Iron Empire

Fifty-Five: Lion's Den

Report: Quinn
The Mojave Desert.
United States of America.
Crash site of an Axion warship.
Designation: "Project Terminus"

Six-hundred meters. Five-hundred. Four. Three. Two. One.

A jarring impact and a flash of sensors, the crackle of my comms.

My HUD booted up with a hum. I frowned. After experiencing the Spartan's intuitive display, my command capsule no longer felt as impressive. This Valkyrie would have to suffice.

My cameras showed only sand, swirling clouds of dust kicked up by the impact of my landing. It blocked my view, shrouding me in darkness for a few moments, until at last it cleared, swept away by the desert winds.

We'd arrived.

The ground was pockmarked, cratered by fallen debris, and large clouds of dust marked where mechs were landing. Overhead, I could see the open squares of dropship hangars poking out from behind their stealth plating like hatches in the sky.

Terminus' impact zone was even larger from the ground—the ship's back half jutted into the air like a toppled skyscraper. A massive crater of shifting sand and glass, about ten kilometres wide and one tall, had turned the area into an arena. Its walls were vast and unclimbable, making escape without ejection impossible.

"Defence teams, sign off!" I called, hand pressed to my earpiece.

Seconds later, Sojwa's voice rang out.

"Perimeter teams one have landed! We'll keep them out, commander!"

I nodded. The perimeter teams were vital to securing the area outside of the crater. A large presence outside the crash zone would severely hinder Axion's ability to drop mechs in undetected. Better yet, the rim of the crater could be used as a vantage point to pick off mechs approaching the warship below.

"Strike teams, sign off!" I continued.

The raptor-esque form of Martin's Predator sprinted toward me at top speed, massive shotguns gleaming in the sunlight. Behind him, two Xiezhi trailed at a respectable distance, each silver mech equipped with a unique combination of weaponry.

"My strike team is ready!" Martin confirmed.

"We're ready too, Jax!" Kedrick called. His Excalibur was absolutely massive, dark armour reflecting the sunlight in bolts of brilliant yellow.

"Locked and loaded!" Alyx agreed.

Her Valkyrie was a sight to behold, modified howitzer cannon jutting far beyond its angular armour.

I took a deep breath. It was time.

"Form up!" I shouted.

It took a moment, but soon we stood together, shoulder to metal shoulder, facing Project Terminus. We gazed into the gaping maw rent open by the explosion. Somewhere in there was our evidence.

"Enemy sighted," Martin sighed.

Sure enough, twenty olive green Erebus darted across the sand, closely pursued by eight Apollo.

Five kilometres away from us, I could see that every single Erebus was equipped with shotguns identical to the ones I'd once had on my Prowler.

The Apollo that pursued them were once again unarmed, but the apertures of their built-in air cannons gleamed in the sunlight.

The swarm of mechs flew across the sand at an astonishing speed. I knew exactly what they were capable of, how dangerous they were.

But I also knew exactly what to expect.