Stage 8 - The Garsalan Ace

Gaojinizer - Stage 8

The Garsalan Ace

The Garsalan vessel continued its descent unto the ground below, while the Machina, seemingly distracted in the fighting, were left unaware. G’thera’s Cyd’Rozen sat on the launch catapult. The pilot combed over his memories remembering who he was supposed to eliminate specifically. The four Tassel machines that had apparently been wreaking havoc upon their forces. Though, he had to question, how incompetent where they if they managed to get beat by four primitive-made machines? Either way, all this meant was that he would gain more glory from this battle. He began the launching procedure soon after, the rails under him electrifying, sending his machine careening outward. Light streaked from his thrusters, as he began to advance into the battle.

In the Gaojinizer, Takeshi continued to rush through the sky, firing the comet pulse cannons, and tearing apart the enemy machines. Even so, more machines, as well as fighter craft moved forth in an attempt to intercept him, especially as the Machina broke the sound barrier, and began what they assumed was a direct advance toward one of their ships. But it seemed the machine’s speed, and the pilot’s ferocity alike would be the death of them… At the least, until a golden-white blur descended from the sky above them. Moving with a similar speed, was the long, symmetric craft that was well known within the empire, and the UFE.

"Oid ull dha weirr, dha Tassel air naila!" - "Out of the way, the Terran is mine!"

This was shortly followed by the missile ports on the side of the machine opening up, and the engines attached toward the missiles lighting up, as they were launched into the sky. It was only then that the Gao’s sensors were pinged, and Takeshi swiftly turned his attention to the rapidly approaching projectiles. Fast enough that he began shifting the controls, taking evasive maneuvers, and getting out of the missile’s respective paths. But, it seemed that his opponent had planned for that, firing another volley based on his new position. This time, Takeshi wasn’t so lucky this time around, and found the missile crashing into his machine, shaking its frame.

“The hell?!” He questioned.

His opponent sat within his cockpit, opting to continue watching, to see what his opponent would do next. It would be a simple task to eliminate him, as he saw it. The pilot’s target began a charge, and he was quick to respond. Beginning to shift his position, turning, and flying away, before opening his missile ports once more. Something Takeshi took note of almost instantly.

“He’s firing again… I’ll just have to fire first!”

The trademark glow in the Comet pulse cannon’s barrels began to build up once more, as Takeshi’s hands inched toward the firing buttons. At the same time, G’thera’s graspers began to move toward his. In tandem, both fired their weapons. The fast flying objects, careening toward the salve of beam bullets. Something which ultimately ended in the two’s respectives attacks crashing into each other. Rapidly expanding balls of fire created between them, and both attacks left as useless. Takeshi snapped as he took note, while G’thera clicked his mandibles, a similar gesture. He continued forth a bit more, before turning to face the enemy machine once more. Watching as the explosions dissipated, and the smoke began to clear. Leaving both of the pilots eying each other from their cockpits. Clearly, the Garsalan would be in for a bigger challenge than he was expecting, regardless, he stayed confident.

"I nul'd cluw huw dha Tasselr rud dhair rayar ull dashlururirr, fid aid neddasr lud..."- "I don't know how the Terrans got this level of technology, but it matters not..."

Elsewhere, the other pilots found themselves continuing their respective battles. Apparently, the Warheads fired earlier were not the only ones the task force had. As a result, Haemon found himself rooted to his current position, intercepting anything that threatened to hit the ships, and fortress below. It certainly wasn’t his preferred situation. Somebody needed to take one of those ships out. Apparently, somebody else had the same idea, Diederick. Hohenzollern’s heir flew toward one of the cruisers that floated behind the lines of crafts, putting his gaze on the ships, and grasping one of his blades.

“They just keep on coming… Everybody else here is fighting, but where is the Commoner who got the Gaojinizer?” The machine’s head began to rotate, with the display the pilot saw moving in tandem. As he looked to his left, he took note of something, the Gaojinizer falling into view, evading a swarm of missiles, and ascending. Shortly followed by another machine. Which seemed to be of Garsalan make… It looked like he’d gotten distracted, along with whoever was piloting it, given how focused they were on each other. No matter, that just made his job easier. He continued his advance toward the ship, something noted by the occupants almost immediately. The last of the units were scrambled, as the anti-aircraft weapons across the ship’s surface, aimed, and fired at Diederick.

Han noted his ally’s actions, with his heavily enhanced sensors. After all, being part of his role in the group.

“Taking out a ship. Seems good to me…”

Just like that, his drones flew from his wings once more, flying toward the ship. Within moments, he used the split camera feeds from the respective drones to mark targets, the emplacements rapidly firing rays at his ally. No sooner did he begin attacking as well, destroying one of the turrets, something that very quickly caught the attention of the Garsalan pilots.

