Raven was busy cracking literally every bone in his body as augmented humanly possible. He then felt Ayre perk up at the corners of his consciousness. He then nodded and leaned back.

<>

"I'll explain our mission." she started, "Carla's last trick has rendered the Xylem inoperable. There's only one way left to stop it from colliding and igniting the Coral... We have to take the whole thing down."

Raven looked at her with shock. Taking an entire colony down? No AC built can do that. Unless...

"The lower drive block is powered by large skyrmion generations distributed throughout the area." Ayre continued, "If we destroy all the generators and stop the ramjet engine the upper city sector... then we can crash the Xylem into the Alea Ocean without impacting human life."

He then got it. Ayre stopped him however before he could click the button to get this mission started.

"One more thing. I took the liberty of using your name to rally allies to our aid: 'Beyond scorched skies, Raven fights on.'" said Ayre, her voice sounding so hopeful, "No one has shaped Rubicon's destiny as much as you have. Come and see what the name 'Raven' means to them."

<>

OBSIDIAN WING was then lifted from the ground as Ayre said, "Let's go, Raven." She then mentioned that one of their allies should be arriving already. Raven couldn't wait to meet them.

...

They stood out on the edge of the city. There, they saw an AC coming by. It wasn't one Raven could recognize at the very moment.

It was armed with a EL-PW-00 VIENTO Needle Gun, a Vvc-774LS Laser Slicer, BO-044 HUXLEY Needle Missile Launcher, and a BO-044 HUXLEY Bullet Orbit. Ayre quickly identified it as EL-PH-00 ALBA, codenamed STEEL HAZE ORTUS.

<>

"Looks like the guest of honor's here." came Rusty's snottish voice, "Hey, buddy. Never thought I'd be rubbing shoulders with the liberator of Rubicon."

Whoa. "Liberator of Rubicon?" Raven honestly never thought he'd be called that. Especially because of how much he did against the Rubicon Liberation Front at first. The two ACs looked down, seeing explosions on the surface of the planet. The war was still raging down there. Then again, of course it was.

"Every Rubiconian who heard your cry rose up to fight." Rusty explained, "Let's show them a future for Rubicon, beyond these scorched skies."

...

"V.IV... Rusty was the first to offer his help." Ayre explained.

It was nice to have someone like Rusty on their side. She admired his courage, even his "snotty attitude."

And she was so surprised when she realized that he was literally a secret spy for the RLF, pretending to be a Vesper. She wondered what it must be like, did people in the RLF not know, in order to keep it top secret? She wondered. Raven and Rusty both assault boosted side by side with each other.

"Never thought the plan would go so wrong... But it's good teaming up with you again." said Rusty, "Couldn't have hoped for a better silver lining.."

Ayre then confirmed one of the targets being one of the skyrmion generators. STEEL HAZE ORTUS blocked the enemies' attacks while OBSIDIAN WING destroyed one of the generators. The entire room began to turn crimson once red lights illuminated the area.

"Looks like the Liberation Front has broken into Institute City." said Rusty, "You should hear this, patching you in."

"Now, comrades!" shouted an RLF Ground Troup, "Rout the corporations! We'll show Raven, the Rubiconians will wallow in the ashes no more!"

The transmission ended. Who'd have ever thought that the RLF would finally start attacking more aggressively now?

"Slogans scrawled in ash were never going to change Rubicon..." said Rusty, "The cinders are alive with flame once more."

The true Fires of Rubicon; Fires that flame from life, not from destruction. Each candle flickered like a heartbeat and gave off warmth to keep that life alive. Raven could feel all this hope from Ayre.

"Surround the Plant!" shouted the troops once again,"Keep pushing them back!"

"It's time." said another, "Deploying the Schneider AC."

"Sounds like quite the party down there." Rusty half-joked, "Love to see all my hard work paying off."

Raven grinned as they continued their way through the Xylem, searching for the generators. Soon, they bumped into a new machine.

"That's the machine from Grid 080..." Ayre notified.

"Looks like we got our work cut out for us." said Rusty, "It'll be just like when we climbed the Wall."

OBSIDIAN WING and STEEL HAZE ORTUS both headed right for the SMART CLEANER. Rusty suggested their old tactic: Rusty the distraction and Raven the one who lands the more critical hits.

