[b]Albert[/b]'s strike tore a great, ragged gouge in the fuel tank. The contents spilled out, evaporating almost as quickly as it could fall to the ground, and the aerosolized fuel blossomed into a cloud of flame. The fireball washed over and around Daedalus's bulk; in the cockpit, Albert's sensors flashed various warning as the flames temporarily blinded his sensors, but it took only seconds for those flames to recede. Black smoke still clouded his visuals, and the fire licking out of the ruptured tank blinded his thermal sensors, but he could at least perceive the rest of his surroundings again. For the most part, those surroundings were blackened and smoldering. The shuttle support equipment--set next to the fuel tank for the sake of speed--was still standing, but only as a structure. The metal was blackened and sagging; the plastic fittings looked like stalactites; the sensitive electronics were no longer even identifiable. [b]Rally[/b]'s gaze swept over the devastation. Pillars of smoke were issuing from the burning munitions and shuttle depots, forming an black haze in the sky above the base. A military transport hung limply from the antenna array; two of the armor contingent had been crumpled by explosions. Wounded and dead Athenian soldiers lay on the ground, here and there, collateral damage of the task force's ambush. Most of them were clustered around the path of devastation left by Albert. The soldiers she could see still moving around seemed to be slowly organizing themselves. One clump was moving towards the most sturdy-looking building on the compound--a sandbag-and-sheet-metal affair that covered a steep section of the hillside. Another group could be seen heading towards the motor pool--there were a couple of armored vehicles still parked there, but no way to tell if the soldiers headed that way were tank crews or simply looking for anything that would get them to safety in a hurry. But for all the furious activity, Rally noticed one other thing--at least for the moment, no one was shooting at them. ----- Major Renzo grit her teeth as she watched the enemy machine walk away from the explosion. Totally unharmed, from everything she could see. Damn that aristocratic ass! She should have had two Myrmidons out there--at least then Lazarova might have had a chance. She'd liked the young man--better than his superior officer, at any rate. [i]Where's your damn 'tactical reserve' now, Leofric?[/i] ----- Leofric hissed as the shot hit the ground next to his foot. The Myrmidon-sized round chewed up the earth, sending up a geyser of dirt and plants. He kept running; another round came close to hitting him from the other direction, and he swore, half-diving to one side in reaction. That move brought him stumbling to the edge of a clearing in the canopy. Still off-balance, his Myrmidon half-crouched, swinging its head back and forth to bring it sensors to bear. Shaking hands punched a button on his comms panel, locking in on the frequency that had demanded his surrender. "Iden-dentify yourself first!" His demand came out in a thin voice; he coughed, then, more confidently: "And show yourself! So I know you're not about to shoot me in the back!" ----- [b]Marcus[/b], as the message comes through, you finally get a good lock on your [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gundam/images/5/58/GATA-01E2_-_Buster_Dagger_-_Front_View.jpg]target[/url], just inside the treeline of a small clearing. All indications are that he hasn't spotted you, and if he hasn't jettisoned his weapons, he doesn't have them at the ready either. The clearing in front of him could easily serve as a landing point. It also provides a perfect line of sight. [hider=Profile - AWK-02-3 Gerak]The [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gundam/images/5/58/GATA-01E2_-_Buster_Dagger_-_Front_View.jpg]AWK-02-3 Gerak[/url] is the next-generation armored walker for the Athenian army. They're built on the same basic lines as the Sparos, but designed from the drawing board to take advantage of heavier weapons and armor while still retaining most of their predecessor's maneuverability. The one disadvantage they have relative to the Sparos, of course, is expense; that, combined with how recently they started production, explains why they are still far less common than their older brother. [i]Image credit: GAT/A-01E2 Buster Dagger, Gundam SEED[/i][/hider]