"Battle for Katabatic"

Short? Yes. But thought I would go ahead and post it... Enjoy!

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Both Team 2 and Team 3 finally press the TRA defensive perimeter to the point where their pressure has just about cracked the warriors defending. Hamma’s team’s right flank is now bordering Team 3’s left flank, and the two teams are dropping a raining a withering fire of mortars, grenades, chaingun and Stormhammer shells. Rayzer, WinterKnight, and Ground Chuk have worked their way around the extreme right flank of the TRA defense and even managed to slip in behind some of the TRA warriors in jug armor who are managing a little heavy defense with mortars. They approach the detachment of enemy warriors unseen. There are 4 heavy defenders, 2 mediums and an accompanying pair of light defenders guarding the jugs. Outnumbered by almost three-to-one, the Dragon Wolves do what comes natural to them. They waltz in and attack. Rayzer is the first one to make contact as he lights up one of the heavies with his modified shocklance. The man dies quickly; his armor crackling with the fusion powered current, smokes and sparks still dancing as he falls over. The others, now alerted that they have been flanked, quickly com for help and begin to engage the smaller number of Dragon Wolves. The small battle is fierce as the opposing warriors duel, trying to get in the killing blow. Rayzer scores another killing shot on one of the heavies, the arch from his shocklance hitting the man square in the face, vaporizing his helmet, head and a good portion of his upper body instantly. The now lifeless armor topples over, steam rising from the fused flesh inside. The shot cost him some momentum though, and he lands awkwardly from the jump he made, stumbling into a snow bank. The lance becomes encrusted with snow, and Rayzer, knowing the result if he snaps the trigger now, slings the weapon and reaches for his Stormhammer. An alert TRA warrior, seeing Rayzer switching weapons, pounces on him instantly. His partner, the other light, joins in the fray, and Rayzer is forced to jump over the snow bank and roll quickly away to avoid being blasted to pieces on the spot. He comes up shooting though, leveling his Stormhammer at the closest TRA warrior. Unfortunately snow has lodged in the chute of the weapon, and the instant he depresses the trigger, the rapidly departing disc hits the snow and ice and erupts, blowing off the end of the weapon and knocking Rayzer on his butt. His shocklance, a moment ago slung over his shoulder, goes flying, and lands a short distance from him, just out of reach it seems. The two light defenders jump over the snow bank, eager for the easy kill. At that moment, the one of them closest to reaching Rayzer is instantly cleaved full in two from the crest of his helmet to his crotch. The two parts fall to either side of Rayzer, the fused flesh grotesque looking inside the breached armor. WinterKnight stands just behind where the TRA warrior had only a moment ago stood alive and breathing. With a quick flick of his wrists, he re-sheaths his sword on his back and turns to deflect the next warrior with his body as he draws his Stormhammer. The TRA warrior is a veteran though, and drops a concussion grenade, which bounces WinterKnight away and disarms him for a second. He then leaps at the prone Rayzer, bringing his chaingun to bear. Rayzer is waiting for him; he has had just the time needed to retrieve his shocklance and knock the snow from it. It is now aimed straight at the chest of the grizzled TRA warrior looming over Rayzer. Rayzer is just about to depress the trigger, when the man throws his chaingun to the side and raises his arms above his head. WinterKnight has recovered his weapon and is standing ready to disc the man if he flinches. Rayzer stands slowly, not letting his weapon waver from the man’s chest. By the sounds on the com circuit, Ground Chuk seems to have his situation under control for the moment, so Rayzer doesn’t go to assist him yet. He coms WK.
“Hey, WK, can you go check on Chuk? I think I will ask this guy a few questions,” he asks his friend. “By the way, nice work with the sword. Thanks!”
“It will be no problem, my friend. I will be just over this ridge if you require any more assistance. It is my honor to fight alongside you. My sonic-edged sword shall ever be honed and ready for the enemies of the CDL. Be well,” he replies, sketching a salute then running back towards Chuk. Rayzer shakes his head, amazed at the sword work of WinterKnight. The man standing before him has not moved an inch. He is standing still, but he has a proud glare in his eyes. His face shield is not tinted like a lot of the TRA warriors have. Suddenly, Rayzer realizes he recognizes the warrior!
“Oh my gosh! YOU!!” he says in shock. The man smiles slowly, never moving a muscle.

