King of the Hill (Franz)

[MKR]

OE 101
September 20th, 10:12AM
Ursel, Belgium
Ursel Airfield and Training Facility

It was once more test combat day on the Ursel Airfield, which meant government big wigs to impress and mock combat to be had. In class Alpha-Oscar-November-Echo, or as anyone with a lick of sense called it "A-1", of students it was the thing to look forward to. After all to get here you were the best of the best, the honor roll students who could expect the hottest placements and missions to go on once they graduated. And this was the final time they had their mock combat before such a graduation, it was do or die.

Johanna sat comfortably in her seat with a smile, all she had to do was not mess this one up and she was graduating top of the class. Of course there was one hurdle with that, she had to beat her rival, the one sitting next to her and everyone already knew how this was going to work with the machines the class had been using for tests in the latter half of the year the two of them were on the same team against the entirety of their class. After all, she was given the Weissritter as the one who performed best with, and in it, and the Alteisen went to none other then Violet.

After this they both simply had to do a test with live ammunition in their respective PTs in the next month and boom, graduation and then winter vacation while going into the new years with assignments already planned for them. With a mere 3 minutes left before class started Johanna turned to face Violet.
"Well this is going to be it, whoever gets the best score here gets top spot in class. I for one think it'll be me." She said with a smirk "After all if I take down all the targets before you can walk up on them in that bunch of bricks, well I don't need to spell it out for you."

 

[Franz_Korderos]

Unlike the woman sitting beside her, Violet was restless as she sat on her seat. Another class-wide training exercise with the class getting paired in twos and both Violet and Johanna were in the same team again? What were the instructors thinking? Domination was the result the last time this happened. It should be abundantly clear that the only person who has a decent chance of taking down Johanna is Violet and vice versa.

Either way, this was going to be loads of fun and she can't wait to be sitting in the Alteisen's cockpit instead of here.

But then again, the company is interesting.

Violet smirked and laughed shortly at Johanna's boastful proclamation. She was more amused than insulted but the woman seating beside her did indeed light the fires of competition that Violet loves about their rivalry.

"You underestimate the 'Old Iron' at your peril, Jo." She said, chuckling as she smirks. "But I like your idea, the rest of the class just might have the tiniest chance of winning if we don't work together in this mockery of a 'team fight'."

The brunette unsubtly cast her gaze after loudly saying so and her smirk got wider as she realized that most of the rest of the class were glaring daggers at the both of them. They already didn't like the both of them for being good fucking pilots, but the reminder of the skill gap was perhaps a tad bit mean on her part. It did achieve what she was hoping it would achieve though; light a fire up their asses and have them come at the both of them with determination instead of resignation.

 

[MKR]

"Well old iron is about right, moves like a grandma that thing." She remarked, casting her gaze from side to side and catching the glances thrown at them. Everyone knew what was going to happen even if it was far from confirmed. If they wanted to beat them they needed the two to be at each other's throats. "Come now Vi, you don't have to tell everyone aloud what they're thinking. They especially don't need a reminder of how we basically went untouched last time we teamed up too. But hey you could go and be nice and take some of the paint rounds to make them feel better."

Her saying that at normal volume didn't help ease the moods of those around them, in fact quite the contrary but such was the intent. If one knows how much better they are then why bother concealing it. After all, even had they not said it everyone knew. Teachers, spectators, students. It was the worst kept secret who were going to graduate top of class, Johanna already had a pending assignment to America after all merely waiting for her graduation.

"But we both know what the real competition here is, so what say you we put something on the line for the result of this one. A bet who gets top grade this one that way there's an actual competition running today." She moved her hand through her hair, giving Violet a smile with her suggestion. "I'll even let you dig your own grave and state the prize."

"Basically what I'll be getting from you after I win this. Or, technically what the winner will get from the loser." Her smirk with it said enough.

 

[Franz_Korderos]

Despite herself, Violet was secretly loving how the rest of the class seethed at them especially as the other woman continued from where she left off in an even more mocking manner. Riling them up was not quite her thing, but Johanna van der Berg brings out the best and the worst out of her.

