Meanwhile, in Kamchatka...
April 7th, 2024
Vladivostok
The factory-city of Vladivostok was dark and sullen, heavy patches of grey clouds crowded in the sky like fans at a football stadium, letting only a few streams of determined sunlight through to caress the cold earth. Despite being mid-April, the temperature was still hovering in the low single-digits, made colder by the occasional blast of cold air which howled through the empty streets. The city had grown dramatically over the last year, a steady stream of Japanese and Korean refugees streaming into the city as the Kaiju's inexorable attacks grew more frequent. While otherwise a fairly unimpressive footnote in the Russian Federation, the city housed the last remnants of the Russian Jaeger program, the massive, ugly Pan Pacific Defence Corp Shatterdome clinging to the edge of the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula like a stubborn limpet to a rock.
The Shatterdome was almost eerily empty, many of its staff laid off as the facility’s Jaegers slowly fell one by one. Now only one remained. Cherno Alpha. There were rumours bouncing around the facility that the shatterdome was going to be sold off or abandoned, the upkeep costs too high to justify for only one Jaeger. These mutterings, although whispered earfully by the inhabitants of the city, were ignored completely by the last two pilots that called the base home. For them it didn’t matter where in the world they were stationed, a Kaiju would have to go through them before Vladivostok would fall.
Standing over seven feet tall in his drivesuit, Aleksis Kaidonovsky looked like he could break any of the technicians scurrying around the shatterdome's LOCCENT over his knee like a twig. His hard jaw, thick beard and massive physique, even visible under his drivesuit, gave him the appearance of a bear standing up on two legs. While intimidating, anyone who halfway knew the Ranger also knew that he was as harmless as a butterfly. Make no mistake though, if someone was stupid enough to threaten his wife or his Jaeger, his calm demeanour and docile mood evaporated almost instantly and the offender would find themselves spending a long time in the shatterdome’s infirmary or in the case of a Kaiju, usually in several pieces.
“I wish they would get this over with.” Sasha growled from next him, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder and glaring down at the command staff that milled around. Her head held back proudly, she measured a little over six feet tall, taller than most of the men that worked in the LOCCENT. Unlike her husband, Sasha was much scarier than she looked, her lithe features hid a brutal cunning honed by years guarding a Siberian prison and her clean, simple makeup gave the pilot a charming aura which many of the shatterdome’s men had learnt to avoid lest they suffer her wrath.
“Have you ever know Marshall Borsky to be on time? He is probably still crying over his smashed yacht.” Aleksis rumbled.
“It’s not my fault he moored it there.” Sasha countered.
“No, no it’s not.” Aleksis grinned, remembering the dull crunch as Cherno Alpha had crushed the boat to splinters underfoot. They wasn’t been much left other than kindling after Cherno’s foot had gone through the boat, much to the Marshall’s ire.
“Maybe he slept in.” Sasha remarked as she spotted the short Marshall limping towards them. Borsky had been one of the first Russian Rangers and although his diminutive frame and almost childish voice had earned him more than enough jokes at his own expense, Sasha and Aleksis respected him. He had piloted Cherno’s first sister T-90, Siberian Advance for several years before being moved to Vladivostok’s lead Marshall. Although he deeply loathed the position, he would probably be dead if were not for the change; Siberian Advance had been destroyed along with both of its pilots late last year.
“Sasha, Aleksis! You mongrels! You stood on my boat!” He growled, looking up crossly but not getting much further than Aleksis’s broad chest.
“Da.” Sasha said back simply, struggling to hold back a wicked smile.
“Govniuk.” Borsky muttered under his breath before spinning on his heel and tapping on the shatterdome’s tactical display. “This is from Oska. Small Kaiju, only Category III. Designation, KM-24. We expect the bastard will make landfall about here.” He said, pointing a stubby finger at the Kamchatka Peninsula. “You will deploy and intercept.” He finished, the screen fuzzing with static as it jumped to the uninhabited length of the Russian coastline. The so-called ‘Wall of Life’ was some hundred kilometres distant from the projected landing site and the nearest settlement was long abandoned.
“Is it lost?” Aleksis puzzled. It was unlike Kaiju to simply target what he took as an empty beach.
Borsky shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. Either way, you kill it and bring Cherno back. You’re too valuable to lose now.”
“Mr. Fish will not know what hit him.” Aleksis affirmed, banging his armoured fist against his chest plate.
“Good. Now get to your Jaeger.”
***
Aleksis and Sasha wasted no time getting to their charge, either of the pilots would practically jump at the chance to get in their Jaeger.The trio had fought together for so long now that the two Rangers considered the massive machine family, almost akin to a son the couple had never had.
They rode the waiting elevator to the conpod in silence, the partners were so in tune with each other that there was no need for simple pre-deployment conversation, Aleksis knew what his wife was thinking and she, him.
With a strained hiss to doors slid open and the two Ukrainian pilots stepped out in tandem, making the twenty metre walk to the Jaeger’s conpod with all the casualness of a Sunday stroll. Within a minute of entering the conpod they were linked n, the bundles of fibre-optic cables snaking down from the roof plugged into their drivesuits and the heavy, thick harness slammed down on their backplates. The two technicians that accompanied them, the same two that had for the last nine years, gave the two pilots a silent salute before striding out and locking the conpod door behind them.