Rusty would call the thing names despite its lack of the ability to actually express emotions. Raven meanwhile fired into the hole of lava, damaging the SMART CLEANER's insides.

OBSIDIAN WING had been switched out right before the battle, being given the PB-330M Pie Bunker, replacing the the laser blade, keeping the bazooka, and giving the BML-G1/P07VTC-12 twelve-cell Vertical Missile Launcher, and the legendary stun needle launcher that killed the Ice Worm.

Raven aimed the stun needle at the hole and opened fire, staggering the SMART CLEANER with one perfectly-placed shot. He then assault boost kicked it in the exposed eye and used the pile bunker to smash it away, cracking it greatly.

It then lifted up its grinder arms and swung around. It merely scratched off some of the black paint, but that wasn't important at the very moment.

STEEL HAZE ORTUS shot a few of his own missiles to keep the thing distracted.

Raven knew he could count on him. And in close to no time at all, they were able to blow the enemy up.

"Confirmed. SMART CLEANER destroyed." informed Ayre, "Wait, I'm detecting hostiles ahead of the Xylem... Enemy fleet approaching!"

"Guess Arquebus decided to escalate..." said Rusty, "They must really want us dead."

<>

"Let me handle the fleet. You've got a mission to finish. ...I'm counting on you, buddy."

Well, there goes Rusty, again. Well, at least this time they took down the big guy before he left this time. Raven didn't mind it the first time, but still...

"...Let's keep up the pace, Raven." Ayre reminded him.

<>

OBSIDIAN WING then assault boosted into the giant colony itself. Time to get back to work. Huh, funny. For a moment, Raven was beginning to think like Walter. Is that bad? Somehow, it felt like it was. He opened the door and jumped right inside.

"We're entering the drive block's core. Watch out for ambushes." Ayre wanted, "There's two skyrmion generators left."

And there it was; An ambush by some MTs. Didn't take long for Raven to dispose of them. Ayre then reminded him that once they've shut the other generators down, they'll need to deal with the ramjet engine.

"Destroy the generators and head outside." Ayre ordered.

It was a different version of the familiar ordering voice Raven would hear form everyone. It was more gentle. Almost like it... No, no. He needed to continue the mission, for Ayre.

"Sustained major damage!" shouted an Arquebus Intercepter Crewmember, "We're dropping like flies out here! Target is one AC! Identification... V.IV... Rusty?! He's supposed to be dead! Full barrage! Don't let him get any closer!"

"You're out of luck." Rusty quipped, "There's only one person who can keep up with me."

Raven thought about what Rusty just said as OBSIDIAN WING destroyed the next generator. Was he that "one person?" It's kind of true. His build has been known for such speed. But he couldn't focus on that right now at the moment.

He headed into the next room and aimed his bazooka at the last remaining generator. He pulled the trigger and ended it.

"All skyrmion generators destroyed!" Ayre quickly informed, "get clear, Raven. The drive block's going to explode!"

<>

He then began to start making his quick way out of this room. Suddenly cme the voice of Rusty. He sounded... nervous?

"Bad news, buddy. Something's heading straight for your position." he warned, "I've never seen something move that fast... They must have finished work on BALTHEUS!"

A supply tank quickly came by and resupplied OBSIDIAN WINg's weaponry. Good thing that came by.

"Raven, we need to get outside fast!" Ayre warned.

<>

"...Raven, the independent mercenary. You're not the mutt I thought you were." came V.II Snail's voice.

Wow, so formal. Didn't expect that. Oh, no, Raven kind of did. The slippery bastard. Raven quickboosted out of the area. Suddenly, a massive machine came right by. It looked like BALTHEUS back when he and Ayre first made Contact, but it looked different.

This version replaced the missile launchers and the flame weapons with more ranged pulse and energy weaponry, Arquebus' circulating-current generators for energy firearms spec (indicated by its thrust colors turning from orange to blue), and unlike the PCA original, it was pilotable.

"That machine!" Ayre gasped.

"You're below that, you are vermin!" said Snail.

<>

"Analyzing enemy data." Ayre analyzed, "AAP074, ARQUEBUS BALTHEUS. Pilot identified as V.II Snail!"