She really didn't need to rub it in, though. It was made clear from all of their performances in both theoretical and practical knowledge that the position of best pilot in their batch is hotly contested by only two people, with a really huge gap in skill to the next person after both of them. If they hadn't both enrolled in the same year, either of them would've easily been the best of their classes. It really is quite unfortunate for this class to have the both of them jostling and jockeying for top dog position.

Then again, all of them should've taken it as a challenge to perform better, like she did.

"Oh what the hell." She shrugged as she leaned to her chair's backrest. "That sounds like a good idea. Least it won't be a complete bore like last time."

"Prize, huh?" Violet made a show of thinking about it, humming to herself as she gazed upwards in thought.

Her brow furrowed, as if seriously considering an idea. She closed her eyes briefly, then a mischievous smile slowly spread across her lips.

"Date." She said, then she turned to look at Johanna and flashed her the most charming smile she could. "Winner gets a date from the loser. How's that sound, hm?"

 

[MKR]

Johanna shook her head slightly.
"That's just rigging it for you to win anyway, I was more thinking a twenty if anything." She sighed with that as she gave a glance to Violet. Her arms crossed for a bit as she broke eye contact. "So I'll pass thanks, if you have an alternative suggestion I'll hear it but otherwise. Eh."
Johanna moved her her hands onto her desk, tapping her fingers against it calmly. The bluster and boasting was thrown aside as she sighed to herself.

"So yeah, something else if I win at least please." She remarked, still tapping at her desk. Things had taken an awkward turn rather swiftly courtesy of the offered bet. Johanna had gotten somewhat used to the attempts over the course of their career but no, not actually. Which meant that whenever it was brought up it was awful awkward for one of them.

Nevertheless Johanna focused on what was coming rather than the current state of affairs, what kind of things they were bound to run into, likely ample Huckebeins and Gespenst IIIs if she had to guess. So what were the best things to do against those.

 

[Franz_Korderos]

Violet hid a wince. She also stopped herself from scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. She already saw some of their classmates smirking at her failed attempt at being smooth.

Oh well. She'll have her sweet revenge on the battlefield.

If she recalls correctly, her flirting and passes have died over the years but the bet was just an opportunity that she instinctively grasped. Now she looks like a lovestruck fool in public, like karma struck her for all her boasting and bravado earlier. Violet sighed, she just has to accept that Johanna is a rival first and friend second and nothing more.

Perhaps sometime in the future that might change, but Violet thought it unlikely.

Johanna can be real stubborn if she wants to be.

But concerning the prize ...

"Loser gets to treat the winner on their first paycheck." A shit-eating grin appeared on her face. "And I mean all of that paycheck."

"How's that sound?"

 

[MKR]

"There that's a better bet." Johanna replied, looking back over. Violet's internal woes unheard to the Belgian besides her who was rather frankly, simply glad the topic in question had passed aside from the internal laughter of their classmates if they did that. She had heard enough about people sitting in trees during elementary school.
"Alright, that's a deal." Whoever lost was going to be down some real money because of it, but whatever she just had to win. Easy enough right?

Immediately after the door went open, the teacher stepping in and speaking up.
"Alright enough chatterboxing." The man in heavy spectacles called out silencing the discussions that had been ongoing with a simple sentence "Today we have class A-1s last group mock combat of the year."

He grabbed the eraser and cleared the whiteboard behind him, drawing black lines immediately after.
"For this we will have two teams, one will be charged with attacking a point and the other defending a point as per standard assignment. After the time limit runs out, the offense team runs out of members eligible to participate or they tag their target teams will switch roles. Understood? Good."

A heavy line down the middle, separating the class with one line getting a O above it and the other D, offense and defense.
"On team offense we have, Royce and van den Berg." He scribbled the names in an almost illegible font, luckily everyone had gotten used to his handwriting by now.

"And on the defense we have."
A scribble 'everyone else'. Before beginning to list the individual names of the class members. Surprising absolutely no one.

"Everyone gear up and meet me in the hangar in fifteen minutes, Royce, van den Berg you have the Alteisen and Weissritter respectively everyone else has free access to everything else in the A section hangar."

The teacher left leaving the class to scurry off behind him for first pickings so they didn't have to be among the ones stuck in the Huckebeins, Johanna calmly got off her seat and looked back to Violet.
"Well Vi, lets show them a good what for."

