Pilot and Angels

Chapter 25: Will You Lie Down?

"Requesting fire support, grid as follow-"

"Contact left! Contact left!"

"Fire the rockets!"

"Enemy pilot incoming! Where the hell's ours?!"

In an urban landscape on an undisclosed planet, a fierce battle raged on. Infantries and machines fired upon each other relentlessly as the night sky was lit up by dogfighting aircraft. Titans were deployed from above, both by the IMC and the Militia, adding to the chaos on hand. Drop pods delivered more manpower to the battlefield readily and almost instantly.

Amidst it all, a single pilot sat calmly above a tall building as he puffed a smoke. An IMC aircraft flew by him with speed as the gust of wind rustled his clothes and gear.

"Delta Three, you have your order."

"Understood."

He threw his cigarette away before donning his helmet once more. The pilot readied his gun, checking the magazine for ammo before he jumped down, unhesitating despite the height.

As he neared the ground, his jump kit flared, slowing his descent as he stepped on the ground safely. He aimed his weapon at his surrounding, distant gunfire and explosions reaching his ear. Once he was sure he was clear, he quickly moved forward with agility.

His mission? Kill a high-profile militia officer designated by the chain of command. Not only his target was an ex-pilot, but he was also a capable strategist and field commander, making him a great threat to the IMC.

As he stopped by a rooftop, he saw that a slew of IMC units was being pushed back into a dead-end by the Militia forces. He spared them no thoughts as he trekked onward, the scream of dying soldiers filled the air. As he got closer to the target's area, the sound of battle intensified.

As reached the place, a heavy firefight ensued in front of him. A symphony of bullets, explosions and screams drowned any other sounds. But here, in his sight, his target building lay some distance away, a half-destroyed inconspicuous building. There was no one guarding it, making it seem abandoned to anyone passing by.

"Delta Three, status report."

"Approaching the target. Requesting a Titanfall."

"Copy, standby for Titanfall."

His titan fell from the sky, but not in his immediate vicinity. He had ordered his Titan to join the ongoing firefight and draw fire away from him. Surely the arrival of a Titan, even a pilot-less one, would delay the Militia for quite some time.

--------------------

A middle-aged man was reviewing his tablet in a room alone. The man hunched his back as he had laid out a hand-drawn map, along with his digital pad on the table.

He was the Militia's field commander for this operation. This battle has been going swimmingly well for the Militia, but he did not let his guard down. He ordered his troops to keep pressing the advantage, hoping to achieve their objective and quickly scuttle away, before more IMC reinforcements come.