Unlike most Jaegers which had their conpod mounted where their head would be, Cherno Alpha’s was mounted in his armoured chest, affording the Jaeger’s pilots a measure of protection most others lacked. The design came with a few drawbacks though, the mounting prevented the pilots from looking over their shoulder and lacked an escape system in the case that Cherno Alpha was disabled.
That last fact hardly bothered Sasha and Aleksis, if they died, they would die together with Cherno Alpha.
“Conpod secured.” Sasha confirmed, as the status lights pinged a solid green. Above them, the massive flower-like roof opened wide, a pair of thick, heavy cables snaking down as Cherno’s squadron of Carryalls maneuvered into position.
“Safeties engaged.” Sasha radioed, locking the giant’s limbs in place and popping the hatches for the cable mounts. A minute later a pair of solid thuds echoed through the hull and another light flickered on, pulsing a bright green. For a brief moment the Carryalls strained against the cables before the machine rose off the ground, slowly rising through the shatterdome’s roof and out into the still chilly Russian spring air. A few squadrons of heavily armed attack helicopters rose up from the shatterdome, a pair of oversized missiles hanging from each helicopter.
“We do not need them.” Aleksis rumbled, eyeing the helicopters grumpily.
“Da, but they make the small people feel more useful.” Sasha pointed out pragmatically. That and a few extra eyes never hurt if they encountered a particularly slippery Kaiju.
“Suppose.” Aleksis mumbled.
The massing air fleet formed up over the harbour before turning north-west, the chatter of nearly thirty pairs of rotor blades cutting through the overcast sky..
***
Cherno Alpha felt stiff, even after a full refit of his arm motors and a recalibration with the neural synapse, the Jaeger still felt like it was suffering from arthritis. The technicians and lab rodents had said it was simply the pilot’s imagination, but Aleksis knew different.
Cherno Alpha felt old. After nearly a decade of service, the Jaeger was starting to show less of the spark that had drawn Aleksis and Sascha Kaidonovsky to it. Every time Aleksis drifted he felt twenty years older, his joints ached and his head started throbbing in synchronisation with the cycles of Cherno’s massive reactor.
“He is tired of war.” Sasha said, her voice almost bouncing around inside his head as well as in his ears.
“Da.” He replied simply, giving the aging machine’s control surfaces a comforting pat. The old buttons and consoles had been swapped for a state of the art holographic projection, a hundred lights blinking and flashing they read off Cherno Alpha’s vital signs. Aleksis had never been a man of words, usually letting his headstrong wife do the talking for him. She was right though, Cherno Alpha had been fighting nonstop for nearly nine years now, he had seen his brother and sister T-90s torn apart and had broken the backs of four Kaiju across his knees. He was the last Russian Jaeger standing, a lonely sentinel standing watch over the factory-city of Vladivostok. Aleksis could feel the machine’s aging spirit aching for a rest in his bones.
‘Once more my son’, He thought. ‘Just once more.’
Cherno purred softly in the back of his mind and Aleksis felt the joints loosen and the throbbing ease. He felt bad lying to the Jaeger, but the PPDC needed them now more than ever. Cherno Alpha had more than enough fight in him to last another century if needed, but deep down, Aleksis knew the machine just wanted to rest.
That would have to wait though, there was a Kaiju to kill.
“Cherno, we’re approaching the drop zone. Prepare to disengage.” The carryall pilot said, his slightly broken Russian giving him away as one of the Japanese refugees that had started trickling into Vladivostok since the war had started going badly.
“Copy.” Sasha said curtly, punching a few blinking lights in preparation to disengage Cherno Alpha from the roaring Carryalls. Aleksis brought the idling reactor up to full power, feeling a surge of power course through his veins as Cherno Alpha growled to life.
“Disengaging Transport.” Sasha said as the Carryalls jerked to a halt. There was a momentary feeling of weightlessness before nearly three thousand tons of Russian iron hurtled to the ground like a thunderbolt, impacting gracelessly into the water with a tremor that shook the pilots in their harnesses.
Cherno’s horn bellowed out across the deserted landscape, there was no one but the helicopter pilots to hear it, but it was tradition. Sasha grinned wickedly at her husband and removed her finger from the button, silencing the giant’s horn almost immediately. A brief spike washed over Cherno’s sensors as the Kaiju brushed across the edge of their scanners. They took an unflinching step forward, the Jaeger’s heavy traction pads leaving a two metre deep imprint in the frozen Russian lowlands.
As if feeling their footstep, the Kaiju, now flashing as KM-24 on their sensors, powered towards them, breaking the surface of the water and screeching at them like a banshee of legend.
Cherno Alpha growled back, its sensors sweeping over the foul Kaiju and giving the machine a rough idea of what the beast looked like. A slick, slimy body like an eel perched up on two thick legs. The horn bellowed again and with a well practised motion, Cherno smashed its fists together twice, sparks flying as the heavy, electrically charged fists bounced off each other.
“Leave this one to us.” Aleksis rumbled over the radio to the chopper pilots. “Stay out of our way.”
The two dozen helicopters buzzing noisily behind Cherno Alpha seemed happy to oblige, spreading out and gaining a little more altitude but none moving an inch closer towards the Kaiju.
It was good thing too, the gills on the creature’s neck pulsated and the frigid water that lapped around the Kaiju’s feet turned into a raging torrent, water rushing towards the Kaiju like it was going down a drain. A moment later KM-24’s eyes exploded, water shooting out of them like a high pressure cannon.
