A new message came from ALLMIND, the mercenary liaison organization and weapons manufacturer operating on this crazy planet Rubicon during this Coral War. It was primarily responsible for providing logistical support to various mercenaries, including access to its various services and facilities, including the Parts Shop, its simulators, and the virtual Arena.

Raven had been forgetting like a lot that it itself had been offering missions. One of them being something about a phenomenon project called, "Coral Release."

"Registration number Rb23. Augmented human C4-621, Raven." said the familiar feminine A.I voice, "ALLMIND has identified you as a potential asset to the Release Project. Accordingly, we would like to assign you the following mission. Following the attack on Watchpoint Delta, Rubicon has experienced a series of Coral upsurges. Of these, the corporations have seized 1.6% of the estimated total volume. They plan to analyze this Coral at their research bases, and have initiated an air transport operation. We cannot allow the corporations to interfere with the Project. Attack the Jorgen Refueling Base, and destroy as many corporate transports as possible. We are prepared to sacrifice the Coral that will be lost upon destruction of the transports. In order to achieve Release, we must draw out the full potential of the Coral density effect. As such, we have no use for Coral that has been orphaned from the main population... ALLMIND anticipates great things from you."

"Raven... If we're to find a way to achieve Coral Release... we have to take this request." said Ayre.

Raven tapped against the side of his helmet. If they're to do this and help this plan he and Ayre have in mind, then maybe this might be it. Letting so many transports filled with Coral getting away would probably be bad.

38 transports worth of Coral, making about 1.6% of the entire thing. So much of the Coral still exists here. Amazing.

"...ALLMIND reiterates its gratitude for your favorable response." said the system, "Kindly commence the operation."

...

OBSIDIAN WING landed with a loud thud against the ground just inside the massive base. And immediately, the AC took off once Raven engaged the assault boost.

"Your objective is to destroy all the Coral transports." ALLMIND informed him, "Independent Kate Markson will dispose of any transports that escape the combat zone. Just be aware that she also has her limits."

Kate Markson. That's right. Raven almost forgot that one.

She contacted Handler Walter to hire him to eliminate Planetary Closure Administration inspection squads on BAWS Arsenal No. 2. Once they first met, encountering one another, Kate gave nothing but praises and encouragement to Raven, while also fighting alongside them in her TRANSCRIBER.

He did remember something when Walter considered the fact that a mercenary hiring another for a job strange, but accepted Kate's request anyway.

Throughout the mission, Walter would try to obtain more information about her and he discovered that she was apparently unregistered, even in the Arena. Ayre then mentioned that he also became suspicious once Kate rendezvous with Raven and led an attack on PCA special forces that were also operating near the Arsenal.

And that was it.

A voice snapped Raven back into reality and out of his thoughts once he heard voices over the comms while he destroyed the first three transports.

"Enemy attack!" shouted an Arquebus MT squad member, "It's one AC!"

"They want the Coral!" another realized, "Defend the transports!"

Raven was already hit by a few laser, but they weren't too strong so therefore a repair kit wasn't needed obviously.

"Take care to remain clear of any Coral combustion events that occur." ALLMIND warned.

That was right. Coral could be aggressively reactive once coming into heavy contact from harm. Raven quickly remembered the was the SEA SPIDER went boom. And also the horrified tone Ayre gave off when she found out that they literally used Coral as fuel.

For a moment, he thought back to it...

No, no. He can't lose focus. Not right now.

He saw one of the transports just about to escape the combat zone. He then fired his bazooka and missiles all at the transport, causing it to explode immediately.

"It seems you have finished here. Wait, transports detected below the cliff." warned ALLMIND, then ordered, "Investigate immediately."

OBSIDIAN WING's assault boost was immediately engaged and it zoomed towards the edge of the cliff, spotting many more transports. About six to be exact. Six more transports shouldn't be too hard, having taken down four transports already in a matter of unhesitating minutes.

"Enemy AC!" another squad member screamed, "It's coming from above!"

"The Liberation Front?!" another panicked.

