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Description
Part five: Relentless Force

After easing the FAV out from the drop ship, Chase watched as the black craft lifted into the air, rotating away from them before moving off.  They would be back once the facility was destroyed.  Until then, it was still considered too hot to remain on the ground.  But as the FAV drove towards the only exit it could fit through, Krystal noted a problem.
Before the FAV was a mostly destroyed terminal.  The docking terminal had collapsed to the side, effectively creating a barrier between the airfield and the outside streets.
"Ronin?  Tell me, can this thing climb over these walls of debris?" Krystal asked.
"Climb over?" Chase asked in reply, "Who needs to climb over it?"
With that, Chase unleashed a volley of missiles into the blockade.  Within seconds, the HE warheads had blasted a path through the debris just wide enough for the FAV to fit through.  But with that series of explosions came the cries of dozens of Reapers.  The robots had been alerted to their presence once again.
"Keep those barrels hot." Chase advised as he drove the massive vehicle onto the streets, crushing debris and rubble under the steel tires, "I can't exactly use a lot of missiles in here."
Krystal nodded, rotating the turret from side to side as the machine moved towards the location of the facility.  Because of it's sheer size, the FAV almost never ran out of ammunition for the turrets.  Ammunition was kept inside the body of the machine, being fed up to the turret much like a light machine gun would be.
As the vehicle progressed towards the facility, Chase examined the turret settings for the empty turrets at the back end of the vehicle.  With a smile, he realized that the techs had added in another surprise.
"AI turret controls." Chase thought to himself, activating the AI, "This thing's got an AI fragment to control any unmanned turrets.  Very nice."
As it came online, Chase focused on the terrain ahead of him.  Inside the FAV, his mind was finally relaxing a bit more.  After all, that facility was not going anywhere, and the robots had no chance against this machine.
Suddenly, Krystal's image appeared in the upper corner of the view screen.  Chase typed in a few commands, making sure that he and Krystal were on a personal channel.  Echo One could not hear their conversation, but she could still alert them to any Sev`fel presence.
"Chase?  Can I ask you something?" the vixen asked.
Chase sighed, knowing exactly what his partner would be asking about, "You can, but I doubt you'll like the answer."
Krystal sighed, "I don't care if I won't like it.  I care about you Chase, and I want to help.  What exactly happened to you in this place?  Did you have another mission here before?"
"No…it was no mission." Chase answered grimly.
Chase arranged all of the horrifying memories into order.  From the first shots fired, to when the robots had broken into his home, brutally disposing of his parents after his father had hid him from their sensors.  Each memory filled his heart with hatred for the ones responsible for that night, but he forced his mind to remain clear.
"Do you know what happened here twenty years ago?" Chase asked.
On screen, Krystal nodded.  She had learned about it shortly before the mission had began, only a few hours ago.
"The entire colony was slaughtered by an unknown enemy in one night a few years after the first Sev`fel war ended." The vixen summarized, "There were no survivors recovered.  They had all been killed by the time the corporation found out about it.  It was the only colony to be attacked like that after the war was over, but the Sev`fel claimed they had nothing to do with it."
Chase shook his head, "No.  That's not the whole truth Krystal."
The vixen looked doubtful, "It's not?  Then why would Hiigan and the others all say it is."
"I mean about there being no survivors." Chase clarified, "There was one survivor.  A six year old, red fox kit managed to stay alive long enough for corporate mercenaries to find him hiding in the airfield."
Krystal's eyes widened, realize where Chase was going with this.  She had been right; there was a direct connection between this colony and her partner.
"I survived it, Krystal…" Chase said quietly, looking away from her view, "I was that kit."
What happened next sent a terrifying chill down the vixen's spine.  For the first time in her life, Krystal could only watch as Chase cried.
Chase tried to wipe the tears away, "Every memory of that night is burned into my brain, a repeating nightmare that just does not end.  I just want it to stop…"
"Chase…" Krystal replied tenderly, "I'm sorry…I…I didn't know…"
Krystal felt horrible.  All this time they had been together, and she had never figured it out.  She had always known Chase was an orphan, and the vixen mentally slapped herself for not putting two and two together.  His reactions to the colony and the robots here should have told her immediately.  She should have done something to help her partner.  Instead, she had only let him tell her that he was alright when he really was not.
Chase took a minute to calm himself before he was able to recompose himself, "I'll be alright.  Right now, we still have a job to do.  I can cry later."
Krystal nodded, unsure of how to respond.  But before she could say anything, Echo One brought her back to the mission at hand.
