Part 19: Another lead! And Driscoll has been tracked down!

We'd been at the base not a day before Olson began stressing out. But in that time we'd upgraded. Twice. Beltchka had had the latest mass-production parts, but the OCU base had been sent some special run Sakata Industries Type-65 gear. The best going.






Integrated triple-shot cannons, personal accelerated slug weaponry, minuguns, the works.




Something had gone wrong. Horribly wrong. Some USN troops had got scared and deserted, and with the rest of the defence force on their tail had blundered into our lines. We had to clean up.







I wasn't going to let the only half-decent girl on the team with two brain cells to rub together die to a crossfire. I'd done that once already.


That bastard. Waiting in the sidelines. We could pick up his signal, but his wanzer was nowhere to be seen. A small mercy, I suppose.


And we were thrown into combat.
























For once, we had the upper hand. The USN forces were scattered and smashed.






And for once, all he could do was watch in horror.




If he was a turncoat, I didn't care who he was. He was going to see a firing squad.


But instead he was just another innocent who fell on the wrong side of the front line.


The decker had picked up a transmission from base, and it seemed to echo something I'd heard earlier.



Something of great importance.





He hadn't seen or heard of Karen. But if she had been involved, then I had to get into Fort Monus.




We could discuss his fate there. But I wasn't going to let Olson stop Yang from seeing her brother. I know how it is to lose someone close.