Espionage

Military: Skirmish

The time to test the Dark Titans has come. Now that we know the mechanon are capable of hacking into our equipment, we need way to prevent this.

On the first offensive op, one of the lance's titans were hacked by the mechrion. The next step before any moe ops are launched is to give counteractive abilities to the titans. To do so, we must study mechrion coding techniques.   However, the only thing we know about the mechrion's coding abilities, is their use of nano-wave radiation. Radio wave radiation only travels at the speed of light, and is used for communication. This is due to its short wavelength. Nano-wave radiation travels one point five times the speed of light, because its wavelength is even shorter. The way these wave lengths operate make them usable for communication.   We have no way of studying mechrion coding, as we have no specimen to study. This was the perfect opportunity to test the Dark Titans. They could infiltrate a mechrion base, extract some code, and get out before the aliens even realize they have intruders. Commander Mason Lewis assigned some of the Safe Zone's new champions. There were only three Dark Titans to choose from. The NA-DT1, JMW-DT1, and the H&A-DT1. Sierra lance was unable to accept the mission, as their CQ titanmaster needed a psyche evaluation after the near-fatal feedback from having his titan hacked by the mechrion. Theta lance was the only option. They were down to three titanmasters, and the mission only required three. Mason briefed the titanmasters on their mission, and told them what it is they are looking for, being an alien hard drive. After the briefing was complete, he introduced the titanmasters to their new machines.   Nathan Armories' dark titan was the heaviest, and most heavily armed of the Dark Titans. Archangel Christopher Moore was Theta lance's heavy titans operator, and was a perfect fit for this Dark Titan's skillset. Though Bethany was a sniper on all other missions, she was the closest thing Theta had to a scout, and would assume this role. She would wear JMW's Dark Titan, despite its exclusivity to melee combat. This would only mildly be a hindrance to her. All Archangels are trained in mechanized melee combat, though some more than others, depending on their assigned role. Anthony was Theta's CO, and would usually pilot a command titan. Command titans are the most versatile class of titan, so he chose the most versatile of the Dark Titans, being H&A's model.   Piloting the dark titans was no different from fighting as themselves, as the dark titans were simply large powered suits of armor. On a remote scouting mission, Archangel dropship pilot Jamey Vega had spotted another mechrion base none too far from Safe Zone 1. The titanmasters chose their weapons, and entered their dropship. Jamey Vega flew them to the base, and dropped them the same way she'd drop normal titans. The third link in their dark titan's legs absorbed the shock of the landing once their speed had decreased sufficiently. They turned on their cloaking, and got to work. The base was half a mile west of their position, in the ruins of a small midwestern American town.   They activated their cloaks, and radio silence was ordered. Their invisibility to the visual as well as infrared, and sonar sensors allowed them to slip past all mechrion patrols. Still, they moved cautiously. They stayed in the shadows, amongst the foliage, and behind cover. They still knew very little of how the mechrion maintain their awareness. There could be something they have that was previously unknown.   They had no way of telling if their lancemates Still, they pushed forward. The closer to the objective they got, the denser the mechrion presence. After thirty slow minutes of silently pushing on, they laid eyes on their objective. It looked like a Forward Operating Base of some sort. There were transparent hard-light walls surrounding three buildings. One appeared to be a barracks. Another appeared to be a hangar, as battlesuits would march out of its doors. The building in the middle was the largest. Most likely a command hub. That is where they'd get their specimen.   They waited for one of the scouting parties they had seen to return so they can get through the hard-light gate with them. It was a short, yet stressful march to this command hub. Stressful in that they had to avoid touching any mechrion until they reached their objective, despite the heavy foot traffic inside the base. Still, they made it to the hub, and quickly found a hard drive that suited the Archangels' needs. Anthony extracted the piece of alien hardware.   Immediately after obtaining the specimen, the mechrion foot soldiers became fully aware of his exact location, and opened fire on him. His cloak became useless, and so too did the radio silence. He took cover, and ordered his Archangels to engage. Bethany remained cloaked, and able to egage in melee combat with the aliens. The claw weapon she wielded was different from other weapons she'd used. She was not used to the fast-paced chaos of melee combat, and was much more suited to the methodical nature of sniping her targets from afar. While her combat effectiveness was hindered, she was still effective.   Christopher saw no reason to remain cloaked, especially sense his weapons fire would give away his location. He let himself become visible, and opened fire. Somewhere in the ensuing chaos, the alien hard drive had taken fire, and was now unusable. He could not get to the alien computer to extract another. He informed his lance of this, saying how they needed to retreat, and would return home empty-handed.   Bethany had an idea. The mechrion were essentially robots. Therefore they would have plenty of data in their "brain". She decapitated one with her dark titan's claws, and grabbed the severed alien head. "I have the specimen, sir!" She shouted into the comms. Anthony still ordered a retreat. The AO had become far too hot for the equipment they were using. Bethany cut open a hole in the wall, and called her fellow Archangels to use it as an escape route. Just as they were leaving, another mechrion scouting party was returning. The hard light gate opened, and the Archangels slipped right passed them.   Anthony radioed dropship pilot Jamey Vega to come pick him and his lancemates up. She was on the scene in seconds. The Archangels boarded the dropship, and escaped.