“Idr dhura n’sular ereail!”- “Its those drones again!”

The commander of one of the OD wings came forward, pointing his left manipulator at the Danzaman. After all, with the repeated attacks, it had become clear what the origin was.

“Dardsuirr dhed neshaila, eln deca sesa ull dha udhas ula lazd!” -“Destroy that machine, and take care of the other one next!”

The pilots act upon their leader’s orders, rushing forth and aiming their weapons at the Danzaman… But they found their attack cut short, by beams flying at them from below. Though the bursts of light did not destroy the machines’ armor with the first shot, it was damaged enough that they felt the need to attack those who sent the attack. The Chiyou floated below, firing covalons from the seemingly over-sized cannons that lay on their shoulders. Colored a flaming orange, just like the machines that held them, and now, the ships began to join in on the attack. Though the fired ordinance took noticeably more hits to destroy the units then it would a vanguard armor, it destroyed them nonetheless. Something that put a smile on Han’s face.

“It won’t be anywhere near as easy as you think… Especially not in my nation.” Han commented, before resuming his attack on the ship. With Diederick doing the very same.

…

Bridge, Juzumaru

While the battle continued, Kyoko observed, and wrote her notes, almost with a sense of vigor. Attempting to calculate the output of the machina’s weapons, speed, durability. After all, with how much of their specifications were black-boxed, she’d need to figure it out herself. Being who she was, the challenge was of little problem to her. Though, as she watched ordinance fly, and machines explode, falling to the ocean as heaps of scrap… She could almost feel a sense of dread, mostly as she noted some of their own forces falling, even some of the fleet’s ships.

“How is this gonna end…? I get the feeling I should move the ship back, at least a bit more.”

Apparently, this much was a justified thought, given what the sensors picked up… An identified enemy craft rushing toward the ship. Her eyes widened as she ran to the ship’s controls, placing her notes down… But, the rush seemed to stop as she noted that the large craft, which looked somewhere between a ship and Vanguard armor in terms of size, seemed to ignore the ship. Instead, it opted to evade a barrage of attacks, coming from the Gaojinizer that chased after it. Within his cockpit, Takeshi tsked once more.

“Damn roach, scurrying around… Fast as all hell too. I gotta end this here.”

G’thera apparently had the same thought. He turned his machine, and began rushing at the Tassel.

“Arruwailr dha fsainaidaiya du risyaiya wuirn fa e frairhd iful nirr srel'r safidedaiul, er warr er nirr uwl... Su I rherr aln aid hasa!"-"Allowing the primitive to survive would be a blight upon my clan's reputation, as well as my own... So I shall end it here!"

Now, he began firing off missiles once more.

“How many missiles does that thing have?!” He asked nobody in particular. Takeshi drew his melee weapon, the deathscythe, and promptly began rushing toward the machine. Though he observed the oncoming projectiles, he continued forth regardless. Letting out a war cry, as he began flourishing the scythe, slicing apart the missiles that got too close to him, as well as firing off the CPC once more. Apparently, the Garsalan pilot did not balk at the sight of a charging opponent either. In fact, it only served to make him push harder. If the one in the machine truly thought they had a chance, it would be as simple as showing them their place. The attacks continued in Tandem, as the two got closer, and closer… Until, they passed each other, with the Cyd’rozen’s side armor nicked by a swipe of the deathscythe, and a dent placed on the Gaojinizer’s leg. Shortly after, the two machines stopped where they were, by reverse-thrusting, and pivoting… Essentially, all the exchange had done was make them switch places, a result neither was happy with.

What would it take to get rid of the enemy in front of them? That much was the question.

Elsewhere, the battle continued regardless. In no small part thanks to the Chiyou, the Danzaman was able to hit all its targets. The anti aircraft on the ship’s surface had been disabled. Though, with no small amount of cost to them. Considering the destroyed husks of the Chiyou that didn’t make it until the end, and the remains of the pilots within, which undoubtedly shared the same fate. But, thanks to this, Diederick was able to dive in for an attack. The pilot decided to land, and began a quick dash across the long surface of the ship.. Soon enough, followed by four troop transports, much to his confusion.

“What are you planning on?!” The hohenzollern questioned.

His question was shortly answered, as the scarred face of a man donning armor appeared on his display, given how his uniform differed from the others, he seemed to be an officer.

“Orders from the top. We’re to enter that ship from the bridge and the two catapults, and take it for ourselves. For the first objective, we’ll need to shadow you…”

He nodded.

“If that’s the case, don’t get in my way!”

