Pawn Break
“There’s just no end to these guys!” Boris’s baritone voice rumbled through Lawrence’s headpiece.
The Yellow Typhoon left behind a cosmic storm like a raging god rampaging through the mortal realm and caused damage of biblical proportion. All that lingered were debris composed of friend and foe alike. There were Imperium holdouts amongst them, chiefly Tacoma Mobile Troopers who missed their ticket to freedom by escaping to the fleeting asteroid Zeta. Because the alternate at the time before the Yellow Reaper shifted focus to blast off to Zeta, they missed their first-rate express to the House of the Dead. No Imperium pilot worth his salt would dare show his Mobile Trooper if they knew the Reaper himself was on the battlefield. For now, all they could do now was guerrilla activity in the rear of the Ninth Star Fleet.
But the most pressing were the Sarissa Star Fighter squadrons. And for Lawrence, at this very moment were his main priority. Once the Fourth Star Fleet arrives, their holdouts could cause serious damage before it even gets to engage the main Zeta combatants. Thus, Lawrence and the Suntory Squadron are tasked with flushing the enemy out.
And so, here they are unleashing their fury in payloads of utter destruction. So far, tax payer money yielded no results. It was becoming too evident a waste of munitions.
“Don’t worry about those Tacoma—let the Shinras’ do their thing, just keep an eye out for those Sarissa!” Lawrence said into his mouthpiece. His Hoshiga jerked violently as he maneuvered around triangular laz gun shots by Tacoma sharpshooters. Lawrence jabbed a button on his chest plate interface and was trying to patch through to his Shinra counterpart—A click. “Kaz?” Lawrence said, “what the hell is your 07th Team doing?”
Before Kaz could answer, Lawrence pulled up sharply as his Suntory Squadron cut through a rather intense barrage of laz threads. The Tominosky particles proved too much for Lawrence’s Hoshiga, and for a moment he experienced total systems failure as the engine whine trailed off and his was cloaked in pitch darkness. He yanked on the joysticks. Fear grappled him.
The systems revived, and Lawrence had control of the Hoshiga again. His ear-pierce was subject to voiced fear by the other pilots.
“—He’s experiencing power shortage, I repeat, Suntory Leader has experienced—“
“Suntory Leader here,” Lawrence said, “All systems good—let’s get the Hell out of this asteroid field, we’re sitting ducks here, Suntory Four that means you!” He’ll have to worry about the 07th MT Team later.
“I can hit him,” Suntory Four said. Lawrence eyed him on the monitor, he was glued to his targeting system.
“Luke, man, pull up!” Lawrence said. “You’re too vulnerable here—dammit...” Lawrence looked around his dashboard for an answer. “Suntory Two, get him, nudge him with your wing!”
“I’m almost there!” Luke said. He was trembling, gasping as he zeroed in with precision on the targeting system. Lawrence glanced at where he was aiming. There; a Tacoma leaped from cover—can Lawrence shoot him fast enough? No, there’s no time!
Lawrence jerked the Hoshiga upward and avoided a flurry of plasma triple shots in the process. There was returning fire from Shinra’s—was it the 07th Team? Tremors too close for comfort provoked Lawrence into thinking there was no time to pray to hope—he prefers praying to Lady Grace. Lawrence regained altitude and checked his surroundings for not only the enemy for Luke—for Suntory Four. Was Charlotte able to get him?
“Luke, do you copy?” No response, he glanced at Boris who shrugged on his monitor. Star Monitors were moving in rapidly.
“They’re still having Mobile Troopers desant? They just don’t learn a thing do they?” Boris said.
Sarissa leaped from the corner of Lawrence’s peripheral. He nearly missed them if not for the flicker of movement on one of his Hoshiga camera sensors. They were performing a sharp dive-bomb for one of the nearest contingents. “What are these idiots doing, they’re sitting ducks!” Lawrence said. He turned the dial. “Suntory Leader to Suntory Squadron: Don’t let those Sarissa scoundrels get through!”
There was a thunderous tremor as scores of Tacoma scurried like panicking crustacean, Lawrence would glance at his monitor and see them leap frog away further into the asteroid field. Some chose to go out guns blazing against the approaching armada. They were intending for the long game, and Lawrence just couldn’t allow it.
He zipped through the swathes of battle debris and his laz guns channeled his fury into dual ambassadors for the House of the Dead. He ripped through their rear, catching dozens of Tacoma off-guard and biding time for the Shinra teams to dismount and engage. Then, Lawrence reeled his Hoshiga upward and challenged the Sarissa dive-bombers head-on.
He squeezed the triggers. His laz gun belched rounds of destruction and slain in an instant several of the pilots. The rest of Suntory Squad wiped out a similar amount—but still no shortage of Sarissa pilots to confront. Lawrence steered his Hoshiga around and continued to give chase even as they bolted past. But it proved futile. The Sarissa that got through the overwhelming blanket defense dropped their payloads and struck several Star Monitors. Dozens of Shinra teams were absorbed in the sheer balls of cosmic destruction that ripped through the convey like a daisy chain.
“Brace yourselves!” Lawrence screamed into his earpiece. But it was too late. The resulting shock waves swept Lawrence’s Hoshiga out of control. He thought any moment now he would black out, his vision fading rapidly. But before long his Star Fighter stabilized. There was a distinct warning alarm blaring, and he slammed the side of his cockpit. He reached up, a sharp grunt, and pressed a blinking red button at the top of his canopy. He collapsed in his seat, his interfaces no longer annoying him with all the blinking and dinging.
“Suntory Leader! Do you copy?” Noise continued to rattled his skull. Lawrence pulled himself up in his seat. He stared out his canopy over the sad state of affairs with the relief column. There were survivors—he and his squadron did what they could, but even so one bomber got through and it’s all over. “This wouldn’t have happened if the 07th MT Team did their damn job!”
There was silence, then Boris spoke: “Got bad news. The 07th Team under Kaz were all wiped out.”
Lawrence kicked his console. He slammed the side of his metal frame cockpit. His fist burst with pain.
“What next, captain?” Charlotte asked. Her Hoshiga and the rest of Suntory Squadron were in tow. “Commander Kenneth is demanding we return to the hangar.”
“It can wait,” Lawrence said. “I’m going after Zeta.”
“After Vick, you mean?” Luke chimed in.
“I expect a full letter of apology for your behavior back there, Ensign,” Lawrence said. “It’s not just about you, being Suntory Four is a privilege. Don’t masquerade your role as a action hero in Suntory Squadron.” He reached to press the shift gear’s button, then lowered the lever. “Wedge formation, let’s get a move-on. Fall in behind Suntory Two.”