On the Shoulders of Giants

Later the next evening, Luna awoke with a gasp. Something else had been detected.

[Suggested Listening]

With a sudden lurch, the ship left FTL state. I looked around hesitantly at the space that surrounded us.... then at the world beneath. "This is where they ended up....?" I asked uncertainly.

Rebecca nodded. "Whole crew confirmed it. This is where they left FTL....."

"Alright run scans of the planetary surface. Find them."

The bridge became a bustling mess of organized chaos. Probes were launched, fighters deployed into recon formations to take orbital images, the whole shebang.

Karish looked out upon the planet. "Is a beautiful world no....?"

I couldn't help smiling and nodding. "We'll do some sightseeing later if ya like. Let's get our quarry first."

The Chief Engineering Officer called up then. "Commander, we got a problem."

I sighed and keyed on my end of the link. "What is it Chief?"

"FTL drive is busted. Last two battles had three rounds pass through the drive chamber. Had to use EVA gear just to get in and patch the hull breaches. Got casualties down here..... Anyway, long story short, unless you fancy a few years drifting through space, we're without FTL for an indefinite amount of time."

I went wide eyed at the implications and suddenly burst out. "FUCK ME!!!!"

The rest of the crew looked at me uncertainly, having heard the report.... I sighed.

"Sir....?" one of the Junior Officers ventured. "D-does that mean we're trapped....?" she asked.

I looked out at all the faces around me. They were afraid, all of them, some sad, knowing what the answer already was. It broke my heart...... and I sighed yet again...... It took me a moment to regain my composure.

"Yeah.... yeah we are...." I said as I looked at her, "but.... mission hasn't changed kid." I turned to the crew again. "This man that we're after is a psychopath and an inventor all in one. He's a danger to the entirety of the Colonies. The whole Frontier is at risk while he lives. Do we stand a chance? Maybe, maybe not. Do we sit by and let this guy have a chance to escape this world and return to terrorizing our families!? FUCK NO!"

Things like "Yeah!" and "WOO!" and other various cheers could be heard building up.

"While we still breathe, the fight goes on!" I continued, feeling more and more pumped by the second. Emotions ranging from anger, to excitement, to pride welled up within me. "We were given a mission, and I'll be DAMNED if it isn't finished! So let's find this guy, and make him pay for his crimes against the free Frontier!"

The cheers had built to a crescendo around me. I could see inspiration overriding fear, determination overriding sorrow, the faces of my loyal crew as they once again felt ready to fight for what was right.

I looked to Rebecca and Karish. I just barely caught Karish taking his finger off the trigger for the ship wide intercom. I flashed him a grateful smile. Both he and Rebecca smiled back at me, proud of their leader and determined to finish what needed to be done.

I turned back to the rest of the crew and smirked, making sure to give Karish the signal to key the intercom again. "PREPARE FOR TITANFALL!!!!" I ordered, loud and proud. The ship reverberated with the cheers of the entire crew, and dare I say it, I though I felt the cheers coming from the fighter pilots too.

I looked around me. The titan bay was a mess of activity. Despite this I continued to arm myself. My Enhanced Parkour Kit was ready, so were my R-101C Carbine with HCOG holographic sights and extended magazine, my Wingman Revolver, and my Sidewinder AT MG. I checked my Satchel Charges, packed four just in case. I picked up an Active Radar Pulse Module and finally, my specially designed Guardian Chip that I flash copied and connected to any titan's I had deployed. I built this chip myself in my determination to become one of the best Pilots on the Frontier. Within was another amazing friend of mine, an AI named Jeeves. British badass. Has his 2PM afternoon tea everyday, hostile fire be damned. And he was a loyal protector. It wasn't easy getting the parts to build this chip and program him but when he was born, he and I became fast friends, and later he became fast friends with the crew.

Rebecca had a similar chip, this one however had an AI process named Vanessa. Also a badass, she was gentle yet fierce. She and Rebecca were inseparable. I looked at Rebecca's loadout. She had the same Anti titan weapon and sidearm as I did but her weapon of choice was the G2A4 Rifle with ACOG scope and competition hair trigger. She also chose a cloak and arc grenades, five in her case. She liked to be EXTRA prepared. She also made sure to grab the Stealth kit to further enhance her espionage abilities. She scares me sometimes.

We went to our console, yes we share a console, and began putting in the configuration for our Titans. We made idle conversation as we did. I preferred my Juggernaught loadout. It was configured around the H-KA02/a Ogre platform chassis. The tools of choice? One burst fire 40mm Cannon, the unguided auto reload rocket salvo, and a Vortex Shield capable of catching projectiles and sending them RIGHT back at the target. A brutal combination. I scare myself just as much as Rebecca does sometimes..... Rebecca went with a Plasma Railgun with extended mag, a Particle Shield, and her infamous modified cluster missile on her favorite Stryder Chassis, a loadout she liked to call the Velociraptor. For my Juggernaught I chose the Dash Quickcharge Module and the Auto Ejection system for a slight but helpful evasion boost and a safety precaution. Rebecca went with the Tactical Reactor and the "Big Punch" module which, surprisingly, allowed the flimsy Stryder to deliver a punch that could send an Ogre flying back a few yards and subsequently lay it out flat, something I experienced first hand during the first few days we knew each other.... those arguments went far okay?

"So.... what do you think we'll find down there....?" I heard Rebecca ask, attempting to make idle conversation no doubt. One of her many ways to keep me chilled out. She knows me too well, I get way too anxious without someone to talk to before a mission.

