NationStates Jolt Archive

Joint Revolutionary Command and Control Center, Marine Section, San Diego, CA, Earth SSR--

"Damn those dogfaces."

The successful tests of the Red Army's newest, shiniest toys, the Armored Cavalry's BattleMechs, were studied as an American Football coach would study the tapes of his opponent's playbook. The men and women studying it feverishly took notes, and sneered at the pretensions of their terrestrially based counterparts.

"I see the Red Army thinks they're the Goddamn Juggernaut," said one Marine Corps staff officer.

Another nodded sarcastically, adding, "Yeah. I bet those landlubbers'll trip their pretty little machines over."

Commandant Alisa Park-Torusumi (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/Senor_Nb3/1210025285569.jpg), head of the Marine Corps, and Force powered elder sister of the current Acting Master of the People's Acolytes Qiangquan School and holder of that rather cumbersome name thanks to marrying the son of the Marshal who led her own famed war, said simply, "They are getting training from the Clans. However, I'll be damned if they aren't the most ungainly things I've seen. What if someone was to put an IED under there?"

They nodded, as a Mad Cat, rechristened the "Roger Daltrey Mk III," laid waste to a simulated city.

One person then said, "Comrade-Commandant--a suggestion."

Alisa raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Comrade-Commandant, about my pitch...."

"Ah yes! Do go on." Alisa nodded and sat businesslike, as the footage was replaced with powerpoint slides.

"Comrade-Commandant, esteemed members of the People's Navy Marine Corps, as you have just seen our friends in the Army have new toys! Giant, lumbering mecha they call Armored Cavalry. Slow, but powerful. At least to us, then again, we were always the smart ones."

A laugh.

"However, this has driven home the fact that our mecha, while capable, have proven problematic. According to the Accounts Department, the Mobile Suit Arm of the People's Navy Aviation Arm has proven inordinately expensive to maintain. In addition, their combat effectivenes, whilst good, is not sufficent for the modern battlefield. We also lack any heavy armored units for our Marines that would be good for assaults, besides the Komsomols."

He then continued with a cough, switching to sldes emphasizing excerpt of budget reports, guncam footage, and such.

"Now, we have two competing proposals. One is an upgrade to the Townshend, Entwistle and Moon Naval Suits--to be now called other names, since the Dogfaces took them--to reduce expenses and make it better for the future battlefield. This package, suggested by Kanzuki-Lycoming Heavy Industrial Concern, would add new weapons and a new powerplant, as seen here."

Showing the relevant slides, a packet was passed around.

"However, we have a competing proposal from one General Patel. A Mobile Suit vet himself, he wrote this one in from his base in the New Monterrey. Apparently, he's done his research, and noted that the Marines would be better suited to have something smaller and more manueverable for their needs than a Mobile Suit. He proposes the Ganoxan Arm Slave."

Murmurs erupted, as Alisa said, "Ganoxan Arm Slaves?"

"Yes, ma'am. Foreign mecha."

"That's not my concern. My concern is that the Navy wants something for Space and ground work." Alisa frowned as she said so.

"Well, ma'am, General Patel's proposal focuses on the use of conventional Arm Slaves for Marine Ground offensives, and for Aerospace work, upgraded Komsomols and heavily modified Arm Slaves."

"There has to be middle ground, something flexible," Alisa retorted as she mulled her options. She could sense the pitchman's nervousness, and said, "Right. Well, I don't mean to put you on the spot. We'll jsut arrange a test then. Have the Ganoxans send their best man in, and call in Patel, and have Kanzuki-Lycoming send in upgraded suits to test. Make the appropriate calls, Bob."

The man then got up and saluted. "Yes, Comrade Commandant!"

"Running program ED-3 Sergeant."

Sousuke Sagara was sitting at a desk in the hangar by the Arm Slave Arbalest. With a cup in one hand and the other typing away at a laptop he was checking the operating capacity of AL in a battle situation. "Good, it seems you are operational."

"Thank you Sergeant."

Sousuke was called on special request from the Ganoxian government to help test the Arm Slave's capabilities to the Dornalians. Although initially he had no concern for such a test if it weren't for the Captain's orders, he would have been attending his school with Kaname.

"Sergeant?"

"Yes?"

"We are coming up to Earth SSR, please prepare yourself."

"Affirmative. AL proceed with a crosscheck."

"Understood, proceeding with crosscheck."

An hour later Sousuke was in the Arbalest making last minute checks to the system. Electro Active Polymers optimum, scanning equipment optimum, power levels optimum, chaingun ammo optimum. He was ready. "This is Urzu Seven, I am ready to commence."

"Copy that Urzu Seven we are now coming into Earth SSR orbit."

The destroyer Chrono came out of hyperspace and relayed a message to Dornalians concerning their identity. After recieving confirmation they began their decent into the stratosphere. The hangar bay doors opened and Sousuke piloted the AS to stand near it.

"Urzu Seven you have a go. I repeat you have a go!"

"Affirmative."

His Arm Slave tumbled out and immediatly opened its chutes, and descended down. With him he carried the 57mm Gauss Shotcannon, pointed down during the descent. As soon as the unit's feet touched the ground he made it run and released the chutes, stopping just in front of the Dornalian mech.

"This is Sergeant Sagara Sousuke. I have arrived at the designated coordinates."

"This is Sergeant Sagura Sousuke. I have arrived at the designated coordinates."

A friendly, if austere voice piped into Sosuke's cockpit quickly after:

"Welcome, Sergeant, to Earth. I'm Commandant Alisa Park-Torusumi. Commandant of the People's Navy Marine Corps, and along with several of my comrades I'm going to have you demonstrate your capacities today.

As you can see, we've picked a rather nice spot. You're in Fort Irwin, and its a nice place for this sort of test. Level ground, in the midst of the Sonora Desert, and nearby we have an old ghost town for you and your opposite number to play in to test urban capacities, rebuilt to represent a medium sized city.

The rules of the test are simple. Sergeant Sagara and our test pilot, Lieutenant Eherlmann will duel in three rounds, each ending after two hours. During each round you will have free reign of the battlefield. The one who knocks down the other's suit and renders it inoperative wins automatically. Should this not occur, points will be accumulated for various strikes and manuevers and tallied, as part of a final judgment based on criteia of manueverability, firepower, defenses, recovery time, and Cool Factor."

The opposite number in question was an upgraded version of the Townshend Mobile Suit (http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/z/msz-006.jpg). At 18.7 meters, the Townshend towered slightly over Sousuke's Arbalest, and certainly looked more well prepared.

A voice not unlike Owen Wilson's then chimed in.

"Afternoon, pardner! This here's your sparring partner for today, the Townshend-Ironmonger. He's a powerful machine, recently upgraded with some of the finest technologies money can buy and crewed by a damn good pilot. He's a bit taller than you are, but....I've heard you're the best. Enjoy!"

Alisa then said simply:

"Ready?"

The Townshend then held its arms in a fighting stance, and wrist mounted missiles popped out.

Sousuke acknowledged and his Arm Slave just stood there, not flinching when the missiles popped out of his opponent's wrist. The two were about a 100 meters away from each other. As soon as the signal was given he immediately ran forward for about ten meters then began to jump in a zig zag motion every 5 meters or so.

