[centre][h1][colour=red]Jack[/colour][/h1][/centre]


[I]This was it[/i]. No more training, no more simulations… no more [i]time[/i]. Do or die, literally. On the other end of his sights were the enemy, an actual living, breathing enemy and not just a static target on a range. And they were about to learn the Divine's wrath. [Colour=red]"Come on, come on… gimme tone, gimme tone."[/colour] Jack gritted out while staring at his fire control. Though the Cardinal was as advanced as they came with its systems the weather was still playing havoc on its targeting software. And without the drone to give an independent lase actually picking out a target was proving difficult. 

He and his sister held their ground on Rimau's order, careful not to get too close to their target as the others called in their contacts. Finally after a few more moments a solid beeping noise came from the fire control and only a second or two later Black Hounds authorisation came through. [Colour=red]"Copy commander. Cardinal One engaging."[/colour] 

[Colour=red]"Blessed be the Lord my strength."[/colour] he muttered to himself as he flipped the trigger guard up on the controls by his right hand and. [Colour=red]"Who teaches my hands to war."[/colour] his finger squeezed the bright red button and the Mechs left shoulder recoiled. [Colour=red]"And my fingers to fight."[/colour] The woosh of an engine igniting filled the air as the Missile jumped from its tube, its engine igniting after a few feet sending it soaring into the sky, a trail of smoke followed behind it as it flew higher and higher.

Only seconds later the missile reached its peak altitude and began to plummet back to the earth at high speed. Its target, a lone Widowmaker at the edge of the Ruzi line. The poor walker had no idea it was even being targeted before the Paladin struck home, slamming into the top of its hull with a vicious explosion. The walker appeared to shudder after the impact for a few seconds, then it went still. Another second passed before jets of flame erupted from its access hatches, the flames burned intensely and were followed swiftly by a second explosion from inside the walker which lited its turret from the hull, hurling it several feet through the air before the entire frame crumpled to the floor, black smoke still pouring from its hatches.

Before the missile had even struck Jack had sprung into action, the smoke trail was like a big tracer and he wanted to be nowhere near it when the Ruzi's looked his way. [Colour=red]"Two, break for that treeline. Hammer the bunker, I've got the Mechs."[/colour]



[centre][h1][colour=green]Cass[/colour][/h1][/centre]


Cass watched as her brother opened fire on the defenders before breaking to the left and away from the missile trail. She followed her brother's orders to the letters, stepping on the gas as hard as she could and dragged Cardinal Two's frame towards the trees, by now the missile her brother fired had hit its target, the explosion of what was the Widowmaker ripped through the stormy sky, alerting the defenders that they were no longer safe. Cass said a silent prayer to herself for the souls of those who wouldn't see the sunrise tomorrow as her Mech went into a full sprint.

The treeline sat a few hundred metres away, slightly behind the Ruzi lines it would give Cass the perfect firing line down onto the bunker itself. Just as she made it to the treeline an alert warning flashed across her HUD from the LWS causing Cass to slam the brakes on, Cardinal two's feet digging into the floor in an attempt to stop quickly. She stopped just in time for a large calibre shell to whizz across her front and explode several feet to her right, ripping a tree apart as it did so and showering her Mech in wood splinters and shrapnel. No idea what fired that at her, though by the composition listed by that AI of Edwards it was probably another Widowmaker. The patter of small arms fire impacting both the ground and Cardinal Two came shortly after as Infantry and Machine Gun emplacements engaged her.

[Colour=Green]"One…"[/colour] She began with a slight panic in her voice. [Colour=green]"I've been engaged… [/colour] Three new signals popped on her IFF cutting her off mid-sentence, a trio of missiles launched from Cardinal One towards the Ruzi positions. Three more explosions followed shortly after followed by the distant glow of muzzle flash from Cardinal One's Rifle. [Colour=red]"I'm on it Two, just Hammer that damn Bunker. The quicker we're done here the quicker we can jump that second patrol."[/colour] as Jack finished the gunfire in her direction stopped, the enemy's attention was not on her anymore. 

Shouldering her Rifle she fired a few AP rounds at the Bunker, each punching a hole through the deteriorated metal plating the lights from inside the bunker spilling out into the darkness. This gave Cass an idea, she remembered back to what she yelled at the crane operator about Thermobaric's and airtight boxes, the bunker was anything but airtight anymore but the principal still apllied. With a flick of her right thumb the missile control changed from Fire and Forget over to Beam Riding, she lined up her sights and squeezed the trigger, the missile flew from the tube leaving a smoke trail in its wake. The Missile tore through the few hundred metres between Cardinal Two and the Bunker in less than a second, ripping a hole through the plating before detonating inside the structure.

Even from so far away and with the storm raging Cass could hear other, smaller explosions going off through the gaping hole she'd left in the side of the structure. Then came a deafening silence for a few seconds followed by the very ground itself beginning it shake. [Colour=green]"What the…[/colour] Again she was cut off as the largest explosion she had ever seen ripped out of the ground from beneath the Bunkers superstructure. Several tonnes of dirt and metal were flung hundreds of feet in all directions as the ammunition for its main gun detonated in their stowage racks, the roof of the Bunker itself was seemingly thrown like a child would a Frisbee. The fireball which reached high into the night sky could probably be seen for miles around. [Colour=Red]"By the Divine Two… I said Hammer the bunker… not crater the place…"[/colour] [i]sigh[/i] [colour=red]"This is Cardinal One to all Phantoms, the Southern Bunker is uhhh…[/colour] [Colour=Green]"Gone"[/colour] Cass interjected. [Colour=red]"Yeah, gone. Support elements probably know we're here now, permission to hunt and engage QRF, Commander?"[/colour]