Manitou had just reached the doors of the base when he heard a muffled explosion within. He stepped back quickly from the doors, throwing his arm against Pan who was standing next to him. She had been covering their approach to the doors. The doors seemed to breath outwards, then they buckled and blew out into an explosive, shrapnel filled cloud of smoke and fire. The shock wave knocked Manitou into the rock face that fed up to the door. Pan was also knocked back, but not quite as hard, as Manitou had managed to shove her out of the main blast. The pieces of door and frame scatter into the snow, and a ball of smoke billows out quickly followed by KickedOut, scrub and eMaGyN. Manitou stands up unsteadily, and knocks some of the debris off of him, scowling at the trio of warriors.
“Who in blue blazes is that?” Manitou demands grumpily over the com.
“Who in blue blazes are you?” eMa replies back firmly. She stares defiantly at Manitou.
“Who gave this woman access to our com?” Manitou bellows over the mic, rounding on KO and scrub.
“Hey! Don’t you turn your back on me, you hot-headed mule-of-a-man!!” eMa flares, grabbing Manitou’s arm and trying to yank him back to face her. Pan starts to jump to defend her brother. Manitou simply glares at eMa over his shoulder and jerks his arm out of her grasp.
“What the heck is going on here?” Manitou finally manages to demand. He is still looking at eMa, who is glaring right back, now with her arms crossed across her chest.
“Mani, she helped us get to the right door quick. That’s why we’re a little early. She wants to help the CDL, Mani,” scrub answers quickly, seeing the skeptical look in Manitou’s eyes.
“Mani!” someone shouts over the com, startling all of them. “Get over here QUICK!” the voice yells. Manitou turns and runs towards where he remembers Asmodeus’ last position was. It was his frantic voice that was calling over the com. The other four warriors follow closely behind him. As they approach the area that the remainder of Team 1 had been assigned, Manitou could see a ring of his warriors standing around a fallen Dragon Wolf. Manitou’s heart began to beat harder as the thought of another one of his warriors down raced though his mind. He came to a sliding stop, kicking up some snow, and almost falling down on the slippery stuff. One the ground was one of his Team 1 members, and he looked badly injured. The snow in this area was churned up a tremendous amount. There was dirt and debris all around.
“What happened?” Manitou asked, gasping for air.
“An unmarked minefield, Mani,” SwiftasFeather replies. He is staring at the fallen warrior, sadness etched on his face. “He caught a sonic mine. The TRA guys must have just placed this field. We managed to clean out the rest, but not until this happened.”
“Is he going to…” Mani begins to ask, his voice cracking.
“There was nothing we could do. I took us too long to get to him. We couldn’t get the nasty buggers cleaned out fast enough. Sorry, Mani,” Arglaar says almost in a whisper. He too is sadly watching the last few breaths of air escape the Dragon Wolf laying in the blood-streaked snow. Manitou crouches next to his friend, then stands slowly and turns to head back to the base doors.
“Someone get his Dragon Wolf head. Pan, AP, Asmo, and h0micide, follow me, “ Manitou says coldly, striding away. The remaining Team 1 warriors watch them leave, then RaptorMax crouches slowly and pulls the death-bolt on Diocletian’s armor.
“Go now with Valor and find your Victory in the Final Dragon Wolf Lair,” Raptor says as he extracts the bolt. The small group watch as the process begins and ends on another of the brothers.

 

hehe Ya missed it Spanky!

 

Final edition...

Enjoy, and thanks for all the kind words and comments. I loved doing this and I tried to fit as many people as I could. If I forgot you, remember that I can always write another one later. Also remember that people de in my stories so you may not want to be in one!
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As Manitou approached the blasted smoking doors to the TRA base, he stops and turns suddenly back to the group still standing around where Diocletian had died. Pan almost stumbles into her brother, catching herself just in time. The others also stop; waiting to see what Manitou is getting ready to do.
“eMa, you come with us too, I will need you to show us the fastest way to the command section,” he says over the com.
“Why would I want to go back in there?” eMa replies over the com. She has turned toward them, and Pan can see her put her hands on her hips as if in challenge.
“Simply because if you do not, I will be forced to have GroovieMan and Marsman hog-tie you and pack you in a trunk somewhere until we get done with this and decide what to do with you,” Manitou says flatly, his face unchanging. He turns and continues into the base as if fully expecting eMa to follow without another word. Both of the warriors take a step towards eMa, but she snarls at them and spins and jogs to catch up to the small group headed deep into the TRA base. The warriors all glance at each other and smile. They prepare to pack up and move to the pre-designated rendezvous point with the other two teams. The distant sounds of battle echo across the area providing a testament to the fierce struggle proceeding even now.