Sousuke acknowledged and his Arm Slave just stood there, not flinching when the missiles popped out of his opponent's wrist. The two were about a 100 meters away from each other. As soon as the signal was given he immediately ran forward for about ten meters then began to jump in a zig zag motion every 5 meters or so.

The Townshend's pilot smiled; this pilot knew the ins-and-outs of mecha warfare indeed. The move was surely to confound his missile lock, for the rapid movements of the Arm Slave made it difficult as such to get a good lock with his wrist rockets. However, the pilot wasn't about to let that stop him, as he growled to himself, "We'll see about that." The Townshend then, ponderous as it was, counteracted by dashing underneath Sagara with the aid of his jumpjets. As this occurred, he raised his fist up and fired some of the missiles at point blank range.....

As this occurred, Park-Torusumi wrote down the results along with her crew. So far, the Arm Slave had the advantage in terms of speed and manueverability--and high-speed footage from cameras positioned around the battlefield seemed to provide evidence so far. However, firepower so far seemed to be in favor of the Townshend--though Sagara hadn't fired yet, so it was too early to tell.

The split second his opponent dashed forward, Sousuke immediately maneuvered into a sideroll as he landed to the right, unleashing three shots from his shotcannon. After recovering from the roll he began to run forward continuing to fire.

"Enemy missiles has not inflicted damage. All systems optimum." AL said.

"Good."

The split second his opponent dashed forward, Sousuke immediately maneuvered into a sideroll as he landed to the right, unleashing three shots from his shotcannon. After recovering from the roll he began to run forward continuing to fire.

"Enemy missiles has not inflicted damage. All systems optimum." AL said.

"Good."

The Townshend pilot kept calm through Sousuke's sudden manuever, and when the Arm Slave started shooting back, he wasn't able to react fast enough and took the first three hits. However, he then took the opportunity afforded by Sousuke's recovery to jump into the air. Gunning his jumpjets, the pilot slammed them forward, firing a shower of missiles at Sousuke as he landed behind him with a somersault, whirling around and firing dual charged energy shots from his head.

Sousuke immediately rolled forward to avoid the missiles and later on jumped forward, to avoid the head attack, twisting the torso to get a few shots at the Townshend before landing about 30 meters away from his opponent. A split second after he landed he hopped in a zig zag motion like he did before this time 10 meters with every hop. before appearing with the barrel of his shotcannon below the Townshend's head.

Sousuke immediately rolled forward to avoid the missiles and later on jumped forward, to avoid the head attack, twisting the torso to get a few shots at the Townshend before landing about 30 meters away from his opponent. A split second after he landed he hopped in a zig zag motion like he did before this time 10 meters with every hop. before appearing with the barrel of his shotcannon below the Townshend's head.

The Townshend was ready this time, and raised its shield to block the first wave of shotcannon blasts. But as it moved to fire back, Sousuke then began executing his signature zigzags, and the Townshend pilot switched to wrist mounted Gauss Miniguns to try and intercept the Arm Slave, backpedaling before the enemy pilot appeared before him, the cannon's barrel under his head.

"Not bad," the Townshend pilot said to Sousuke. "But I've a few tricks of my own!" The Townshend's hand then swung to face Sousuke, and opened fire with a burst of gauss minigun fire as the Townshend jumped back.

Sousuke jumped back while quickly throwing his AT dagger at the Townshend. He began to resume his salvo from his shotcannon while cautiously dodging the minigun fire.

"Damage report."

"Minimal damage to Shoulder Pad B, stabilizer is functioning." AL reported.

Sousuke jumped back while quickly throwing his AT dagger at the Townshend. He began to resume his salvo from his shotcannon while cautiously dodging the minigun fire.

"Damage report."

"Minimal damage to Shoulder Pad B, stabilizer is functioning." AL reported.

The Townshend rthrew up its shield to block the AT Dagger--however, the dagger, despite looking initially stuck in the massive shield, began working its terrifying magic, acting like a shaped charge would to send a massive jet of flame through the shield and penetrating it, damaging the arm below. The pilot then muttered, "Shit! Gracie, status report!"

The battle AI then chirped, "Your right arm's damaged; it's not too bad, but the effectiveness of your right wrist weapons has been reduced by 40%, I can't get contact with some of your Gauss Miniguns there. Also, your shield's been compromised. I'm going to do what I can to shunt power and prevent damage, but I'd advise you NOT to do that again!"

"Yeah, yeah." The Townshend then held up the shield and attempted to block the shotcannon rounds, as he circlestrafed his opponent with his head cannons and wrist Gauss Miniguns, moving towards the simulated town all the while.

"Enemy mech unit is moving towards Position 3, at Direction 47. Distance 2."

Sousuke acknowledge and began to follow the Townshend into the simulated city continuing to dodge the attacks. After getting into the streets Sousuke immediately hid behind one of the tall buildings using his left wrist's periscopes to get a view around the corner.

"Enemy mech unit is moving towards Position 3, at Direction 47. Distance 2."

Sousuke acknowledge and began to follow the Townshend into the simulated city continuing to dodge the attacks. After getting into the streets Sousuke immediately hid behind one of the tall buildings using his left wrist's periscopes to get a view around the corner.

Inside the Sim Town, the Townshend also hunkered behind one of the taller buildings. The pilot ordered the Gracie onboard, "Grace, activate the Hellgun and the Blaster Bomb."

The Gracie chirped in reply, "You mean the--"

"Yes, that."

At that, out of the back of the Gundam came a weapon attached to a pack on the back of the unit powered by a long cord. Charging up, the Townshend pilot then had the pleasure of seeing one of the shoulders unfold to reveal what looked like a simple Missile launcher attached to a rotary rack. He then He then activated multiple feeds--x-ray, RADAR, and his own periscopes, in order to seek his enemy out. Paitently attempting to sniff out Sagara, he eventually found the building where he was at, and then proceeded to leap into the air, boosting with jump jets, and firing the Hellgun below, sending a concentrated, continuous beam cutting down below towards the Arm Slave...

"Warning Enemy mech detected. Approaching from Direction 176, enemy mech status: Airbourne. Detecting RADAR and X- Ray signatures."

Sousuke immediately leaped away from the building, leaped again and hid behind another. The building behind him was laid to waste.

"Execute the ECS." Sousuke ordered.

"Roger, Electronic Conceal System is now active."

Compartments on the Arm Slave opened up to allow the oscillating lasers to cloak the unit and give it a stealth advantage against the RADAR.

"Warning Enemy mech detected. Approaching from Direction 176, enemy mech status: Airbourne. Detecting RADAR and X- Ray signatures."

Sousuke immediately leaped away from the building, leaped again and hid behind another. The building behind him was laid to waste.

"Execute the ECS." Sousuke ordered.

"Roger, Electronic Conceal System is now active."

Compartments on the Arm Slave opened up to allow the oscillating lasers to cloak the unit and give it a stealth advantage against the RADAR.

And with that, the Townshend saw its radar systems go on the fritz, and the opponent disappear from visual.

