Chapter 106

　　The sound of battle intensified as they ran, the noise growing louder the closer the battling Mechs and ships came to the resort town. Through the gaps in the buildings, Kal and the others could see the fighting.

　　Flashes of crimson and bluish-white light burned holes in Mobile Suits, and occasional explosions from downed Mechs threw geysers of water in the air and shook the pavement beneath their feet.

　　With Mare`s hand clutched tightly in his own, he led the group down the maze of side streets and alleys, avoiding the clogged thoroughfare as bystanders watched in fascination and awe at the conflict. It wasn`t until the first errant weapon fire struck the town that their astonishment turned to terror, and they began to flee for their lives.

　　Above, the drop pods burned their way toward the surface, flanked by more Mechs and Assault Carriers, their cannons and lasguns firing continuously at the Imperial Guard Mobile Suits that ringed the town as its last line of defence.

　　It was obvious to any onlooker that the attackers outnumbered the defending Imperial Guard. The loss of Borealis Station put them at a severe disadvantage until reinforcements from Mars could arrive.

　　"Through here! We`re almost out!" Kal shouted, pointing to a small alley between two buildings. One was a restaurant, its three stories empty as its patrons fled or in their rooms waiting for the all-clear.

　　The other was a residential building, further back from the beach. It would have housed some of the lower-tier guests. At ten stories, it dominated the space, its grey concrete exterior giving the group a sense of security as they pushed through the alley between.

　　They were nearly at the far end when the scream of a PPC energy projectile made the group look up in alarm. It streaked through the blue sky, slamming into the fifth floor of the building and vaporizing a hole clean through to the other side. The edges glowed orange and white with heat.

　　"Move!" Kal shouted, pulling the others to their feet and urging them to continue through the space. Only Mare and Talha had made it to the far end of the alley when the building beside them began to groan, the concrete fa鏰de crumbling. It began to lean over them, and debris fell from the gaping hole in its side.

　　Sylla stumbled over the scree of concrete and fragments on the ground, her feet slipping as the ground rumbled and shook. In front of her, Ty was hauling Cid forward, shielding her more petite frame with his body from the falling material as they raced toward the opening.

　　A chunk of concrete struck the young man in his face, leaving a bloody gash on his forehead, and he fell to the ground hard, taking Cid with him. John bravely stopped and turned, picking up his friend and dragging Cid forward while Micah took Ty`s other arm.

　　Kal turned and ran toward the Governor. Agile and quick, he weaved through the falling debris until he reached her. With no regard for his safety, he focused on rescuing his friend, the first person he met when he was released from Stasis. Gripping her arm, he hauled her to her feet and led her forward.

　　"I got you." Kal said with assurance, and Sylla smiled up at him before her face looked horrified.

　　"Look out!" She screamed, shoving him with enough force to knock him backwards. Landing on his back, he saw a large section of concrete crash to the ground, burying Sylla and sending up a screen of dust to block his vision.

　　Coughing from the thick dust coating his mouth and choking him, Kal scrambled to his feet only to find the way to the Governor blocked. Sylla was nowhere to be seen under the grey stone and metal pile.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

　　"No! Sylla!" Kal screamed, rushing toward the mountain of shattered concrete, metal rebar and crossbeams. Frantic to help his friend, he clawed at the debris, lifting pieces from the pile and tossing them to the side while shouting for help.

　　John dropped Ty off at the end of the alley and hurried back to Kal`s side, helping to lift sections off of the trapped Governor. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he found her.

　　Sylla lay at the bottom, her eyes closed and face serene. She could have been sleeping if not for the blood and her pale skin. She wasn`t breathing. Her heart couldn`t beat from the large, jagged piece of metal jutting from her chest.

　　Kal collapsed onto his knees, staring at his friend in stunned silence. His hands shook as he reached forward to touch the skin of her cheek, already cooling.

　　"Kal, she`s gone. We need to go. It`s not safe here." Talha shouted from the alley`s end. Ty sat on the ground while Cid wrapped a bandage torn from her shirt around his wounded forehead.

　　"Kal!" Talha shouted again, knocking him from his stupor. Knowing there was nothing more he could do for her, he drew in a deep breath, shoving the sadness and despair aside and focusing on the moment.

　　"Come on." Kal said to John, sprinting to the end of the alley and leaving Sylla behind.

　　Page Break

　　Gareth fired his Lasgun at the Assault Carrier. The Bluish-White beam of energy splintered uselessly off its hull shielding. He was about to try again when his communication link activated.

　　"I`ll swat these flies, attack the resort. I want it wiped off the map. Leave nothing behind." Jack ordered. Gareth looked up to see the Justice` soar down from above. Over eighty feet tall, its wings stretched twice that length. In its hands, it gripped a long, two-handed energy sword.

　　In a flash, it was ahead of Gareth`s group of Seraphs, its blade piercing through the thick shielding and armour of the Guard Throne. Kicking it away, the Heavy Mech lifelessly fell to the water. A stream of PPC energy impacted on the Justice`s` shields.

　　Like the Throne,` The Justice` activated its Mirror` ability, absorbing the excess energy and channelling it into its reactor for an increased power boost. What separated Justice` from a Throne` happened next, when Jack activated its second ability.

　　The wings of the Justice,` shone white and sparkled in the light, growing brighter until it was blinding. Suddenly, they dimmed, turning dull and grey as the light travelled along the Mech`s frame and gathered in a small pinpoint of light in its chest.

　　"Sublime Eradication." Jack ordered the Assault Mech, listening to the whirl of the Reactor as it reached its extreme limits.

　　A line of pure, destructive power erupted from the Justice.` Like a razor blade, it carved through the water below them, slicing a stripe through the water, the Aircraft hovering in front of them, and the half dozen Medium and Heavy Class Mechs flying toward them from a distance.

　　The Mobile Suits held together momentarily before splitting in half and tumbling to the water below. The Aircraft exploded, raining debris onto the ocean.

　　So powerful was the beam of destructive energy that it didn`t stop for miles, touching the land and lancing through the resort town in the distance. Multiple buildings collapsed, the ground split apart, and a cloud of dust rose into the sky.

　　Gareth watched in awe at the Mech`s abilities until his father called out to him.

　　"Don`t just stand there. Get moving." Jack ordered before speeding away toward more of the Imperial Guard Mobile Suits.

　　"You heard him." Gareth ordered his companions, leading the flight of Seraphs to the town. He could see the people gathered in the streets below, some watching him, others running for their lives. But he knew they were trapped. Their intel provided by Augustus had told them that there were no hovercars or shuttles to ferry them away.

　　It was like shooting fish in a barrel.

　　Gareth didn`t even bother to aim. He raised his lasgun without any clear target and pulled the trigger. Beside him, twenty other Mobile Suits opened fire, unleashing devastation on the already damaged town.

　　Buildings exploded, and the destructive energies vaporized streets, and people gathered there. Multiple fiery eruptions spread black smoke across the sky. Gareth imagined he could hear the screams from their victims, but the only noise that reached him was the cracks of Lasguns as they continued to kill everyone in sight.

　　"Leave no one alive." Gareth ordered, splitting away from the group with some of the others and tracking other targets. In only moments, the resort town that had been designed and built to provide joy to so many had become the tomb of thousands.

　　Blood had been spilled on Sacred Terra. The Empire would never be the same again.