In the aftermath of the disastrous colony drops, Space Fortress Aratea was a scene of disorder and chaos. With the Federation High Command wiped out in the initial strike, the generals left tried to take command of what forces they had left. When the Grey Wolf, one of their last surviving battleships, left port unauthorised a week later, taking four of their mobile suits with them, including the Hi-v Gundam, things fell apart quite rapidly.
Now, only twenty-five kilometres from the T-shaped rock that formed the base itself, Colonel Tyber Zann sat in the bridge of his personal command ship, the Merciless, awaiting the response for his call for, this last bastion of the Federation, unconditional surrender. Predictably, the forces still holed up inside, led by a women who identified herself as Brigadier General Olivier Armstrong, refused. Zann was forced to admire the amount of vitriol she had worked into the thirty second refusal. As the link went dead, Zann lifted his hand and said, "Begin the attack, and prep the Thunderhawks for launch two minutes after the main assault begins. I want that fortress scoured from top to bottom."
As soon as the order was passed along, the other ships with the Merciless, two Nazca-class battleships, four Alexandria-class heavy cruisers, three Musaka-class light cruisers and three Laurasia-class frigates, began disgorging their mobile suits. GOUF Igniteds, ZAKU Phantoms, ZAKU Warriors, Dooben Wolfs, and Xeku Eins, along with the R-Jarja and Bertigo. As the overwhelming Fandom force moved to engage the few Daggers and Jegans the Federation put up for defence and the fleet opened up with fire from their beam cannons and missiles, inside the Merciless' lower hangers the three Thunderhawk gunships of the Defiler Space Marines prepared for launch.
Exactly two minutes later the gunships, each carrying around thirty of the seven –foot tall enhanced warriors, launched one-by-one into the void filled with beam fire and drifting mobile suits, their powerful engines easily allowing them to close the distance to the fortress. As the Thunderhawks near their entry points, their mounted weapons blazed to life, the heavy bolters, missiles and beam cannon clearing the area of defensive weapons and personnel. As they landed, the front hatches slammed open with a thus and the blood red armoured Marines filed out, boltguns blazing, their power armour protecting them from all but the most powerful, or lucky attacks. Not one of the enhanced Marines fell to the initial obstacles as each force split into Combat Squads of five men and moved out to clear the fortress and claim the command centre.
On the Merciless' bridge Tyber Zann smirked, his emerald eyes glinting with malice.
Five minutes later, the battle still raged, the desperation of the Federal defenders lending a ferocity above what they normally displayed. However such displays were futile against the might of the Fandom arrayed against them. The older Daggers and Jegans were cut down with only minor losses, but still the survivors fought back, refusing to give in.
Inside the fortress, the story was the same. The Defilers moved through the rooms and corridors, level by level, neutralising any security forces or anyone else who impeded them. The Space Marines moved quickly and efficiently, clearing rooms, one by one, until as a lucky chance, The ten man team led by Captain Aurelius punched through the heaviest defended portion of the base so far, and into the main Control Room.
Their, they saw the object of heir mission, the General who had defied their commander. Raising his glittering sword in challenge, he was absolutely surprised when the woman drew her own to meet him. The surprise quickly turned to a feral kind of glee as he stepped forward to meet her. Unfortunately for Armstrong, she had underestimated the Marines augmented strength. The first blow broke her arm, and a swift blow to the gut and she was unconscious. The remainder of the federation personnel, grabbed weapons and aimed at the assembled Fandom shock troops, but quickly surrendered.
Disappointed by the lack of fight the woman put up, Aurelius gave the signal and his men opened fire, the mass reactive, explosive rounds easily killing all in the room. After all, his orders hadn't mentioned anyone other than this woman.
