Chapter 105

　　Gareth Quade led a flock of Seraphs through the upper atmosphere of Terra. With his mech`s wings retracted, he used all of his reactor`s energy to power the Mobile Suit`s shields. A red glow surrounded him from the friction caused by his descent.

　　"Almost through, be prepared to separate." Gareth advised the twenty Seraphs under his command. The plan was to punch through the atmosphere as quickly as possible before screening for Guard Mechs that could interfere with their landing.

　　Far below him, the sparkling blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico shimmered in the light. He had always wanted to see Terra, his Father`s home and part of his birthright, but he hadn`t thought it would be under these circumstances.

　　Just a few days before, he had been in stasis, wondering where he had gone wrong, and now he was about to spill blood on Sacred Terra.

　　"Three, two, one. Deploy and split." Gareth counted down. He deployed his Mech`s wings and was about to gain distance from the others when a warning notification rang out in his cockpit.

　　"Thermal warning, high energy signature detected." The Mechanical voice rang out, and his vision zoomed into the distance. A platform floated on the sea below them, a giant cannon connected to massive battery banks. He could see the shimmer of the heat rising from the weapon.

　　"Scatter!" Gareth ordered, but it was too late. A streak of red energy, larger than anything he had seen aside from the Titan Atlas, streaked toward them.

　　"Cover." A voice sounded out, and a Heavy class Throne` shot in front of the group, it`s wings expanded to their limits. They shined a bright white as they were fed energy from its reactor. A powerful shield enveloped the Mech, like a white orb in the sky before them.

　　The red PPC energy slammed into the barrier, splintering into hundreds of smaller beams of energy that rained down on the sea below. The Thrones` wings began to change from white to red as a fraction of the energy assaulting it was absorbed and rerouted through its systems.

　　Lifting its own weapon, it returned fire. A ray of light sped toward the surface, annihilating the floating platform and the PPC. The illumination faded from the Throne as it shot toward its next target.

　　Breathing a sigh of relief, Gareth followed behind.

　　There was a fundamental difference between the classes; nothing was more stark than Medium to Heavy. The Seraph could fly and had a light shield, but it was a glass cannon, unable to sustain much damage before failing.

　　The Throne was an enhancement to it in every way. Stronger, faster, with superb defences and speed. Its key feature was the unique technique it just displayed. Mirror` allowed the Throne to redirect energy weapons, enhancing its own power and using it to counterattack.

　　With the Throne in the Vanguard position, Gareth and his flight of Seraphs flew across the water toward their destination.

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　　"Anything?" Cid asked the others as they gathered in Kal`s room. They were in the sitting room, everyone with their datapads or communicators trying to get information. Kal stood by the window, looking around the town for a way to get them away.

　　The resort town had forbidden Hovercars, and the Guard strictly controlled incoming shuttles. The landing pads were empty. The Guard had transports located off-site unless needed. They felt unregulated travel in and out of the town was a security risk.

　　"Nothing, all the lines are down, and the Net isn`t loading." Ty said with disgust, tossing his datapad onto the coffee table.

　　"We`re safe here, though, right? I mean, this is Terra. The Guard has this under control." Cid replied nervously, looking at the standing Kal.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

　　"We can`t stay, and there`s no shuttles or cars. Did you pack what we needed?" Kal asked Mare, who was coming back in with John. They had several full backpacks.

　　"Water and supplies. It should last a day or two." Mare confirmed.

　　"Are we really going to run? The Guard said to stay in our rooms until we`re given the all-clear." Sylla asked.

　　"I`m not waiting, except for the Imperial Palace. This place would be the primary target in an attack. Everyone knows half the galaxy`s nobility is gathered here. I would rather take my chance on my own." Talha replied. Kal nodded in agreement.

　　"Grab a bag. We`ll get some distance. Hopefully, I`m just overreacting, and we get the all-clear soon, but better safe than sorry." Kal ordered, grabbing a backpack and placing the straps around his shoulders.