 

[Franz_Korderos]

"Oh am I ever so glad that I don't need to scramble for a machine to pilot like the rest." Violet mused as she stood and stretched her limbs, before cracking her neck left and then right.

"Right. Let's go."

She stuffed her hands in her pockets and started to walk ahead in a languid, carefree pace. The two gespenst-based prototypes that both of them pilots were on a separate berth from the rest of the machines. There are Huckebeins, Randgriths, and the venerable Gespenst Mk. II from whence the Alteisen and the Weiss Ritter were directly descended from.

And almost all of the latter two were filled with students jostling for the right to pilot the more able machines. Those who didn't managed to plant their ass inside a Gespie or Randgrith cockpits had dejectedly and slowly wandered to the more numerous and virtually untouched Huckebeins.

Violet frowned, feeling unsure as she saw some of the more panicking students in the Huckebein's berths giving the both of them fearful looks as they passed. Her frown vanished as she passed those on the Gespies though. They were giving them determined faces and some were even cocky as they passed.

Fools. Their reliance on their machines' capabilities would spell their doom.

Finally, they stopped.

On Jo's side lay a white and knightly armored module. In its grip was a rifle, too long to be stashed anywhere on the machine but deceptively powerful with a frightening range.

Violet took a moment to admire her rival on the battlefield for the day and then she turned and beheld hers.

Compared to the Weiss Ritter, the Alteisen looked like a brute and a brawler. With its wicked nail and the claymore system, no machine would stand too long in front of it.

Johanna had once incredulously described it as a brick. It possesses neither subtlety nor elegance, but it does its job brutally well.

Violet adored it.

"Well, let's get ready, partner." Vi said, smirking at Jo before she walked towards her mobile weapon and started discarding her jacket, revealing the pilot suit underneath.

"This is gonna be a blast!"

 

[MKR]

As the two of them arrived the various paint cartridges were being carted in, brought to all the various machines and beginning to be loaded onto the weapons that could use them while the weapons that could not instead got their substitutes. All this human progress and no beams that launch paint had been invented yet after all, maybe on the moon perhaps but not actually as far as Johanna knew. Giving them a little bit more time before everything truly began.

Johanna herself had taken the time to switch over to her pilot suit, looking up at the twin visages of the machines. On one end the white and blue knight and the other held the red brick. For her part Johanna looked over to the brick.
"I still don't get how you can even use that thing, its controls feel like you're wrangling two angry cats and then there's also the fact you need to get close to accomplish anything. Which you think would mean they'd incentivize speed, but no."

She shook her head as she stepped closer to the Weissritter "On the contrary, light armor, flight. Controls like a dream and sniping from a safe distance. On the offense as long as you distract them I have no problems hitting their defense point and boom we win in ten seconds tops."

"The important part, will enough of them run away for us to win defense on time out or running out of foes?"

 

[Franz_Korderos]

"Oh yeah this thing is problematic." Violet chuckled, amused at Johanna's accurate yet somewhat biased view of the machine.

"But the thing is, there's literally no other machine aside from a modified Gespenst that is both flexible and durable enough for my brand of close-combat."
She pointedly looked at the wicked revolver stake on the Old Iron's right forearm.

"Besides, both these machines are designed to contrast one another as prototypes. Yours is for long-ranged harassment and obscene fire support and mine is a brick cause it's for brutal close-combat and maybe even attrition warfare."

"And I don't think our classmates will run away from us this time, Jo. With how angry they seemed earlier, I'm sure they'll be coming for our asses as soon as the match begins." Violet smiled as the last paint cartridge was armed on the Alt Eisen's machine gun, nodding at the crewmen as they showed a thumbs-up to her and their superiors.

"It's what happens during and after the first clash that decides how this match is gonna shape up."

The brunette turned to smile at the blonde beside her.

"Are you excited as I am?"

 

[MKR]

"I suppose you're right there, your brand of close combat would wreck most things you get into. So I'll give it credit for surviving so far." Johanna sighed, the contrast was obvious too with her way of piloting the Alteisen would not use any of the weapons it should but on Violet's side of things the Weiss would be wrecked in a matter of minutes by the recklessness. Two ways to make otherwise useful machines useless. Almost perfectly opposed in that way.

