Sigma/Star

Chapter 116: Assault on Razul Part 2

The White Storm shot forwards, its body suddenly shovelling snow to the sides as it took off. The advantage Porter had, the one they were relying on heavily, was in his speed. With the advance warnings going off around Razul, he needed to break through front line defences as fast as possible so he could disrupt the rest of the forces there. Once he had done that, the rest of the team could divide and begin their own skirmishes.

There was one specific target that Porter was searching for: General Artemis. He was listed as the head of defence in Razul, only recently appointed in correlation with Irina's arrival there, and was thus the biggest player in combat. With him out of the way, the rest would be easy.

Porter had to dodge a barrage of bullets as turrets burst up from the snow, mounted guns swivelling to take aim at his battlesuit. This had been anticipated, and was certainly not designed to realistically combat an attack from Goliaths. The turrets were largely for ground troops and dissuasion, and so Porter wasn't deeply concerned with them. He had picked up enough speed now that he was practically gliding over the snow, and he leaned to one side side, letting his blade trail beside him, slicing through one of the emplacements with ease.

Even though their Goliaths were of Enian design, they were no longer marked with any insignias, and Razul wasn't expecting an arrival of warmachines. Defence systems were on high alert because of the status of the prisoner being held there, on top of the war with the Jahari, who could appear at any time without warning. Spotlights were rising up out of the military base as the few pilots there scrambled to their stations. They wouldn't both with soldiers or tanks at this point; both sides of this fight knew that Goliaths were going to have to take out Goliaths.

"Move in on my mark then." Porter grit his teeth, his fingers squeezing tighter on his controls as he gave the orders. This was a different feeling to how it had been before when he had been a pilot. There had been a release, a trance that he could enter before combat. This was all thinking and skill right now, and it was already taking a toll on his body, twisting up his stomach and tightening his muscles. But he pressed onwards, driving the White Storm forwards faster.

Suddenly, Porter disappeared, an electric surge shooting across the ground as a bolt of lightning forked into the opposing base. Ardwen watched from a distance, shaking his head in wonder. That was faster than ever before, he thought as he observed the first signs of their training. "That's our signal people," Ardwen said, his words travelling to each other member of the team. Records from how general Artemis had fought in the past indicated he liked to spread his forces and collapse on targets, relying on the force of the group, rather than the skills of the pilots. Ardwen, in all instances, ran on a different strategy, hopefully one that could counter Artemis.

The many Goliaths of the group took off, leaping over the edge into the valley. A barrage of rockets were launched from Riya's suit, twisting through the air before dropping onto the numerous turrets, lighting up the white landscape with multiple hues of orange and red, leaving nothing but black, smoking husks across the area. Her battlesuit smashed into the ground, sending out powder in every direction as her massive frame touched down.

Nami hovered above her, her jump extended by her wings and propulsion, letting her float through the air. In stark contrast to the grace of her movements, her face was serious within the cockpit, and she quickly pulled out her rifle, computer systems picking out targets immediately. She fired off a single bullet, and the ballistic whizzed through the cold air, cutting into the base. It grazed across the arm of a Goliath, just as the pilot was taking control and could only just move to the side. Nami smiled in her machine. Gretta had given her device significant internal upgrades, and a display immediately popped up on one of her viewscreens, indicating the specific level of damage she had done to her opponent. All of it was part of her plan.