Author's Note

I'm back! sorry family and relation ship issues. don't worry Pulled Through will be continued soon

Thanks to flyingfox for helping me with the spelling and...well making it so much better than I ever could.

Bloody Seraphim ... (Re-done)

Bloody Seraphim...

Earth
Parade Ground of the 68th Siege/ Siege breaker Regiment "Thunder fighters"

Commander: Brigadier Zanic
ACU: Model MK 5-3 ""

Brigadier Zanic looked up at the holo-monitor as she leaned against the frame and harness that tracked her movements as she watched the static fill screen.

"tchhhhMayday! Mayday! We tchh under attack from tchh unknown aggressor. We require tchhhh military assistance. Our own forces have sustained heavy tchhhhh-"

The transmission cut off and Brigadier Zanic looked at the small control panel next to her and pressed a button and the holo-monitor started to rise. As the holo-monitor clicked into place, the large viewing screen lit up and the Parade ground snapped into view showing the large courtyard that held hundreds of units and half a dozen ACU's standing to attention. At the very edge of the screen, she could see her own ACU's shoulders, the pips on them the exact same as the one's on her uniform's shoulders. "I suppose I'd better inform HQ..." Zanic muttered to herself as she stood up and straightened her uniform.

Celestia looked to the horizon where the last of her subjects were piling into Canterlot. The once beautiful city now a fortress and the last bastion of her people. The griffins were holding their own but were tied down in a grueling meat-grinder of a land battle. They promised to send help if they could get a reprieve. Other than that, that was all Celestial knew of the world outside of Equestria other than the panic'd and garbled reports of scouts and citizens.

"Princess Celestia, the call for help has been sent but I don’t know if anypony or anyone will receive it." The Princess continued watching the horizon from the balcony of her personal room. Her once pristine features now replaced with signs of stress and lack sleep. Her once grand, ethereal mane had lost much of it’s sheen and now hangs limp around her like every other pony’s mane, only the very end of it flows in the non-existent wind.

“And my little ponies?”

“The civilians have been settled in and I have scouts out to keep an eye out for the Machines. If they do come, how… how will we survive?”

The ACU let out a wail from its war horns as it ran at the Seraphim's line. Heavy tanks, Siege bots and other units followed in the ACU’s wake as the pilot charged on through the incoming gunfire, most bouncing off harmlessly while others leaving small pot-marks here and there. Then, an unknown machine as large as the ACU and looked like a spider with extra legs, each ending in some form of blade, emerged to meet the ACU's charge head on.

"Pause" A rather fat Lord General said as he lifted a fat hand with many gold and jewels in crusted rings on it to point at the unknown unit. "What in hell is that?"

Brigadier Zanic stepped forward " We believe it was a experimental melee unit Sir but it didn't work very well... Sir"

The lord general looked at her his many chins wobbling. "And you know this how?" He said eyeing her.

Zanic felt a pang of annoyance towards the fat man. "As you undoubtedly know, all current UEF ACU's are armed with dual antimatter cannons along with any other upgrades the pilot wishes, none of which are close combat weapons. If you watch the rest of the tape, you will see why the enemy unit wasn't very good."

"Very well" the General leaned back into his chair and spun towards the screen "Play."

The ACU's pilot sounded the war horns again and without breaking stride, raised its cannons firing at the machine as the two ran at each other. When they met the ACU lifted the canons high in to the air and brought them down onto the first arm of the machine as it reared up to strike.

The lord general's eyes widened as he watch the ACU proceeded to smash and dodge the other arms as the pilot started dismantling the infernal Seraphim war engine. Then the pilot had somehow managed to pick up the hull of the Seraphim engine between his cannons and smashed it into the ground.

The lord general stood up "Lights!"

Zanic closed her eyes as the lights left after images and gave a slight growl and the room was revealed, the oak walls hiding the complex systems that prevented anyone from eavesdropping by any means.

