The resulting explosion was huge, engulfing a little under a third of the function hall. Eyes looked around for any survivors. Noticing none, the female pilot smiled as she scanned the empty structure to find a target for her new toy. Her mission after capturing the unit was to level the exhibition hall as a test drive. Fortunately for them, none of the representative candidates present were able to board their units before the organization could disable them. Those who escaped the purging were probably miles away. She sneered down at the smoldering crater beneath her as she remembered that sniveling brat of a girl. She remembered that person was also a representative candidate. Despite all that special training they got, they weren't real soldiers, just little girls with toys turned into playing make believe gladiator.
It took the terrorist pilot by surprise when her unit suddenly took a hit, sending the unsuspecting IS tumbling to the ground. Scanning once more, the terrorist noticed the form of an IS similar to hers. She gripped her rifle tightly as disbelief etched on her face. Impossible, she was sure she'd destroyed that brat in one shot.
Cecilia's frown did not leave her face. From her being pinned down beneath hundreds of pounds of concrete, to finally activating her IS, till now as she stared down this felon trying to make off with an irreplaceable piece of equipment, as well as innumerable lives. She would not stand for it, the honor in her would not accept such a thing.
“Bodyguard.”, she called to the unconscious body behind her. “Stay here and don't die.”.
Saying what she wanted to, Cecilia charged with impressive speed. The enemy pilot was clearly inexperienced, panicking in her reaction as the English Representative Cadet slammed into her, carrying the fight outside.
Once outside, Cecilia kicked away the terrorist before firing her own Starlight Rifle again at close range.
Beam particles sparked against the automatic IS energy shielding. Waving away momentary blindness, the enemy found Cecilia climbing altitude, probably for a better sniping vantage. Not letting that happen, she roared as all six of the bits of the BT-03 launched in pursuit along with wild shots from her split Starlight X.
Cecilia, alerted by the stray shots, looked down and launched her own set of bits as well.
In the velvet sky, twelve sapphire bodies flit about. From afar they almost resembled fireflies that were playing tag. Which wasn't that far off from the truth. One touch from either side's beam fire and they'd most likely be out.
Cecilia cursed as she could not shake off her pursuer who was still unable to draw a bead on her. However, her beads were having no such luck. Slowly but surely the numbers were working against her as she will her four mobile turrets away from the caging assault of the enemy bits. What's more, they had built in shielding that easily deflected the attacks of her bits. She was at a definite disadvantage.
Deciding a change of pace was necessary, the representative braked in mid-air. Her instantaneous stop impossible to copy for her pursuer who flew past her.
Experience guided Cecilia's hands as she fired off three shots at her opponent's back. A momentary pause and three small sparks in the distance told her that she hit her mark. That victory was short lived however as she felt the connection to one of her bits get cut off. Again cursing, the blonde turned her attention to the other fight.
Taking aim, she steadied her hands as the bits were much smaller as a target in comparison to an IS. Locking on, she fired a shot.
As if sensing the oncoming danger, the targeted bit was joined by another two. They opened up to expose their shield generators and met the blast of energy head on. After the resulting spark, Cecilia was surprised to see that none of the bits sustained any damage at all. She surmised that they probably combined their shield outputs to be able to block her starlight rifle. How could the enemy pilot be so skilled with her bits despite clearly being much more inexperienced with piloting IS overall?
“Ack!”, Cecilia shrieked when focused lance of light grazed her shield.
The enemy pilot had recovered from the triple burst and was now in a sniper's vantage point.
Pointing and firing as if it were as natural as moving her arms or legs, Cecilia's shot raced to counter the assault. Somehow, the enemy managed to duck under the shot, but not without suffering a similar graze. Cecilia didn't let up the pressure and sure enough she was at an advantage despite her lower altitude.
But why? She was stronger in marksmanship and piloting than this novice pilot but her bit control was worse. How was that possible?
Another bit went down, causing Cecilia to grit her teeth as she lost one more connection. She couldn't focus on both sides of the fight at once, and it was odd that the enemy focused so much on the bit combat.
Continuing her attack, Cecilia realized something. None of the enemy bits were attacking her. She set her own body to fire on reflex as she dove into the fight of her two bits. The six enemy bits still continued the round about way of fighting as well as the shielding whenever she tried to fire back. It was almost as if they were stuck in a pattern.
Pattern!
The BT-03 must've been loaded with a bit control flight pattern. That's why the bits weren't attacking her, because her own four bits were the target and trying to attack her would break the caging pattern. Knowing what to do, Cecilia ordered her two bits to return. She barely flew them out in one piece before another one went down. A lucky shot from the enemy who was firing wildly again.
But that wasn't important right now. The six BT-03 bits were coming.
Cecilia held her Starlight rifle in her left hand and called up her Interceptor combat knife. She never imagined should would actually fight close range like this willingly. She flew forward, meeting the oncoming swarm that quickly engaged their programmed flight paths.