　　They had made it to the ground floor when Kal stopped them. In front of the group, he stepped onto the main walkway of the resort town when he heard a noise. Like a keening wail, a piercing scream of energy that instantly made him spin around to look at the end of the street.

　　A streak of crimson energy flashed overhead, striking from the sky at something in the ocean of the Bay. An instant later, multiple cracks of thunderous Lasgun fire erupted. The ground shook around them, the building`s windows rattled, and Kal could see chairs and furniture on the side areas and patios topple.

　　Cid screamed from the noise, and the group held their hands over their heads and huddled together in the shelter of the building as a massive Mobile Suit flew overhead.

　　A Heavy Class Throne in the livery of the Imperial Guard was flanked by Combat Airships, their large thrusters keeping their enormous frame in the air. Attached to the front of the ship were twin PPCs, the glow of heat slowly fading from their recent discharge.

　　In moments they were gone, heading out over the bay. The buildings around them blocked the group`s vision of the Mech and its escort ships, the sound slowly fading.

　　"We need to go!" Kal shouted, pointing to the opposite end of the resort town and the trees beyond. They needed to get as far away as possible before whatever the Guard was fighting arrived. Pulling the others to their feet, he led the way down the streets, listening to the occasional sound of distant combat.

　　"Who are they attacking?" Ty asked as they ran down the street. What had started out as a vast, empty avenue quickly became filled with people. They could see members of the Guard trying to keep order, but civilians outnumbered them.

　　Unlike Kal`s group, most people were trying to see what was happening on the shore, not understanding the severity of what they were facing. They treated it like a spectacle, watching the Mechs and energy weapons with amazement and fascination, unaware of the coming danger.

　　A few groups were more knowledgeable, doing what Kal and the others were and running away as fast as possible for the forests or the areas where the Guard were still stationed.

　　"I`m not sure, but we aren`t sticking around to find out!" Kal shouted over the tumult. A gust of strong wind nearly knocked them to the ground as another group of Mechs flew overhead, not slowing down as they passed over the town.

　　They had made it out of the main square when Mare`s shout pulled Kal`s attention.

　　"Look!" She yelled, pointing to their left.

　　Kal could see the beach and the bay beyond through a gap between the buildings. Above the sparkling azure water, a white spray obscured the horizon. He didn`t understand what was happening until another streak of crimson energy shot out from a Guard Mech a moment later.

　　It was a flight of Seraphs, their large frames sending up sprays of water as they sped above the water`s surface. In the lead was another Thr one with its wings spread wide as it absorbed another volley of Lasgun and PPC energy.

　　If there was any doubt of their allegiance, it was put to rest as they returned fire. A lance of crimson energy struck one of the Aircraft flanking the Imperial Guard Throne.

　　The attack vaporized one of its boosters, and the ship slowly tilted toward the ground. Its triangular body was too heavy for a single booster to support it, and it crashed into the sea, sending a geyser of water skyward.

　　Kal watched the conflict for only a moment, taking in the opposing force. They lacked any distinctive markings. Their Mechs were plain metal, scrubbed clean of paint or livery. Even though the Throne was an Imperial Guard model, it was clear they weren`t allied with the Emperor`s forces.

　　All sound in the resort town was drowned out as lines of fire descended from the sky. Flanked by hundreds of more Mechs, dozens of drop ships were falling toward the surface. A flight of Guard Mechs was approaching the town to aid in its defence, but Kal could see they were heavily outnumbered.

　　"Kal, what do we do?" Mare asked, seeing the same and understanding the significance. Kal felt helplessness creep over him. The odds were stacked against them. They were trapped in the town, with no way out and an overwhelming force obviously intent on striking at their location.

　　In the corner of his mind, the Green-Eyed Beast stared at him from the darkness, waiting for a moment of weakness so that it could take over. It had been a while since he had seen it, and he shoved its presence away.

　　Unnoticed, his left hand trembled and clenched into a fist.

　　"Run. Drop everything and run!" Kal shouted, gripping Mare by the hand and taking off. The others kept pace as the sky above them erupted in violence.