"The Rubiconians wouldn't risk burning the Coral." another answered, "Who's behind this?!"

"Multiple targets confirmed. Ensure you eliminate them all." ALLMIND ordered.

To them, it made no sense. But like Raven cared at the moment. He shot down a few more before the enemy contacts came back.

"We're losing them!" said one, "Where's out backup?!"

"They never trained me to pilot a PCA machine, pal!" another complained.

Raven then split up his missiles to focus on the enemy MTs and use his laser blade to damage the next few, eventually blowing another up with his bazooka. ALLMIND then ordered him to continue the mission. He checked OBSIDIAN WING's AP percentage.

Barely close to halfway down. Perfect. He wouldn't be needing a repair charge anytime soon hopefully. Ayre's voice soon came in, sounding low.

"Raven..." she started.

He could feel that she wanted to say more, even merely just sounding like it, but for some reason she stopped.

"For now... let's just focus on the mission." she finished rather abruptly.

Raven nodded and then handled the rest of the MTs with the missiles, then heading up to the other side of the cliff.

"Targets acquired." said ALLMIND, "Multiple transports attempting breakthrough."

"Damn it!" an enemy cursed, "We've been spotted!"

"We just need to get one transport through." said another then shouted, "Sniper team, cover us!"

Raven then took down two more transports before dodging one or two more sniper lasers from the MTs. One got him on the right shoulder however, but it was still technically fine. Repair charges still not needed.

"Raven." said Ayre, sounding low again, "Use the vertical catapults to move between upper and lower areas. We can't spend too long on a single target... You need to move fast."

The AC launched a few missiles that ended up missing their aim. Suddenly Ayre shouted that there was some transport activity below. They were trying to sneak past them. Raven looked down, seeing the other transports attempting liftoff.

Raven used his laser sword to heavily cover more area and damaged two and missile launched the third while using the bazooka to luckily destroy the other two. Raven got clear before they blew up, red aura erupting violently like all the others.

"We've got a loose transport overhead!" Ayre warned.

<>

The next two were owned by the missile launchers and a bazooka blast.

"Raven, below!" Ayre shouted.

Two started to speed their way up to escape. OBSIDIAN WING's laser blade got one, but the boosters required a long recharge before use again. Raven then skidded below the bridge the escaping transport had flown above and aimed his bazooka very carefully.

<>

And with that, he fired. The blazing bullet came right up and shot it out of the sky, causing it to blow up like all the others before it.

"...Is that the last of them...?" asked Ayre, her voice sounding hurt.

Then the disagreeing answer came along:

"Multiple targets acquired. Dispose of them." ALLMIND ordered.

Raven could feel Ayre's disappointment. But he couldn't allow his emotions to distract him. He needed to stay focused and just get this job done , for her sake for whatever reason.

Raven engaged in an assault boost towards the last remaining transports. Two groups. Group one carrying four. Second group holding about six. Making twelve in total. He used the right shoulder missile launchers to destroy the first two, and the left one shoulder to wreck the others.

"It does not please us to lose the orphaned Cora..." ALLMIND claimed, "But when the Release Project succeeds... their sacrifice will be rewarded."

Raven could feel Ayre's small but noticeable doubt. No, he needs to stay on the mission. He needs to.

Focus.

Focus.

Focus.

"Right hand ammunition at 50%." the COM system warned.

He then charged up his laser blade to the fullest, and let the blade slice straight trhough all six transports within two spinning attacks.

"Confirmed. All targets destroyed. Mission accomplished." said ALLMIND, "Augmented human C4-621, Raven. Your performance was exemplary. Kate also sends her commendation... 'Nice shooting, Raven.' We shall meet again."

...

OBSIDIAN WING was safely stored in the hangar. Raven had noticed that Ayre had been mostly quiet for quite some time. She hadn't spoken to him since she hoped for the last of the transports.

<>

"Not now, Raven," said Ayre.

Raven was almost taken aback, hearing the almost harsh tone in her voice. What was she mad at him about? Then he started to wonder... is she... more connected to the Coral than he originally thought?

