“Hello brother pilot”, a feminine voice addressed me as I settled in to the main control console.
Surprised I answered, “Wocky is that you?”
“Of course, who else would it be?” she replied.
Locking myself into the cockpit, and interfacing with her systems I was met by a digital rendering of the Regis mecha. It was a little disorientating at first as usually she was just a voice coming over the command module speakers.
“I have achieved sentience,” she informed me. “Although it has taken some getting used to this mobile battle platform, as you may have noticed has also been highly modified. I assume this is due to the task that has been presented to you. Although I should inform you the data on how we reached this station has been wiped clean from my memory files.”
“Figures,” I replied. “And yeah we are supposed to engage some kind of mecha in a short period of time. Long and short of it, we win we live, we loose and we die. I didn’t think they would let you keep the data, although if they had I would have shared it with the entire Brotherhood and come back in force, let’s face it this would make a hell of a base.”
Our conversation was cut short just then as the hanger lights snapped off and the platform we were standing on began to lower itself into the floor. As we watched ourselves sink down we realized this platform too was a gate. We sank down into the floor only to find ourselves raised up through true ground. I could only assume our time was up and we had been transported to the planet surface I had seen from the station in orbit.
“All systems online, weapons fully functional, mobility and shields at one hundred percent, ready to commence combat action brother pilot,” Wocky chimed in as we finally came to rest on solid ground. I simply nodded my head, and brought up environmental scans of the area. Everything was in the green, the air was breathable, the terrain was a mixture of swampland and woods, and there appeared to be no real organic life around aside from the foliage. I extended the scans and found there were a half dozen satellites set about the planet, it made sense Kellek and Judas would want to see their new toy in action so what better way to monitor the situation.
“I can hack those satellite systems so we don’t run blind into an ambush if you would like,” Wocky helpfully chimed in.
“Do it,” I told her. “Any intel we can get at this point is a bonus.”
She didn’t reply but suddenly a burst of data went through my mind. Topological data streamed through my head, sector by sector information was passed through Jabberwocky to myself. Finally on a small three mile wide by four miles long stretch of what looked like sandy dunes we picked up an artificial signature.
“Target acquired.” I said. “Alright girl, get us there.”
Her only reply was to take off at a good run for the indicated area. As she moved along I explored the systems I was now locked into. In a regular mecha you simply think and the mecha responds to your thoughts with actions. Here it was like sharing consciousness with a living thing, very similar to my experiences piloting a sentient mecha like the Nakshi, or Jadoon. I was aware of her engines pumping out power like a heartbeat, coolant and oils filled her “veins”, data streamed endlessly through my mind as she gathered and surveyed the areas we moved through. It took a while to get used to but eventually it was a very comfortable sensation, being one with an ancient mecha.
We arrived eventually at the indicated area and as soon as we stepped into the sandy valley barriers raised behind us and covered the area in an energy dome. Apparently this was to be our arena, now all we had to do was find our opponent. The wait was short lived as a mechanical screech filled the air. Coming up over the dunes to meet us in the sandy valley below was a massive quadruped, triple headed, canine mecha.
There was hardly time to take the massive mecha in fully before it commenced its attack. It opened all three jaws wide and belched out fire, ice, and hot lead in our direction. The effects were devastating, the solid ammo hit first raising up a plume of dust and sand, and then the flame burst hit instantly melting said dirt and sand into liquid glass, and finally the ice burst hit which froze the superheated liquids in place. In one shot the opponent had managed to basically cement us to the spot where we stood.
Jabberwockys lower body was coated in the frozen, melted ground. We couldn’t move. She opened her mouth and returned fire with her Archfiend systems, while using her hand cannons to blast away at the coating which held us in place. The Cerberus model mecha bounded easily away and our shots missed their intended target. We were being circled now, and being fired upon. Our shielding held but against this kind of triple threat weapon system we would be shield less in moments unless we came up with something fast.
Jabberwocky unleashed her Galaxy Eye lasers in tandem with her Archfiend systems while still blasting away at each new formation of super-heated then cooled liquid ground that bound her in place. The answering fire was more of the same and each shot succeeded in covering us more and more in the mess that was once solid land.
“I’m open to ideas Wocky!” I exclaimed.
“Processing telemetry data,” she answered.
