“Come in.”
Static.
“Liquid Fire, respond.”
Nothing.
“Liquid Fire, respond now!”
Silence.
Commander Sky Grey slammed his hoof down on the control panel and he looked at the smiling faces of his family that he kept with him in every battle. The panel flickered for a bit from the impact, going black for a second. The black reflected back the Commanders face. Flecked with sorrow and loss from the days long fighting, with black circles underneath his gold eyes.
His troops had lured the enemy away from the head command post, allowing their Commander to do a damage assessment and make the call to the Princesses if needed. He needed time to organize his current forces to ensure best survival with minimal losses.
He can’t be gone, there’s no way.
Sky Grey stared out of the view port of his half ton mech, glanced quickly down at the holographic projector which had total view of the current battlefield.
My son can’t be dead.
The holographic projector, or holo projector, was a simple device. Satellites would position themselves over a certain geographic area, usually where a battle was about to or was currently taking place, and would do a fully comprehensive scan of the area.
Then it would send the 3D images in real time to Commanding Officers in the Celestial Army. It was quite useful.
The Commander quickly identified the red and grey mech with Liquid Fire’s custom Gatling gun, painstakingly painted flames covered the entire thing, hence his call name Liquid Fire.
The mech was down, but that’s all Sky Grey could determine from the holo projector.
He looked up from the projector and swiveled his own half ton fighting machine in the direction of Liquid Fire’s. It was fairly easy to pick out the mech in the debris from the fighting, but he couldn’t even tell if Liquid Fire was alive.
All I’ve gotten are no replies and the HUD vital sign sending me mixed signals.
Using the advanced optics installed in the view port, he zoomed in on the beaten mech. Large cuts and gashes covered the sides, and a large hole had replaced the power port.
He slammed his hoof down again in anger, but continued to look for signs of life. Zooming in further on the view port of his second in commands mech, he saw a large blood spatter covering most of the left side.
Damn, he thought, they got him.
“Uh sir, we have a situation.” A voice crackled from the headset he wore.
“Yes, what is it.” He responded, more worried than anything. If one of his best had been gutted like that, he had no intention of sacrificing more of his precious mech and ground soldiers. He would have to retreat.
“You might want to check you holo projector sir. Look at the enemy’s position. They’ve pushed us to the breaking point, we need orders fast sir.”
Sky pulled the holo pad onto his lap, surveying the enemy position.
So far, the enemy mech at the rebel main base had not moved at all.
Probably reserve.
He took note of that solitary mech.
He turned his attention to the main lines. He drew a breath.
The enemy had pulverized his lines. He sent out three hundred soldiers and twenty mechs; and in less than 4 hours, the enemy had reduced the amount of soldiers in half, and destroyed seventy five percent of his mechanized warriors.
The line before had been two hundred and thirty meters away, but now was a dangerous eighty four. The main command supply line had been shelled to bits. Things were not going well.
He turned his radio to all frequencies.
“All battalion commanders, squad leaders, patrol groups…” his radio shut off.
Commander Sky Grey, looked at the signals around him, mainly the vital signs displayed on the view port battle glass on the mech.
Nothing.
Holo projector.
Nothing.
Even the little machine that made the coffee.
Gone. Shut off by some EMP, or a hacker.
His mind immediately wandered back to that solitary mech at the rebel base and he groaned in frustration.
Probably the tech operator for the rebels.
He could see his troop’s running back as rebel soldiers began to flood into the main command post, covered by 4 combat mech’s and medic mech.
Sky sighed once more. Pulling his own Gatling gun off his mech’s back, he powered it up. Once ready, he let loose. Every bullet he fired, he felt the recoil jarring his mech a little off aim, but tearing up enemy forces as the scrambled for cover.
A few ponies were shot up into the air from the impact, some were ripped to shreds, others had major wounds that they wouldn’t die from, but would still suffer from, and others had just minor wounds from spranel.
He felt power course through his veins, and continued to spray into the enemy ranks. Shells collected around his mech as he pounded the path to the main station.
The last Army-held stronghold in Ponyville.
A loud explosion rocked his mech, sending shock waves up the hardened carbon fiber and steel enforced frame.
An artillery strike.
Perfect.
Whoever was leading this rebellion had to at least some combat experience.
The strike forced him and the remaining mechs to scramble away. The blast came, but no shrapnel.
Just smoke and lots of it.
Clever.
A thick, grey, smoke covered the main command base now. Visibility was horrendous and Sky Grey could not get past the feeling that they were being toyed with. Whoever had called in the smoke strike, who had pushed the line so quickly and wrecked his forces, who had lured and killed Liquid Fire, was going to be the mastermind of future rebellions.
Had his mech not been hacked, he would have been able to use infrared and his team would have ID tags wherever they were.
The good thing was, his mech was still operational. The hacker couldn’t get to the engine or the main weapons functions because that would require a link up that was directly connected to the mech. The hacker only had the radio waves to go off and the satellite links. But to shut a mech’s technology down just using radio waves and the satellite links was a huge feat.
He shifted around in his seat, uncomfortable for a moment as he envisioned the havoc that was going on around him. Gunfire erupted near him, a grenade went off, screams, and a mechanized whir.
He turned his mech around and backed up. There, in front of him, was one of the rebel mechs.
A rainbow one, with jet pack wings, currently holding a long serrated blade, colored cyan at the base with rainbows slowly wrapping themselves around the blades double edges.
Like a candy cane stripe.
Only more dangerous.
He positioned his mech in a defensive fighting position, ditching his Gatling gun, and pulling out his own blade that was attached to the mechs back.
His breathing increased, rasping as the rainbow mech danced around him, occasionally jabbing at him to test his nerves.
His heart rate increased rapidly as the Technicolor mech continued to nimbly move around his gunmetal grey one.
He stared into the view port of the rebel’s machine, trying to make out the pony that was operating it.
Probably some stallion that the rebels recruited¸ he thought savagely, dodging another jab from his opponent.
Suddenly a mechanical whir shook him out of focus, the lights on his radio turned on, the holo pad sparked to life.
Hah! He thought, electronics back online.
He grabbed his headset and slammed it on his head, the throat mike’s light was green.
“All forces move to the center…” before he could finish, a shadow fell over him as a giant pink candy cane was shoved in-between the plated armor surrounding the mech’s core.
A pink mech had appeared from behind delivering the killing blow, the rainbow one had just been a distraction.
So elementary, yet so effective.
This is going to end poorly, his thought was interrupted as a red light flashed inside the mech.
“5 seconds till core melt down.” An electronic voice sung inside the metal machine signaling his death.
Commander Sky Grey kicked against the view port, trying to crack it. To free himself.
“4 seconds.”
He tried harder, kicking with all his might against the bullet proof screen.
“3 seconds.”
Sweat started to trickle down his fatigues.
“2 seconds.” The voice of doom continued.
He let out a frustrated cry, slamming his back hooves against the glass that was supposed to protect him.
“1 second.”
He looked towards the picture that was sitting on the front of the view port of his family. He smiled as he grabbed the picture and held it close.
At least they’re safe.
He was instantly vaporized from the heat of the explosion.
For Commander Sky Grey, the battle was over.