Ayre could feel her partner's guilt suddenly start rising. She didn't mean to sound so rude to him. He was just doing his job, from ALLMIND. Maybe... it was a mistake...

Well, she knew she couldn't leave him feeling bad.

"I'm sorry, Raven," she apologized, "I just... didn't expect it to... well... it's... go like this. You see, it's... i-it's complicated..."

<>

Ayre then leaned her head against his shoulder. She should tell him soon. Soon before he gets caught up with a wrong idea...

...

The attack on the Spaceport had been successful, and yet Snail found himself reviewing the report again, wondering how everything else had gone wrong. All the Vespers had to show for themselves was one front that had managed to make a net gain, where Freud was deployed. The rest had lost varying amounts of troops to the PCA that were much greater than the losses they inflicted in return.

V.IV had been quick and efficient in his part of the plan, and while he did well against the HC, it was the independent mercenary who again carried the day. Half a dozen destroyed LCs or more, five warships, and the killing blow on both officers. They were a deadly spear, one he would need to use to strike at the heart of the PCA and Balam to ensure their victory. The rest of the squad would be kept back as support.

There would need to be contingencies in case it ever turned on them though. Couldn't leave such a powerful asset off a leash. If push came to shove, he'd send V.I or V.IV after it. They alone of the remaining Vespers might have the skill to handle it. Or, if things became truly desperate, he'd deal with it himself.

Snail's lip curled in distaste as at the thought of it. A generation four would hardly be a challenge for one such as himself.

...

"Raven, Walter has forwarded us an itinerary and a briefing." Ayre's voice came, "It's for passage back to Belius for the mission. And the briefing, it's from 'Cinder' Carla. They're ready for you whenever you'd like."

She watched as Raven skimmed through the itinerary and started the chopper to get them to the drop off point, peeking over his shoulder at the briefing. Carla briefly explained the technology protecting the front of the worm. Humans figured out how to use Coral to do that?! Ayre thought in almost horror before moving on.

"Ordinary weapons can't touch it. So let's get extraordinary," Carla had said.

The diagrams the briefing showed next were of a weapon that, if the size of the tracks below it were any indication, was likely massive; A supersized rail cannon to deal with the equally ridiculous ice worm.

Raven had switched out his Zimmerman shotgun with a EL-PW-01 TRUENO needle launcher on his right shoulder. The pile bunker was switched out with a B0-044 HUXLEY Bullet orbit. The light shotgun was replaced with a DF-MG-02 CHANG-CHEN Machine gun. The laser blade kept its place.

Their destination was Grid 012, and as evidenced by the low number, was a very old part of the Grid. Footage showed twisted metal structures, long since falling apart, with leaning pillars and hanging debris. It was there that the leader of the Junker Coyotes, "Honest" Brute, had hidden himself and his stolen loot he brought with him from RaD. The images of the rail cannon hanging there in one of the massive hangars of a Grid, was confirmation that it was as big as Ayre had expected it to be. Maybe even larger.

"We're nearly at the drop off, Raven." she informed him, "I'll set the chopper down now and put it in storage mode."

Their trip over to the Contaminated Zone was uneventful and passed quickly. RaD apparently had their own cargo floatship they were using to ferry corporate cargo, so Raven got his own private compartment. Once they had landed a transport heli came to pick OBSIDIAN WING up to get them to the target. Carla had warned them that the machine Brute piloted was a rather durable machine, so Raven had swapped her Truenos back out for the pile bunker and JVLN missile launcher.

The transport dropped him onto an upper area of Grid 012, a platform that was probably connected to others at one point but was now a canted, damaged piece of almost-scrap. Raven was just leaving the platform when a voice boomed out over the local alert system.

"Welcome, tourist!" The cheerful tone seemed almost fake in its enthusiasm. Nobody actually talked like that. "It's a delight to enjoy the company of a visitor from so far away."

Carla's distaste was bleeding through the comms. "Brute. We're here to take back what you stole from us."