The torrent of water crashed into Cherno Alpha, making the machine rock back slightly, the foul mixture of water and Kaiju blood making the Jaeger’s paint sizzle and pop. Ugly black welts sprung up across the machine’s cooling tower, streams of water pouring down over the armoured conpod. A cloud of steam rose around Cherno Alpha, the icy cold waters of the Bering Sea heated to boiling temperatures by the Kaiju.
They took another step forward, struggling forward against the jet of pressurised water like a man struggling to walk against a strong gust of wind. Cherno Alpha growled in protest, irritated by the lack of progress it was making. The jet of water seemed to double in strength and the Jaeger was forced back half a step.
“Is it going to drown us to death?” Sasha chuckled, raising a bulky fist in front of the conpod and splitting the jet of foul, noxious water. The internal temperature of the conpod had risen noticeably but neither pilot paid it any heed, digging their feet into the hard earth and slowly but surely plodding towards the Kaiju like an implacable glacier.
Noticing that Cherno Alpha was getting uncomfortably close, the Kaiju switched targets, directing its blasts of water at the Jaeger’s armoured legs. Aleksis and Sasha grunted and dug the massive stabiliser pins built into the back of Cherno Alpha’s feet into the ground, three metre long pins driving like piles into the frozen Russian earth.
“Cherno needs his hard house.” Aleksis grunted, using his free hand to turn on the jury-rigged sound system he’d personally installed in the Jaeger several years ago. Strictly against regulations, but the shatterdome’s Marshalls tended to look the other way, allowing the grizzled veterans a small measure of peace unless they blasted their ‘music’ too loudly.
“Da.” Sasha agreed., her face locked in a savage grin.
Neither quite knew why, but Cherno Alpha seemed to adore hard house, its systems often running beyond their theoretical limits when the pilots blasted the loud, grating, music from their sound system. Not that they would complain, both of the Russian pilots enjoyed the heavy beat, often finding their own movements syncing up with the beat of their favourite dance track as Cherno Alpha pounded into battle like a mobile mountain of iron.
Aleksis grinned, punching on the dance track and listening contently as the rumble of Cherno Alpha’s fog horn boomed out again without either of the pilots touching the trigger.
“Go!” Sasha yelled, planting a foot into the frozen mud and taking off like a sprinter. It was incredible to watch, three thousand tons of iron, grit and good old Russian engineering breaking into a sprint. It boggled the mind how a machine like Cherno Alpha could run, its cooling tower bent down low and its legs pounding the earth like an earthquake. The fog horn boomed again and Cherno Alpha broke through the swirling mist which surrounded it, pushing through KM-24’s jet of water like it was a mere trickle. The Kaiju screeched in surprise and tried backing away but it was far too slow, the Jaeger roaring out of the mist like a vengeful spirit and slamming a fist into its flat face with a crack of discharging electricity and reinforced iron against bone.
The Kaiju’s face crumpled from the blow but it was tough, lunging forward and swiping a webbed talon at the machine’s cooling tower. Aleksis brushed it off like it was a requisition form, using Cherno’s left fist to swat it aside and allowing his wife to give the snarling creature a vicious backhanded slap.
“My grandmother fights better than you!” Sasha jeered, grabbing the creature by the long fin which ran down the back of its head and lifting it as high as she could.
With the Kaiju held open, Aleksis swung low, his armoured fist slamming into the Kaiju’s chest with a sharp crack of snapping bone and splitting skin. He swung again and again, each blow striking in memory for one of Cherno’s fallen siblings.
Battered and bloodied, KM-24 brought up one last reserve of strength, a horrendous rumble sounding as it sucked in another jet of water. Its gills pulsed open and a wave of pressure forced its way out of the Kaiju’s eyes, aimed directly at the Jaeger’s conpod. With a sickening squelch, KM-24 put everything into one last desperate attack
It pattered harmlessly off the windscreen.
“Our turn.” Aleksis whispered, cycling Cherno’s incinerator turbines open. An alarm howled as fuel was shunted upwards, pressure building behind the vents until it finally blew out in a billowing ball of nuclear fire. KM-24 got to enjoy a brief surge of heat before the superheated slag washed over it, burning its skin away in an instant and boiling its insides away before the Kaiju could draw breath to scream. Sasha released the Kaiju instantly, carefully keeping Cherno’s hand away from the river of molten fuel.
The Kaiju twitched twice more before finally falling still, its bloated body sinking to the ground at Cherno’s feet with a soft thud.
“Another well done barbeque.” Sasha laughed, reaching across to give her husband a loving caress. Cherno growled in a satisfied manner, it had been too long since it had made a kill.
Aleksis grinned. “Da, if only fish-man ha.”
A squeal of static burst out of the short range radio, a cacophony of gibberish, white noise and other, less identifiable sounds that screeched painfully in their ears.