Hamma had sent a small detail on a relatively easy flanking move once he realized the TRA warriors were beginning to fall back. Sky, Malone, Despo, Rubick and Thronebeast were now working the extreme left flank, pressuring the TRA, trying to roll the flank back into the rear of the defense to maybe pinch off a large portion of the defenders in a pocket they could then crush. The Team 3 crew had finally joined up with Team 2 and was now working in tandem to bring even more firepower upon the retreating TRA troops. Rayzer had rejoined the group with his prisoner and had taken him to the MPB for holding there. Oed was also at the Jericho, and Heirax and Doomhawk were working to repair his armor and get him relatively comfortable. They had managed to stabilize his condition and he was groggily trying to sit up. The guys kept him prone, trying to convince him all was okay. The prisoner, whom everyone had been shocked to see, was sitting comfortably leaning against one of the wheels of the Jericho, his hands and feet bound by magnetic manacles. Rayzer had installed a prisoner remote activated death bolt on the armor. This usually kept most prisoners of the CDL from going very far if they decided to run. Rayzer was standing nearby chatting with Schrike about the prisoner. They kept glancing at the man, and spoke in animated tones. The man simply sat there, a smile playing occasionally across his face.
“What the blue fires of Tantalus we going to do with him?” Schrike is asking Rayzer. “Mani will have freakin’ kittens if he sees him.”
“I know. I just can’t believe he was fighting with the TRA. It is amazing who we will run into out here,” Rayz replies, shaking his head.
“But for crying out loud! I never expected to see Marweas of all the warriors in the Rim Worlds fighting on the side of the TRA!” Schrike says.
“Attention! Attention! We have reports of incoming TRA air support! Incoming vehicles!!” the com system blares out the warning. The Jericho gun activates and begins spitting blue fire from its anti-air barrels. The sound of a bomber can be heard and the warriors begin to crouch and watch for incoming shells. The deafening sounds of bombs crashing into the CDL controlled area seem to march right through their heads as the bomber drops its lethal rain of exploding cargo. This air attack is totally unexpected, as the CDL had thought they had secured and destroyed the TRA vehicle pad earlier. The bomber passed right over the attacking forces and the bombs spread their horrible destruction all throughout the CDL forces. Most of the warriors were able to find cover or get in lower ground before the shells hit. But there were some who had not made that cover. The wounded warriors were calling for help even now and the other forces raced to the aid of their fallen comrades. The heavy and medium armored troops were already popping off missile shots attempting to bring the slightly damaged bomber down. The Jericho’s anti-air was more effective, but the bomber was flying just out of range on its return loop. Hamma was screaming over the com trying to organize the air defense, while still maintaining the pressure on the TRA forces. The TRA warriors seeing this carnage wrought upon the CDL were heartened and had stopped retreating and were reforming their lines. This might prove to be disastrous, Hamma knew. The damage and medic reports started coming in. The crew that had been doing the flanking move had been completely missed by the first bomber run. Hamma heard the bomber returning at that moment. The wail of missiles leaving the launchers from the different warriors was almost overwhelming. That and the blasting of the anti-air on the Jericho made it even hard to hear the com inside his helmet. The second pass of the TRA bomber was short-lived, but they were still able to drop a small load. The bombs tore into the ground on the opposite side of the Jericho, or it would have killed Hamma, Rayzer, the wounded Oed and the rest of the crew huddling there for protection. As it was, the Jericho sustained almost a total destruction. Smoke poured off of the vehicle. Hamma, Rayzer and Schrike were knocked flat by the shockwave produced by the near hits. Doomhawk had covered Oed with his own body, and Heirax had helped keep the medical gear from blowing over. Bits of dirt and snow blew over them from the exploding shells, and the whole group was covered in dirt and dirty snow. Shrapnel had been deflected from hitting the group by the Jericho, but the main battle group was not so lucky. Some of the CDL warriors had taken more hits. It wasn’t as bad as the first pass, but this only fueled the courage of the TRA warriors on the defensive. The casualty reports were not as bad as Hamma expected, but they weren’t good either. He hadn’t heard that any more CDL had died, and that was his greatest concern at this moment. He tried to contact Manitou to get him up to speed on this development, but it seemed he was out of com contact. Team 1 did respond though, and explained that Mani had gone into the TRA base itself. That was odd, Hamma thought. Manitou rarely deviated from the plan, so this must have been something vital. He reported the situation to Team 1 and then got the information from them about Dio. It was hard to hear, after the deaths of the others and now this devastating attack. Hamma stood there for a moment trying to cope with the news. Rayzer ran up and began to talk to him, but Hamma seemed deaf to his com. Rayzer grabbed Hamma and shook him a little. Hamma snapped his head up and realizing he was being commed, he followed Rayz to the battlefront.