"But you're right with how pissed they were I doubt we have to chase any of them down and if the first clash is going to decide things we better come out of the gate hot." As she said that the PA system declared that the defense team was to move outside for 'set up'. Or to put it simply, they got to decide the cover and immediate terrain around their 'base'.

Johanna peered up with her eyes before returning them to Violet.
"Yeah I am." She smiled, a smile coming onto her face as she looked to the Weissritter again "It's not often you get to show the world who the best up and comers in the directory really are."

Once more the PA system activated.
"Offense team, prepare to move to combat area." the voice declared.

The blonde cracked her fingers, it was time to get into the seat.
"It's almost time, lets get seated." With that Johanna would begin to move to the cockpit of the Weissritter, the wait shouldn't be too long anymore.

 

[Franz_Korderos]

The Alt Eisen's cockpit opened as Violet approached, the smile on her face was wild and her eagerness was palpable to anyone who was looking at her in that moment. She eased herself into her seat and immediately flicked some buttons. Much to the alarm of some of the technicians and engineers watching closely, Violet also turned off and turned on some features of the Alt Eisen that aren't exactly things a pilot concerned with safety should be messing with.

Violet's smile only widened as she turned on the comms.

"Two against everyone else." She said by way of greeting her erstwhile partner, still checking the Alt Eisen's status, making a last minute check-up on her mech just to make sure.

"So, thought of callsigns?"

There was a massive grin on her face.

"I'm partial to Rampage-1 and Rampage-2."

With a jolt, the red brick, as both Johanna and Violet called it, was moved to the launcher catapult. She could see from her rear camera that the Weiss Ritter was right at her back. On the opposite side of the arena, Violet was sure that their classmates were getting launched now, given more time to prepare than the star pupils of the class. It was a large battlefield and their entire class has become intimately aware of it, her classmates even more so with how much Violet has made their machines eat dirt as often as she could.

Still, she wondered if the faculty has done something different to the field now for their finals just to spice things up.

 

[MKR]

"I can live with those." She replied "I'll even let you be 1 because you're going to launch first." In front of her the Red Brick was due for launch, Rampage sounded apt for what they were about to do to their class. At least such was her assessment of it, the time had come to find out how it would go. Everything had been building up to this, the prior taunting the years worth of studying and preparation. Them getting what might as well be ownership of the Weissritter and Alteisen. Each had been bringing them to this moment, two people against a class.

Launch.

Observation needed to be swift as the defense team had already placed themselves in fortified positions, what with having gotten in earlier and what not. First the terrain, they had constructed a small building around the target meaning sniping it from afar was not going to net them an easy win. Ever since the first time they'd learned that having the thing be covered fully from the front was of utmost import, the second time had taught them the top was important too.

Central building, check. And in front of it three layers of barricade had been established. Each with their own personnel, the Randgriths having set themselves up on both flanks with a Huckebein guard. In front of those each barricade had another pair of huckies in wait, their rifles already aiming at the pair. Which finally left the Gespensts, which so far were nowhere to be seen. An ambush in wait?

Nevertheless a hail of paint was immediate and it was wide, as if trying to coat the entire battlefield in the various technicolor hues as it had been many times before. The balls splattered against the dirt and walls but still were coming for the brick and angel respectively.
To which Johanna called out.
"Spread out, test both flanks and see which is more vulnerable?" Which might as well equate to asking 'which of these included Filip', poor guy. Nevertheless Johanna would dash to the far cover, firing shots at it to try and see how well their side could react.

In the meanwhile on the wall behind them a digital timer appeared, counting down. The promised timer was now ticking.

 

[Franz_Korderos]

As would be expected of a machine as heavy as the Old Iron, Violet and her mecha kicked up a lot of dust as it landed on the grounded, momentarily obscuring her from the sights and targeting systems of her enraged classmates. Still, she immediately moved, not even waiting for the machine's stabilizers to fully adjust before she made the red brick jolt into action. Her instinct told her to immediately move and she was proven right when, nary a moment later, the dust cloud was peppered with paint rounds.

Her eyes sharpened as she heard what Jo said, smirk on her face as she raised and strafed the triple barreled autocannon while she moved erratically to the side--well, as erratic as this heavy machine could be.