“-̸̷̧͡n҉͠y̛͢͜͟ǫ̴ņ̢͟ȩ̴̨͞ ̴̸̴̀;҉̵'̢́͞r̴̨͜͝é̸͘ç͢͜-̷̡̨̛͜ ͠v͞͏į́n̸̢͝g҉͘͞?̸̸̕͢ ̷͝A̴̸̡͜҉n̵͠҉̶̕c̴̷͜͡;̵̛h̶o̡r͘ą̛̛̕͢ǵ̶̨e̷̸̕͏͠,̸̵͢͝ ̸̀͞d̷̡o҉̢͡ ̀͡͞ỳ͡-̢̛̀͞ ̧̨҉̨͟r̛͢͝͠e̶̵̷͜͞-̢̛͢͝͝?̷̷͘͘͞ ̸̧L̶̀̀͟o̵҉́́'̨̨̡͜;̸̨͢s̷̛̀͡ ̢̛̀͜;̨̀͠'̷̀A͏҉̕̕͏n̴̵͢͢͜g̸̵̢-̡ ́͝`̴͢'̕҉̨͟;̕͜ ́͏̕͝d̷͝͝o͏̶ ̵͘͟͢͜y̵̕͟͏̛o̕͟͠ư̵ ̨͝ḉ̴̀͘o̕҉p҉͏̀͜͡y̨͟͟͡͡?̧̧ ̷̕͜ ̴̸̢̛͝Ţ̧́͜h̴̴͢į̶̨-̸̢̡;̛́̕͡'̸̨́͜ ͟M̡͞i̸͢͠d̴͝s̶͠u̷̡̢m̨͢͞͠m҉͡͏-͜ ̵͏҉͘i͏̡̕̕͝'̸̡̧͞;̨̛͜ǵḩ̷́͡͞-̧͟ ̀̕͜҉̀f̧̀r҉̶e͝҉g̵̶̨͡-̧̛́͘͟ ̸̢̛'̡͟͞;́́͝͏͡c͟҉ą̢͘n̛̛͜͡ ̶͘҉-̴̨̨͞n̷̨͞҉ý͢͞ò͘ǹ̀-̡͝͏;͏̢́͢͟'҉̴̴̸͝ ̛҉҉͞h̨ȩ̷ą̶͞r̴̨͘͝͞ ̢́͞m̴̧͢͢-̸͘͟?̶̀͢҉̷̢̧̛͏W̶̧͜͟a͏͏͘̕͝ŕ̴h̴́́a̴̛͢m̢̀m̧̀̀͟-̷ ̧͡s̶̛͘q͠u͢a̛͝d̡͘͡o̶̧̕-̷̡.̡̀͡ ̸͏s̶̕͢t̢̡̀͘͠a̶͘͡n̵͢'̡͢;̶̵̸͡͝'̷̢͠;̢̛̕`̸̧́͢;̨҉̴̵ļ̸̡̕ ̧̛b͠͏̴̡ý̵͞.̴̵̢҉̶̸͘W̸̸̢̨̡í̡l̡͘͜-̵̡ ̷̧͜M͜͡ų̛̀͢s͏̷̡͡'̡͢͏҉͘;̛̀̀͟t̸͏̡̀;̷́͢͝-̶͘͞a͞͠n͏̧́'̡̧̕͏-̷̢ ͘͘͜i͏-̷͜͜͏ ̵͞d̛́o͠҉̶̛ẃ̸̢̛͟n̨҉̸!̶̷̶̕͢͜À̴̶͞ĺ̸̀͝-̵̛͢ ̷̛͝͝p̧͠'́͜;̶̡́͜͠ó̸̷̴̸r͢͝͞҉t̸̸̀s͠͠͠͠ ̸́͘͜s͢͏̸̀͡e̵̵̢͟'̵̕a̧̛͠͠ĺ̡͘͜e̷̶͏͠d̡̢,̡̛͡͝ ̀̕͢͞҉r̡͘e҉̢a̛͜d̕͠y̵̨̛͜ ̷̵̨͘t͜҉̸̛͡o̵̕ ̢͢s̡̡̨̢͟u͠҉͢-͏̸̴̕͡;̨͡'̵̴̡̕͝-̵̕m̸̵̸e̸̴͠r̷̢͢҉g̡̀͢͟é̷̕̕!͟͏̨̀̕͢͝T̨ḩ̶̡́͡e͟҉̧'̶̨;̵̨̛̀͏-̸̧͟͝ý̀'̀͟͞r̷̶̛͝͡e̴̴̷̕͟ ̸̛͠ś̢̀͘ţ͢o̢͢͟͢ṕ҉̛͏'̵̸́́p̡̧̛͝i͏̸̡͠n̕҉g̨͟,͝͝ ̵̡͝҉͜w̶͟͢͞h̶̢̡͡ỳ͘͢ ͝͠a͞r͏́ę̴ ̕̕͝t҉h͏͠e҉̧͏́͡y̢͢͞ ̵̵̀͠s̴̛͝͏̛-͟'̧͟;̴̨̧́͡'͏̕t̷̴͝o̸̵̢͞-̷́͘͜i̢͏̵͘͠n̨͏̷͘g̶̡͢͞͡?̶͢'̴̵́́͢͟͞Ǵ̵̛i̶͝ṕ̛̕s̀͞'̢͝;̢͟;̢͞҉͠͠y̸̧͟,͏҉͏̷ ͜҉͠c̷̵͘͝'̨́͟;̧̢̢͜͞-̷̷m̀ì̢́͜ǹ̴̨͜g̷̀̕͟҉ ҉̧̢ú̶̶͘̕p̵̶͜͝͏ ̡͘͟͡͞ơ̴̵͢͞n̛͝͏̷͟;͏̷;̵́͟͡͝'̷̢̢̨͘ ̴̧͡͠͡ý͠͡'̵҉;҉͏'̶̛͘͟͞;̢̨̨͢o̴҉̷͞ù̸́̕r̴̡̧͜͢ ̴̴̛̛T̵ẁ̴̡͏̵e̡̛̛͡l͠'̀̀͘͠͡'̨̕;̛͘v̷̸̢̢͠e͞͡͝ ̧̛̀O̴̡͠'̶̡͡͞c̨͜͡l̀̕҉̵ò̡̧͘c͢͡͏k̷͝!