"Gracie, what's going on?" he asked, somewhat confused yet keeping calm.

"Sir, he's enacted countermeasures. I'm boosting power to defeat them, but until then, RADAR will have trouble. I'm also detecting energy waves, some kind of laser--whatever it is, I'm betting you can't get a visual on him."

The pilot retorted, flipping switches and keeping calm as he manuevered the Townshend behind another tall building, "No I can't, Grace. Can't see him, can't detect him. Grace, switch to FLIR and keep X-ray up. Also, do we have Amethyst Stealth Detectors on here?"

"We might. Wait, yes, we do. However, the way we're using power, it's not going to be that effective, I can either boost power to Amethyst or RADAR, not both."

The pilot then said, readying the Hellgun for another go and waiting for it to cool off, "Shunt power to Amethyst Stealth Detectors from RADAR. Now."

With that, the Townshend jetted off, leaping from building to building, waiting for his quarry to register on the Amethyst Sensors....when it became apparent Sousuke was not far from his original location, he nonchalantly moved the Townshend close to the assumed location, and then opened fire with the Hellgun again....

Sousuke jumped again, not knowing how they could have detected him, and hid once again to another building.

"AL downgrade ECS to stealth only."

"Roger."

Sousuke looked at the monitor and spotted the Townshend hovering over his last spot. He jumped upwards towards the roof and began firing his shotcannon at the airbourne enemy. Knowing not to stay in one spot or risk being targeted, he lept from roof to roof around the Townshend to try to see if he could bypass the shield.

The Townshend immediately began moving once the shots started again, the pilot not willing to be pelted by the enemy and his numerous shots, using fancy manuevers with jumpjets and his shield to keep the shots off--for now, at least, for some got through and made Gracie wince.

"Yeowch! Those shots hurt! Armor's holding, but....Goddamn! At least RADAR's not being distrupted anymore. And what did I tell you about that shield!?"

The pilot then said, busy with trying to outmanuever Sousuke, "Good. However, I still can't get a visual. Keep Amethyst on, Grace. I'm switching to Gauss Miniguns and missiles in the meantime."

He then holstered the Hellgun, and decided to return to using the Gauss Minigun, missile bursts and head-lascannons to fight his foe. Unable to gain an exact lock due to his enemy's cloak, he led the foe using the Amethyst readings, and began opening fire, moving as he went.

Sousuke knew his opponent was leading him if he continued his circular pattern so he closed in jumping randomly between buildings firing the shotcannon, trying to aim for the jumpjets, that Sousuke assumed was giving the Townshend mobility. As soon as he deemed he was close enough to the enemy mech he jumped high into the air dropping his shotcannon to the ground, while firing the headmounted Guass chainguns at the enemy. While he was just above the mech he pulled out his monomolecular cutter and came down on the Townshend with it jabbing it into the neck.

Sousuke knew his opponent was leading him if he continued his circular pattern so he closed in jumping randomly between buildings firing the shotcannon, trying to aim for the jumpjets, that Sousuke assumed was giving the Townshend mobility. As soon as he deemed he was close enough to the enemy mech he jumped high into the air dropping his shotcannon to the ground, while firing the headmounted Guass chainguns at the enemy. While he was just above the mech he pulled out his monomolecular cutter and came down on the Townshend with it jabbing it into the neck.

"SHIT! DAMNIT!"

Gracie screamed in terror, as the Townshend rocked back and forth. The pilot was nearly thrown back, as he then said, "What's happening Grace? Tell me that wasn't what I thought it was...."

Gracie then said, with some dismay, "I think it was. That little sonuvabitch hit my lateral jumpjets, side movement is reduced by 35%. I'm also having trouble with the shoulder jets--the left and right ones are hit! The foot jets too! MOTHERFUCKER! We gotta go to a lower altitude, otherwise we're going to have them go critical!"

The Townshend pilot then said, sighing, "Damnit....do we have any energy shields?"

"Apparently, management forgot to install them, and counted on this new armor construction to beat the odds."

The pilot sighed, "Damn."

He didn't have much time to fret, for as he tried to block the Gauss shots, the cockpit rumbled again, and Gracie then screamed, "He's shanked us! I'm reading serious damage to the neck area!"

The Townshend pilot mumbled, "Fuck!" to himself, knowing that any knife attack there would do serious damage. He thrust his Gauss Minigun laden arms into the air, and began opening fire at full throttle to try and hurt this guy as the Townshend began gently falling to the ground, the product of the Townshend pilot switching the engines to retrorocket mode.

Along with that, he mixed in some punches and quickly glanced at the part of the status screen corresponding to sensors. It seemed they were fine for now, though Gracie was flipping out and screaming, "If we don't do something, the Sensors are going. TO. DIE!"

As soon as he noticed the intial counter he leapt off the larger mech and landed near his dropped shotcannon. Shortly before his launch he left a AS Frag grenade attached to the Townshend. Sousuke then maneuvered behind another building.

"Warning! Tensile strength of muscle package running at 80 percent." AL said.

As soon as he noticed the intial counter he leapt off the larger mech and landed near his dropped shotcannon. Shortly before his launch he left a AS Frag grenade attached to the Townshend. Sousuke then maneuvered behind another building.

"Warning! Tensile strength of muscle package running at 80 percent." AL said.

Warning klaxons blared in the Townshend's cockpit, as the pilot knew what was up. It was an old trick, used by enterprising officers during Mobile Suit Ops. The old "Master Chief" manuever.

Even before Gracie flipped out, he braced for impact, and the explosion rocked the Townshend, sending it forcefully back to the ground. Then, Gracie was livid.

"DAMNIT! I'm reading fractures on the front hull. Fragments have damaged Point Defenses. Front Armor Integrity at 80%, shock absorbers managed to get the shock of landing but the suit didn't like it, with minor shakeups everywhere."

Calmly, the pilot ate a couple of chewable aspirins and then said, wiping his head with a handkerchief, "Get us back up, Grace. Shunt power to mobility systems, activate the Nanotech Utility Repair Kit and get working on those jets. I need mobility!"

"Roger!" was the reply.

Thus, the Townshend got back up, its pockmarked and scorched frame still functioning. Keeping Amethyst on, he then said to Sagara, "And you thought I was dead, pretty boy?" He then opened fire with another swarm of missiles, switching to cluster submunitions to try and deal damage to his foe as he began circlestrafing, and the Nanites began attempting to repair his jumpjets. It wouldn't be as good as a dedicated repair center, but it would get him going again unless Sagara could kill him quickly.

Sousuke resumed dodging the missiles, answering back with his shotcannon. He tried to close in but the clusters kept him from doing so. There was one option left to him, but it would be a risky one. He could activated the Temporal Shield Burst to blow through the swarm, and get him close enough, but that would leave him without a safety net if he were in serious trouble.

He jumped forward towards the missile swarm and activated the TSB. The missiles were absorbed by the shielding letting him get past. He soon came up on to Townshend and unleashed a series of quick kicks into the midsection of the mech and thrusted the cutter into the back. Then he jumped back and threw his last AT dagger at the mid section of the mech and continued to fire from his shotcannon.

"Warning! Power levels are dropping. Recharge will take 60 seconds!"