She'll bust out all the acrobatics and push this red mech-shaped mallet to its paces only when she gets close on some poor schmuck.

"Yeah, that works for me, Jo!" She lately replied as she made her mech dance and generally cause a ruckus while she raced to the flank opposite the Weiss Ritter's trajectory.

She was trying something different, actually. Her classmates would think that she'd be rushing towards the closest machine she could see and while that was a very tempting idea, they have already expected that, hence why she's playing chicken near the maximum range of her autocannon, she'd only rush in once she sees an opening or when they'll come to her, whichever comes first.

It's a risky tactic that actually puts her on edge, but it seems to be working already as she focused her paint rounds on the Huckebein and the Randgrith on the flank she's harrassing.

"Make a ruckus, Rampage-2! Rattle them up!" She called out on the comms. "They're too confident in their position for my liking! Wanna see them make some mistakes!"

The Alt Eisen pulled a sudden break as Violet backed up, reversed,and then rushed forwards once more. She was steadily pushing the Red Brick to its limits. She knows she can't keep this up and would have to commit sooner or later.

"How's that sound for ya, Rampage-2?"

 

[MKR]

The repeated probing of defenses caused what could be called the expected reaction, in the obvious charge lane there was a new coating of paint dropped there mainly by the Randgirth but its peers also assisted in coloring the ground in vibrant hues. Each weapon having its own color indicative of the supposed damage it would deal in a hit, green for the lesser weaponry and red for those who would provide fatal. At the third probing it would seem that a crack was forming as one of the Huckies ducked out of the cover for a flanking attack, exposing itself. Though it would not be the only one as its compatriot found itself defending alone, with another huckebein and the Randgirth behind it not lessening their fire, a veritable rain of paint flying over it.

On the other side Johanna was having less luck, the foes simply ducking into cover for now and focusing not on hitting the mobile target but rather laying on suppressive fire preventing her approach, at which point the progress on the other end was noticed by her.
"Seems to me like they just made one Rampage-1, get in there and I'll knock out the chumps on your flank before he got any real shot at you." The Weissritter dashed over, moving out of its own hail of paint to take a shot at the one now out of cover, at the same time one of the split missiles flew over the cover and did its namesake above the second layer of cover, green and yellow pellets of paint aimed at the second line of defenses.

"If you can disable the big ball of guns we got ourselves an entrance!"

 

[Franz_Korderos]

"Gladly!" She gleefully shouted, her red machine roaring forwards at top speed, the ranged machine gun on one of its limbs raised and shooting more paint as she approached. Violet had caught one of her classmates once comparing the approach of her Alt Eisen to that off a large ballistic missile; large, painful, and worthy of every bit of panic one could muster. Back then, the brunette attributed it to their inadequacies and she still believes it now, but she relished the caution and urgency that she had brought out of them.

In no time, the Alt Eisen was upon the foremost Huckebein, going low before going violently high as she brought the Alt Eisen's well-armored knee into the Huckebein's head, machine gun firing at the Randgirth and the other Huckebein behind it in the brief moment that the Alt Eisen was on the air. Then Violet and her brutal machine were falling down back to the ground.

With a grin on her face, the Alt Eisen's much dreaded melee weapon was raised and then brutally punched down the already crushed head of the mauled Huckebein.

"I'm in, Rampage-2!" She called out, instinctively strafing as fast as she can to the sides to avoid any retaliatory fire from the surviving machines and to find another angle to punch into.

 

[MKR]

The stake's payload splashed over the huckebein's features, a deep red paint dripping from it onto the ground as it was clear whoever was inside the machine was trying to pull at the controls but they, in response to detecting 'lethal' damage locked up, the visor of the mass produced machine growing dim and then flashing to indicate it was now a non-combatant. The Randgirth tried to fire in retaliation, but the portable M13 shotgun it held fired wide. The reaction of whichever classmate was within its cockpit too slow or too delayed by the surprise to fire until the machine was behind cover, yellow pellets flying overhead.

The Huckebein simply, shakily tried to angle its gun, only for the rapidfire machinecannon to strike it first, the machine going limp. It seems Filip had been found, poor guy. The one behind the Alteisen was struck in its chest by the Weissritter's prior fire as the split missile detonated overhead, in one swift move they had disabled the entire flank bar one Randgirth which now was being peppered in green-ish yellow paint, too big and too slow to properly dodge but too bulky to fall to the assault. Still, the pilot inside would note that his main cannon was now disabled from 'damage'.