̵͜;̡҉̡̢͘ ̢̀F҉҉ù̢͟͟͞l̵̡̨̕ļ̵̛͢ ̛́́̕͝s̶̀҉p̸̷͘͝͏ę̷e͞͝'̷̢́̕'̴̶̨̛́;̡͢͝-̷̷̢!̧̨̕͟ ͏I̸̵͘t̢͏͡'̨̧̨͢͠s̕͏͘;̷͟͝͠͞'̸̴̛͝ ̶̧́͜c̡͞h̨̕̕-̸̧͜;̷̸͡'̵̵҉̸̵'́͘͜͠͡;̨̧-̢͝á̧҉̧r̴̵̢̕g̢͘͏í̡͟ǹ̸̸ǵ͡҉̸͡ ̷̢͘;̴͢ś́͜͟͝ò͘͢;̡͏'̶̧͜;̴́҉m̀́͞e̸͜ ̶̴͞s̨͘͡;҉̢̛̀͞o͠҉̶͟r͘͡҉̨͞ţ̴̀͜ ҉҉̡o̶̢͜͞͡f̛́ ͟͡w̴̵͡҉e̷̶͢a̴̵p̧͠'̀͟͠͝;̴ơ̴n͘͏͞!̶̡̧̛͠ ͝͡͠;̷̨͜͝'͠҉҉Í͠t̷͠͞͞'̶҉ş̴͘͟͞ ̶̴̶̛́a̷̴̡̛ ̶̛͟͞M̸̡a̸̡̕͠-̴ ̧̧͏f͢i̸v̸̨͏̀-̷̢̨͘͢;͏̢'̢́͠é!̶̸̨͏W̸̢͢e͡ ́́j͏̷̛͞͞u̕͜͜҉́'͡͏҉̸͘;̶̕͝s̷̢;̡҉̧͏;̶͘͠͝t̷̴̨͢ ҉ĺ̸̨́-͟͜;̵͟'̛̀ ̸̧̡c͏͝-̴͜'̷̴̧t̵̶̀͜;̀͝;̴̀͜a̸̕͜͞͞c̶̵͏̶̷t̡̛͘͟͝ ́͞w̨͠͝ì̷̡͝'͘;͠͏t͢;̸̨͠͠h̸̨̛͘ ̸̶̢҉͠;̨̨͟͡H̸͘;͡҉͏Q̡͞;̴̢̀͟'̶͝.̛͜͢͢͝ ̕͜͢W̴̨h̴̡́͜e̴̛r̶̡è͜҉'̷̕͟s̸҉̢̀ ̸̴ò̶̡̕ú̵̶͠r҉̨͘ ̀́͡s͘͡͞u͜͝p̛҉̡p̷̸̢̀͜o̶̡͟͞͠r̀t̶͟͞?̴̷̛͘!҉̶͘͟ ̀͘͘̕I̷̛͘s͏͝ ̧̀͡t̛͏̴h͘͏̶̡̀è̶̶͢ŗ̶̢͜e̴̢ ̀͞a̡n͟҉҉y͝͞-҉҉̸ ͠͡'̷̨̀͜;̸̧́͝y̷͘͝'̨̨̛ņ͜͟ ̸̀e̢̨͜͝͞ĺ̨͜s̵͘͘;͘͟҉̡'̨̢҉ȩ̛͠ ̴̷̕͞o̷͘͠͠n̴̨̨͝ ̢̛̀̕͡t̷̷̢̢̛;̷̢́̀͏'͠'͞h̶i̴̶̛s͘͢͝ ͏̴n̴͘͟-́҉̷҉̴;̨́͘'̶̸̕̕͠t̡҉?̶͞͝ ҉̸̧͟Ẃ̨͢'̵̢̧͘'̶͞͏͢e͏̨́͜;̷̧̛́͜'͏̷͠͡;͏̀͢͝'̢́ ̶̀̀͡͡j͢͡ừ̵͢͢s̵̢̀̕͢t̷͢͠ ̛ĺ͘̕͢o҉̨s̴͝҉͝ţ̡ ̵͘͟͞a͝͡l͏̧̛l҉͢;̨̛͠͝'̧̀;͡'̵͜ ̨͝-͏w͏̶̡͡e͠͡ŕ̷̛͟,̵̨ ̨͟b͟҉͢r̨̀͟͝ ̸̷̀͢'͘҉҉̧͢;̕͞͞;̢̀͡'҉̡f̷̛́o͜r͘͢ ̸̡a̢̧̕͏ ̶͢h̷̢̡à̴'͘͜͞͏;̵҉̕'̕͜r̸̀d̴͜ ͢͝l̸̀́͠à̧̢'̢͟;͘͜͝͝͝n҉͏'͢͏n̛͘g̷̶̛͜͜!̶̧̕̕͡ ̴̢҉͝T̢́̕͏h̶̨͢͟͏e̷̸͜͏͢y̡'̨̢̡r̛̕̕͟;̨̛͟͝'̶͘e̴̵͠ ̴̀͜e̵̡v̶̧͠è͏;̸͢'҉̢͡;̨͘͜͟҉;̷͞͞;͢͟'̷́͘͜͞h̢̨͟e̵̸̴̴͟r̷̢͘e͏́͡!̴́̕͝ ̸͜͟҉ ̢͞͏̨̛ ̶̶̕͝”
The sound lasted barely a second before the line cleared again, leaving the two pilots staring at the device in confusion.