"I've got movement." the tigress stated, "Left side on the rooftops."
Krystal turned her turret to face the direction Echo One had said.  Expecting to see a Reaper or even more of the scorpion-like units, the vixen spun up her minigun barrels.  But what greeted her eyes was far from what she had expected.
The robot was moving quickly, leaping from one destroyed roof to another without any hesitation.  It's design was far from the human-ish structure of the Reapers or even the scorpion-like design of the newer units they had been fighting.  With it's structure being more wolfish in design, the dangerous looking robot was able to move quickly on four powerful looking legs.  The robot moved almost fluidly as it passed the FAV, leaping to the ground before coming to a stop in front of them.
Chase brought the FAV to a stop, letting the computers scan their new enemy.  But before they could finish, the robot crouched, revealing its weaponry systems.  As it lowered itself to the ground, the back half of the robot opened up as two, square structures rose out of it.  Twin pulse cannons erupted from its sides, aiming towards the FAV as the pods on its back also took aim.
"This will be too easy." Chase smirked as the missile systems tried to establish a lock on the robot, "Whatever that thing is, it's no match for an FAV."
Suddenly, the robot opened fire!  Twin missiles erupted from the pods on it's back with a fiery plume of smoke as the pulse cannons on it's side fired.  The missiles struck the front end of the FAV, the most heavily armored section of the machine.  As the missiles exploded against the FAV, the robot turned and leaped back up onto the rooftops, trailed by Krystal's minigun turret as she tried to hit the fast moving robot.
The missiles had not left a dent in the machines armor, but the scorches left from the explosion covered the front end of the FAV.  But something else got Chase's attention.
"I can't get a lock!" The fox growled, "That thing is running cold!"
"Then let's do it the old fashioned way." Echo One smirked, spinning up the minigun barrels, "Keep firing until it's dead."
With that, the two turrets opened fire!  Round after round of explosive tipped ammunition was fired as the robot ran, moving much faster than either of the girls had thought possible!  Almost becoming a blur as it dodged from rooftop to rooftop, the robot continued to fire its pulse cannons, doing very little damage to the main body of the FAV.
"What is that thing?" Krystal asked, "I've never seen a robot move this fast!"
Gunning the engine, Chase followed the robot as it ran.  Bursts of gunfire from above him told the fox that the girls were still trying to hit the fast moving unit.  But with each burst, the robotic creature simply seemed to dodge around the bullets.  But as it leapt across to another building, Chase had an idea.
"Get that thing to keep moving!" Chase ordered.
"That's about all we can do." Echo One replied with a snap, "We can't hit the stupid thing!"
As the two took turns forcing the robotic unit to dodge their gunfire, Chase brought up an overview of the path to the facility SOT had sent.  There was a ruined building coming up quickly, and it looked weak enough for the idea Chase had in mind.  The only way to kill something that you could not hit was to force it to stop moving.
Keeping the robot in his sights, Chase let it lead them to that building.  Once it had, Chase squeezed the triggers once, firing off a single missile.  The explosive rocketed ahead of the FAV, impacting a building that the robot was about to leap onto!  With a startled, metallic cry, the robot scrambled to regain its advantage on the rooftops.  But when the cement it was attempting to climb onto gave way underneath it, the robot fell to the ground, rolling as it hit.
Chase smirked as the robotic unit rolled into the street before the FAV.  Krystal and Echo One targeted the robot as it attempted to get back on its feet.  But before it could, the twin turrets unleashed a volley of steel, tearing the robot apart with explosive ammunition.
"Well, that worked." Chase said, rolling over the destroyed robot as the FAV progressed once again towards their objective, "Now we know how to beat them."
"I can almost guarantee that won't work twice, Ronin." Echo One stated.
Chase simply shrugged, "I guess this thing could use a laser targeting system added in.  But it'll do exactly what we need for now."
Krystal nodded, swiveling the turret from side to side, watching the rooftops.
*           *          *
The remainder of the slow journey towards the facility was uneventful.  But despite that, Krystal couldn't help but feel as though they were being watched.  Scanning the rooftops, the vixen thought she had seen the figures of Reapers and even the occasional shadow of the scorpion-like units.  But nothing attacked the massive vehicle as it progressed towards the facility.  It was not the knowledge of the fact that the Sev`fel robots knew they were there that was getting to Krystal, but the idea of not knowing when they would be attacked.
"Calm down girl." Krystal thought to herself, "You'll just make yourself more nervous thinking about it.  What would Chase or Fox do in a situation like this?"
