[h2][center][color=crimson]Rath Drazkowski - Wolf 5[/color][/center][/h2]
[hider=Optional Music #1][center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3BzzNjLh8o[/youtube][/center][/hider]
[color=lightgray]Rath had sincerely hoped that Verena was being modest. A [i]normal rookie[/i] would find herself struggling on this hell-scape to remain alive. It might not be a wrong assumption to say that among all the members here, Rath had the most experience out of any of them. The harshness of the front-lines had been a second home to him for a long time. Those of years of service showed in every movement he made against the BETA, the mobility of his TSF being pushed to its well-known limits. Nothing would stop him on his path to eliminate those laser-class.

His battlefield awareness was in top form today, which was needed to keep the unrelenting number of tank-class away, as his Su-27M2 sped forward. Boosters created lift allowing him to perform a short jump over a charging grappler-class, a short burst of 36mm rounds tearing into its vital points, and continued to the primary targets not missing a skip. Rath had survived this long by trusting his instincts and feeling the flow of battle, if his superiors hadn't stunted his advancement he may have been an elite pilot himself. When terrain was available, he used it to cover his advance otherwise relying on the presence of the other BETA to prevent the laser-class from targeting him. In the wake of this destruction and in defiance of death, he silenced his comms and began to softly sing an old song his mother sang to him passed down from his grandfather in his unrestricted polish accent:

[i][color=crimson]The Legions are a soldiers' note,
The Legions are a sacrifice pyre,
The Legions are a soldier pride,
The Legions are a soldier fate[/color][/i]

A tank-class BETA's body was torn up by his blade motor, caught before it climb onto his TSF, as he continued the song without interruption. Already so many had been taken out by him and his allies, the laser-class were now with optical range.

[i][color=crimson]We the First Brigade,
a group of shooters,
We've thrown on the pyre
Our life's fate
on the pyre, on the pyre.

How much suffering and toil,
How much blood and tears have flowed,
despite it all there's no doubt
end of the journey gave us strength[/color][/i]

The second verse, the words spoken in polish, began as the wolf entered the sheep's pen. A Laser-class's bulbous eyes began to glow, pointed at him, right before his blade motor cut cleanly through its form. His A-97 Assault Cannon firing burst into every laser-class he came that entered his vision, at this range the target-auto correcting was enough to ensure his hits.

[i][color=crimson]We the First Brigade,
a group of shooters,
We've thrown on the pyre
Our life's fate
on the pyre, on the pyre.

They cried that we had gone stark mad
Not believing us, that there's a way!
Bereft of all, we've shed our blood
With our dear leader at our side![/color][/i]

Rath would continue to sing the old war world 1 song as he moved onto the heavy laser-class, a far more resilient target to be sure. His harder-hitting 120mm rounds tore into the first and while heavily wounding it, was not enough to take it down. His TSF boosted into the air, his blade motor cutting across the lens of the monster and watched its body explode in his rear-camera. With every one taken down, he hoped that those off-shore would find an easier time landing on the beach. These conditions were all-too familar to that of Operation Ouka, he sincerely hoped that this operation would be more successful.

A bead of sweat found its way down his fore-head to his chin as their laserjagd completed, his blade motor's chain slowing to a stop after he pulled it from the corpse of a grappler-class that had gotten a little too close for comfort. His attention was focused on the mission so he didn't spend much time observing the others' personal situations, only monitoring the radar briefly to keep track of their position.

[i]
[color=crimson]For the sake of posterity,
We'll devote the rest of our days,
To sow honor 'mid duplicity,
Heedless both to blame and to praise.
We are the First Brigade...[/color][/i]

He chose not to sing the final refrain. Whenever he needed to be calm in a dire situation, he would sing that among many other polish songs his mother taught him. A reminder of what he has lost and a promise to reclaim the future. A final shot exploded a crippled tank-class, clearing the BETA from his near-vicinity and a quick look around told him that his pack had finished up as well. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly and rolled his shoulders just to stretch relax those muscles. He read off every friendly blip and was relieved to see that not one was missing "[color=crimson]Got it[/color]." he informally replied to the CO and took his place on the perimeter "[color=crimson]Hey Tanizaki, what do you call a---[/color]" The rumbling cut him off from finishing what was going to be a great joke, his senses on high alert. 

In a single moment, Kasteler was gone. Rath gritted his teeth so hard that he felt like they might shatter. By the time Rath turned his vision on the grappler-class, it was had already done its damage and been shot down by one pf the other pilots. There was nothing left he could do for his comrade "[color=crimson]Śpij, kolego.[/color]" he spoke in a somber voice, unknowing he had not turned off his comms. The phrase meant [b][i]Sleep, Friend[/i][/b] in English, the name of a polish song used for a military funeral before the BETA's invasion. Captain Mina was sending two back to Fabel with the dead? He shook his head at the decision, it didn't make much sense to him to remove two TSFs from combat over the death of a comrade "[color=crimson]Don't get lost on your way there[/color]." He spoke to the returning wolves.