“Was that English?” Aleksis asked cautiously, the dead Kaiju lapping at their feet quite forgotten. It twitched again and Sasha quickly stomped down on it just to be sure, driving the stabiliser spike straight down through the remains of the creature’s neck.
Sasha tapped the side of her helmet gently but could coax nothing further out of the machine. “Sounded like it. Maybe a ghost signal?”
Aleksis grunted in agreement, the warbling message had set his hair standing on edge, even his beard felt like it was humming with electricity. Still, there was nothing to be gained worrying about it, he hadn’t been able to glean anything from the mysterious message and it seemed unlikely that he’d ever hear it again. Dismissing the signal from his mind, he reached down for KM-24’s corpse, gripping it firmly around the neck and hauling it back to the shore.
“Vladivostok Control, Cherno has his fifth kill.”
Mother Russia approves of this chapter.
To save folks the trouble, I've de-zalgo'd the radio transmission. However, because I'm not a butt, I've put it behind spoiler tags.
“-nyone ;'rec- ving? Anc;horage, do y- re-? Lo';s ;'Ang- `'; do you copy? Thi-;' Midsumm- i';gh- freg- ';can -nyon-;' hear m-?Warhamm- squado-. stan';';`;l by.Wil- Mus';t;-an'- i- down!Al- p';orts se'aled, ready to su-;'-merge!The';-y're stop'ping, why are they s-';'to-ing?'Gips';;y, c';-ming up on;;' y';';our Twel'';ve O'clock!; Full spee'';-! It's;' ch-;'';-arging ;so;';me s;ort of weap';on! ;'It's a Ma- fiv-;'e!We ju';s;;t l-;' c-'t;;act wi';t;h ;H;Q;'. Where's our support?! Is there any- ';y'n els;'e on t;''his n-;'t? W''e;';' just lost all;';' -wer, br ';;'for a ha';'rd la';n'ng! They'r;'e eve;';;;'here! ”
Does this mean that Midsummer Night might have a means of getting back to Earth at some point in the future?
O.o wow Hmmmm... i wonder what would the ponies do if Chereno went to equestria?
Great chapter, as always. Even if it's a short 'interlude' chapter .
I had to say that the torso of the Daring Dragoon makes me thing of the RX-79 Gundam Ground Type a bit
Wow, in all seriousness when I saw that another of my favourites had updated one of the three thoughts that crossed my mind was "mybe it'll be a treat, like an early Midsummer night update."
Apparently I'm one third pyschich! or prophetic, or whatever.
This is clearly still prior to movie events of course, but am I correct in thinking that either there's a time-dilation or difference thereof between the two places?
I surmise they will be moving bases soon though? One jaeger to a whole dome is hardly cost-effective, the bureaucrats would pitch a rather big fit over it.
5269745
Thanks for the clean text, it was difficult at best to make out there.
So much Cherno vs the world xD
i.imgur.com/6xd5srg.gif
5269745 And here it is fully cleaned up:
“Anyone receiving? Anchorage, do you read? Los Angeles, do you copy? This is Midsummer Night [unintelligible] can anyone hear me? Warhammer squadron standing by. Wild Mustang is down! All ports sealed, ready to submerge! They're stopping, why are they stopping? Gipsy, coming up on your Twelve O'clock! Full speed! It's charging some sort of weapon! It's a Mark five! We just lost contact with H.Q. Where's our support?! Is there anyone else on this [unintelligible]? We just lost all power, brace for a hard landing! They're everywhere! ”
5270241 My musings in spoiler so I don't spoil. Odd, it's like some dialogue from the future breach sealing scene combined with a mention of Wild Mustang? But Wild Mustang's just been decommissioned... so why would it be mentioned? Like a vision from the future/near future but not quite combined with incidents from the past. Perhaps the dimensional crossover device sent some interference that trickled over from other time/space dimensions. EIther that, or Equestria's made contact with the Breach led to a shortening of the wall between the dimensions...
Mmm... that scramble text from a time dialation-thingy. Nice bit there. Loved Cherno in the movie. Wish we could have seen a lot more of her and Crimson Typhoon. Still feel it was a travesty how quickly those two fell.
I'm curious as to the time frame meself.
Vladivostok is not located in Kamchatka.
....for some reason i find myself wondering if more human Jagers (yay for remembering a spelling from the top of my head and not being sure if it is right) are gonna turn up in the land of rainbows and ponys....would be intresting to see the russians show up...i think
5270241
Wow, nice work. I bow to your vastly superior translation skills.
5270366
The first chapter places the start of this fic in the Pacific Rim timeline at 2021, a year after Gipsy Danger encountered Knifehead in the opening sequence of the movie, and this interlude straight-up says at the start it takes place in 2024 - a full year before the events of the movie. What I'm personally hoping for is the possibility of a divergent timeline, where science (or possibly Science!, since there is a difference) happens to allow for Earth and Equestria to help one another against the mutual threat of Kaiju.
