Asteroid Blues

Joan surveys the Jīyuán quarry, the cracked asteroid rock shimmering with a blueish sheen in the light from the nearest star, the cold was starting to creep up on them and soon they would need to seek shelter from the killer cold. Noticing a series of heating units scattered about the quarry she advanced with her forces to seek wait out the night.
Joan and her forces had gathered around the closest heating unit when it suddenly shut off and the screaming sound of drop jets rang out across the crater as a trio of yuan yuans dropped from the sky, encircling the Panoceanian forces. Following up with a coordinated assault that outright destroyed the graceful Seapth TAG in a explosion that sounded the beginning of an unprovoked engagement by the infamous mercenary company Ikari.

The Ikari force had set up a defensive position across the field several keisatsu and tanko were present as were the famous Yojimbo on his motorcycle and a few other mercenary brawlers, a desperado and a krakot. She studied the enemy and mentally noted their positions.

- Lets make them pay for this aggression, engage at will, focus on the central consoles and make sure we get power back to the heating unit.

Yojimbo careered towards Joan together with a formation of tankos and brawlers. Targeting the console in the middle which would render them safe from the approaching cold. Fortunate for Joan, she had set up a sniper in thermo optic camouflage covering the exact firing lane, just in case they did get uninvited company like these bandits. Her relief was short lived however as the sniper was clearly suffering from the cold and his aim was of, missing the tanko several times. The opportunity was finally lost when the central console was covered in smoke, blocking of any lines of fire to it.
At least for her troopers she thought, having seen the dreaded Rui Shi at the start of the battle Joan knew what was coming.

The specialist sergeant got a final chance to redeem himself when an exposed hacker across the field made just enough of a motion, activating her hacking device, to trigger the sergeant motion sensors.
Joan drew a deep sigh as that shoot to veered of target and the hacker escaped harm as she enhanced the Rui Shi’s targeting systems. Joan signed a cross across her chest as she knew the sergeant wouldn’t make it.

The sergeant was no match for the enhanced remote taking him by surprise from behind the smoke screen, shredding him to ribbons.

Having seen enough Joan activated her comm link to sounds the assault.

- Enough! Joan screamed through her comms. Let’s teach these clowns what happens when you mess with Panoceania.

She could hear the sound of piston driven legs from the remotes as she advances on the flank to take out one of the Yuan Yuans herself. The mechanical sound of automated fire echoed across the field as a tanko was ripped apart by the bulleteer spitfire. But the sound died out with a tremendous explosion, the defensive Ikari fireteam has blasted the bulleteer with a missile launcher. Rendering it incapacitated, smoke bellowing out from beneath it’s carapace.
A minor setback as the nearby engineers had covered the entire Panoceanian force with technical support from either himself or his palbots. The bulleteer was quickly brought back to operational status and was again employed in shredding the Ikari defenses. It manages the destroy a second tanko a Yuan yuan and the Rui Shi before the missile launcher emplacement forces it back into cover.

Joan shifts her focus back to the Yuan yuan on her flank and advances on it with her spitfire showering the area in bullets and smoke as the adversary retreats into cover when it deploys a smoke grenade to cover the retreat, bullets ricocheting of his armor.

Joan’s second specialist sergeant subordinate deactivates her thermo optical camouflage and deploy a mine as she fortified her position behind the yuan yuan. The mine triggering soon after as the pirate tried to shift his position when Joan approached thorough the smoke but this too just bounces of his armor. Clearly the bandit had scavenged a heavier armor than usual for this engagement. The elusive mercenary was finally felled by the swift swoop of Joan’s sword as she engages him in melee combat under the cover of a walkway.

Having taken a pounding from the Military orders counterattack the Ikari company mostly shuffles around and tends to their wounded. Patching up a few tankos and getting the Rui Shi up and running again in the cover of smoke grenades provided by the mercenary troops mounted on bikes. The Ikari obviously second guessing their decision to assault the military order force.