Taking his remaining time he hid behind another building to recover from the severe stress on the Palladium reactor.

He jumped forward towards the missile swarm and activated the TSB. The missiles were absorbed by the shielding letting him get past.

The Townshend pilot simply muttered, "Oh, shit," as the flurry of cluster missiles was merely shrugged off by the Arm Slave, as the rest of the cluster munitions razed the nearby environs. He tried to evade, but....

He soon came up on to Townshend and unleashed a series of quick kicks into the midsection of the mech and thrusted the cutter into the back. Then he jumped back and threw his last AT dagger at the mid section of the mech and continued to fire from his shotcannon.

The initial kicks knocked him back, though he was able to parry the rest. But, Sousuke quickly thrust the cutter into the back. The vitals read some damage was dealt, though the rear held. However, things would quickly get worse as the AT Dagger slammed into the small of the Townshend's midsection, working its horrid magic. Though the mecha would hold together still, it was just barely so. And, unsurprisingly, Townshend was losing command of his lower systems--something Gracie was keen to become irritated about.

"Warning! Power levels are dropping. Recharge will take 60 seconds!"

Taking his remaining time he hid behind another building to recover from the severe stress on the Palladium reactor.

Eventually, the Townshend then raised its arm, and Erhlemann then radioed to Sagara, "Alrighty, Sergeant. You win this round. I can't really move. I'd try fightin' again, but you damn near chopped me in two."

Alisa's voice then chirped on the comms.

"I see then. Round one goes to the Arbalest."

After the battle a maintenance crew came down by shuttle and began to repair the Arbalest. They first opened up the muscle package and replaced with a new one, placing the old one into a storage compartment which would be used as a replacement for a training AS unit back on Ganoxa. Dents and pockmarks were fixed, while a new Palladium fuel rod was placed inside the reactor as the spent rod was dispensed. Ammunition stores was reloaded in the headmounted chainguns. His offhand weapons were also reloaded, Two AT Daggers and a AS Frag Grenade.

Brought along with the maintenance crew was the various Arm Slaves weapons that Sousuke could use. He chose the 40mm Gauss Assault Rifle and his 52mm Shotcannon, again. which was attached horizontally on the torso of the unit.

After the battle a maintenance crew came down by shuttle and began to repair the Arbalest. They first opened up the muscle package and replaced with a new one, placing the old one into a storage compartment which would be used as a replacement for a training AS unit back on Ganoxa. Dents and pockmarks were fixed, while a new Palladium fuel rod was placed inside the reactor as the spent rod was dispensed. Ammunition stores was reloaded in the headmounted chainguns. His offhand weapons were also reloaded, Two AT Daggers and a AS Frag Grenade.

Brought along with the maintenance crew was the various Arm Slaves weapons that Sousuke could use. He chose the 40mm Gauss Assault Rifle and his 52mm Shotcannon, again. which was attached horizontally on the torso of the unit.

The Townshend, meanwhile, was towed off the battlefield, and repair work began on the monster. The Kanzuki-Lycoming Heavy Industrial Concern had paid extensively for this test, and thus had a spare suit ready for action. Whilst Eherlmann was getting the hang of the new copy, the damaged one was moved to a repair facility off site. Extensive repairs and refurbishment to systems and the midsection began, and replacement point defenses and jumpjets were installed. The Arc Reactor itself was fine, for the Multiple Arc Reactor System did put out more sustained power load than the Palladium did. But, just to be safe, it was charged.

After the battle a maintenance crew came down by shuttle and began to repair the Arbalest. They first opened up the muscle package and replaced with a new one, placing the old one into a storage compartment which would be used as a replacement for a training AS unit back on Ganoxa. Dents and pockmarks were fixed, while a new Palladium fuel rod was placed inside the reactor as the spent rod was dispensed. Ammunition stores was reloaded in the headmounted chainguns. His offhand weapons were also reloaded, Two AT Daggers and a AS Frag Grenade.

Brought along with the maintenance crew was the various Arm Slaves weapons that Sousuke could use. He chose the 40mm Gauss Assault Rifle and his 52mm Shotcannon, again. which was attached horizontally on the torso of the unit.

As the opposition was busy fixing up, Alisa and her team reviewed the high-speed cameras and the regular cameras from the other parts of the field. They looked promising for the Arm Slave. The Townshend certainly had the power, but in terms of speed, it was outmatched by the more nimble AS. Not to mention, the AS had cloaking devices and a nasty AT Dagger worth contending with.

Alisa nodded as she saw the AT Dagger slam into the Townshend's midsection, and smiled. She had to ask that man, Sousuke Sagara was it?, about that.

Thus, she gathered her team and walked to the Ganoxan yard. She then looked at the AS as it was being repaired, and looked smartly at the machine.

She then stood at Sousuke's side and then said, getting his attention, "Heck of a machine you have here, Sergeant." this candidly to Sergeant Sagara, as she stood behind him in full "dress blues." Unlike the Navy's basic black uniform, as a Marine she wore a Sea Green outfit. Besides the color change, it was basically the same Soviet-American mishmash as the Navy's.

Alisa then continued with, "Alisa Park-Torusumi. Commandant, People's Navy Marine Corps. Good job out there. I have to ask you about something though..."

She looked at the AT Daggers and the AS Frag as they were reloaded.

"...What are those things?"

Sousuke was near the muscle packages making sure they were at optimum performance levels for the next round. Always making sure to get the edge in combat, some would say he was a perfectionist, but more would say hes just that serious about his job as a mercenary. To complete the mission, without flaw. Suddenly Alisa Park-Torusumi came behind him and addressed him

Sousuke quickly stood at attention and saluted the Commadant, "Thank you, ma'am."

She asked a question to him and he quickly answered, "Those would be the AT Dagger, a shape charge in the form of a dagger for a quick and stable attack against an unknowing enemy. The other weapon is a Arm Slave Fragmentation Grenade, very much like infantry fragmentation grenades, except on a mechanized scale." he said in his usual serious tone.

"Anymore questions ma'am."

She asked a question to him and he quickly answered, "Those would be the AT Dagger, a shape charge in the form of a dagger for a quick and stable attack against an unknowing enemy. The other weapon is a Arm Slave Fragmentation Grenade, very much like infantry fragmentation grenades, except on a mechanized scale." he said in his usual serious tone.

"Anymore questions ma'am."

A businesslike tone was returned in kind with Alisa's tone. She then asked, "You say the AS Frags are like infantry frag grenades. Am I correct in assuming they can be used against fortifications and massed infantry groups?"

"It could be used against a squad of Arm Slave units or an entire battalion of regular infantry if the situation calls for it. Although using a AS Grenade against soft targets would be a waste of resources and would not be efficient for missions, as using the chainguns would be a better solution to large infantry concentrations. Unless you want to take someone alive you would use the air tazer in the wrist." Sousuke explained.

"It could be used against a squad of Arm Slave units or an entire battalion of regular infantry if the situation calls for it. Although using a AS Grenade against soft targets would be a waste of resources and would not be efficient for missions, as using the chainguns would be a better solution to large infantry concentrations. Unless you want to take someone alive you would use the air tazer in the wrist." Sousuke explained.