5269745: (SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS, DON'T GET ON MY ASS FOR READING THIS ANYONE WHO READS THIS)
>Wil- Mus';t;-an'- i- down!
>Wil- Mus':t-an'-
>Wil Mustan
>Wild Mustang
>Down
...Applejack and Big Mac are going to have fun in the future. From the sounds of the message, it's a Cat 5, too - so if nothing else, Mustang went down fighting.
As a bonus, I figure one of them's going to get killed when Wild Mustang dies. Probably Applejack, just so that the Elements of Harmony become entirely useless versus the Kaiju.
That message does not make me feel safe at all. Hopefully Royal Flush was the reinforcements and saved the day before any ponies died.
5269801 Most likely it depends on where it ended up.
Manehattan: Who in Tartarus left a Jaeger parked in the middle of the street??? Wait, I don't recognize that one!
Ponyville:
But I can also see the Kaidonovsky couple taking a shine to the ponies, especially Fluttershy. Alexis is just like her bear friend, big and gentle underneath a scary exterior.
5270970 ... Dude you got it wrong. Wild Mustang is Soarin's jaeger and Frontier Justice is Big Mac's and AJs.
5270875 I'm hoping for the same thing too. Just like I"m wondering when Celestia and Luna are going to get in a Jaeger and beat down some Cat 5s.
5272093: Oh. Correction: Soarin and Wave Chill are going to have a lot of fun that involves them losing their Jaeger and also one of them probably dying.
5272343 Keep correcting. Wild Mustang was decommissioned a few chapters back after a nasty run in with a cat 3. That's why Soarin and Wavechill are being sent Westward to set up a new shatterdome.
Time shenanigans, eh?
Well fillies and gentlecolts, all bets are now officially off,
5272360 from what i understand isent she being restored like Gypsy was or are they just gonna get a brand new Mk 3
5272360: Then maybe Wild Mustang gets de-mothballed and fixed for some reason or another (that's what happened to Gipsy Danger, which was out of commission for... a little while). Maybe for new pilots? Perhaps Maud and Pinkie? Maybe because the Kaiju are starting to come more frequently and Equestria is getting desperate?
Either way, fuck it. I give up.
5274292 think pinkie's jager is gonna have some of her pinkie power whenever she drifts in it?
in?
sneaking? bear in mind, i'm not sure about this one. may be a russian word.
5270639 It's spelled Jaeger
Oh, now things are getting interesting. In the Chinese sense, of course.
I have spent many days and barely met sleeping time reading this story amd I have this to say, you drew my heart to this fic immediately when I learned what it was about. You have resparked my love for the movie with this story of yours, as I'm a giant gearhead to these things, I especially enjoy reading about the ponies jagers and what they can do. Thank you for writing this incredible, awesome, amazing (and any other positive descriptions) story. I can't wait to read more.
davidlampreia.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/epic-meme-generator-this-is-epic-in-more-ways-than-i-care-to-mention-583e6e.jpg seriously this story is fantastic, pacific rim is one of my favourite films and for you to cross it over with one of my favourite TV shows in such an awesome way is incredible. I truly appreciate the effort your putting into making this, what with the art work for the Jaegers ect, keep up the good work and I cant wait for the next chapter
[x] Punch its face in the face!
...sigh. I really wish I'd known about CA Vs The World when it was going on.
Will we ever see one of the Equestrian jaegers fight while on all fours? Granted, the scene(s) would probably be harder to write, but the ponies should be able to use their natural body position better than an upright one that they aren't as comfortable with. Besides, I think we'd all love to see Frontier Justice Apple-buck a kaiju in the face.
Another nice chapter. Very cool Interlude. Be nice to see the occasional crossover. Also rather curious to see if the Equestrian Jaeger Corps try attacking the breach differently.
... i think my heart just gave out. woo;ofvnkjebvfbnvkjfvffffvfvfvfvfvfvfvffffffvfvfvfffffvfvvvvfvfvfvfvfvfffvfvfv
Ok, what does that say?
5591859 Assuming they can find a way to amplify alicorn magic? OH MY YES.
Moar
5654662 Suit yourself man, because I'll be watching the action from orbit. And I'll have popcorn.
I've Been reading for the last three days straight to catch up with this story. Over that time, many thoughts, concerns, and musings have floated through the churning murk of my mind, the most predominant being:
THIS.
IS.
AWESOME!
Almost everything about it is absolutely top-notch; the imagery is amazing, many of the characters feel like actual, living assholes (surprisingly hard to do, trust me, I've tried), the pacing is both smooth and suspenseful (though I imagine many people would like some things to move along a bit faster), and (if you end up keeping your promise of Kaiju by the Dozens) we're just getting started! I mean, the sheer ambition of what you say you're trying to write is staggering.
In fact, the only real flaw I've noticed so far is the occasional spelling/grammar/whatever error, about a half-dozen per chapter, which is pretty good considering some of them are big enough to choke a Kaiju on.
Also, you seem to always use "arse" instead of "ass." What's up with that?
Of course, I had several, more localized musings around certain events in the story. I didn't bother reading most of the comments (I'd be here all week if I had tried that), so I don't know if they've already come up before, but here they are regardless, in roughly chronological order:
(Rasura appears)
"Hmm... Makes sense. the two-faced asshats beyond the Breach probably saw it through Switchback's connection to the Inter-Dimensional Kaiju (hive)Mind (IDKM) and thought "Hey, that place could make a nice summer home if it weren't for that obnoxious green spot right there. Let's fix that."