It was confusing, it was aggravating. Every time Cecilia shot at one, it would dodge and another would take its place to fire a counter from another angle. Should one of her rifle shots ever hit, they would deploy their shield and block it. Adding to the six continuously alternating shots of the bits was the BT-03 main unit. The pilot still continued her wild assault but thankfully the bits didn't discriminate between enemy or friendly fire, shielding themselves as they continued to surround Cecilia in a constricting cage.
Closer, closer, Cecilia watched as their formation tightened and her dodging space shrink equally so. The enemy was dropping out of sight as her bits now hid her from sight. A little more... and it was now or never.
The terrorist outside the cage was shaken. The girl had been alive and she'd put up one hell of a fight. Despite having a tentatively high compatibility to IS, the terrorist pilot didn't really know how to fly one so fighting like this put her on edge. She assumed it was like walking or fighting normally, and for the most part she found herself to be right when first boarding the IS. But in live fire, it was completely different. The pace of fighting, the scale of ranged combat. It was completely distorted compared to ground combat. There was probably no way for her to win normally against the representative candidate at her current state but thankfully her drones had a built in program to give her the edge. There was absolutely no way that anyone could escape six bits working in machine like precision.
BANG!
A connection lost.
BANG!
Another one.
BANG!
And another.
Panic filled the woman again as she felt her bits dwindling in number. She looked back to the cage of blurred azure her bits made up in time to watch a fourth unit go down.
With only two left, Cecilia was clearly visible. The Blue Tears unit 01 was practically falling in on itself with chips and burns accentuated by a visible crack along the last remaining bit and the loss of one bit holder.
How? The BT-03's bits were designed to be able to handle optical weapons. Why did they get shot down?
Then she saw it. The knife in the representative cadet's hands. She knifed them all? That was crazy! Impossible even. But just as she thought it, before her eyes the blonde lashed out to a closing unit and cut it in half while dodging the attack of the bit behind her. Flipping gracefully, the representative cadet continued her strike to bisect the last remaining bit as it traveled to its next position.
“I-Impossible.”, the terrorist openly spoke for the first time in the fight. “That's impossible!”.
Cecilia watched with focused eyes as the sapphire machine rushed down at her with both guns blazing in either hand. She took a one handed aim with her laser scuffed rifle, unperturbed by the hail of lights around her, and fired. Aim true, the shot hit the particle launcher in unit 03's hand but overloaded Cecilia's heavily damaged rifle to explosive bits.
Smoke clouded the blonde's vision for a moment before her IS compensated for it in a moment. The oncoming point blank blast from the beam carbine was parried with ease before Cecilia followed what little she could remember of CQC training to lock her opponent in a hold with the knife against their neck.
“How?”, the terrorist grit out. “How are you stronger than I am? I'M FAR MORE EXPERIENCED IN COMBAT! I'VE SURVIVED COUNTLESS WARS WHERE PEOPLE DIED! HOW IS IT IN THIS FIGHT TO THE DEATH YOU'RE STRONGER YOU FAKE SOLDIER!”
Cecilia looked at her with impassive eyes. Her usual arrogance at this victorious point in battle absent as she said her piece.
“Because my resolve is real.”
Metal screeched on charged particles as Cecilia dragged the knife down the neckline. She slashed twice more, once on the chest and another on the stomach before flipping open her hidden missile bays and fired.
Falling from the gunpowder cloud, the Blue Tears 03 fell, reserving its last energies to save its unconscious pilot from the fall with absolute defense.
Cecilia watched the body drop with emotionless blue eyes. Her body and mind both tattered and weary. She opened a connection her surprised aide. “Chelsea.”, she began with an imperious command to her voice.
“Ce-Cecilia-sama?”, the elder girl stuttered back in surprise at the maturity of the tone.
“Send in a medical team. My bodyguard is heavily injured. I'd like him to live through this if possible.”, the noblewoman closed her eyes.
“Alfred? Immediately milady!”
“Wait.”, Cecilia stopped the bustling maid, opening her eyes. “Tell the military that I've picked up on the retreating terrorists and that their path is projected to be headed for Ireland.”.
“Y-yes. Will you be pursuing Cecilia-sama?”
The blonde shook her battle dirtied locks as she descended to the ruined hall beneath. “Tell them that the IS related threat has been neutralized. I'll send over detailed data on their transport as well as their combat strength. Also place a request for sortie of my Blue Tears.”.
Chelsea paused at the extreme change in demeanor of her mistress. She was unsure what to make of it, but decided that maybe this was better for her. Such a cruel event to happen before any girl's eyes would normally break one of her age. But Cecilia was stronger than that. She would grow from this.
“Understood.”
Cecilia let go of her earrings, now out of her pilot suit and back to her ruined azure dress. Her eyes were somber, looking down on the battered body of her protector through this night. She knelt down and brushed away grimy bangs from his face.
“Be glad, this is only a once in a lifetime chance.”
Cecilia knelt down over him and silently pulled away. A sad smile on her lips as she began to realize the true weight of her station.
2012-09-01, 08:01