HalftheSky could not believe her eyes when she saw the bomber fly by. The vehicle pad was supposed to be down, especially after that EMP blast wave. The first pass had wreaked havoc on the CDL lines, and the second pass had hurt also before the bomber was shot to pieces. Sky had pressed her crew’s attack even harder knowing that the TRA defenders would be encouraged by this turn of events. Their ammunition was beginning to get to the concern level, although it would last for some time. With the chance of an ammo drop not foreseeable in the near future, Sky began to think of how best to help the injured main battle line troops with her flanking maneuver and not use up more ammo than they could afford. Suddenly a small group of TRA warriors, emboldened by the bomber pass, counter-attacked the flanking group. It was a totally unexpected desperation move and the warriors were all in light armor. It appeared they were all lancers! Malone instantly commed the frantic warning to the rest of the group.
“Incoming hostiles! I count twelve TRA soldiers!” he reported shouting. The TRA attackers were on them quick. Desperado was trying to turn his heavy armor to keep his vulnerable back away from two enemy soldiers coming in fast to him, their lances bared menacingly. He jumped and used almost all his suit’s energy to get up and over a small rise while dropping a mortar shell dangerously close to himself. The mortar went off just as the two warriors hit the spot, and they were obliterated in the blast, pieces of armor and flesh propelled in a thousand directions. Despo still took some damage though and was forced to use his precious repair kit. The others were similarly locked in close combat, fighting for their lives. Thronebeast, using a light armor, was trying desperately to help cover the heavier armors. Sky was also doing the same. Rubick had the medium and was elfing as many warriors to the ground as he could to slow them down. One of the warriors he elfed had come in fast and when he went to break his fall, there was no power in his suit and he crashed head first into the snow, stopping abruptly against a hidden outcropping of rock. He did not get up again. The rest of the TRA warriors stayed in a unit and pressed tight on the scrambling Dragon Wolves. Desperado had gotten separated from the small unit, but for the moment was forgotten. Malone suddenly found himself facing a group of highly skilled lancers bent on seeing him die. Sky and Thronebeast were pre-occupied with trying to keep their group from being surrounded and cut off from the rest of the CDL teams. Rubick was close, but he too was locked in his own battle for life. The TRA warriors toyed with Malone a little, each one flicking their lances on and off making the weapons charge up, then discharge. The sound was a creepy sound for those that understand the meaning behind it. Malone was not afraid. He had faced death before and this was no different. He prepared to make the best of his death as the TRA warriors appeared to tire of their game and looked to be ready to finish him off. As the apparent leader of the group signaled his intent, Malone readied himself to fight the best he could. The moment they began the encircling that would eventually lead to a killing charge from one of the lances, the back few warriors of the TRA group were torn into shreds by an awesome spray of lethal flechettes that came from behind them! Malone jumped at the opportunity and sent two plasma shots directly into the ground at the feet of the leader, then sprang to the side in an attempt to avoid a back shot from the group. The TRA warriors though, were in no way able to attack Malone. An eagerly attacking Full Otto was tearing them apart from the rear. His massive phalanx cannon, basically a double-barreled chaingun, was a holdover from the First Tribal Wars in the Insomniax Theater of operations. Otto was well known for his use of this weapon, and he put it to good use now. Mowing down the TRA warriors from the back, he began to spray the group, careful not to send any stray shells into Malone or the other reacting CDL. The carnage was almost complete. Malone had been able to wound the leader of the group, but Full Otto had cut down the entire group and was now standing in the middle of his handiwork, the barrels to his phalanx smoking from the oil being cooked on the hot steel. The barrels were winding down, having accomplished that which they were designed for. Malone glanced at Otto and noticed the smug grin on his face.
“I love the smell of chaingun oil. Its sexy,” Otto remarks with that grin still present. He pats the massive phalanx gun and turns to address Sky, who has just rejoined the group. Desperado and Thronebeast also jog up and join them. Rubick, having had to deal with a particularly nasty enemy warrior, is kneeling in the snow a few yards away. His armor is scorched from an apparent near miss from a lance. Blood seeps steadily from a crease in his armor near his right armpit. Sky is the first to notice him, and runs to his aid comming the others. They all respond, and as the get to the veteran CDL warrior, they begin to assist him as best as possible.
“We gotta’ get him back to the Jericho,” Thronebeast says.
“Yes, he is hurt bad, it looks like,” Sky replies, concern on her face. They gather the warrior and Sky and Desperado take the injured warrior back to the main group. Malone, Thronebeast and Full Otto stay, knowing they have to keep pressure on this flank to aid in the recovery after the terrible bombing the main group took. Even though there are only three of them, they know they must finish their mission the best they can. The three look at each other, then with the set look of grim determination etched on their faces, they turn to the line and begin to maneuver to attack.

