Timberwolves

Captain Steel-Jaw-Manehatten

I marched through the ruined streets of Manehatten with the full Timberwolves Company at my back, followed by the other infantry and armoured divisions that had fought in the battle to take it. Overhead, massive airships skimmed the tops of skyscrapers, dropping confetti among the parade and crowds while trailing Company banners behind them.

The parade route weaved through the entire city, avoiding streets where heavy fighting had collapsed entire buildings and a large portion of the civilian population had turned out to see it and congratulate their liberators. The Republic anthem blared from loudspeakers placed at each street corner, adding to the din already created by the screaming crowds. There were still many who remained indoors and some who even shouted insults along with Celestian propaganda. Several times, squads had to break from the parade columns to save a malcontent from being beaten to death by angry mobs.

Underneath my helm, I cursed the entire thing. I knew it was to raise the spirits of both the soldiers and the civilians as well as to put off any would be troublemakers but this was no place for the Wolves. We should be heading out to a new conflict. Not smiling and waving.
The heat was also irritating the scar tissue around my helm, further adding to my foul mood. It was as if Celestia was going out of her way to infuriate me.

The parade took a sharp left, avoiding a street where a Skyscraper had fallen into a building directly across the street from it, leaving rubble strewn across the ground below. More people lined the pavements, cheering to the passing soldiers and waving Republic flags.

The cheers quickly turned to screaming as cracks of gunfire came from within the crowd and a rocket hit one of the airships, causing it to sway off course and crash onto the roof of a building. At the far end of the street, two Celestian halftracks sped into the middle of the road and began firing mounted machineguns while disgorging troops who swiftly fanned out and began firing.

Panicked civilians ran in all directions. Some fell and were crushed by those around them while others where mown down by the heavy fire coming from the Celestian position. Unknowingly, the crowd had aided us by soaking up the majority of the enemy fire.

“Timberwolves! Secure the high ground and return fire!” I bellowed, spreading my wings and taking to the skies, firing from the hip as I rose. I quickly spotted a two storey building with a half collapsed flat roof and surged towards it, landing hard and rolling into cover behind the waist high wall that ran around the roofs edge.

Big Red quickly joined me and immediately opened up with heavy fire from his LMG while I fired short bursts from my rifle. Blaze and Flamin’ tore through the sky, dropping incendiary grenades into the midst of the enemy. Explosives of any kind were meant to be left back at the armoury but for once I was glad that they'd disregarded orders.

The flames quickly consumed any enemy soldiers unlucky enough to be caught below the two Pegasi then an explosion from one of the halftracks which had been leaking fuel quickly took out the majority of those who remained.
“Alright lads! Let’s mop em up!” I said over the com link before getting airborne once more, strafing the handful of enemy troops who were trying to withdraw though I was quickly overtaken by Raptor, the best scout in the Company who had a knack for high speed air combat.
I dropped my speed and circled around to where the main body of the company were securing the area.

“Can I have a smoke now, Captain?” Shouted Sparky, a tall but thin engineer with patchy stubble along his jaw.

“You can shove it up your arse! Prepare to move out when the scouts get back!” I roared, shaking my head and slapping a fresh mag into my rifle.

Lieutenant Black N’ Blue ran over to me, bulky and imposing in his heavy armour with the flail that had been implanted where his tail once was hanging limp. Sometimes I wondered how his wings managed to keep him aloft or how he kept his motions so fluid in close combat.

“Ambushes have been reported all along the column. Bastards even had a tank hidden inside a gutted building.” He said after snapping a quick salute and removing his black helm with blue trim that covered his entire head aside from a slit for the eyes and holes for his eyes.

“Casualties?” I asked.

“Heavy at the tail end. The enemy hit them hard with the halftracks. The airships have withdrawn and by the sounds of it, the fighting is mostly close quarters. There’s also been reports of a small group of halftracks conducting skirmishes throughout the line.” He replied, stoic as ever.

“Get the men ready, we’re moving back to support. Have Brass and his men hold this street and tell the scouts to go hunting for those halftracks. Send Blaze and Flamin’ out too, they’ll love the chance to blow something up.”

“On it, sir.” He said, saluting again before turning to replace his helm and relaying my orders to the men at the top of his lungs.

I scratched the skin around my helm which had become almost unbearably itchy, cursing Celestia as my nails drew blood, before shouldering my rifle and taking to the skies.

“There’s more fighting to be done! Let’s go kick these bastards out! For Luna and her Republic!” I bellowed and was met by the cheers of the assembled soldiers as they took off, getting into formation around me.
We skimmed across the rooftops towards a billowing cloud of black smoke and sounds of gunfire, barely heard above the rush of the wind.

“Break into squads, follow each other in and commence strafing runs on the enemy position. Second squad, rooftops are yours. Make sure they're clear then hit the enemy from the rear flank. Marksmen break off and take position on the buildings. Black, take your squad to the rear of the formation and engage them in close quarters after your run.” I barked before pulling into a steep dive, pulling up when I was close to the ground and firing on full auto at a group of Celestians who were using rubble that had spilled across the street as cover.
I rocketed down the street for another few metres before turning in time to see Second landing after their sweep of the buildings and open fire while Third hurtled towards me, having completed their run.

I landed with my squad fanning out into cover around me and firing at the enemy. I took cover behind a destroyed halftrack and began firing single shots, picking off an enemy with each one.

In under a minute, every squad had completed their run and the Lieutenant had landed his men among the enemy.

“Timberwolves! Into them!” I bellowed, slinging my rifle in favour of my sabre and pistol. I charged forwards, firing as I went, leaping over the rubble and taking the head off of the first man to meet me. Blood splattered across my helm but I pressed on, shooting a terrified Celestian in the face before ducking under a lunge from a bayonet. I threw my shoulder into my attacker, tumbling to the ground with him and shot him three times in the gut before rolling clear and rising to my feet, firing a round into the back of another Celestian.

I looked around to see Black N’ Blue lash out with his flail, crushing the side of a man’s face, before thrusting the blades on his gauntlet through another’s throat. He threw his head back and roared before throwing himself at another Celestian. Swift Steel floored a Celestian with a headbutt before stamping on the dazed man’s throat then rushed forward to join the Lieutenant who was fending off two Celestian officers.

I looked away and ran towards two men in the middle of a savage knife fight. I squeezed the trigger of my pistol but a click told me it was empty so I lunged forwards, piercing the side of the Celestian with my Sabre before twisting and ripping it out in a spray of blood.
The sound of engines made me turn my attention from the brutal melee. Four halftracks were rushing down the road. Before I could even shout a warning, two blurs flew overhead and dropped grenades down on the advancing vehicles.

The explosions where near deafening, even from this distance, as the munitions ignited, sending up plumes of smoke and fire. Blaze and Flamin’ looped around, landing hard in front of me with big smiles across their faces.

“Parades are fun! We should do this more often!” Blaze exclaimed, slapping Flamin’ a high five as the Lieutenant came to my side, his armour covered in blood and gore.

I prepared to move the Company further down the line when the gunfire abruptly faded into an almost eerie silence.

“Enemy forces are withdrawing, break into squads and take them out.” Came a voice over the com.

“I'll leave the rest to you Lieutenant.” I said, turning to walk towards the main body of Republic forces, the itch on my face finally receding.