It had taken longer than he'd be willing to admit for Walter to notice that his hound was up to something. He'd ordered it to rest, figuring it would be a few days before he could secure transport for an AC across the Alean Ocean.

Balam had seemed like they might be a good option, but after 621's antics at the Gallia Dam and helping with a prison break from their Southern Belius facilities, it was unlikely they would want to play nice without something being done for them first.

He'd tried Arquebus, of course, but they had a habit of rejecting requests from those who were not on Rubicon under their direct sponsorship, so that was unsurprisingly denied. Figures that they'd go back to ignoring him once they weren't being stonewalled by an obstacle. Both corps had been happy to take the survey data pointing toward the ice field though, so the credits would at least go to good use.

When he did check on 621, just a day after the Watchpoint, he found it was in the area of Grid 086, where Carla's company, RaD, operated. It was also where an intercontinental cargo launcher was mounted.

Looked like it had decided to immediately get to work on that survey request Balam had issued.

With the major hurdle of transporting an AC out of the way, he could easily arrange transport for just himself, perhaps hitch a ride on a shipment from one of the neutral corporations like Melinite or Takigawa.

...

It had been a week of relative calm since arriving at the ice field. The few sorties they'd been on were small actions targeting outlying survey patrols, issued by both Arquebus and Balam in an attempt to disrupt each other.

Neither had been willing to commit to large-scale action yet, but it would only be a matter of time; Arquebus had already established bases and survey sites before Raven had arrived, and Balam had quickly seized abandoned infrastructure after their arrival as well. Both sides would want to improve their position by slowing down their competitor's survey.

Ayre checked the comms buffer again to see if something new might have arrived. There had been no indication that the Liberation Front had arrived in the central ice field, so the corps were stuck slugging it out with each other.

A few messages from Walter were waiting. She gave a quick nudge to Raven and he was exiting the simulator, alert and ready.

The first message Raven selected was from Walter, the day after they'd arrived. Poor weather from blizzards had disrupted communications for a bit and they were only now receiving the backlog.

"Guess you noticed that job from Balam... and decided to take it. I saw you were heading for the cargo launcher. Not a bad idea, I'll give you that." he said, "I'm done tying up loose ends, and I'll be heading over to the ice field myself soon. Now that Arquebus and Balam are there, you know what's going to happen: Business as usual. But you can make it work for us."

The next message was dated from just a few hours ago, and was marked as a briefing.

Walter had been sent the mission request by Balam's G6 Red, their mercenary liaison. They wanted Raven to retrieve data from survey drones at an Arquebus survey camp, set up in the formerly abandoned Hjalmar Mine.

<>

Ayre could feel the confusion mixed with gratitude from her partner.

"I did. Melinite had a shipment of weapons on the way over and was selling extra cargo space, so it was cheap. They arrived yesterday with the rest of what you ordered." Ayre paused, "I put in the request using your credentials... I hope you don't mind."

<>

She watched as Raven did a set of final checks on her AC, content to leave the organizing to Ayre. And Walter, she supposed. Perhaps she could field mission requests for Raven too? Walter seemed to deal exclusively with the corporations, so she would contact the Liberation Front.

...

The hangar was preparing to drop when Walter spoke up. "...621. Are you still hearing things? Tell me if it happens on the job. I'll make adjustments."

A feeling like ice spread through 621 at those words, and it sent off a negative response.

It couldn't tell anyone about that ever again.

The hangar was in position and OBSIDIAN WING was dropping toward the ground a moment later, coming to rest on an ice shelf overlooking the Hjalmar Mine. It would be a quick in and out mission. Balam always paid extra for destroying targets, but they valued expediency and results more. Couldn't get paid if Arquebus packed up and escaped with a drone.

621 cleared the area around the first survey drone before connecting to it, quickly taking control of the poorly secured systems.

The defending MTs and missile emplacements couldn't hope to stop an AC as agile as this, and it tore the data away from their cold fingers. It was an analysis of surface level coral, postulated to mostly be leftovers from the devastation of fifty years ago.

"Remnants of the Fires still drift in Rubicon's atmosphere." said Ayre, "Trails of residual Coral, like the one we passed through on our journey here."

It could feel sadness from Ayre. The Fires had destroyed everything. No living thing had escaped the hell that descended on Rubicon.

Then again, Cinders, the names of the apparent "survivors" have apparently made it through.

The second drone was down in the pit, on the suspended platform. The missile launcher made quick work of the nearby helicopter squad, and 621 kicked the defending MT off the structure before sheltering behind part of a wall while accessing the next survey drone.