"Air taser?" Alisa crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Chainguns? Hmm.....so you have many weapons on that machine over there." She looked at the AS, sizing it up as she asked, "Tell me, what does the air taser do? And could these be modified for space duty?"

"The air tazer is a non-lethal weapon that ionizes the air to incapacitate a specific target, such as an individual wanted for questioning. I doubt its use in a vacuum environment, so you would need to replace it with another non-lethal weapon."

"The air tazer is a non-lethal weapon that ionizes the air to incapacitate a specific target, such as an individual wanted for questioning. I doubt its use in a vacuum environment, so you would need to replace it with another non-lethal weapon."

Alisa noted its applications; the Air Taser would prove useful for the Marine Commandos and intelligence gathering missions. She then jotted that down in her memory.

Of course, the next part as obvious, but was also somewhat of a misinterpretation. She then said, with a smile of amusement, "I think you misunderstood me, Sergeant. Could the Arm Slave itself be modified to work in a vaccum environ, such as space?"

"Yes, we use Arm Slaves for space combat quite frequently. Primary objectives are point defense and boarding. One such operation involved boarding an Imperial Class Star Destroyer, disabling it for capture. Arm Slaves are also capable of aquatic combat and amphibious assault." Sousuke added.

"Yes, we use Arm Slaves for space combat quite frequently. Primary objectives are point defense and boarding. One such operation involved boarding an Imperial Class Star Destroyer, disabling it for capture. Arm Slaves are also capable of aquatic combat and amphibious assault." Sousuke added.

"Ah. Good, good." Alisa noted this; they wouldn't need to do many modifications, then, to their Arm Slaves should they buy them. Her eyes then rose up at the mention of an ISD boarding action.

"Did you say you boarded an Imperial Star Destroyer with these things?"

"Affirmative, we initiated an attack on one Imperial Class Star Destroyer and two victory class Star Destroyers. We were successful in disabling all the systems to allow a mercenary group known as the Aletes to capture the ISD. The Victories were critically damaged however making it impossible for capture, so we finished them off." Sousuke explained.

"Affirmative, we initiated an attack on one Imperial Class Star Destroyer and two victory class Star Destroyers. We were successful in disabling all the systems to allow a mercenary group known as the Aletes to capture the ISD. The Victories were critically damaged however making it impossible for capture, so we finished them off." Sousuke explained.

Alisa listened to Sousuke's story. She nodded and paced about, listening to the story and trying to visualize how the war machine in front of her made such an audacious move. The Mobile Suit Corps of the Aviation Arm had made attack runs, but concentrated force....it made her contemplate the possibilities.

"And how did you break the shields? ISD shielding is normally tough to penetrate using mecha."

"We had to rely on the mercenary fleet to bring down the shields. After they had done that we executed the attack and boarded the ship. After we had landed the enemy had no chance."

"We had to rely on the mercenary fleet to bring down the shields. After they had done that we executed the attack and boarded the ship. After we had landed the enemy had no chance."

Alisa nodded, saying somewhat deflatedly, "Oh." She then continued with, "So it was a combined arms assault after all, then."

She then stroked her chin and then said, "What is the power source for this machine?"

"The power source is the Humbleton APR2500a Palladium Reactor, producing 2500kW." Sousuke quickly replied.

"The power source is the Humbleton APR2500a Palladium Reactor, producing 2500kW." Sousuke quickly replied.

Looking to one of the people that followed her, the man she glanced at said, "Not bad, Comrade Commandant. We can possibly modify it with the addition of anti-matter or singularity reactors for additional power generation."

The man then stepped forward and said, "What sort of materials is the armor made of?"

"It is a multilayered composite armor that withstands RPGs, shape charged warheads and calibers up to 40mm without heavy damage. The AS has exhibited the ability to protect pilots from damage, even under extreme duress."

"It is a multilayered composite armor that withstands RPGs, shape charged warheads and calibers up to 40mm without heavy damage. The AS has exhibited the ability to protect pilots from damage, even under extreme duress."

The man nodded and wrote this down. The lack of specifics meant the data was still somewhat classified, perhaps. But....it would do for now.

"Right. I don't think we have too many more questions," Alisa said. "Whenever you're finished with repairs, we can begin round two."

bump

Sousuke collected the weapons from shuttle and began to walk into his position. He chose the Oerlikon Contraves GEC-B 40mm Assault Rifle and the Bofors ASG96-b 57mm Smoothbore Gun. Taking a stance he gave the signal that he was ready for combat.

Sousuke collected the weapons from shuttle and began to walk into his position. He chose the Oerlikon Contraves GEC-B 40mm Assault Rifle and the Bofors ASG96-b 57mm Smoothbore Gun. Taking a stance he gave the signal that he was ready for combat.

The Townshend camp's big battle robot was also ready for action. This time, Lieutenant Ehrlemann was ready for that Arm Slave pilot's advantages. Admittedly, the AS had the jump on him in terms of movement; the Townshend-Ironmonger relied on jump jets to get its somewhat ponderous mass moving, while the Arm Slave danced like a Romanian gymnast fueled with crystal meth. It also had that nasty AT Dagger, which proved devastating when it did connect. And, Sousuke's machine proved surprisingly durable, and it had a cloaking device. Ehrlemann would have to play it smart to stay alive, and exploit his advantages in sheer firepower to win.

Ehrlemann then gave his signal, and immediately charged forth, running into a circlestrafe and opening fire with his wrist rockets.

As soon as the signal was given and the Townshend charged forward he leaps forward stopping at least ten meters away from the target when it began its circle strafe. Almost immediately he siderolled in the trajectory of his opponent, dodging the missiles and made a sweeping motion to trip the Townshend. He then quickly jumped back several meters in the air bursting the Assault Rifle into the Townshend.

Once he landed, five seconds later he began to distance himself from the Townshend.

As soon as the signal was given and the Townshend charged forward he leaps forward stopping at least ten meters away from the target when it began its circle strafe. Almost immediately he siderolled in the trajectory of his opponent, dodging the missiles and made a sweeping motion to trip the Townshend. He then quickly jumped back several meters in the air bursting the Assault Rifle into the Townshend.

Once he landed, five seconds later he began to distance himself from the Townshend.

Ehrlemann knew this would happen, but it didn't make the attack hurt any less. He could only curse when Sousuke entered his circle-strafing curve, and was nearly tripped over by the Arm Slave when it made the sweeping attack.

"SHIT!" Ehrlemann was in trouble now; heavier than the AS, the Townshend-Ironmonger's greater mass threatened to drag him onto the California desert floor. He cried out to Gracie, "Grace, gonna need some support here. Gun the jumpjets, I'll get the gyros--keep me from falling over!" He then battled the gyros, shimmying left and right with his legs and moving the sticks back and forth until the cockpit stopped rocking like the Titanic.

For now, he was able to stay upright. By the time this occurred, however, Ehrlemann was pelted with assault rifle shots, which hit his Mobile Suit with several bursts to the upper torso and shoulders, forcing him back. In reply, Erhlemann deployed his Gauss Miniguns, ordering Gracie to auto-track the AS whilst he opened fire with his own bursts, using jumpjets to leap up into the air, and then force a quick--if controlled--descent to catch up with the retreating AS.