Sighing, Krystal took a deep breath, letting her fears flow out when she exhaled.  A couple of deep breaths later, Krystal felt a lot better.
Chase on the other hand, was relaxed for the first time that mission.  Inside the vehicle, the fox felt safe from any attack, giving him time to think and clear his head.  The fox had made a decision.  Knowing that this would be the last time he would come to the colony again, Chase had decided to pay his respects after this was over.  He had accepted his loss a long time ago, but forgiveness would never be seen.  With this victory, the fox would be sure the Sev`fel knew just who they were dealing with.
As he watched the screens in front of him, Chase noted how close the waypoint was, one hundred meters and closing.
"We're just about there." Chase stated, "Get those turrets spun-up."
"Roger that." The girls replied as the barrels of the turrets began to rotate quickly.
But as the vehicle closed in, a metallic roar sounded over the external speakers!  The Reapers knew they were there, and now they had alerted the other units to their location.  The final fight for Colony 341 had come.
*           *          *
Reapers raced across the colony, all hearing the call of their fellow robots.  The intruders could not be allowed to reach the facility!  Accepting defeat was not in their programming.  They had to fight to the last unit to kill the intruders.
But as the robots began to attack the massive vehicle that was moving towards the facility, the four large machines on the corners of the vehicle opened fire!  As the Reapers tried to get close enough to assault the behemoth, they were being cut down by these guns.  One group was entirely blown away by a frontal turret, the gun barrels mowing them down as if they were made from paper!
Suddenly, the central pod of the machine aimed up into the air, plumes of smoke erupting from the back side of the pod as six missiles screamed skyward.  The missiles separated and fell back to the ground, having targeted different Reaper groups.  The impacts destroyed Reaper after Reaper, sending those it had not directly hit into the air.  Buildings collapsed out from under other groups, the shockwaves of the impacts shaking their already weakened supports.
But from the rubble came the scorpion-like units, crawling out of the destruction and onto the rooftops of other buildings, opening fire with their pulse cannons.  The robots outnumbered the massive war machine.  Even with the heavy losses they were taking now, the machine couldn't stop all of them from opening fire!  Golden and green bursts of deadly energy pounded against the sides of the machine.
But, as they opened fire, their attacks only seemed to anger this goliath.  Their energy rounds did nothing to damage it!  A small group swarmed forward, trying to tear into the machine with their sharp claws.  But before they could draw close enough to do any damage, the rear turrets opened fire, cutting them down.
Inside the machine, Krystal noticed that the rear turrets were firing on their own!  But instead of worrying about it, the vixen continued to attack the approaching robots, her turret raining deadly steel into the still moving horde.
"Where are they all coming from?" Chase asked with a growl, unleashing another volley of missiles into the attacking robots, "There's no way the Sev`fel would send this many robots into a supposedly deserted colony."
"Maybe they're all here to defend that facility." Echo One replied, mowing down more of the robots.
Suddenly, it clicked in Krystal's mind.  The sheer amount of robots here could only mean one thing.  Something had to be making them, and quickly.  There was only one thing that could do that.
"Ronin, that facility has to be some sort of robotic construction facility!" Krystal exclaimed, "That's why there's so many, it's still producing robots."
Chase nodded, "We only have one option then to end this.  We destroy that facility.  Keep the fire on them, we're moving!"
With that, Chase gunned the engines, setting the machine in motion once again.  As the machine surged forward, Chase guided the FAV to a large square, just large enough for the vehicle to convert to enable the large cannon it held within.  But as the FAV stopped moving, Chase realized that the facility before them was indeed a construction facility.
The shiny, new building was surrounded by robots, each one trying to defend the large compound from the single, giant vehicle that stood before them.  The dull whir of machinery inside the facility continued as more of the robots poured out from inside, the power generators sparking as they produced the vital energy to keep the facility running.
"That thing's huge!" Echo One observed, "How exactly are we supposed to take it down?"
Chase simply growled, "We break it open."
With that, the fox took aim and fired!  Missiles erupted from both sides of the missile pod, smoke and flame pouring out from the back of the pod as each warhead streaked forward.  The missiles erupted against the ground, blowing the robots off of it with each destructive blast.  Craters were left from each explosion, robotic parts strewn across the square before them.
Despite that, the construction facility continued to create more of the Sev`fel robots.  It would not be long before the robots would outnumber the team once again.  With that in mind, Chase unleashed a second volley of missiles, watching as explosions blossomed on the facility walls.  Centering the fire on one location, the FAV had blown a series of holes in the wall of the facility, leaving a large enough opening for the main weapon to be effective from the inside out.
