Asteroid Blues

Father-Knight Ferreira examined the information as it was fed to his console. As he predicted, the conflict had quickly spun out of all proportion, boiling over into scenes of conflict across all of Novvy Bangkok. All the while he could do little. It had been several days since his conflict at the Liberty Cargo Storage area, and his shoulder still ached from the bullet wound, but it had healed well. He had been cleared this morning for active duty once again, and he was eager to return to the fight.

Interrupting his train of though, a high priority message flashed up. Instructions to report to command for a briefing. As he strapped on his blade, flexing his arm and shoulder he felt the pain linger there still, but placed his faith in God, as he made his way out.

The briefing was short. Once again enemies dared advance on the home bases of PanOceania, attempting to make them look. Japanese Secessionist forces this time, and while he knew their struggle against Yu Jing may be noble, he would not allow their strength to come from PanOceanian weakness. He had been assigned a new force, larger than his last command. Several Order Sergeants, a Father-Doctor, and a cadre of knights, with two from the Teutonic Order, and another three Magister Knights, and a single Knight of Santiago, all skilled with blade and gun, and all clad in the finest raiments of war that PanOceania could muster. Their faith in God was supreme, and with that they would push back this new aggressor.

As they deployed to battle, he could see the enemy advancing, several heavy infantry, supported by lighter troops. He respected them, but he did not fear them. His mission was to wipe them out with minimal casualties. Intelligence also noted that one of the troops was carrying sensitive information, and that it would be beneficial to the war effort were this not to reach their high command.

Rockets screamed over head. As one impacted against the Knight of Santiago nearby, he dodged out the way, expecting the worst for his compatriot, but as the fireball cleared he was unscathed. Returning fire he managed to wound the attacker, but not stop him.

Meanwhile another team of light infantry, with support from a Domaru Butai advanced down one side. As they neared the position of the Teutonic and Magister knights, an E/M grenade was thrown over the wall. Most the knights avoided the blast, though one, caught directly had his armours defences overwhelmed, and found himself trapped inside a new dead suit of armour.

Further armour support advanced blatantly in the open, with a Daiyoukai advancing down the street. His red fury blazed, and Father-Knight Ferreira felt pain blaze across his body, while warnings flashed across his screen, noting multiple failures in his suit. He felt himself slip unconscious, his blood pooling on the tarmac beneath him.

The remaining knights gathered their wits, and quickly advanced through a nearby building, flanking the team of light infantry and Domaru Butai. As they breached the other side, their shotguns and spitfire barked, while a chain rifle returned fire. In the end several of the enemy were dead, though every one of the knights bore wounds, while two had fallen unconscious, overcome by their injuries. The Order Sergeants secured the area around the building, awaiting orders.

The enemy used this opportunity to move up, and secure new positions, while the knights prepared to sell their lives dearly. However it wasn’t to be. The father-doctor did wonders, reviving two the unconscious knights, just as the enemy came at them again, this time the Daiyokai trying to breach the door, before being gunned down in a hail of fire. In the end the JSA bombarded the entrance with a long range rocket attack, clearing out several of the knights rather than risk another frontal assault.

Father-Knight Ferreira felt himself come to consciousness again, though the battle was almost over. The father-doctor looking down on him, sealing his wounds and the suits medical suite doing the rest. Just as he did a shot cried out, and the Father-Doctor was dead in front of him, his body laying where he had once been, his blood mingling with his. As he looked at the situation, he noted several casualties, though not terrible, mostly due to the work of the man who now lay dead at his feet. The final tally was the Knight of Santiago, a Magister Knight, and the Father-Doctor himself. A price had been paid, but the JSA was falling back, and though he’d had little hand in it, his force had repulsed the enemy, making sure they paid the price for believing they could take what rightfully belonged to PanOceania.