After jumping several hundred meters at a time Sousuke enacted his ECS and switched to the sniper cannon, taking a prone position for better accuracy. Recalling that the jumpjets were the primary means of movement for his opponent, he ordered AL to scan the mech for targets of opportunity. He began to fire very accurate shots at the jumpjets then for the legs, if possible even the head too.

After jumping several hundred meters at a time Sousuke enacted his ECS and switched to the sniper cannon, taking a prone position for better accuracy. Recalling that the jumpjets were the primary means of movement for his opponent, he ordered AL to scan the mech for targets of opportunity. He began to fire very accurate shots at the jumpjets then for the legs, if possible even the head too.

Ehrlemann found his opponent disappearing from visual as he landed. Unlike last time, however, he didn't have time for Gracie to get Amethyst on, because a sudden series of shots rang out, followed by a jolt in his cockpit. Then, Gracie began freaking out.

"Lieutenant! I'm losing control of the jumpjets! I've got damage all over, efficency reduced by 80% on all of them. I'm going to get us down as best as possible, but don't expect much movement with them."

Ehrlemann muttered, "Little bastard. Go to hell." It would only get worse, as the cockpit got wobbly, and the diagnostics reported damage to the legs and the head area. Gracie elucidated things by reporting "Armor integrity reduced to 89% in leg areas, 86% in the head. He's sniping at us."

"I knew that, Grace," Ehrlemann mumbled. He then tried to further keep the Townshend-Ironmonger from failing, but managed to land it with a tumble on the ground.

"Damn. Grace, activate Amethyst sensors. I wanna smoke this bastard out." He then equipped his wrist rockets, and began moving about on foot as fast as possible...

"Warning! Detecting energy spikes from enemy AS unit. From our last usage of ECS this is when they detected our presence." AL recalled.

Sousuke nodded, switching back to the assault rifle and leaping several meters in a zig zag maneuver, firing as he went.

"Lower ECS to stealth level."

"Roger."

The oscillating laser retracted back into their compartments and the Arm Slave was visible again,

"Warning! Detecting energy spikes from enemy AS unit. From our last usage of ECS this is when they detected our presence." AL recalled.

Sousuke nodded, switching back to the assault rifle and leaping several meters in a zig zag maneuver, firing as he went.

"Lower ECS to stealth level."

"Roger."

The oscillating laser retracted back into their compartments and the Arm Slave was visible again,

Ehrlemann was pelted with bursts of fire, blocking some with his shield but being forced to take the rest--though he could see Sousuke now, as he opened fire missiles at the approximate location where Sousuke was--or where Amethyst said he was.

When Sousuke finally decloaked, Ehrlemann now siezed upon his chance, and he said to Gracie, "Divert power to locomotion, I'm going in!"

He then began charging forward at Sousuke and zigzagging towards him at maximum speed. Having flushed Sousuke out of cloak, he opened fire with a cloud of missiles and energy fire, switching on his other wrist to energy weapons as he led his shots, with and without Gracie's help.

Sousuke noticed his opponent charging at him blasting him with all sort of weaponry. Some of the shots nearly grazed him as he made his fast maneuvers. He began to close in on the charging mech while firing the assault rifle. As soon as he got close to it he immediately did a front flip over the mech fired the assault rifle below and landed behind him, immediately pressing the assault rifle against the back of the mech and firing at point blank.

Sousuke noticed his opponent charging at him blasting him with all sort of weaponry. Some of the shots nearly grazed him as he made his fast maneuvers. He began to close in on the charging mech while firing the assault rifle. As soon as he got close to it he immediately did a front flip over the mech fired the assault rifle below and landed behind him, immediately pressing the assault rifle against the back of the mech and firing at point blank.

The initial assault with the Assault Rifle was greeted with the shield, which was used to deflect most of the ammunition. However....Ehrlemann was then greeted with the sudden flip over himself, and assaulted by the shots from the rifle. The shield blocked some of the shots delivered from above, but Ehrlemann wasn't prepared for the sudden assault in the back, which hit several major systems, especially power, with bursts of ammo. Though Gracie read the damage brought the armor down to 75%, she began complaining about the danger to power, and Ehrlemann agreed quickly. He decided to turn around, and smack the errant enemy with his shield, firing a ton of missiles at him too.

After getting hit by the massive shield, Sousuke pulled out the monomolecular cutter and cut into the torso of his opponent until he suddenly saw the rockets pointing at him. He grunted jumping back while simultaneously leaving a present behind. Another Arm Slave grenade albeit a High Explosive instead of the usual fragmentation like last time. He began to cover himself with the assault rifle.

"AL send a request for a missile launcher."

"Roger, we will have it in 30 seconds."

After getting hit by the massive shield, Sousuke pulled out the monomolecular cutter and cut into the torso of his opponent until he suddenly saw the rockets pointing at him. He grunted jumping back while simultaneously leaving a present behind. Another Arm Slave grenade albeit a High Explosive instead of the usual fragmentation like last time. He began to cover himself with the assault rifle.

"AL send a request for a missile launcher."

"Roger, we will have it in 30 seconds."

"Damage to the torso, Lieutenant. Armor down to 82%."

Ehrlemann grumbled and said, "I know, Grace." As he moved to fire, his opponent jumped back and left behind an explosive--one of those AS Grenades from last time. Ehrlemann's eyes opened wide and he muttered to himself, "Shitshitshit!" as he backpedaled rapidly, the grenade exploding in his face as he threw up his shield. The explosion shook the cockpit, and dealt some more damage to his chest and legs, reducing the chest to 78% and the legs to 84%. Otherwise, the shield took most of the damage, shaking it and causing a lot of damage to its front.

He was then greeted with more of Sousuke's shots, and began to counter by making another zigzagging move, this time attempting to flank him from the left as he retaliated, activating the Hellgun and firing it in sweeping, cutting motions with the large energy beam towards his foe.

A fighter came in a and dropped a a canister about two hundred meters away from Sousuke, but too his dismay he was cut off by the stream of energy hurtling at him. He continued to make random jumps to avoid being led. He knew he had to get to that missile launcher somehow.

He quickly jumped in the air hurtling his two AT daggers towards his opponent one at the the head and another at the torso, the vital points he believed. He landed and rolled near the canister and took out the missiles launchers. As soon as he got a lock he launched the 6 meter long missile, with a 2 kiloton warhead at the opposing mech.

A fighter came in a and dropped a a canister about two hundred meters away from Sousuke, but too his dismay he was cut off by the stream of energy hurtling at him. He continued to make random jumps to avoid being led. He knew he had to get to that missile launcher somehow.

He quickly jumped in the air hurtling his two AT daggers towards his opponent one at the the head and another at the torso, the vital points he believed. He landed and rolled near the canister and took out the missiles launchers. As soon as he got a lock he launched the 6 meter long missile, with a 2 kiloton warhead at the opposing mech.