"Lay down cover fire." Chase ordered, "I'm setting it to unfold."
Krystal nodded and scanned the rooftops for enemies.  Suddenly, she heard a loud clicking noise as the turret detached from the main body of the vehicle.  Her turret swung out on an arm as the main body of the vehicle split into two parts, the top opening and folding back as four support legs unfolded from the front, back, and sides to steady the machine for firing.  The missile pods rose up and slid back as the cannon rose up on several support legs.  Its barrel extended forward as four pronged ends rose up from the firing end, each one lightly glowing blue from the energy that was now pulsing through the weapon.  The Frontal Assault Vehicle was now fully capable of destroying the entire facility with one, lethal blast.
"What the hell?!" Echo One exclaimed in surprise.
"Say hello to the main event." Chase smirked, "At the risk of sounding corny, let's crack this nut wide open."
Despite having seen the FAV's main cannon before, Krystal was still amazed by just how big the cannon was.  With a smile, the vixen knew that this would be the parting blow to the Sev`fel operation on Iron Sight.
Then, Chase did something she had not expected.  The fox activated the external speakers.
"Attention Sev`fel." Chase growled over the speakers, his ears flattened against his head, "Now is the time you realize exactly who you are up against.  You killed everyone I ever knew twenty years ago here.  Now, I'm going to kill every last one of you here as well.  Remember this: You messed with the wrong Ronin that day.  And today, you suffer for it!"
With that, Krystal could only watch as the cannon fired!
A bright, blue beam shot out from the cannon, entering one of the holes in the facility wall Chase had made with the missiles.  As the beam grew brighter, a sphere of shifting energy began to grow inside the facility, engulfing anything inside with a bright light of destructive energy.  Suddenly, the beam vanished, but the energy kept building inside the facility, growing to fill the facility with its light.
Suddenly, the shifting energy within the ball violently detonated outward!  Any of the Sev`fel forces trapped inside the energy detonation were wiped out of existence before they could even realize what was happening.  Shockwaves spread out from the center of the blast, ripping the facility apart with an unrelenting destructive force!  Robots were wiped from existence in a single blow.  The earth and steel within the radius of the explosion were ripped to shreds as the detonation gave up all of its force in that single display of brutal power.  Nothing inside the facility or near it had survived the explosion.  All that was left was a huge crater and the twisted, smoldering remains of what was once a Sev`fel construction facility.
The shockwaves washed over the FAV, destroying the weakened buildings around it.  As some of the buildings collapsed, the FAV stood firm, the blast only shaking the extended turrets slightly.  As the shockwaves disentigrated behind them, the FAV reassembled itself.
As the cannon refolded and slowly lowered back inside the protective body of the FAV, Chase remained silent.  The fox simply watched the monitors as the support legs folded back into the body of the FAV as well, swinging the four turrets back in before locking them against the body.
"That was awesome!" Echo One smirked, "Now I'm starting to wish the corporation I work for had your kind of vehicle tech."
Krystal shook her head, re-establishing a link with Echo One's turret communications, "Sorry, but there are not a lot of Frontal Assault Vehicles in production.  They cost a lot of money for anyone to make.  Despite the firepower, they will never make an effective machine to use."
"Too bad." Echo One sighed, "With a few more of these, the Sev`fel won't stand a chance of winning."
"They won't win." Chase thought coldly, turning the FAV around, "I'm going to be sure of that.  Even if I have to die to be sure of it."
*           *          *
After a long, silent drive back to the airfield, Chase stood outside of the drop ship.  The sun blazed overhead, heating up the colony.  With the drop ship crew already strapping the FAV back down to the floor of the craft, Chase, Krystal, and Echo One had left the machine.
"I guess this is it for now." The tigress had said as she slung her sniper rifle to her back.
"Yes, it would seem that way." Krystal smiled, "At least we know there are allies who will fight the Sev`fel along side us."
Echo One nodded, "Same here.  Take care you two."
The three shook and Echo one began to run off.  But as she did, Krystal could not help but ask her true name.
The tigress turned with a smile, "Sorry, can't tell you that still."
Watching as Echo One took off towards her own pick-up point, Chase could only wonder exactly how many others had been affected by the Sev`fel's spread so far.  His corporation had colonies spread throughout the Lylat system, several of them already having been taken over by the Sev`fel.  It had only been a month since the first colony had been taken, but tens of corporation troops were dead and innocent lives had been torn apart.  If things got any worse, the corporation would be forced to either shut down and evacuate all of their colonies, or ask for military assistance.