The battlefront is almost chaos. The bomber’s run had weaved the web of destruction well. The CDL warriors even now were scrambling to exert some type of pressure back on the reforming TRA lines. WinterKnight had his sword out and was valiantly hewing any TRA warriors bold enough to come within his reach. The TRA defenders had been emboldened by the bomber’s contribution to the effort and had now begun to counter-attack viciously. The battle was down to hand to hand as the combatants tore at each other with lances and grenades, and other close combat weapons. WinterKnight’s sword was cleaving a path of death through the TRA attackers, but he could only fight so many before they eventually overwhelmed him. The enemy seemed to sense in him the strength of the crumbling CDL line and made every effort to bring him down. The CDL line seemed to draw energy from WinterKnight’s valiant efforts. Mossimo, wounded in the bomb attack, was struggling to bring his personal shotgun up, another of the archaic weapons left over from the First Tribal Wars. He was wielding it with reckless lethality now. Ground Chuk, cumbersome in his heavy armor, was lobbing mortars danger-close, taking damage from his own weapon to fight off the TRA troops. He had quickly used his only repair kit, and was dangerously close to breaching the seal on his damaged armor. Raptormax and ShadowSpawn have found perches from which to take shots at the enemy with their sniper rifles, but the combat had degraded to such a condition that they dared not risk hitting one of their own. So they were busy keeping enemy snipers suppressed. Schrike had rejoined the line and was shouting orders to his wounded crew. Just about every CDL warrior that had been on the line when the bomber made its pass was damaged in some way. Pumpmonkey, another of the veterans of the CDL, was straining to hold his end of the line. Him and Racewiz were under direct fire and were just about to have to fall back when Metallica77 joined them and steadied their area. Metallica77 was a fierce warrior, and his will to live had been compounded by the fact he was getting married right after this mission was over. He was set on seeing his wife to be and living a long and happily married life! Praetor-Vong and qor72 were faring less fortunate. Praetor had taken a serious hit from the bombs and was operating at minimal power to let his suit try and recover from numerous breaches from shrapnel. He was also bleeding heavily from a nasty gash on his left thigh. I quarter sized chunk of flesh had been gouged out by a piece of flying metal. The blood loss had weakened him considerably. His partner at that time, qor72, was trying hard to keep their section of line steady, but with Praetor beginning to falter, they were starting to get over run. A lucky shot from an enemy disc shooter caught qor from the back and clipped his legs out from underneath him. He crashed to the ground and the TRA warriors rushed to break the line there. Praetor, with a last tremendous effort, raised his Stormhammer and blasted two TRA troops into each other. They both fell, one dead the other critically wounded, but more poured in. A plasma bolt, fired directly at qor was deflected by the diving body of Praetor, melting him and his armor into plasma waste instantly, but sparing his friend from death. The shocked qor72, having just seen his comrade take the plasma for him, was enraged and began spraying anything moving with his chaingun. He was still on his knees and the shells from the flechettes were piling up all around him as he laid waste to the enemy near him. But there were too many and a concussion grenade lobbed nearby him finally knocked him down. He fell unconscious in the snow, his chaingun melting to steam the snow that it touched as it fell. The TRA warriors rushed through the gap, ignoring qor as they ran by. With the line breached, the CDL warriors suddenly found themselves on the defensive. Hamma was yelling for them to fall back, when he got a com from the remaining troops of Team 1 informing him they were within two minutes of arriving. He frantically told them to hurry. Hamma turned to look back at the Jericho, hoping they had been able to repair it by now. He saw the smoke had diminished and he commed Rayzer.