(Flaming Flamingo)
That will be the name of Pinkie's Jaeger. She will drift with herself and*...
...Wait a minute. Couldn't the Mirror Pool be used to spawn instant drift buddies? Even if they have to be trained first, they're basically a second you! No need to work out strain-able relationships with whomever is most convenient (and Archon help you if they die) when you can pop out as many blank-slate reflections as you need. And sense the mirror-clones have no apparent memories of their own, it's entirely possible that drifting wit one would cause all of your memories to copy over onto the blank space of their headscape, meaning now there's literally two of you! (and now you're both expendable! Just, not at the same time.)
... Come to think of it, the Mirror Pool would break a lot of stories that just end up ignoring it.
*Yes, I know this turned out not to be true, but that's what I was thinking at the time.
(Frontier Justice reels in Quillback)
You know, this is probably the only chance they'll get to capture a live Kaiju. The IDKM makes that an astoundingly bad idea, but they have no idea about that.
(Frontier Justice goes ham on Quillback)
Hulk would be proud.
"Puny Kaiju."
(The Intrigue)
I now keep expecting Squishy to show up at the Shatterdome (or someplace similarly inconvenient) and wreak his terrible vengeance upon those who though he was just a simulator joke.
"Surprise! Who's laughing now?! There's no Jaeger to protect you this time, and I'm the one towering over you!"
(Drifting with a Jaeger)
Interesting. This the first time I've come across the idea of Jaeger personalities (the movie made no mention of it, and I haven't read the book, if it's even in there), but from what I've seen so far, it seems to be some ephemeral combination of What You Are in the Dark (Cherno Alpha being tired of the war like his pilots must be by now, Castle Bravo's coldness matching Bitchy Sky's almost sociopathic disregard for anypony but her brother, Applejack's dangerous temper giving Frontier Justice a fittingly violent disposition (Jaeger smash!)), and self-fulfilling expectations (Frontier Justice looks, sounds, and feels like a stallion, so it's entirely understandable if AJ subconsciously labeled it as such when she first drifted with it) imprinting something not unlike an echo of sentience on the Jaeger's hard- and soft-ware; a ghost in the machine, if you will.
(Jaeger design)
As neat as Twilight's plans for magic Jaegers are, everybody seems to be ignoring a far more easily-exploited feature of another pony race: Pegasi have wings! That's 33% more limbs to hit stuff with! Imagine pinning a Kaiju with a pair of giant, bladed mantis-claws while still being able to use your fists to beat the ugly out of its mug (meaning the entire face, and most of the rest of it). Plus it has a much less restrictive requirement when you compare how many pegasi and unicorns even signed up for training, not to mention that of all current and upcoming pilots in the Equestrian Jaeger Program, fully half sport wings and exactly zero have horns! (and two have fingers, but whatever).
Maybe a griffin Jaeger. That would be something.
Anyway, I eagerly await the next installment (which is somewhat overdue, if the rather erratic schedule of previous postings is anything to go by).
5725902
I'm Australian so that's the natural way I spell it. An ass is a male donkey.
Same reason I spell colour with a 'u'. None of this American pish-posh!
I will make a mention of the fact that anytime Shane or Michael say 'arse' they actually say 'ass', as they indeed American. Just a fun, pointless peice of trivia.
I have plans for the next chapter to be released in the next few days, I hope. It's being looked over by my incredibly hilarious editor when he's free (not often). I've taken an unexpectedly long Hiatus and through a mixture of laziness and being out of the grove my writing pace has taken a bit of a downward turn.
I'm hoping to get back to a more regular release schedule though I can't guarantee it as I am looking for a full-time job amongst other things at the moment.
5727125
Awesome.
5270507 It is fairly close, at least relative to Russia's size. Also, the Risk map puts it in Kamchatka.
Was wondering about that when you mentioned the doona and the cookie/biscuit a chapter or two back. Wiki mentioned doona was an Austrailian term.
I like Choo choo Cherno. That never ceases to amuse me.
to get in their Jaeger.The trio had fought together
entering the conpod they were linked n
the chatter of nearly thirty pairs of rotor blades cutting through the overcast sky..
“Da.” Sasha agreed., her face locked in a savage grin
1. Forgot your spacing.
2. In.
3. Extra fullstop.
4. Extra fullstop.
5727125
Heh, I always considered it being americanized misspel, because anglo-germanic word for buttocks is "arse" (from "oars"). Ass as an animal present even in Bible and "donkey" originally was a derogatory term, kind of "color of sh@t". There is similar difference between australian meaning of "fanny" and american.
Ahem, actually I wanted to ask, how do you that garbled text, is it some tool used? I'm aware of unicode combining characters, just it looks like alot of work done.
6154415
Being a russian: area where Vladivostok is situated is called "Dalniy Vostok" at large... there is almost 1000 km from Kamchatka and that Risk map is based on game made a hundred years ago. Though risk maps usually were intentionally incorrect or unrealistic, sometimes even cartoonish.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/315599340385075218/544300792967069696/TRIM_20190208_203711.mp4
...
XD
5587447
VERY late to the party but I tossed it into Notepad++ to clean up the fancy stuff.