Ehrlemann raised his shield to block the AT Daggers, and it absorbed both. But, the effects of the AT Daggers tore into the shield, demolishing it and damaging the systems underneath. Gracie squawked, "Shield integrity down to 20-no! Sir, the Shield's useless, and the right arm is damaged severely--reduced to 50% strength. Systems are not replying in that area. Apply Emergency Nanites?"

"Yeah, Grace. Go ahead. Jettison shield, repair right arm with nanites." Ehrlemann then regretted the decision to jettison the shield, as he was the subject of a missile lock and an incoming missile. He began ducking and rolling to try and escape it, and he activated PD Systems to try and keep it off--which managed to damage it and cause it to slam onto the ground, though not before damaging the Townshend's right lower leg and foot.

The Townshend, now hampered in mobility, began moving once more to fire at its opponent with the Hellgun once more, hobbling slightly as it did so...

Sousuke immediately dropped the launchers and noticed he had no weapons beside him. He told AL to open the sword bay. A compartment opened on the right thigh and Sousuke drew out the monomolecular sword which hummed its diamond studded chains. Sousuke began to charge at his opponent jumping faster than eyes could follow, when the energy was directed at him. When he got close he jammed the sword into the torso and began a cutting motion sideways.

Sousuke immediately dropped the launchers and noticed he had no weapons beside him. He told AL to open the sword bay. A compartment opened on the right thigh and Sousuke drew out the monomolecular sword which hummed its diamond studded chains. Sousuke began to charge at his opponent jumping faster than eyes could follow, when the energy was directed at him. When he got close he jammed the sword into the torso and began a cutting motion sideways.

Sousuke's sword slammed into the "wound" previously made by Sousuke beforehand at the chest with the previous monomolecular cutter, and Ehrlemann began feeling the heat. The fact the sword was pretty well stuck in there meant that Ehrlemann would have a hard time forcing it out, and his Hellgun's bulk made it hard for him to fight. He disengaged the Hellgun and removed it from the mech, before beginning to punch at Sousuke repeatedly using his good arm. He moved quickly--Sousuke was beginning to hit vital systems pretty deep in there, and the control center was in the chest too...

Sousuke took the beatings from his opponent's mech, each blow rumbled his cockpit. He gritted his teeth and continued with his cut into the chest of the mech. When the rumbling seemed to ruin his concentration about ten minutes into the bout, he took out the sword and sliced through the right arm thats been pounding him, then he jumped up crashing down with the sword aimed for the rear neck area.

Sousuke took the beatings from his opponent's mech, each blow rumbled his cockpit. He gritted his teeth and continued with his cut into the chest of the mech. When the rumbling seemed to ruin his concentration about ten minutes into the bout, he took out the sword and sliced through the right arm thats been pounding him, then he jumped up crashing down with the sword aimed for the rear neck area.

Sousuke's cut continued to damage the chest armor, and Gracie was really complaining now about damage to Point Defenses and all sorts of things. Ehrlemann then grumbled, "Then activate the Emergency Nanites if you're so worried." Usually, a Gracie's messages were comforting, but this was rather annoying now.

By now, the chest armor was damaged to 65%, with a very deep gouge in it that exposed some things Ehrlemann didn't want exposed. He then tried to leap back and swing with his left hook when Sousuke swung at his right, but Sousuke connected with the right arm, severing its lower area and reducing it to a stump as the forearm fell to earth with a thud. Gracie joylessly reported, "We've lost right weapons and melee capacity."

That wasn't the only bad news. Sousuke's sudden assault on the back of the neck slammed into one of the weaker parts of the Townshend-Ironmonger, severing power to th head-mounted Lascannons and disabling the head sensors along with dealing a lot of damage. The Townshend-Ironmonger then tried to grab the Arm Slave with its good arm and throw the accursed thing to the ground.

The Arm Slave was thrown to the ground with a loud rumble in Sousuke's cockpit. He quickly recovered with a manipulator to the ground and planted his feet into the earth. A second later he zigzagged the Townshend with three qucik movement when he came up behind and sliced into the left arm after such he quickly moved to slice off the good leg of his opponent.

The Arm Slave was thrown to the ground with a loud rumble in Sousuke's cockpit. He quickly recovered with a manipulator to the ground and planted his feet into the earth. A second later he zigzagged the Townshend with three qucik movement when he came up behind and sliced into the left arm after such he quickly moved to slice off the good leg of his opponent.

Ehrlemann expected Sousuke to get up, and he also wasn't surprised at the quick movements he took to close on him. What Ehrlemann didn't expect was how quick Sousuke was, and despite the fact Ehrlemann tried to evade Sousuke by turning to face him, Ehrlemann began to regret that move.

"Shit," Ehrlemann muttered, as he realized that in his haste to turn and face his opponent, he had played into his opponent's stratagem, allowing Sousuke a good shot at his arm. The Arm Slave's blade plunged into the left arm, and with no other arm to back off, the best he could do was try and use Point Defenses and bursts of panicked energy fire in his chest to shoot back, before the unshaken Sousuke damaged the arm enough--if not cleaving it off entirely--to render it useless.

With only a few chest weapons left, he frantically opened on Sousuke as the Arm Slave proceeded to go to work on his good leg, destroying that too and leaving naught but a stump--assuming Sousuke would prove to be that generous.

Ehrlemann then used what little power left in his jumpjets, to push his tottering mecha over, to try and flatten the AS....

"Warning! Enemy AS is above the unit. Warning! Enemy AS is landing on the unit!"

"Activate TBS"

"Roger."

A bright flash emanated from the Arm Slave as a bubble of energy exerted outward as the larger mech tried to land on the Arbalest. The dust was heavy, making the two mechs invisible until it settled.

"Warning! Enemy AS is above the unit. Warning! Enemy AS is landing on the unit!"

"Activate TBS"

"Roger."

A bright flash emanated from the Arm Slave as a bubble of energy exerted outward as the larger mech tried to land on the Arbalest. The dust was heavy, making the two mechs invisible until it settled.

The Townshend was concealed from the cameras around the battlefield, until the dust settled. When said dust settled from view, the sight was quite interesting--the Townshend-Ironmonger was on the ground, flat on its face, crippled.

Alisa smiled to herself as she saw the footage, and said, "I think we have our newest champion."

As soon as the battle was over repair crews started to work on the Arbalest. Sousuke got out of his cockpit and took in a breath of fresh air looking up at the Arm Slave. The memories flowed back into him of the last time he piloted the unit.

"Sargeant, we will get AL back to the Laevatein once the Arbelest arrives on the TDD-2."

"Good."

As soon as the battle was over repair crews started to work on the Arbalest. Sousuke got out of his cockpit and took in a breath of fresh air looking up at the Arm Slave. The memories flowed back into him of the last time he piloted the unit.

"Sargeant, we will get AL back to the Laevatein once the Arbelest arrives on the TDD-2."

"Good."

In the Kanzuki-Lycoming camp--

"This can't be! No! NO!"

The young, angry spoiled brat (http://www.freewebs.com/nakoruru/n3.JPG) kicked over the trashcan in the garage where the Townshend-Ironmonger, dragged off the battlefield by salvage crews, had been put up for repairs. He thrust an accusing finger at Lieutenant Ehrlemann and went, "You had the best technology my company could give you. You had a war veteran's experience. You even had that digital whore watching your back! So why did you fail!?"