Without a second thought, Chase walked to the center of the airfield.  His body seemed to be acting on it's own as the fox picked up several pieces of small debris.  Taking another length of twine he had found inside the building where they had first been outnumbered by the Sev`fel robots, the fox fashioned a cross from the debris he had found.
Looking out from the drop ship, Krystal watched in silence as Chase worked, wondering what he was doing.  But when she saw Chase lift the small cross he had made, she knew immediately.
"Chase still thinks he lost everything here." Krystal reminded herself as she walked to him, "His family, his home, his friends, everyone he had ever known up to that point in his life are all dead."
The vixen stopped a few feet back from Chase, giving the fox some privacy as he set the cross up against the twisted, decaying remains of a drop ship.  The fox dropped down to one knee and bowed his head.  As he did, Krystal walked up to him slowly.
"I'm never going to give up." Chase said softly, "If you two can hear me, I'm not going to let the Sev`fel do this again.  I'll fight to my last breath to avenge what happened here, even if I have to do it alone."
"You won't have to." Krystal said tenderly, laying a hand on her partner's shoulder, "I won't let you fight them alone."
Chase looked up at his partner, looking into her emerald eyes.  The fox stood up and hugged Krystal tightly.  Then, for the second time that mission, Chase felt tears welling up in his eyes as he held onto his partner and friend.
Krystal slowly rubbed her partners back, softly saying, "It's alright now, Chase."
"It will never be all right, Krystal." Chase said sadly, trying to keep his sadness out of his voice, "We have to stop them before this happens again."
"We will." The vixen said softly, stroking her partner's ears lightly, "You know we won't let this happen twice.  We will end this."
Chase nodded and rubbed his eyes, Krystal letting him go as he did.  After a few seconds, Chase took a deep breath as Krystal smiled.
"Better?" The vixen asked.
Chase nodded, "A bit…thanks."
"I'll always be here for you Chase." Krystal smiled gently, "Just as you would be for me."
Chase nodded and looked to the skies.  Krystal nodded to the drop ship and Chase nodded in reply, knowing what she meant.  It was time to leave the colony once more.
As Krystal walked back to the drop ship, she glanced back at Chase.  She knew how Chase felt, having found out about her own parents deaths before the incident on Sauria.  The news had torn her apart inside, but the vixen could not even begin to imagine the hell Chase had gone through losing so much more.  But, just as Chase had been there for her to help Krystal get through that loss, the vixen would always be around for Chase.  As long as the two worked together, Krystal promised herself that she would not let Chase think he was alone.
As he strapped in beside Krystal, Chase thought a bit more about his relationship with Krystal.
"She really does care for me." The fox thought as the engines of the drop ship roared to life once more, "I guess…maybe…I do still have a family…"
As the drop ship lifted into the skies, the craft turned around before the thrusters sent the craft forward towards their carrier.  The fight for Colony 341 'Iron Sight' had ended, but both Chase and Krystal had a feeling this was still only the beginning of the war.
*           *          *
One day later, a black, boomerang shaped craft entered the planet's orbit.  As several black drop ships exited the carrier, the creatures knew what they were after.  Losing contact with their construction facility, the Sev`fel had become worried that it had been discovered.
Landing near where the remains of the facility were located, a group of large lizard-like creatures stepped out of the drop ships.  Dark, pebbled skin covered the creatures, their glowing red eyes examining the surrounding areas.  With a quiet growl, the lead creature walked towards the epicenter of the destruction, a set of dark red blades jutting out from the creature's arms and back as it walked.  It lowered the assault rifle it was carrying, signaling to the rest of its team that there was no sign of a threat now.
It was now confirmed that the facility was destroyed, a major blow to their efforts.  But the most important piece of information was nowhere to be found except in the memory backs of several of the destroyed robots.  Whoever had done this was doing much more than simply attacking their base.  They had made a statement with this destruction.  A statement that said the fight against the Sev`fel was only just beginning.

Description
Part five: Relentless Force

After easing the FAV out from the drop ship, Chase watched as the black craft lifted into the air, rotating away from them before moving off.  They would be back once the facility was destroyed.  Until then, it was still considered too hot to remain on the ground.  But as the FAV drove towards the only exit it could fit through, Krystal noted a problem.
Before the FAV was a mostly destroyed terminal.  The docking terminal had collapsed to the side, effectively creating a barrier between the airfield and the outside streets.
"Ronin?  Tell me, can this thing climb over these walls of debris?" Krystal asked.