He must have been listening on the unencrypted wideband, because a moment later he chuckled. "Oh, heavens! You're a friend of Carla's! Splendid... Any friend of Carla's is a friend of mine. Here's to new beginnings...! By all means, be my guest."

By now Raven had made his way down another platform, engaging his bullet orbit and dodging the PCA suicide drone weapons as she went. Ahead was a platform with dozens of RaD MTs on it, laser sensors set up to wake the machines if tripped. There was a secondary platform to the side, and a curious energy signature emitted from it. He made his way over, avoiding the lasers, and found a cargo container, which he marked for the heli to pick up. Hopefully it would have something useful.

Two more platforms down was a large junction section, the remains of a rail system. At the opposite side he spotted a BAWS tetrapod MT, along with a smattering of smaller RaD machines. He jumped around the side, dispatching the smaller targets while the tetrapod tried futilely to hit her with a back-mounted cannon, but he was far too agile for that. And when it was just the pair of them, a JVLN missile followed by a burst from the shotguns as he closed in with assault boost, and finally a kick to the leg, staggered the machine; a moment later it exploded when the pile bunker pierced through it.

"Raven, there's a group of enemies ahead. They've deployed a shield, but all we need is Brute. We could bypass them entirely," Ayre suggested.

The twisted internals of the structure were criss-crossed with laser tripwires, but they were easily visible to her sensors and avoided.

"I've done my best to welcome you. I do hope you'll enjoy your stay, friend..." said Brute.

A minute later they were overlooking the hangar that had been shown in the briefing. Carla's voice then came. "Jump down there and we've got him cornered... Don't forget, the guy's a rat. This won't be smooth sailing."

Raven gently floated down, watching as Ayre probed the long range radar to see if she could spot the hostile AC somewhere. "I can't detect any readings from our target down there. We should find somewhere elevated to do a penetrating scan."

She alighted to one of the support beams to the left of the massive weapon hanging there. The penetrating scan ran, and finally detected an AC sitting less than a hundred meters from them in the rafters.

At first, Raven just wanted to get this over with. However, for some reason, he felt something strange... he didn't know what it was. But it felt as if it was telling him to just let Brute, as strange (like what Ayre said not too long ago) as he sounds, he might as well die happy, if that's how it works.

Then a sudden AC came right for him. Thankfully he dodged his fatal-looking chainsaw.

"Ah, my new friend! You're here at last!" he greeted in what sounded positively.

"Brute!" Carla spat.

He might have underestimated how angry Carla was.

"Ah, Carla... You've introduced me to such wonderful people." said Brute calmly, "Wonderful things."

Raven pursued Brute down toward the floor of the hangar.

"Mmmmm, the sweet melody of the generator. How MILK TOOTH's heart sings." Brute sang.

A blasts of his machine gun at max range was evaded with a boost, his jumping trajectory also throwing off his needles.

"Slow, slow, quick... quick, slow... Slow, slow, quick... quick, slow..." he said in almost what sounded like concentration, "Let's trip the light fantastic, friend."

Raven dodged the blast from his spread bazooka in return, dancing in a circle around him.

<>

...

Immersed in their Contact, Ayre could feel her partner's hidden joy as they dueled with the doser leader. Brute wasn't an awful pilot, but he had nothing on Raven, who made an effortless show of embarrassing him.

When he tried to catch them with missiles, Raven's boost trajectory sent them flying past aimlessly. The bazooka couldn't even get close to scratch the paint, and when he tried to use the massive chainsaw on them he simply kicked the body of the weapon away. His only hope was the flamethrower he carried, and while it scorched their paint it did little else during the few times it washed over them.

The body of OBSIDIAN WING was like an extension of his own, powerful legs leaping to throw off aim and sturdy arms bracing against the power of his laser blade. And when Brute decided to close the range again, he felt the surge of energy that rose through them before the assault armor caused MILK TOOTH to seize up, leaving it open for the pile bunker.

