take!"

With that order, all ships diverted all their power to shielding, the powerful shield arrays charging up and making the shielding visible over the ships as they then expanded, the shield stretching over a radius to cover a wide area.

"Don't make it too big or those missiles will just punch right through it." Brand advised. "Let's keep a good sheet over this place."

Once all the shields were set up, brand looked on to Zack's battle as he kept on the missiles. There were a lot of them, and some were undoubtedly going to get through. That's why Brand set his ships up in the position to intercept them when that happened.

"Alright, Runner, we got the city covered!" Brand said. "Our shields don't cover all of it but we'll be able to take a few that manage to slip by! Try not to make it too many, though!"

 

[Raptordude115]

"Got it!"

Eclipse continued firing its Phalanx, dashing from side to side as it continued taking out as many missiles as possible. A few missiles, however, managed to slip past him, causing Zack to growl lightly as he continued shooting down the seemingly endless barrage of missiles.

"I will NOT let you bastards kill any innocent citizens...not on my watch..."

 

[Ishi123]

The missiles kept coming. More and more. Soon, some were getting through Zack's defenses, exploding off of the Merchants ships' energy shielding.

"Damn..." Brand said, clenching his fists. "Hey, Runner, we're taking some hits, here! It's not gonna be much longer until something gets through our shields!"