"Who is the pilot? I want to know." He stood up and his ample gut protruding before him.

Zanic looked at him "That is Lieutenant Ross of my regiment Sir, the 68th Siege/ Siege breaker Regiment."

The general looked shocked " He's just a Lieutenant? I'm surprised, I'd of thought a Major at least."

Zanic smiled "If he had accepted any promotion he'd be your superior Sir." A tint of red touched the general's face. You didn't like that did you Zanic thought.

"Well bring him in and we'll see if I agree with what you propose. Dismissed." The Lord General sat back down with a sigh.

"Well I must warn you he’s a traditionalist of the regiments uniform, some find him scary Sir" Brigadier Zanic said as she left a smile on her face.

The gray, foul smelling trench coat billowed behind him as he walked up next to Brigadier Zanic, his thick combat boots making a thud with every step. The sword in it's scabbard rattling at his thigh while the revolver and it’s aging holster swung to and fro as he walked. The thick gray pauldrons made of titanium sat perfectly on his shoulders. the golden pips on his coat's collar where the only change of the gray scale of the uniform.
"What the hell am I doing here?" Ross asked, his voice was muffled slightly "You know I can’t stand the brass twats!"

"Did somebody take a shit in your coffee this morning?" Zanic asked not even looking at Ross.

"Tea. I drink tea and nobody took a shit in it....pissed in it, maybe." Ross said again his voice slightly muffled.

Zanic let a snort of laughter out "Mess hall not sorted the machine out yet?" She heard a rustling and she assumed Ross was shaking his head. "Right best behavior in here" Zanic said as she opened the door and marched in Ross matching her pace. The they both stopped and stood at attention in front of the Lord General’s desk. His head looking down at some papers.

The instant Ross saw the General, I doubt you even seen the inside of a ACU or have ever been in a battle, porky was the thought that went through Ross's mind.

"What is that horrific smell?" he asked not looking up, the foul stench having finally reached his nose.

"Me Sir" Ross said his voice still muffled.

"When was the last time you had a bath?" The general asked still looking at his papers.

"Five minutes ago sir" Ross responded instantly.

The general finely looked up from his papers and nearly fell out of his chair. Where Ross's eye were meant to be were reflective quarter-covered lenses of a gas mask, a gray helmet covered the top third of the lenses as well as the back and sides of his head and neck. A long hose protruded like the trunk of an elephant and lead into a Khaki canvas bag with a large dial on the front and held onto the front of his trench coat by straps around his chest and shoulders. The General looked down at the bottom half of Ross and found he was wearing Puttees over his large steel toed combat boots and steel pads strap'd onto his knees.

"Is there a problem sir?" Ross said his voice was muffled by the mask and filters.

"Erg...no no Ross." The general stared at him. "Hum... yes, Ross tell me, what do you make of this?" The general pull'd a remote out of his desk and fiddled with it until the transmission played again.

"tchhhhMayday! Mayday! We tchh under attack from tchh unknown aggressor. We require tchhhh military assistance. Our own forces have sustained heavy tchhhhh-"

"Well Ross, what do you think?"

Ross stood there silently, all that came from him was his filtered breathing. "I leave in 5 minutes sir" was all he said and he turned to leave.

"Ross, can you tell me something?" The general sat there looking at his back

"Yes Sir" Ross trend back

"Your ACU this... "Unbreakable Shield," tell me about the unit" his eyes were squinting.

"My Armored Command Unit "Unbreakable Shield" is a MK 1-0 of the United Earth Federation and is the largest crap heap that can be driven." Ross said and his eye lenses flashed.

"I think I misheard you. You pilot a Mark 1 suit." The Lord General sat there smiling like he heard a joke.

"Yes Sir, Mark 1. Can I go now?" Ross turned and headed out the door, not waiting to be dismissed and closed the door behind him.

"So, Brigadier Zanic, will he do?" He sat there filling the leather chair like melting jelly.