The man’s face disappeared from his display, and the Valgeogant continued rushing toward its target… The commander of the task force promptly began panicking… His troops were scattered, too far away to call back, especially with the distance between the rapidly closing. He would have to abandon the bridge, there was no way around it. However, before he even got the chance to tell them his orders, a downright gigantic blade was driven through the viewing window. Obliterating those within almost instantly. Soon enough, the fromer bridge was naught but a pile of scrap metal and glass, covering the bodies of the Garsalan officers.

Afterward, it did not take long for the boarding party to begin executing their goals, landings in the bridge, and hangars began. As well as the resulting firefights within. Now, the Garsalan troops were beginning to fall into confusion. Something that only served as beneficiary for the UFE… Though these troops made progress, others were not nearly as lucky. Takeshi and G’thera continued to shift and fly throughout the sky, as if engaging in a dance. Their respective attacks, still failing to reach each other. At some point, the two seemed to get desperate, charging at each other once more, deathscythe in hand, and graspers at the ready… However, Takeshi found himself surprised, as the claws were launched from the machine, and began to strike at him like a snake, in no small part due to the wires connected to them. He had to act quickly to stop it in its tracks, smacking it aside with the deathscythe. But his opponent wasn’t finished, not just yet… Much to Takeshi’s surprise, from between the four claws on the unused grasper, was a barrel! Almost as soon as he noticed, it was fired, grazing the Gaojinizer’s armor. Though it would have undoubtedly did more damage if it was more accurate.

Something G’thera intended to rectify, by firing once more, at the least, until he heard a voice he recognized well. Belonging to one of the officers on the bridge.

“Zu Kalis- Radisl du dha rhaif, wa'sa firrailr uid…”- “Zu Kalis, Return to the ship, we're pulling out…”

Pulling out… Pulling out?! When this machine somehow managed to survive against him? What were those fools thinking..? Yet, even as his mandibles chittered with his rage, he complied, disengaging with the Gaojinizer, and turning around, beginning a swift return to his ship, much to Takeshi’s surprise.

“OI, where the hell do you think you’re going?!” The teen yelled, the speakers on the Gaojinizer making his message clear to the enemy… Though, he was ignored, especially given he didn’t care to learn the language of the primitives. Rather than engage, he continued ascending, until he reached his mothership… Apparently, he was not the only one to do this, as the ship that hadn’t been boarded did the same. However, the retreating troops found themselves harassed by both Andrew’s Kaizenbuster, and the repeated barrages from the Danzaman’s stingers. Within the cockpit of the former, the dark-skinned youth watched as the ship broke into the clouds.

“Looks like we sent them running… I gotta ask where Takeshi was during all this, though.” He questioned.

Han would soon fly to the man’s side, speaking in response.

“We can ask him when we dock back on the ship. For now, it looks like we won regardless.”

This much was made clear as the Gaojinizer descended from the sky to join them, as well as Haemon’s Sanvolner, and the Valgeogant… Eventually, on all the pilot’s machines, the face of Maeng Sang Kyu appeared on their displays, apparently, a smile attached to it.

“Machina squad, you’ve helped us quite a bit, and I thank you for that.”

“No need, it’s our job, after all.” Takeshi commented, before he began to return to the Juzumaru.

“If it’s not a problem, we’ll stay a bit longer to ensure that they don’t return.” Diederick stated.

“That is fine… Your order should come in from HQ relatively soon, if you’ve done this well here.” Kyu answered. After all, waiting for orders tended to be a very common pastime for any soldier…

Elsewhere, on the flagship G’thera had docked in, he heard the whispers from crewmen, the mechanics, and other pilots alike. The demon of Glucceucs, fought to a standstill by a Terran? The heir to a large noble house, locked in a duel for that long? It was very clear where his reputation would go after this, And he was little short of livid… It was decided, that black machine was to be his Xe’les. The next time he engaged him, it would be eliminated, no doubt about it… While all this took place, the pilot of his Xe’les, sat within the room under the bridge, his allies, and the resident Mechanic in tow. Though the latter had seen why he was kept away, the others had not. Now, he explained it.

“I was fighting some Garslan… The machine looked unlike any of the others. I couldn’t even get a scratch on the thing.” Takeshi explained.

Andrew placed a hand on his chin in thought, trying to think about what he knew about the Garsalan.

“Sounds like this guy’s a pretty tough customer… Could he be one of their head Honchos? From what little we learned, those guys are pretty damn strong.”

Hohenzollern shook his head.

“It seems possible at first, but I'm thinking a general would have come with more than one ship, especially given the situation when they arrived.”

At this point, they were simply left wondering just who they were dealing with, and if they would encounter him again…

To Be Continued