Lieutenant Ehrlemann resented the young man's attitude, and said tersely, "I guess I'm getting old."

"Humph. Old-timers like you should be put down for wasting my time and my company's money," the young man said. He then began muttering and walking about, asking, "What do I tell the stockholders now.....what do I do...."

"You can always go to your damn video games," Ehrlemann thought. The man in front of him, Tom Lycoming, was evidently used to getting his way. He was also used to big exotic war machines winning the day, like in those cartoons he watched. And, it seemed, he wanted his personal Mary Sue, the Townshend-Ironmonger, to win. The fact it didn't, the fact he angrily cursed its pilot instead of his own pride for making the Townshend-Ironmonger too heavy and too reliant on other things for its power, seemed to confirm the fact he had gambled so much on the project and lost. All Ehrlemann could do was sigh.

----------

Meanwhile, Commandant Park-Torusumi made contact once more with Sousuke, and said, "I think my colleagues have made their choice. We've seen your mecha, it seems to be better than the other by a long shot. We would like to say it is the choice for the People's Navy."

She then said, "Who do we talk to to facilitate purchasing and all the fine details?"

"I am sure the Ganoxian R&D department would be grateful for your choice. You would have to contact them about leasing out contracts" he pulled out a commlink, "I am contacting them now, please stand by."

About five minutes later he was on the line with Dr. Helsing. "Hello?" a loud explosion can be heard in the background, "Waliston how many times have I told you not to mix the Yulani compund with that plant! Back to the goddamn drawing board now."

"Sorry..." was head in the back ground.

"Ahem, doctor, I am patching you through to Commandant Park-Torusumi about the ARX-7 purchase."

"Ah yes yes. Greetings Commandant, I am--" he was interrupted by another explosion.

"It wasn't me! It was Tilly!"

"No it wasn't, I wasn't even close to that sector. What the hell are you talking about Waliston?!" she said.

"Both of you. To the corner!"

"Bu--"

"GO NOW!"

"Yes sir..." they both said.

"I'm sorry about that. ahem. Now where was I ah yes, I am Dr. Robert Helsing. leading director of the Ganoxian R&D. Now about purchasing the ARX-7, as per our agreement with our trade ministry, which I so despise, would only allow production licenses limited to five year terms."

"I'm sorry about that. ahem. Now where was I ah yes, I am Dr. Robert Helsing. leading director of the Ganoxian R&D. Now about purchasing the ARX-7, as per our agreement with our trade ministry, which I so despise, would only allow production licenses limited to five year terms."

Park-Torusumi looked at the commlink incredulously, and shook her head. Five year terms? Dornalian factories could surely produce the needed units and parts within that time, but five years? That sounded somewhat restrictive, if not downright straitjacketing. Especially since Dornalians were used to longer terms.

"Are those five year licenses renewable?" Park-Torusumi asked.

"The trade ministry seems to think this is best for our people, while I think its just a way to line the government's coffers, although cannot truly complain as some of that money comes my way for more of our research," another explosion was heard in the background. "Sorry! Forgot to turn on the sound filter" an assistant said.

"God...anyways yes the contracts are renewable, just for another fee to renew. Their reason they told me was that they were ensuring the stability of the Ganoxian economy, or some other babble. Me, personally, try to make our research available to all, and would have given a permanent license for a lump sum to our research budget."

"The trade ministry seems to think this is best for our people, while I think its just a way to line the government's coffers, although cannot truly complain as some of that money comes my way for more of our research," another explosion was heard in the background. "Sorry! Forgot to turn on the sound filter" an assistant said.

"God...anyways yes the contracts are renewable, just for another fee to renew. Their reason they told me was that they were ensuring the stability of the Ganoxian economy, or some other babble. Me, personally, try to make our research available to all, and would have given a permanent license for a lump sum to our research budget."

Park-Torusumi shrugged. A renewable license was fine. She then said, "That's fine Doctor. We can do a renewable five-year license for a fee. We understand where your Trade Ministry is coming from."

"Alright I'll process this as so--"

"Warning! Warning! Biohazard leak in sector three. Warning! Warning! Biohazard leak in sector three."

"Aww goddammit, not the Korela experiment!?" Waliston said.

"Ahem, you two see what the hell is going on?"

Suddenly the alarms stopped."

"False alarm, someone spilled my coffee into the Korela test tube."

"Oh...god...no." Helsing said.

"What its just coff--"

"If you mix coffee with the Korela mixture, it gives off a very very foul stench." Helsing said.

"Wait! What?"

Loud screams can be heard in the background, "Oh my god, shoot me! Shoot me!"

"Waliston get the biosuits..."

"Yes sir."

"Its amazing we even get the goddamn research done nowadays," he came closer to the commlink,"I'll notify the trade ministry about our agreement."

"Alright I'll process this as so--"

"Warning! Warning! Biohazard leak in sector three. Warning! Warning! Biohazard leak in sector three."

"Aww goddammit, not the Korela experiment!?" Waliston said.

"Ahem, you two see what the hell is going on?"

Suddenly the alarms stopped."

"False alarm, someone spilled my coffee into the Korela test tube."

"Oh...god...no." Helsing said.

"What its just coff--"

"If you mix coffee with the Korela mixture, it gives off a very very foul stench." Helsing said.

"Wait! What?"

Loud screams can be heard in the background, "Oh my god, shoot me! Shoot me!"

"Waliston get the biosuits..."

"Yes sir."

"Its amazing we even get the goddamn research done nowadays," he came closer to the commlink,"I'll notify the trade ministry about our agreement."

The explosions caused Park-Torusumi's eyebrows to rise up, and she wondered if they could deliver that message. She then said, "Um....that's good. Are you okay down there?"

"Oh yes everything is fine," Helsing said.

"My nose is melting off my face!" yelled a victim.

"Everything is fine! Hehe,"

"Isn't the ventilation working!"

"Its working the stench is sticking to the wall."

"Where is an air freshener bomb when you need one?" yelled another assistant

"Air freshener bomb? Good idea!" said another.

"Goddammit, just seal off the area. You new guy you're going to have to retrieve another sample."

"Aw man, not that jungle again, c'mon."

Helsing turned to the commlink again, "Yes everything is fine, I'll talk to the ministry as soon as I can."

"Oh yes everything is fine," Helsing said.

"My nose is melting off my face!" yelled a victim.

"Everything is fine! Hehe,"

"Isn't the ventilation working!"

"Its working the stench is sticking to the wall."

"Where is an air freshener bomb when you need one?" yelled another assistant

"Air freshener bomb? Good idea!" said another.

"Goddammit, just seal off the area. You new guy you're going to have to retrieve another sample."

"Aw man, not that jungle again, c'mon."

Helsing turned to the commlink again, "Yes everything is fine, I'll talk to the ministry as soon as I can."

Park-Torusumi then said, "Alright, then. Thank you, you seem a little busy, so I think I'll call back later. Tell them to call me back when they're ready." She then said to Sousuke, "Thank you," with the motion to hang up if he could.