“Grab Doomy and get up here! The line is breached and we got more men down!” he shouted.
“Copy! Hamma! What do we do with Marweas? Leave him?” Rayzer responded.
“I don’t care right now! The enemy is counter attacking and I need every warrior on this line! MOVE!” Hamma replied, diving aside just as a bouncing grenade skipped past him and exploded nearby.
“On the way!” Rayz answered. Just as Rayzer reached the embattled line of his friends, Team 1 arrived and began to fill into the breach in the line. Groov fired mortar after mortar into the breach, mauling the TRA warriors trying to establish a corridor to press through. Arglaar had set up an inventory station just to the rear and was busy trying to place some turrets to forestall any further depth in the pocket formed by the line breach. His setup was a particularly nasty net of turrets mines and other surprises, and it began to hold the bulge in the CDL line. Marsman was assisting him and between the two, they were able to forge a line of defense to keep the TRA counter attack from getting out of hand. Arglaar, having taken a shot to his armor earlier, suddenly finds a grenade lobbed from a dying TRA warrior rolling close and unseen by Marsman, who has his back to it. Without a thought he dives on the grenade and hits his repair kit at the same time, hoping to offset the damage he knows will occur from the blast. The grenade explodes under Arglaar’s prone body, his armor taking almost the full brunt of the blast. Marsman spins at the sound and his horrified at what he sees. Arglaar is sprawled on the ground on his back, his armor plating ripped from stomach to neck in a mangled mess. There is a lot of blood also. Marsman immediately hammers Arglaar’s repair kit manual switch. The armor almost isn’t capable of recovering, but it slowly begins to reform a slight skin of steel over the gaping jagged hole. Marsman then punches in a code to a script he had worked on just recently but had not tested yet. He backs up into the inventory station and begins to mass eject repair kits on the ground. It works! Once he gets three or four he jumps to them and starts throwing them into Arg’s armor and repeatedly mashes the manual repair kit switch. Amazingly enough, Arglaar’s armor reacts quickly and completely repairs itself! Marsman knows that is only the armor though, and he knows he needs to get Arglaar medical attention quickly. The armor will only work to staunch blood flow; it was not designed to heal the wounds on its wearer. SwiftasFeather, noticing Arglaar down, rushes to help. He and testflight had been holding an area of the line that was fairly secure now, so Swifty had let testflight finish up. She did that very thing with a cold efficiency that was chillingly cold. The rage she felt at seeing her fellow Dragon Wolves fall to TRA weapons was now spending itself in the savagery of hand-to-hand combat. The bodies piled around her were a testament to her skills and to her rage. She cleared the last enemy warrior with a killing blow from her shocklance. The adrenalin that rushed through her veins a moment ago was spent; she was totally exhausted and dropped to her knees in fatigue. She popped her face shield and vomited onto the snow and added her stomach’s contents to the dirt and blood spattered snow around her. Great Dane, wounded but still standing, rushed over to testflight to check on her. She stood up and reassured her big friend she was fine, just tired. The two warriors, both exhausted, hurt and feeling the affects of a daylong battle, commed Hamma for information as to where they may be needed next.
“Move to the Jericho, we have the situation under control. The breach is fixed and the TRA counter attack is failing. Get Arglaar back there too. He is wounded and with Marsman by the remote inventory,” Hamma replies over the com.
“Copy that,” testflight replies glancing at Dane and nodding.