Joan could meak out the distant humming as the furthest heating unit was activated through the central console as she heard the screaming sound of missiles heading her way. Even Joan’s famous reflexes weren’t enough to dodge away, and she was hit square in the chest by two armor piercing shells exploding onto her mobility armor. The explosion leaving her on the brink of consciousness with fiber bundle muscles and plating blasted apart. Joan knowing better than to tempt fate made a tactical retreat into total cover behind the support beams of the walkway.

On the other side of the field a lone desperado revved his engine and charges into sight of the better part of the troops guarding that flank. Taking fire from no less then a heavy shotgun, a spitfire, a heavy flamer and a mine but somehow managing to shrugging of everything apart from the mine which blasts him apart sending his motorcycle crashing as he tried to disable a Panoceanian remote.

Joan smiled to herself as the action of the mercenary made it all to clear they were starting to get desperate.

Satisfied by the shot the tanko drops back down to take cover while setting up to deter the Panoceanian forces from advancing on up the field while Yojimbo places his crazy koalas up the field, hindering the knights’ advance.

- The Ikari have had their fun, it is time to show them the true might of the military orders. Joan said over the comms, this time with a clear satisfaction in her voice.

In a pincer attack from both sides the Bulleteer, Auxbot and Joan all converge on the center and field guns blazing. The auxbot sweeping up to clear the koalas covering the tanko and brawler in flames, but alas both manages to escape unharmed, dodging away from the engulfing flames. The auxbot however was obliterated by koalas and missile fire, clearing the approach for the rest of the force. The bulleteer shredding one of the tankos joined by the brawler doctor, the Rui Shi and the tanko missile launcher in spitfire rounds, ending their perceived supremacy in the center of the field. Joan herself pick off the remaining tanko, annihilating the Ikari presence.

Seeing the hopelessness of the situation a ninja, having remained hidden from sight thanks to his thermo optical camouflage, sprung to action and desperately try to activate a console in hopes of securing safety from the coming cold snap. But the controls proved to complicated for her, failing to activate the heating unit in a series of attempts the ninja eventually took up position to repel any attempt from the panoceanian forces to do the same.
Grasping for straws to halt the inevitable advance of the knightly orders the krakot renegade managed to take out one of the combat remotes with a lucky shot.

Seeing their time had come, Yujimbo speed out crossing the entire field, dodging bullets from the entire panoceanian force as he launches himself into close combat with Joan herself. Joan smirked as the famous combatant contacted her. Even though his martial prowess outmatches even that of her she had the superior position and the desperation in the mercenary’s endeavor makes him commit slight miscalculation and was taken down by Joan’s riposte as she parries his blade.

She lashed out with her swords, removing what blood covered her weapon. She pauses for a second to assess the situation, calculating the effort needed to secure their position in the quarry from the Ikari forces. She coordinates her troops towards the center. One of Joan’s specialists was sent to do what the ninja could not and activates the needed heating unit. Unfortunately, she went down to the treacherous tactics of the krakot as one its chest mine explodes, leaving her in the cold with her blood pouring from a deep wound across her chest. Her sacrifice ensured that the majority of the present panoceanians would survive.

The remote evo hacker together with the engineer manages to patch up and enhance the shotgun wielding remote which then proceeds to wreak havoc on the remaining Ikari presence in the quarry, shredding both a tanko and the doctor. Leaving the center in total control to the Panoceanian force. The warcor accompanying the Ikari force managed to blind the remote with her camera flash when she documented the final moments of the battle.

The peacemaker retreated into the heating zone together with the majority of the panoceanian forces. Leaving behind only a few troopers who unfortunately didn’t make it to safety in time. Their sacrifice will be remembered and the Ikari held responsible for the unnecessary loss of lives.

- The Ikari will think again before they commit such thoughtless acts of violence against soldiers of the hyperpower. They died knowing they attacked benevolent citizens of Panoceania and the survivors would do good to remember what happens to those that cross swords with us.