The next morning, I piloted my AC Tenderfoot toward Grid 135. Dawn hadn't broken yet, and the industrial wasteland stretched out below me like a maze of rust and shadows. Walter's voice crackled through my comms, clear despite the early hour.
"621, artillery installations are showing up on radar. Three main clusters. Take them out, and—" He paused. "Hold on. Getting some unusual readings."
I spotted the first artillery nest, massive rail guns pointed skyward. As I charged my plasma cannon, a flash of crimson caught my eye. Nineball. The red AC hung in the air about half a kilometer away, its distinctive silhouette unmistakable.
"Well, if it isn't the new G13," a smooth voice cut through my comms. "How about we make this interesting?"
"I'm working," I replied, firing at the first artillery cluster. The explosion lit up the pre-dawn sky.
Nineball's laugh echoed through the channel. "Come on, Raven. You Hounds think you're so special. Prove it."
A barrage of missiles streaked toward me. I barrel-rolled Tenderfoot, letting the missiles streak past, then quick-boosted behind a fallen storage tank. Two could play this game.
"Walter," I called out, "how critical is this mission?"
"The artillery needs to go down," he replied. "How you handle your... guest is up to you."
I smirked. "Alright, Nineball. You want a fight? Let's multitask."
The next few minutes were pure chaos. I'd dart out to destroy artillery pieces while trading shots with Nineball. His AC was faster than mine, but Tenderfoot had better armor. For every missile salvo he launched, I responded with bursts of my turner art . For every artillery piece I destroyed, he'd try to clip my wings.
"Not bad," Nineball called out as I demolished the second cluster. "But you're still green."
He charged, blade extended. I caught it with my laser blade , the impact sending us both skidding through the air. The clash had pushed me right into position for the final artillery cluster.
"Thanks for the boost," I said, firing my turner Ar directly into the last installation. The explosion silhouetted Nineball's AC against the rising sun.
He hovered there for a moment, then laughed. "Mission accomplished, and you still managed to put up a fight. Maybe you Hounds aren't just talk after all."
"Want to stick around and find out?"
"Another time, G13. I got what I wanted." His AC turned and boosted away, leaving me among the smoking ruins of Grid 135.
Walter's voice returned. "Show-off. Head back to base. And 621... nice work."
I guided Tenderfoot toward home, watching the sun rise over the destruction we'd caused. Something told me this wouldn't be my last dance with Nineball