It was a sonar report for the ice field, depicting an area that appeared empty under the ice.

<>

621's partner was silent for a while.

"I don't know, Raven." she answered honestly, "I've never heard of such a thing, but there is a lot I don't know about Rubicon."

Assault boost allowed them to ascend to the upper edges of the mine, where the third drone was located. A nearby MT squadron was closing in as it extracted data from the third drone. There would be no avoiding them.

It was a report on abandoned PCA installations. After the Closure System was completed, the PCA had little need for large planetside forces, and had abandoned most of their bases, and while old, they would likely be more than usable still.

"Even the Rubiconians have forsaken this lifeless place." said Ayre, "If the PCA has their eye on it, Coral must be involved..."

The duo of mechs and MTs with the tetrapod fell easily to the missile launcher and shotguns, but the tetrapod would be tougher. The cannon on its back nearly staggered OBSIDIAN WING, with a timely boost out of the center of the blast ensuring it was only scorched and battered some.

The machine gun and a follow up kick left the machine's pilot disoriented long enough for the laser blade to critically damage it.

621 turned back toward the final drone's location and left, ignoring the ejected MT pilots. They were no threat.

Only a quartet of helicopters and a few MTs defended the last drone, and were swiftly dispatched. The data from the drone showed a survey of the Alean Ocean, and a massive area the size of a small city that no survey drones had returned from.

"Who knows what's out there, on this vast sheet of ice..." said Ayre.

...

Walter watched as the hound cleaned up the Arquebus MT force that had returned, their machines woefully outclassed by a pilot of this caliber.

An incoming transmission flashed, showing a Redguns signature, and he linked it into the feed he and 621 shared.

"Attention, G13 Raven!" said a voice.

It was Balam's mercenary liaison. What did they want?

"Looks like you ruffled some feathers." they went on, "They're taking their drones back to HQ. I want you to find them and stop them!"

Walter quickly marked the provided location for 621, watching as it sped off. It seemed a lot had changed while it was crossing over to the ice field. He'd been startled to see the new paint scheme it had decided on, and it had even renamed the machine.

Not that it mattered, but it seemed very odd. Usually mercenaries did that much sooner. Why had it just now chosen to do so?

The hound broke through the small defensive perimeter, mauling the smaller MTs and starting to engage the tetrapod when the buzzing became audible, like a swarm of angry insects.

...

"Laser sweep!" Ayre warned, "Watch out, Raven!"

Ayre could feel Raven's gratitude through the connection, the sense of security that came from having someone watch your back.

The tightly clustered beams were impossible to dodge, and the tetrapod was cut in half. She watched as Raven quick-boosted backwards desperately, trying to gain enough space to slip between the beams. The intense heat scorched the white paint as it passed, leaving soot marks and small patches of bubbling metal, but OBSIDIAN WING was intact.

"That ship... it's identifying as PCA!" said Walter.

Walter sounded perturbed, an odd thing to hear from the normally stoic man.

What made him so afraid?

A second later the cockpit was filled with blaring alarms. Half a dozen targeting radars had acquired a lock, and moments later a swarm of missiles filled the air, launched from the belly of the warship. Raven targeted the batteries it could see, unleashing a volley of missiles in return to try to stave off further launches before desperately boosting to evade.

The majority of the missiles slipped past, losing tracking and detonating harmlessly on the snow below. The last half dozen detonated themselves early, the shockwave damaging the shoulder launcher on OBSIDIAN WING.

"Raven, your missile launcher has sustained damage." Ayre notified, "Reload speed is reduced, if it moves any faster it will jam."

Out of the belly of the ship came a trio of PCA MTs, which were easily dispatched.

"That's not Subject Guard..." said Ayre, "Did they send in an enforcement squad?!"

Ayre spotted a trio of new machines on top of the ice shelf and marked them for Raven, who took notice and activated an assault boost to close the distance with them.

"621." said Walter, "That's an LC, the PCA's rank and file, and a big step up from Subject Guard MTs."

Give us some useful info Walter. Raven mentally begged.

OBSIDIAN WING dodged the first shot from the laser rifles, but the second caught his on the torso and slagged some of the armor plating, revealing the frame beneath.

The many blasts from the dual missile launchers disintegrated one of the LCs, and the other was impaled as Raven jumped forward, swinging his arm mounted pile bunker like a spear without bothering to charge it. The lighter frame was crippled by the hit, careering backwards and leaking smoke to land crumpled on the ground.

...

Another radar warning.

The remaining LC launched a flight of missiles before taking aim, bazooka cratering the ground where 621 had been before it dodged, its shotguns targeting and firing, only for it to do nothing. A shield on the LC's left arm had almost completely negated the incoming projectiles along with the missile volley.