With one shot from one of its heavy plasma cannons, OBSIDIAN WING was instantly stunned, however, thankfully it got out of the way of ARQUEBUS BALTHEUS' second blast.

Raven fired the bazooka, but huffed at the arealization of its pulse armor. Hate that stuff. He then took off, going right for him. He boost kicked ARQUEBUS BALTHEUS and then shot out the bazooka again, this time staggering it, breaking through the pulse armor.

V.II Snail saw the hound take out a pile bunker and slam him into the wall behind him.

Next was the stun needle. Should've found wherever that dog go its gear ans destroy it. OBSIDIAN WING was suddenly shoved off once ARQUEBUS BALTHEUS boosted away from it as Snail reengaged the pulse armor.

"...The Xylem is doomed. Good." he said, "It would be most inconvenient to see our hard-won Coral go up to smoke."

<>

"Rabble rousing the locals... another inconvenience, but I'll overlook that."

<>

OBSIDIAN WING then shot out the stun needle at V.II Snail , critically weakening the pulse armor.

"No, your crime is that you tried to kill me. Kill Arquebus." Snail growled, "You are vermin, and I will be rid of you!"

<>

The enemy was staggered once more, and Raven plunged his pile bunker against V.II Snail, knocking him away. Suddenly, energy began to violently pulse.

"Energy output is ramping out again!" Ayre shouting in warning.

But the rays already staggered OBSIDIAN WING.

"Out of my sight, vermin!" shouted Snail.

Suddenly, two purple beams began to shoot and glide right towards Raven, who luckily dodged to the side and right below ARQUEBUS BALTHEUS.

"That traitor, V.IV..." he growled, "Those dolts at Command... And worst of all, you, the pest of Rubicon who stirred the cinders... You sicken me! All of you!"

<>

OBSIDIAN WING once again got caught by the purple lasers, forcing Raven to burn out his last repair kits.

"I'll crush you underfoot! I AM ARQUEBUS!" Snail screamed.

"We're... We're losing the flagship!" shouted an intercepter, "Deploy.fighters! We need cover!"

"Whew." Rusty sighed, "Knew there'd be mroe... I'm beat, buddy. Well... You're gonna finish this, right? Guess I'm not done yet, then!"

ARQUEBUS BALTHEUS then fired a huge series of laser and pulse attacks. OBSIDIAN WING's entire frame was taking damage.

<>

Ayre seemed doubtful at first, but decided to go along with Raven. Raven suddenly boost kicked him, breaking through the pulse armor... and he let loose.

He fired everything.

All twelve missiles were emptied out of their cells while the stun needle plunged into ARQUEBUS BALTHEUS, followed by a bazooka blast, and finished off with a pile bunker strike.

"No.. I...am... ARQUEBUS!" V.II Snail.

OBSIDIAN WING then slammed into ARQUEBUS BALTHEUS' chest-protected cockpit, deeply going into where the pilot himself should be.

<>

"One... last... plan..." Snail groaned, before the bazooka fired, "EAAARGH!"

The recoil from the bazooka ripped OBSIDIAN WING's right arm off. But Raven didn't care. V.II Snail was dead. Raven promised he will take off his head. And according to his calculations, that's exactly what he was aiming at once he stabbed the bazooka through ARQUEBUS BALTHEUS' chest.

"Confirmed. V.II Snail... down." said Ayre.

"Sounds like it's over." said Rusty, sounding exhausted, "I.. just about mana-"

All of a sudden, there was a loud noise on the other end, ending the transmission in static.

"Rusty's signal just... disappeared!" Ayre panicked, "...Raven. It seems we've got trouble ahead."

<>

All of a sudden, they saw STEEL HAZE ORTUS falling right from the sky. It began to somewhat light aflame, heading straight down towards the planet's surface. Raven was about to chase after Rusty when Ayre stopped him.

"We need to take down the Xylem fast."

Ayre could understand Raven's want to protest. But thankfully he understood what needed to be done. She looked through Raven's eyes, watching her most powerful and speedy ally go down. She just hoped that Terminal Armor in STEEL HAEZ ORTUS would trigger before he hits rock bottom.

But for now, she and her partner will save the Coral, save her family. Then Rubicon 3 will finally be safe.

https://youtu.be/WEsibVKPNA0

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Thanks for Reading!