"[color=royalblue]Hold on a minute, We can't just leave when there is a Fort-class approaching![/color]" Rath chuckled softly at the bold statement by the young cub. She said the word 'We' but she obviously meant herself, and take that as you would, that was the Captain's mess to deal with. A fresh clip was loaded in his weapon as he came to realization. Perhaps she was sending them back, in order to protect them. Rath could tell Mina was a good captain, her heart was in the right place. He could see himself giving her the same loyalty as his old CO when he was in the 211st.
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[h2][center][color=royalblue]Haley Anders - Wolf 7[/color][/center][/h2]
[hider=Optional Music #2][center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjW81d52t9U&list=WL&index=5[/youtube][/center][/hider]
[color=lightgray]A sharp scowl continued to grow on her face as they made their way to the BETA, these...lesser creatures had already taken the lives of many soldiers even as they moved to intercept them. Turmoil inside of her expressed as anger, and eventually rage, as she fulfilled her role trusting her training and personal instincts to not only survive this battle, but surpass expectations. She wanted, no needed, to be identified as an Elite pilot and she wanted to make it happen as fast as possible. The only thing that was stopping her, so she thought, was battlefield experience. Now was the time to bridge the gap between her and the seniors in the battalion.

She brought the might of her american cannons down on the passing BETA as she followed the Vanguard alongside the others bringing up the middle. Her blood ran hot as the battle grew fiercer on the way to the laser-class, the sight of blood exploding from her many targets exciting her. What the Vanguard didn't kill on their way to the laser-class, Haley was sure to eliminate in waves of gunfire...along with the others. The powerful duo of Mina and Elise did not go under her radar and in fact, she paid special attention to them. They were her competition of course but after seeing their skill, she couldn't deny there were techniques she could learn from them. She quickly intercepted a small force of grappler-class that had come in from the right side, her TSF stopping and all four guns pointing forwards as she unloaded her arsenal.

After the BETA had kissed the dirt, the Vanguard began to engage their primary targets and Anders moved to take out her share. Bullets shredded the bodies of the laser-class and Haley couldn't help but start to enjoy taking vengeance on the same creatures that took her brother "[color=royalblue]This is for Dominic, you bastards![/color]" she shouted as she fired a volley of 120mm rounds from her guns into a Heavy-laser class, the flesh bubbling before exploding burning acid onto the area around it. Her mind forgetting those who had died during the start of this operation, after all it was easy to discard them when she couldn't see their faces.

Her chest rose up and down quickly as their mission completed and the area cleared of BETA, now the other forces lagging behind could finally contribute to the battle. Unlike a more experienced pilot, her adrenaline levels did not want to lower. She was ready for more. Waiting on the perimeter she kept scanning area for any signs of BETA approaching, wanting to get the first shot on them. The shaking of the ground startled her out of this state and she preparing to reply to Kasteler when the grappler-class sprung from the countless dead "[color=royalblue]NO![/color]" she screamed as her weapon's locked onto the new target, and fired as quick as she could...the BETA dropped but not before the damage was done. Haley's jaw fell and her eyes widened to their fullest extent, as the twisted body of the TSF crashed to the ground. Reality had been knocking on her door since she rose from the bowels of the transport ship, and now it had kicked that door in.

Her expression of shock did not vanish, her hands cramping from the tight grip she had on her controls but she did not dare let them go. With fast, sporadic breathing she watched Poulsen open up the twisted metal of the compartment and reveal the mangled corpse of Kasteler. The announcement of his death over the comms solidified the moment, her body couldn't stop shaking as the image was burned into her mind. What if she was only a moment faster with her reaction? Could he have been saved? Was there anything more she could have done? Mina's orders snapped her out of that spiral of questions, she wanted her to leave the battlefield. No...she couldn't. She had to make those monsters pay, the battalion needed her out here. Kasteler...he was already dead.

"[color=royalblue]Hold on a minute, We can't just leave when there is a Fort-class approaching![/color]" Haley spoke irrationally against the orders of her commanding officer. It might have come off as haughty but she had just witnessed her first teammate die, in pretty horrendous way. They needed her support in the upcoming fight or else someone could die as well. Wait, did Mina realize Haley was getting a little too hot-blooded? "[color=royalblue]Captain, surely we need everyone we can![/color]" It was too late to save Kesteler and she would be more useful in the coming fight than back at the ship.
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