“Hamma, this is KickedOut,” crackles Hamma’s com.
“Hamma here,” he replies, searching the area for the capper.
“Inbound with enemy object, I do have scrub as escort,” he informs Hamma calmly.
“Roger that, you need anything else?” Hamma asks. He locates the two cappers coming in from the right flank of the battlefield, skirting the action.
“Nope, we got the prize and are comfy!” KickedOut responds. Hamma nods to the reply and then tries to raise Manitou on the com again. The Team 1 troops had informed him that Mani had gone into the TRA base looking for the command section, but Hamma couldn’t understand why, because that had not been an objective. He shrugged and went to help his teammates complete the battle that was now winding down.


Manitou crept along the corridor careful of the corners, not wanting to be surprised by any TRA soldiers or technicians still left in the base. It appeared that the base had pretty much been abandoned by everyone but the warriors assigned to defend it. But still, one technician with a blaster could ruin the day, Manitou thought to himself. Pan followed him closely and eMaGyN was right behind her, quietly giving directions. Her mood had settled some as she realized the base was pretty much empty. Plus the alternative was less than appealing. Asmodeus was next, followed by h0micide and American Psycho acting as rear guard. AP was in heavy armor, but he was the only one, as the rest had suited up in light armor. The moment eMa had left her cell, she had convinced scrub and KO to swing by her old rooms to retrieve her personal armor. It was designed with a rather unique paint scheme, one that made Pan blush when she looked at it. There were big bright stars painted right over the area her breasts fit into the front plate. She was proud of the custom design, and sometimes in close combat it tended to distract her opponents occasionally.
“How close are we?” Manitou asks eMa in a hushed whisper. They all had their face shields lifted, as the atmosphere in this part of the base was still intact.
“Its up around that next corner, third door on the right. He is very careful, Manitou, don’t expect to find him unaware,” she adds in warning.
“I agree with you. Thanks for the word of caution,” Manitou replies, not looking at her when he answers. He begins to walk carefully down the last part of the hallway, cautious of the last corner. Suddenly a grenade rolls around the corner directly at them! Manitou acts quickly and shoots the grenade with a plasma bolt fusing it into a melted puddle of plasma molecules. AP quickly lobs a mortar, bouncing it off the wall and around the corner. The terrific explosion is amplified in the hallway and the concussive blast almost knocks them all down.
“AP! Warn me next time when you do that!” Manitou snaps, glaring back over his shoulder.
“Sorry, Mani, seemed appropriate for the moment,” he replies grinning. The mortar he had fired had caught the waiting ambush by complete surprise. The TRA warriors that had been set to jump the CDL creeping in were obliterated, their remains spattered on the scorched and damaged walls of the hallway. The small group rushes around the corner and notice the door to the commander’s office has also been blown apart and they run in quickly, ready at a moment’s notice to lay down cover fire. There is nobody in here it appears, but a door leading into another office is closed and they can hear someone shouting furiously behind it.
“Pan, take it down,” Manitou orders his sister. She nods and blows the door to splinters with her chaingun, and takes up a covering position at the doorway, joined by h0micide; Manitou, AP, Asmo, and eMa rush in. A few wild shots from a blaster strike the wall beside Pan and h0micide blasts the clerk who had taken refuge with the commander inside. The disc strikes him in the face, beheading him instantly. His lifeless body flops to the floor and stops moving after a few seconds.
“Put your hands on the desk!” Manitou bellows at the top of his lungs. The commander is standing calmly behind a massive wooden desk. He doesn’t seem at all concerned with his situation. Asmo has just finished clearing the room to make sure nobody else is hiding. He joins Manitou standing in front of the desk.
“Mani, I don’t like the feel of this. We need to split, bro,” he says in a hushed tone.
“We will as soon as I deal with some of my past here,” Manitou replies, his jaw clenching and unclenching. He does not take his eyes off of the commander. “Asmo, you don’t recognize him do you?”
“No, I can’t…wait, Mani. Is that LB?” Asmo says, his mouth hanging open.
“But of course it is, Asmodeus, peon of the DYNO Clan now a glorified Dragon Wolf!” answers the big commander laughing. “I am hurt that you don’t remember me!”
“Shut your mouth, LaserBait!” Manitou replies with a cold tone, cutting off another taunt. “This is between me and you.”
“Oho! I beg to differ, Manitou, oh glorious leader!” LaserBait scoffs. “Since you decided to visit me here, you made it very personal. I see your little sister has grown up. It is sad she will never see another day. Say goodbye, Pan!” LB, who until this time had been standing calmly, sprung forward and mashed a slight indentation on his desk. Justr as he hit it, h0micide cut him down with his shocklance, the man’s skin cooking right off his bones into steam, carrying the stench of burnt flesh heavy into the air. But he wasn’t fast enough. I small hole opened and a projectile shot from the hole straight at Pan. Manitou had only a second to react. He instinctively dived in front of his sister taking the dart in his chest plate. Ordinarily the armor would have simply deflected the dart, but this dart was designed to pierce any known armor currently available. The projectile shed its outer skin in a shape charge that popped a smaller hole through Manitou’s painted chest plate. It then ignited a second projectile that continued unimpeded straight into his chest, and sticking easily into his skin through the battle fatigues he was wearing. It wasn’t a deep puncture, but it wasn’t designed to be one. It had a small shape charge that tripped the moment it stop. The look on Manitou’s face changed from one of purpose, to painful surprise as the small charge detonated. It wasn’t much, but it did the damage it was intended to do. He crumpled to the floor instantly, a small pool of blood forming underneath him. The others in the room were stunned for just a moment, but then they all reacted by rushing to their fallen friend. Pan screamed. Asmo, who was closest, got to him first and rolled him over quickly. He checked his pulse and made sure he was still breathing.
“Just barely. We need to get him to the Jericho NOW!” he replies to the unspoken questions.