"Do or he’ll die Sir. There’s nobody finer on this side of the galaxy" Zanic said "you fat bastard" she muttered under her breath so he wouldn't hear.

"How old is he?" The Lord General asked out of the blue
"22 Sir. Why?" Zanic said eyeing him.

"The daughter needs a husband" he said eyeing the door.

Ross sat down into the command seat of his ACU the old system was all analog, none of the fancy neuron link to control here. The ACU stepping and leg movements were controled by pedals and a complex system of pistons and sensors that controls the arms, anti matter cannons and building systems. As if to complement the already confined space and arceo-tech, there were large keyboards and old monitors filling the little control room. The room was filled with red lights that were battery powered.

"Unbreakable Shield this is Fire Prism can you read me? Over"
Ross unhooked the headphones and mic and slipped them on under his helmet and his gas mask.

"Rodger Fire Prism, I'm reading you loud and clear. Over"

"Confirmed. You are to activate and proceed to the Quantum gate. Over."

"Rodger Fire Prism, proceed the the Quantum gate and gate to target. Out." Ross pulled his hand out of the left arm control frame and twisted a key in a large box to his right there was a loud whining as the starting motor for the diesel generator turn'd over then and it roared into life followed shortly by a loud hum and whine as the fusion reactor was brought on line. The generator coughed and died as the reactor took up powering the ACU's systems.

Pressing a yellow button on the same box, the monitors flickered into life and the outside world was shown. On the edges of the monitor the two golden pips on the ACU's shoulders one above the other were just visible. Ross slid his arm back into the arm control frame and rested his feet onto the control pedals. "Come on lass, time to march again." Ross squeezed the grip at the end of the arm control. Ross press the right pedal forwards and the ACU's right foot lifted a few meters off the ground and forward 10 or 15 meters. Then the left pedal and that brought the left foot level then past the right foot. He repeated this as he walked the war engine on towards the gate.

The men that were on duty watched and waved at the engine as it passed. The engine was a relic and was literally a walking history keeper of the regiment. It was there when the regiment was found and had survived the hardest battles. There was once an entire mission to recover the burnt out husk when it fell and was restored to original condition.

"Unbreakable Shield, this is Fire Prism. Over"

"Reading you Fire Prism. How can I help, Zanic? Over."

"The Lord General wanted me to keep this from you as I told you there was no video feed with the message. Over"

"Yes, as you said. Over" Ross swayed slightly with the rolling gait of the ACU as it walked to the quantum gate.

"You’re being sent to a previously unknown location, thus we don’t know what’s there so be ready for anything. Over."

Ross press'd both pedals down to the floor "So you’re sending me because..." He smiled under his mask knowing the answer

He heard a sigh in his ear "’Cause you’re the best fighter we've got. Over."

"Me? No, really?! Over." he said with mock surprise as he set the ACU forwards again.

"Yer yer Ar! Oh, and before I forget, you'll be in-charge of two office cadets that will come through after you set up a base and quantum gate. Over."

"I’ve got more important thing to do than babysit them and give them milk runs. Over" Ross pushed the pedals harder and the engine picked up speed.

"Brass's orders. Out."

The link turned to static and Ross shut it off as the gate came into view. "Ok lass here we go again" Ross muttered as he pull'd the harness down over him. Ross settled into his seat as he walked up the ramp and the gate activated all the colors of the world where flashing in and out.
"And. Here. We. Go!" Ross said as the cannons entered the gateway followed by the arms and then the rest of the ACU.

The instant Ross passed the event horizon, he knew there was something wrong with how ACU lurched violently and started to shake and tremble like the earth was being dropped on to it. Ross looked at the viewing monitor, the colors were all wrong. They were white, pink and every other colour when it was meant to be blue. Ross held on tightly as the trembling got worse and he was sure the gate was going to rip his ACU apart. There was a sudden and deafening ban followed by a hard impact as Ross head banged off the harness, knocking him unconscious.