The laser blade sliced the first one, time for a repeat.

A quickboost threw 621 into range and it lunged forward with the massive melee weapon only for the LC to zip out of the way, delivering a kick in return that sent OBSIDIAN WING reeling.

It could feel Ayre's fear, but also her steadfast belief.

This one is faster than I thought it would be. It admitted.

The LC thought they had the advantage, closed the distance as 621 let its AC fall, faking a temporary malfunction. As soon as the enemy machine was close enough it stopped, bracing to fire its bazooka again. 621 activated quickboost, watching the rear radar to slip past the round while still facing backwards.

OBSIDIAN WING's back opened, the expansion system charging and releasing a devastating sphere of energy, overwhelming the PCA machine instantly. 621 turned, swinging the laser blade, knocking the shield aside only to gouge the torso armor, not managing to penetrate it at all.

What are these things?

A punch to the core was what 621 received for its poor judgment, the hit from the now shieldless arm throwing OBSIDIAN WING back against the ice. 621 activated assault boost in return, rocketing toward the enemy machine, dodging the bazooka round and catching them with the shotguns to leave them momentarily immobilized in the air.

I won't make the same mistake twice.

The pile bunker charged, swinging forward with deadly intent; the pile fired with explosive force and gored the enemy machine, leaving it hanging limply on the end for a moment before it retracted.

Both machines fell toward the ground, one still standing, the other lifeless. 621 looked down at the crumpled form, surprised by the size of it. It hadn't seemed so large from a distance, but up close it was startling.

...

A sudden spike on the IR sensors drew Ayre's attention. Some kind of weapon was preparing to fire.

"I'm picking up a massive heat signature in the distance! Raven, evasive action!" she shouted.

Raven boosted, and a moment later a projectile wreathed in a glowing halo screeched past, gouging a massive hole into the ice shelf. The IR sensors flared again, this time the steady output of massive engines.

"The warship's making a second approach!" Ayre notified.

She watched as Raven ascended to the top of the ice shelf, allowed her generator to recharge, and then launched herself off, heading straight for the warship.

Ayre quickly looked over the sensor scans of the enemy vessel. The bridge was obviously weak, but it would take more than that to destroy the warship.

"Raven, once you're on the deck, there's a massive energy signature coming from the warship, about a dozen meters in front of the bridge, inside the superstructure." Ayre informed, "If you can get close enough, if struck just right, your laser blade should be able to breach the armor. That's your best bet for destroying it."

...

The hound landed on the deck of the PCA warship, closing on the bridge. It was only a few paces from it when it swapped to the pile bunker, the weapon charging as it boosted forward, discharging and spearing into the superstructure.

A sudden gout of flame exploded from the fissure, followed by more as the warship began to shudder.

"It's going to blow!" Walter shouted, "Get clear, 621!"

It was already off the deck by then, landing in the little valley to watch as the vessel fell to the ground below in a burning wreck.

"...Looks like the coast is clear... The closure area is SG's jurisdiction." said Walter, "Why send an enforcement squad and a warship?"

It didn't make any damn sense, what the PCA was doing now. Had their attack on the Watchpoint provoked this?

"Wait! Over there!" Walter warned.

The fog horn of another warship sounded as it became visible over the ice shelf, heading toward the old spaceport that was visible in the distance.

"Trespassers to Rubicon. This is your warning." they shouted, "Disarm and withdraw from the closure area immediately. Resistance will be regarded as a declaration of war... and you will be marked for termination. The PCA makes no exceptions."

Walter just stared at the feed in disbelief. A PCA suppression fleet arriving was an unmitigated disaster for his plans. There was no room for anything but a desperate fight for survival now.

"Looks like we got a little too eager, 621..." said Walter, "Us and the corporations both."

...

621 watched as the massive warship fleet passed by overhead, already withdrawing back toward where it had deployed from.

Ayre's voice was quiet.

"The PCA... they're coming..." she dreaded.

We can't fight that by ourselves. 621 observed.

"Raven, your transport chopper is safely hidden, but it's a few klicks out." said Ayre, "You'll need to get there on foot, I don't think we should risk bringing it any closer to the PCA fleet."

<>

...

"Raven... that PCA fleet is going to crush the corporate forces." said Ayre worriedly.

<>

Ayre could feel that Raven still didn't understand that he was more than a hound. He'd just found another he had to listen to, was all. With time, hopefully she could help him escape those shackles, and fight for his own beliefs.

https://youtu.be/WEsibVKPNA0

________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for Reading!