"Climb over?" Chase asked in reply, "Who needs to climb over it?"
With that, Chase unleashed a volley of missiles into the blockade.  Within seconds, the HE warheads had blasted a path through the debris just wide enough for the FAV to fit through.  But with that series of explosions came the cries of dozens of Reapers.  The robots had been alerted to their presence once again.
"Keep those barrels hot." Chase advised as he drove the massive vehicle onto the streets, crushing debris and rubble under the steel tires, "I can't exactly use a lot of missiles in here."
Krystal nodded, rotating the turret from side to side as the machine moved towards the location of the facility.  Because of it's sheer size, the FAV almost never ran out of ammunition for the turrets.  Ammunition was kept inside the body of the machine, being fed up to the turret much like a light machine gun would be.
As the vehicle progressed towards the facility, Chase examined the turret settings for the empty turrets at the back end of the vehicle.  With a smile, he realized that the techs had added in another surprise.
"AI turret controls." Chase thought to himself, activating the AI, "This thing's got an AI fragment to control any unmanned turrets.  Very nice."
As it came online, Chase focused on the terrain ahead of him.  Inside the FAV, his mind was finally relaxing a bit more.  After all, that facility was not going anywhere, and the robots had no chance against this machine.
Suddenly, Krystal's image appeared in the upper corner of the view screen.  Chase typed in a few commands, making sure that he and Krystal were on a personal channel.  Echo One could not hear their conversation, but she could still alert them to any Sev`fel presence.
"Chase?  Can I ask you something?" the vixen asked.
Chase sighed, knowing exactly what his partner would be asking about, "You can, but I doubt you'll like the answer."
Krystal sighed, "I don't care if I won't like it.  I care about you Chase, and I want to help.  What exactly happened to you in this place?  Did you have another mission here before?"
"No…it was no mission." Chase answered grimly.
Chase arranged all of the horrifying memories into order.  From the first shots fired, to when the robots had broken into his home, brutally disposing of his parents after his father had hid him from their sensors.  Each memory filled his heart with hatred for the ones responsible for that night, but he forced his mind to remain clear.
"Do you know what happened here twenty years ago?" Chase asked.
On screen, Krystal nodded.  She had learned about it shortly before the mission had began, only a few hours ago.
"The entire colony was slaughtered by an unknown enemy in one night a few years after the first Sev`fel war ended." The vixen summarized, "There were no survivors recovered.  They had all been killed by the time the corporation found out about it.  It was the only colony to be attacked like that after the war was over, but the Sev`fel claimed they had nothing to do with it."
Chase shook his head, "No.  That's not the whole truth Krystal."
The vixen looked doubtful, "It's not?  Then why would Hiigan and the others all say it is."
"I mean about there being no survivors." Chase clarified, "There was one survivor.  A six year old, red fox kit managed to stay alive long enough for corporate mercenaries to find him hiding in the airfield."
Krystal's eyes widened, realize where Chase was going with this.  She had been right; there was a direct connection between this colony and her partner.
"I survived it, Krystal…" Chase said quietly, looking away from her view, "I was that kit."
What happened next sent a terrifying chill down the vixen's spine.  For the first time in her life, Krystal could only watch as Chase cried.
Chase tried to wipe the tears away, "Every memory of that night is burned into my brain, a repeating nightmare that just does not end.  I just want it to stop…"
"Chase…" Krystal replied tenderly, "I'm sorry…I…I didn't know…"
Krystal felt horrible.  All this time they had been together, and she had never figured it out.  She had always known Chase was an orphan, and the vixen mentally slapped herself for not putting two and two together.  His reactions to the colony and the robots here should have told her immediately.  She should have done something to help her partner.  Instead, she had only let him tell her that he was alright when he really was not.
Chase took a minute to calm himself before he was able to recompose himself, "I'll be alright.  Right now, we still have a job to do.  I can cry later."
Krystal nodded, unsure of how to respond.  But before she could say anything, Echo One brought her back to the mission at hand.
"I've got movement." the tigress stated, "Left side on the rooftops."
Krystal turned her turret to face the direction Echo One had said.  Expecting to see a Reaper or even more of the scorpion-like units, the vixen spun up her minigun barrels.  But what greeted her eyes was far from what she had expected.
The robot was moving quickly, leaping from one destroyed roof to another without any hesitation.  It's design was far from the human-ish structure of the Reapers or even the scorpion-like design of the newer units they had been fighting.  With it's structure being more wolfish in design, the dangerous looking robot was able to move quickly on four powerful looking legs.  The robot moved almost fluidly as it passed the FAV, leaping to the ground before coming to a stop in front of them.