"No idea..... hopefully nothing like those monolithic creatures we've been finding on that one colony world.... forget what that one was called..... oh or those dragon things. Four wings and always ate our footsoldiers like they were nothin." I shivered. "I remember a pilot being carried away by one of those....."

"You and me both....." she replied, though to which part I don't know.... most likely everything I said.....

Then the alarm went off and Karish's voice came on over the intercom. "Hostile site found! It's a confirmed crash, and we're right above it," he explained to the crew as we boarded our Titans and pods. "Movement detected at the site, definitely human. Survivors. IMC presence confirmed. Target's presence unconfirmed but highly possible. Good luck everyone." The intercom cut off.

[Suggested Listening]

That's all I needed to hear. I closed the hatch on my titan and Rebecca did the same with hers. "Hey Jeeves, you up?" I asked once the systems powered up.

"Ready and willing sir. Welcome back," he replied.

"You too buddy."

"Don't forget me," I heard Vanessa say over the comms in here smooth voice.

"Course not Vanessa, you keep my partner safe ya hear?"

"Of course," the female AI replied. Rebecca simply chuckled at the exchanged and made a passing comment about us all being worry warts.

We were ready to drop. A countdown appeared on the screen. As soon as it hit zero, my stomach lurched. "TITANFALL!!!!" I heard one of the other pilots yell over the comms.

Seconds passed, almost felt like hours.... In that time I thought at an accelerated rate, making calculations and more as the drop continued.... then.... impact. And all hell broke loose. Rebecca and I took cover immediately and the grunts who deployed in pods near us followed our lead along with a few Spectre robotic automated footsoldiers. Enemy Titans were just down the path from us, and they knew we were here.

"Here we go...."

As if in sync, Rebecca and I dashed out into the field. She stayed behind me for just a moment as I put up my Vortex Shield, absorbing almost all of the enemy weapons fire. They never learn. The entire volume of bullets, shells, and rockets was sent back, destroying a single enemy titan in one Vortex Shield induced blow. In milliseconds, Rebecca dashed forward and set up her particle shield in front of us. Then she charged a shot. The enemy soldiers didn't see enough through the particle shield to dodge in time. The shot rang out and hit the other enemy titan head on, downing his shields to almost nothing. I dashed through the shield once more, my dash module charged by then, and delivered a punch to that titan, an Atlas. The destruction of the foe was close at hand and nine shots from my 40 mil to a critical point on it's armor guaranteed that.

With two titans down and our own armor only barely touched, we moved on, shooting hostile grunts and spectres that dared crossed our path. Our own footsoldiers made short work of anything we missed. On the other side of the field, our other four pilots were raising hell, distracting two enemy titans and in fact quickly dispatching both them and their pilots. The enemy was outgunned now.

Then came the tricky part.... The wreckage of the enemy destroyer was riddled but heavily intact, the superstructure holding true. They must have had some kind of ballsy helmsman and engineering crew because normally that wouldnt be the case. Regardless we found our way in and encountered three more titans. I repeated the process with my vortex shield from earlier and fired the mass of rounds back... but they missed the titans and instead obliterated a large group of spectres and grunts. No surprise there. We kept at it though, Rebecca putting up her particle shield and both of us moving to cover. From there, I fired my missile salvo and downed a Stryder's shields. Rebecca followed up with a charged round from her railgun and ended it. We took cover before the volume of return fire could down our shields completely. A close call. The enemy titans were advancing now. Two Ogres. We made a plan and executed, both of us dashing across to each other's cover and spooking the enemy pilots, causing them to pause and put up their particle shields. Nothing happened so they continued their advance, now on edge. Meanwhile, we were moving around. We found corridors to get behind them and opened fire with replenished barrages of fire. They turned to fire back but we reacted quick. Rebecca moved behind me and I put up my vortex shield once more. Again they never learn.

This time the barrage of fire from the vortex shield heavily damaged one of the enemy ogres and Rebecca fired a shot she had been charging as soon as I moved out of the way..... the enemy pilot nuclear ejected..... making the sacrifice play in this enclosed environment. I dashed back and barely made it behind cover in time. Rebecca was able to dash multiple times, getting into cover a bit sooner. The last Ogre must have supercharged it's core because it was still standing, the shield core being enough to defend from a nuclear ejection. It opened fire on us as soon as we were out of cover. With the distance between us now there was enough time to let some volume of fire enter the air before I put up my vortex shield. By now they learn and stop firing soon as they see it but the amount of rockets delayed the enemy pilot noticing the vortex shield. Quad Rocket.... what a dumbass. The enemy Ogre had no room to dodge and all missiles hit him head on. His titan was doomed now. I dashed in and rushed forward, grabbing both hands of the enemy titan and ripping them off. I then used those arms as bludgeons to finish the enemy titan off. It worked.

We entered the main hangar, which was a jumbled mess thanks to all the destruction from the crash..... nothing in sight.... until I spotted a large blur moving clear as day out of the other exit and back into broad daylight. "THERE!" I yelled, and we gave pursuit. "NOWHERE TO RUN THIS TIME MALCOVITCH!"

"Maintain control Anthony," I heard Rebecca say. "Don't lose yourself." She sounded alot like a wise mother.

I nodded and we continued, slow and cautious. "Karish coordinate a cleanup to get rid of the rest of these guys and then recall our own guys, and make it quick. We'll go after Malcovitch," I ordered into the comms.

"Yah mon I'm on it. Be safe out there," he replied.

"You know I will."

Not another word was spoken, and we left the crash site, heading into the dense mountain terrain.