Yelling amongst the group, and then the iconic sound of Gespensts. Two from the bunker they had made for themselves, two from the other side followed by three huckies. They were throwing everything into a pincer attack, the other Randgirth setting itself up to establish a firing lane all the way across the bunker. This was it, the moment their class mates had been counting on.

"They got some fight left in them Rampage-1, double down on that flank and simply reach the objective before the slackers have any time to catch up or flip back around?" She asked "Personally I'm thinking double down."
A grin came upon her features, she had already decided on her path and moving towards it but if Vi decided otherwise the call needed to be made now.

 

[Franz_Korderos]

"They look like they've planned this for awhile, Rampage-2." Violet mused out loud as she efficiently staked and fired once and then twice to the poor Randgirth in front of her, finishing the forces right in front of her before she devoted her attentions elsewhere. Namely, the aforementioned plan that turned out to be a pincer maneuver. It was simple, truly, but its simplicity proves its effectiveness.

It might have just worked if the both of them were a couple of brainless ditzes and not competent, if not battle-hungry, pilots.

"Let's double down, girl! Switch with me!" She called out, already backing off and heading towards the most likely position the flanking force would appear, stake ready and paintball-armed autocannon prepared to shoot at more of their opponents.

"Go high and shoot down that artillery and the Gespies, please?"

Her attention turned when she saw the Gespensts that was supposed to surprise the Weiss Ritter appear on her vision and her radar. Where they surprised, perhaps? It doesn't matter, truly.

A shit-eating grin spread across her face as the massive shoulders of the Alt Eisen opened up.

"Say cheese guys!" She cackled as the might of the deadly Claymore system was unleashed upon them.

 

[MKR]

"Sounds good to me!" She boosted upwards as the two Gespensts and three Huckies rounded the corner, a click. The units collectively having aimed their weapons up to fight a flying target but instead-

Red, a sea of red moving out, shooting out, striking the five machines caught by surprise. Each and every one collapsing as their chassis was coated red, the one Gespenst who had the bright idea to use a huckebein as a shield also collapsing once its protection collapsed onto the dirt. Were one none the wiser this would be a bloodbath with how deep red liquified paint ran across the ground amidst collapsed mecha. Their pilots surely infuriated their flank had not only not worked but backfired.

Meanwhile the Weissritter levelled its rifle at the oncoming machines, one methodical shot, two, three. Two Gespensts and a Randgirth dropped before they could raise their weapons high enough. It had been a decisive moment in the battle, just... not what their opponents had planned. A red paint round passed by the Weissritter, Johanna flicking her sight to the source, the last remaining foe.
"Oh hey, someone's left." She remarked, "Hey Vi how about you sneak up on him and when he looks away I'll secure the objective." She remarked, immediately dropping her height to behind the building as the second round shot over her.

Yes Johanna was well aware her peer had the kill lead now, but the objective was worth a metric ton of points. And she had a bet to win!

 

[Franz_Korderos]

The Claymore system was always such a delight to use and Violet was cackling over the comms at the result of her activation of it. Her laugh was less mocking and more the reckless joy of someone living in the moment. She finally eased off the throttle when all of them were downed, the large pauldron racks closing as she did so. If her classmates could see her face at that moment, they would be raging at how pleased with herself the brunette was. The stillness and the relaxed pose of the red monstrosity of a mecha radiated utter satisfaction, though, so they were probably pissed in the confines of their downed machines.

A sudden shot and all pleasant feelings were suddenly replaced by alertness.

She immediately traced the shot--a single and meager one that missed Johanna's white machine while she was disposing of the enemies. She barely heard what her friend said as Violet's attention sharpened towards the remaing Randgirth. She closed the gap and then--

With a sickening and reverberating sound, the Alt Eisen impaled the bigger machine. She didn't stop there, though. Slowly but surely, the red machine lifted the Randgirth, firing her painted cartridges at it as it dangled on Violet's wicked stake.

She made for an impressive tableau, a gloriously savage figure of a machine hoisting its enemy in a brutal show of triumph.