Chase brought the FAV to a stop, letting the computers scan their new enemy.  But before they could finish, the robot crouched, revealing its weaponry systems.  As it lowered itself to the ground, the back half of the robot opened up as two, square structures rose out of it.  Twin pulse cannons erupted from its sides, aiming towards the FAV as the pods on its back also took aim.
"This will be too easy." Chase smirked as the missile systems tried to establish a lock on the robot, "Whatever that thing is, it's no match for an FAV."
Suddenly, the robot opened fire!  Twin missiles erupted from the pods on it's back with a fiery plume of smoke as the pulse cannons on it's side fired.  The missiles struck the front end of the FAV, the most heavily armored section of the machine.  As the missiles exploded against the FAV, the robot turned and leaped back up onto the rooftops, trailed by Krystal's minigun turret as she tried to hit the fast moving robot.
The missiles had not left a dent in the machines armor, but the scorches left from the explosion covered the front end of the FAV.  But something else got Chase's attention.
"I can't get a lock!" The fox growled, "That thing is running cold!"
"Then let's do it the old fashioned way." Echo One smirked, spinning up the minigun barrels, "Keep firing until it's dead."
With that, the two turrets opened fire!  Round after round of explosive tipped ammunition was fired as the robot ran, moving much faster than either of the girls had thought possible!  Almost becoming a blur as it dodged from rooftop to rooftop, the robot continued to fire its pulse cannons, doing very little damage to the main body of the FAV.
"What is that thing?" Krystal asked, "I've never seen a robot move this fast!"
Gunning the engine, Chase followed the robot as it ran.  Bursts of gunfire from above him told the fox that the girls were still trying to hit the fast moving unit.  But with each burst, the robotic creature simply seemed to dodge around the bullets.  But as it leapt across to another building, Chase had an idea.
"Get that thing to keep moving!" Chase ordered.
"That's about all we can do." Echo One replied with a snap, "We can't hit the stupid thing!"
As the two took turns forcing the robotic unit to dodge their gunfire, Chase brought up an overview of the path to the facility SOT had sent.  There was a ruined building coming up quickly, and it looked weak enough for the idea Chase had in mind.  The only way to kill something that you could not hit was to force it to stop moving.
Keeping the robot in his sights, Chase let it lead them to that building.  Once it had, Chase squeezed the triggers once, firing off a single missile.  The explosive rocketed ahead of the FAV, impacting a building that the robot was about to leap onto!  With a startled, metallic cry, the robot scrambled to regain its advantage on the rooftops.  But when the cement it was attempting to climb onto gave way underneath it, the robot fell to the ground, rolling as it hit.
Chase smirked as the robotic unit rolled into the street before the FAV.  Krystal and Echo One targeted the robot as it attempted to get back on its feet.  But before it could, the twin turrets unleashed a volley of steel, tearing the robot apart with explosive ammunition.
"Well, that worked." Chase said, rolling over the destroyed robot as the FAV progressed once again towards their objective, "Now we know how to beat them."
"I can almost guarantee that won't work twice, Ronin." Echo One stated.
Chase simply shrugged, "I guess this thing could use a laser targeting system added in.  But it'll do exactly what we need for now."
Krystal nodded, swiveling the turret from side to side, watching the rooftops.
*           *          *
The remainder of the slow journey towards the facility was uneventful.  But despite that, Krystal couldn't help but feel as though they were being watched.  Scanning the rooftops, the vixen thought she had seen the figures of Reapers and even the occasional shadow of the scorpion-like units.  But nothing attacked the massive vehicle as it progressed towards the facility.  It was not the knowledge of the fact that the Sev`fel robots knew they were there that was getting to Krystal, but the idea of not knowing when they would be attacked.
"Calm down girl." Krystal thought to herself, "You'll just make yourself more nervous thinking about it.  What would Chase or Fox do in a situation like this?"
Sighing, Krystal took a deep breath, letting her fears flow out when she exhaled.  A couple of deep breaths later, Krystal felt a lot better.
Chase on the other hand, was relaxed for the first time that mission.  Inside the vehicle, the fox felt safe from any attack, giving him time to think and clear his head.  The fox had made a decision.  Knowing that this would be the last time he would come to the colony again, Chase had decided to pay his respects after this was over.  He had accepted his loss a long time ago, but forgiveness would never be seen.  With this victory, the fox would be sure the Sev`fel knew just who they were dealing with.
