In the following years Nomle grew rich, warm abd comfortable, he deciphered the gate and learned how to work it. He grew even richer as he sold the information to all the governments. All the races adventualy had at least to or three colonies each. Jordan grew older and even more evil and paranoid. Thousands of people disappeared and even more were executed on trumped charges. The Terran Empire is on the verge of open rebellion. Drow and human relations were beggining to heat up again as private cooperation started expanding south and consuming additional resources. Relations have grown stressed and are also on the verge of violence...
Luke strood his Knight through the rolling hills and columns of fumes, smoke, and steam that all drifted up from the many mine shafts. He'd been in the Army's First Mechanzied Walker Regiment and had his first shot at leading a full fire team. He shifted in his seat nervously and clutched the controls sticks tighter, Intel brief had said that the Drow were on the move here, and the SAUL Cooperate Base had come under attack by Drow Death Riders. The very thought grew fear in his heart, even when he was strapped into more than eighty tons of man made killing power. He cycled his weapons into power.
"Coperal Lavin, I have a contact on active radar its about 1 kilometer off." came the sweet soft voice of PFC Jeanie. She always was one with the best eyes Luke thought.
"Rodger that. Let's roll." There was no need to say anything else his team was good. He flipped down his magnifacation visor and watched a cloud of dust rise in the only the next hill or two over. He flipped over to his the Command Channal.
"Eagle Lead come in, this is Hawk's Eye 2-1, come in over."
"This Eagle Lead, Hawk Eye 2-1, what do ya have Corperal Luke?"
"Eagle I have at least a battalions worth of Death Riders in bound."
"Gotcha Pull your fire team out of there back to the line, I'll have artilery drop a few missles on the Death Rider Position Send me their cordinates."
"Rodger Eagle Lead, sending cordniates now with movement corelation, over"
"Copy get the hell out of their Luke."
"Already am, sir!"
Luke flipped his comm back to his team's, "Ok hawks were out of here artilery is dropping a package on those Riders."
Jeania and Joe both made nods with the heads of their Knights and turned around and took leaping strides across the terrain. A minute later there was a roar overhead and more than fifty rockets launched by overhead followed shortly by a flash and another roar of an explosion.
Luke's team reached the line without a problem, he frowned there weren't that many heavy veichles here he and his team would be hard pressed to hold.
"Ok team staggered formation join up on the line and brace for an assault use snipers first then you choice after they close. Luke glanced out the side screens, there wasnt much in the way of support. Alot of infantry and Blitz with a couple of Tazers in Assault mode, and his three Knights.
Luke flipped a few buttons and pulled down the Magnification Scope, a few wirring sounds and the MAP RAIL GUN was armed. Luke focused in and selected a Rider with three stripes of red, and hit the trigger. A flash of blue exploded arounf the cockpit from the capaciot discharge, then a shell launcher out of the barrel at hypersonic speeds. In a heart beat the shell impacted on the Rider's armor plating splitting the leg off at the knee joint.
Twevle others suffered the same fate from similar projectiles.
Luke shook his head this wasn't good there were still at least 124 Death Riders left, "one more round then switch to KPED's team." Another twelve rounds discharged slaying another ten walkers, Luke took aim and fired. "s**t!" His shot was deflected by the shield.
Luke flipped up the scope and put the rifle away on his back. All of the sudden the Death Riders stopped and launched an energy barage. Luke didnt utter a word but through both joy sticks foward and dove his machine into the dirt.
"Eagle Lead, this is HawkEYE2-1 were under attack in sector 7, requesting reserves!"
"Negative, 2-1, were under attack across the whole d**n lin-" The line went dead, "s**t" Luke swore to himself quiet enough so the mike wouldnt pick it up.
He raised his mechs arm and let loose with both heavy beams. The whole area lit up red for a second as two ruby red lances of enegy stabbed at the enemy. Just then the barrage hit, a direct hit, debris flew everywhere. Blood sprayed on Corperal Luke's screen, half the armor on his shoulder slagged off, Luke raised his Knight off the ground.
"Return Fire!" Came the tanker Lt.
Luke raised the left hand of his knight and let loose a stunning barrage of lasers that scorred hits everywhere. He held down the fire stud until his heavy lasers recharged then he let loose with those again. "Hit the dirt!" Luke shouted on the all hands. This the time the barrage of deadly dark magic energy was off enough to sail over their heads. Except one that scored a another direct hit on a Tazer and set off it Krana reactor. Spraying clouds of red fire all around that ate away at the unprotected infantry.
Luke turned away his eyes and leapt up. The Drow closed in, "This is GroundHog 1-1 were bugging out in sector 7! All units code RED-IOTA-ZERO, FALL BACK!!" came another Lt's voice. Luke squatted for a second that allowed about fifty infantry clamer onto to his Knight the other mobile units followed suit, Luke pushed a button on his keypad and a set of smoke grenades discharged putting up a storm of gases and smoke...