We didn’t have much time to say anything else as the enemy kept pounding away at the surrounding landscape encasing us more and more. Jabberwocky whipped her head around and let fly with her Archfiend cannons once again, this time we scored a hit on the dog mechas right hind leg. It went sprawling across the valley floor. This was the break we needed, powering up the Twin Grazer cannons we cut loose into the coating which had until now held us fast. The frozen glass like substance was instantly vaporized and we could move again. Jabberwocky wasted no time and turned all her firepower on the dazed mecha.
Apparently we had caught it off guard as the readings indicated all its shielding was focused towards the front of the machine. Wocky had aimed at the rear and scored a hit right into its articulation servos. We advanced thinking this would be an easy kill now, which is when we got another unexpected and unwelcome surprise. The right and left heads shot off of the mecha and went airborne.
“Okay that just isn’t fair!” I said.
“Agreed brother pilot, one moment as I attempt to rectify this situation.” She calmly replied.
The flame and ice weapon heads circled us bobbing and weaving much like the Klarn/Novum mechas, at insane speeds making it hard to get a solid lock on. Jabberwocky filled the air with solid rounds and sizzling laser fire, but they dodged out of the way easily. As they circled us they returned fire sending flaming bursts, and icy death in our direction. We narrowly dodged the worst of it but still caught damage from the debris the blasts kicked up. It was like being hit with a million shrapnel grenades all at once. Our shielding was in the red and a few shots managed to hit her armored hide making gashes in her hull.
“I know what to do brother pilot,” Wocky said to me. “The drones are controlled by a command signal, without that signal the pilot drones and the heads are useless.”
“Don’t tell me about it, just do it!” I yelled in reply.
Jabberwocky set off at a run towards the downed body of the mecha and the central head still attached. We took fire from all sides, our shields failed and we started taking damage. I just willed Jabberwocky on as she concentrated on auto repairing critical systems to keep herself mobile and online. The downed mecha was trying to stand but was having a hard time as its back actuators were worse off than we initially thought. The blast from the Archfiend laser system had blown a hole clean through the rear end of the mecha almost cutting it into two pieces.
The central head saw us coming and opened fire for all it was worth. We were pelted with solid ammunition as we advanced. Jabberwocky returned fire. Twin Gazers, Rage Pulsars, Galaxy Eyes, and Big Bertha cannons all went off at once scoring multiple hits on the now prone form of the enemy mecha. Still the drone heads circled and fired on us again and again as we advanced on the main head and body. Jabberwocky’s armor was quickly deteriorating, and we both knew there wasn’t much time before she hit system critical status and either shut down or was simply blown up.
In one last lunge forward Jabberwocky grabbed the central head, ripped its jaws wide open while taking a face full of automatic weapons fire, opened her own mouth and discharged her full battery of Archfiends right down the canine mechas throat. The shot set off explosions within the head and body as solid ammunition stores were hit, the two flying drone heads simply fell out of the sky and crashed to the ground detonating upon impact. Jabberwocky raised her head high and roared in victory while standing over the badly damaged and exploded form of the Cerberus mecha.
We were badly damaged but alive; apparently we had won as upon the fights end the barrier came down and the gate we had used to get here shimmered with renewed life. We limped our way towards the gate and sank down into it, only to be raised up into the hanger we had come out of a few hours earlier. The Niodemancer Captain Johnathan Judas was there to greet us as the platform settled into place. I detached from Wockys systems and got out of the cockpit to survey the damage to my mecha.
“Well it seems you exceeded the mission parameters,” Judas said to me as I climbed down the scaffolding to the hanger floor.
“How so?” I asked him.
“You were supposed to beat the mecha in combat not blow it to hell!” He answered excitedly. “But a deal is a deal, you get to live your mecha may keep the upgrades, and for making such short work of our new toy I will foot the bill to repair your Regis as good as new.”
“Works for me.” I answered him. “So why are you and Kellek building mechas anyway?”
“Simple really,” he replied. “We are going into business for ourselves. Kellek feels that trying to conquer the universe like the other Forerunners is a meaningless pursuit, at least as long as the clans hold sway. With his knowledge, and my piloting experience we are going to be the next weapons and mecha manufacturing plant. Welcome to our orbital factory J&K distributors.”
I just sat there slack jawed staring at him. He simply waved his hands, smiled and the room was enveloped in a harsh white light. When I could see again I found myself back in The Brotherhood hanger, Jabberwocky towering above me and good as new. I shook my head to clear it and made my way to my commanding officers quarters. I had a lot to tell him, and let him know there was a new player in the Galaxy, we had best be wary.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534