"I've looked into 'Branch,' the independent mercenaries you fought at the dam," Ayre said. "It appears they don't have a fixed membership... Instead, they maintain independence and anonymity with a revolving door of select mercenaries. Now, it seems, they've left it to you to champion the free will they stood for. Sooner or later... you'll have to make a choice no one can make for you. When that time comes, I hope I can support you, Raven."
Raven could feel her partner's pride at that, then surprise.
"I just received a message from the Raven's Operator." she continued, "Branch will be withdrawing from the conflict to recover. And she said that they might be able to offer a favor in return for letting them live, but only Chartreuse will be in fighting shape any time soon. The others were injured by damage to their AC before ejecting."
<<I'm glad they aren't dead, at least. We'll manage to fight on our own. Perhaps there will be a day we need them though.>>
The rest of the ride back to the Central Ice Field was quiet, Raven basking in their Contact as she dozed in the private cabin the Liberation Front had taken to providing for her.
...
OBSIDIAN WING had just been secured in the hangar clamps when a message from Walter arrived.
"Raven, Walter has a message for you, putting it on now." said Ayre.
The handler sounded tired, worn out.
"621, I've been trying to help Arquebus and Balam hash out a plan to deal with the Ice Worm." Walter explained, "The corps have made gains against the PCA, but they're being bottlenecked and have no solution for now. We're going to provide that. Arquebus has developed a new weapon they think should be able to disable the outer Coral shielding; You'll likely be carrying it, see the attached info for where to pick it up. They've also granted you full access to their available catalog, pick what you need and be ready, the plan should be finalized in a few days."
Ayre watched as her partner ran through half a dozen different loadouts trying to find something he liked. The VE-60SNA Stun Needle Launcher was a heavy piece of equipment and he'd only be able to carry one if he wanted any weapons besides something like the handgun. She watched as her partner simmed with a variety of weapons, from a gatling gun to a pair of assault rifles, double plasma or laser rifles before finally settling on a single weapon.
It was an Arquebus ADD VE-6LRB, a massive dual-barrel laser rifle. A VE-20C generator enhanced the already formidable firepower of the massive laser rifle, while a VE-20B allowed for better targeting in a long range fight against something like the Ice Worm.
Raven filled an order for the parts he needed and Ayre logged it for her.
"It will be ready later today, Raven." said Ayre, "Is there anything we need to get done now?"
<<Can you move the helicopter to these coordinates?>>
A quick check of the local map revealed it was a coastal location, near where Xylem was.
"We're heading that way now." said Ayre, "Is there something we need to do?"
<<I want to look at the wrecks of the machines we encountered during the Xylem survey... if they're still there.>>
Ayre took a moment to obfuscate the location the transponder was reporting before she replied.
"Then I'll make sure Walter thinks you're busy in the meantime." she said, "Perhaps a geological survey will be a good excuse..."
YOU ARE READING
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
General FictionIn a future where humanity has developed an interstellar civilization. On the frontier planet of Rubicon 3, a substance called, "Coral" was discovered that could be used as both an energy source and a data conduit. Coral was hailed as the key to hum...