The spike tore through the right shoulder and upper right torso of the machine, ripping the arm off but not seeming to harm any other parts. Brute had lost his flamethrower, but not his desire to kill them.

And so the dance resumed.

Ayre embraced her partner as they danced, content to let him do what he wanted, knowing he was not at risk.

And so they danced, enveloped in each other and one with the machine, dancing around the platform. Eventually their song ended, and Brute got too close, eating a volley from the missiles followed by a kick that staggered him. MILK TOOTH found itself with a caved in core a second later courtesy of his laser blade, launching him back.

"Why, friend... This is a gift..." Gouts of fire erupted from the ruined armor as it lay there on its back. "Thank... you..."

<>

"Yes, Raven?" the Coral Intelligence replied.

<>

Ayre nodded and did her best to hack into MILK TOOTH's systems. She forced the ejection system to activate. They saw the pod skyrocket. They weren't sure if it was going to blow up or something but they almost wished him luck.

Raven could hear his partner asking him, in an honest and curious voice, how come he wanted that. Well, to start off, he knew the dude was crazy, but maybe there's still a chance maybe? Or that could just be Ayre rubbing off on him. And mostly because he kind of felt bad for Brute.

He then smirked a bit, the best he could do for Ayre.

<>

"Thank you, Raven," replied Ayre, "I do hope we can do this some other time."

Raven then felt something being wrapped around his body. He didn't know what that was, but it did feel comfortable.

...

Carla sighed in relief as the tourist finally finished off Brute. It had spent quite a while playing with him, avoiding his attacks in ways only someone of much superior skill could. Almost like it had been dancing with him.

"Looks like he's dead." she said coldly, "Good."

It had been a while since she'd really wanted to see someone hurt like that, personally. In this world, leading a company like RaD, it was unavoidable she'd be dealing with death. But Brute... he'd abused her trust, stolen her precious projects, hurt RaD... With him, it was personal.

...

The adrenaline was still pumping as they boarded the transport and Ayre could feel the phantom sensation of gliding across the ground, circling a spot in that hangar. Being Synchronized was never boring, but it was rarely so thrilling as that had been. Even now she was snuggled close to Raven, entwined in the cockpit, embracing his presence with her own.

Her own joy at this, how Raven now felt emotions of her own and was more than just an empty husk that he had been before their Contact, fed back into the loop. It resonated in a feedback, their ecstasy only starting to ease when the helicopter was approaching the drop point.

...

Walter read over the report from Carla on the mission to retrieve her prototype, which looked to be exactly what they needed to give them a fighting chance against the Ice Worm. Figures that she'd spend her time preparing contingencies for the relics the Institute might have left behind. She never did like to do things for no reason.

It also seemed she'd never given up her tinkering and toys. He cracked a grin at how she described it as though it were a favored pet or her "child." For all her age she had managed to retain all of the cheerfulness of youth when it came to her inventions.

...

Flatwell felt his mouth twist into a grimace as the coded communication arrived. The wolf had finally managed to get a message to them after a month, taking excessive precaution to avoid any chance of being compromised. It was a short one, but the warning in it might save a lot of lives.

[Branch to clear Dam. One day. Extended silence.]

He'd need to contact Rainer and reach out to Raven and see if he was in Belius at the moment, and failing that, try to arrange to get her over there as soon as possible. They didn't have any shipments moving, but they could scramble a long distance flight from a smaller transport if it meant stopping this assault.

With the expansion to the Central Ice Field and the fighting in central and southern Belius, the Gallia Dam garrison had been reduced, and even if Dunham was available he'd not be enough. They needed someone with a savage fury to oppose these mercenaries Arquebus would be sending, two of the most skilled available in the system.

If the people at the Dam survived, it would be because they were borne to victory of the wings of freedom.

________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for Reading!

Hey guys, I'm back from my break! I've been trying to add in some NG++ plot material in here and realized that I haven't been doing very well when it came to ALLMIND so I decided that maybe here was a good idea.

If possible, let me know if there's some other ALLMIND-involving missions for this plot.