Warriors are an odd lot. They can be subjected to the most inhuman conditions and never flinch. They fight for causes sometimes obscure to those who do not know honor, or valor. This day the CDL had equated itself well in battle, despite the horrible losses she sustained. The warriors who rest in the Great Lair will always be remembered for their ultimate sacrifice to carry on the honor that is the way of the Dragon Wolf.

The funeral procession was a tremendous affair and many different warriors from distant Clans had come to honor the fallen Dragon Wolves. Some had known the ones who had died, some had only heard of them. But they were all honored that day. The families of those gone now were also there, wearing the traditional black of mourning. Mrs. Manitou had been given the opportunity to stand in front, but she had gracefully objected, saying Manitou had never wished to be placed above any other Dragon Wolf, and she would not either. Her face was strong, but the path of dried tears could still be seen. Pan was standing next to her, crying openly. She held in her hand the Drgon Wolf head that was Manitou’s. As the ceremony continued, she stepped sharply out and faced Mrs. Manitou and began a slow salute. Once that was finished, she set the head upon a small pillow within a beautiful wooden case Mrs. Manitou held steadily with both hands. This ceremony was repeated for each family of the fallen, Hamma and HalftheSky doing the honors for the others. Sky was still limping slightly from wounds received in the Battle for Katabatic, as that action was now being called. Other wounded Dragon Wolves were seated in the auditorium. A few were still badly hurt, but they had refused to stay hospitalized. Arglaar was in tremendous pain, but he stood proudly, if a little shakily, next to GroovieMan who helped steady him. Oed was also a little wobbly, but he stood proud and at attention. Qor72 was grim looking, but happy holding his son and wife close. The ceremony was quickly over, and the visitors all had begun to filter out. Once the room was almost empty, the only people who remained were the Dragon Wolves, still standing at attention. Even Arglaar, badly wounded, still stood. Mrs. Manitou was standing at the front and she looked on the verge of tears again.
“Manitou was devoted to this Clan that he loved. He would tell you all the same thing. Never give up, never stop believing in who you are. Never let anyone tell you that you are not the best that there ever was…” she stopped for a second to catch her breath, then she continued in a hushed tone. “He would tell you that victory is not found in the win alone, but in whether you get back up after the loss and fight on.”
The lights began to go dim and throughout the Dragon Wolves Lair echoed the great howl of many voices as they said their final goodbye to their comrades.