As he watched the screens in front of him, Chase noted how close the waypoint was, one hundred meters and closing.
"We're just about there." Chase stated, "Get those turrets spun-up."
"Roger that." The girls replied as the barrels of the turrets began to rotate quickly.
But as the vehicle closed in, a metallic roar sounded over the external speakers!  The Reapers knew they were there, and now they had alerted the other units to their location.  The final fight for Colony 341 had come.
*           *          *
Reapers raced across the colony, all hearing the call of their fellow robots.  The intruders could not be allowed to reach the facility!  Accepting defeat was not in their programming.  They had to fight to the last unit to kill the intruders.
But as the robots began to attack the massive vehicle that was moving towards the facility, the four large machines on the corners of the vehicle opened fire!  As the Reapers tried to get close enough to assault the behemoth, they were being cut down by these guns.  One group was entirely blown away by a frontal turret, the gun barrels mowing them down as if they were made from paper!
Suddenly, the central pod of the machine aimed up into the air, plumes of smoke erupting from the back side of the pod as six missiles screamed skyward.  The missiles separated and fell back to the ground, having targeted different Reaper groups.  The impacts destroyed Reaper after Reaper, sending those it had not directly hit into the air.  Buildings collapsed out from under other groups, the shockwaves of the impacts shaking their already weakened supports.
But from the rubble came the scorpion-like units, crawling out of the destruction and onto the rooftops of other buildings, opening fire with their pulse cannons.  The robots outnumbered the massive war machine.  Even with the heavy losses they were taking now, the machine couldn't stop all of them from opening fire!  Golden and green bursts of deadly energy pounded against the sides of the machine.
But, as they opened fire, their attacks only seemed to anger this goliath.  Their energy rounds did nothing to damage it!  A small group swarmed forward, trying to tear into the machine with their sharp claws.  But before they could draw close enough to do any damage, the rear turrets opened fire, cutting them down.
Inside the machine, Krystal noticed that the rear turrets were firing on their own!  But instead of worrying about it, the vixen continued to attack the approaching robots, her turret raining deadly steel into the still moving horde.
"Where are they all coming from?" Chase asked with a growl, unleashing another volley of missiles into the attacking robots, "There's no way the Sev`fel would send this many robots into a supposedly deserted colony."
"Maybe they're all here to defend that facility." Echo One replied, mowing down more of the robots.
Suddenly, it clicked in Krystal's mind.  The sheer amount of robots here could only mean one thing.  Something had to be making them, and quickly.  There was only one thing that could do that.
"Ronin, that facility has to be some sort of robotic construction facility!" Krystal exclaimed, "That's why there's so many, it's still producing robots."
Chase nodded, "We only have one option then to end this.  We destroy that facility.  Keep the fire on them, we're moving!"
With that, Chase gunned the engines, setting the machine in motion once again.  As the machine surged forward, Chase guided the FAV to a large square, just large enough for the vehicle to convert to enable the large cannon it held within.  But as the FAV stopped moving, Chase realized that the facility before them was indeed a construction facility.
The shiny, new building was surrounded by robots, each one trying to defend the large compound from the single, giant vehicle that stood before them.  The dull whir of machinery inside the facility continued as more of the robots poured out from inside, the power generators sparking as they produced the vital energy to keep the facility running.
"That thing's huge!" Echo One observed, "How exactly are we supposed to take it down?"
Chase simply growled, "We break it open."
With that, the fox took aim and fired!  Missiles erupted from both sides of the missile pod, smoke and flame pouring out from the back of the pod as each warhead streaked forward.  The missiles erupted against the ground, blowing the robots off of it with each destructive blast.  Craters were left from each explosion, robotic parts strewn across the square before them.
Despite that, the construction facility continued to create more of the Sev`fel robots.  It would not be long before the robots would outnumber the team once again.  With that in mind, Chase unleashed a second volley of missiles, watching as explosions blossomed on the facility walls.  Centering the fire on one location, the FAV had blown a series of holes in the wall of the facility, leaving a large enough opening for the main weapon to be effective from the inside out.
"Lay down cover fire." Chase ordered, "I'm setting it to unfold."
Krystal nodded and scanned the rooftops for enemies.  Suddenly, she heard a loud clicking noise as the turret detached from the main body of the vehicle.  Her turret swung out on an arm as the main body of the vehicle split into two parts, the top opening and folding back as four support legs unfolded from the front, back, and sides to steady the machine for firing.  The missile pods rose up and slid back as the cannon rose up on several support legs.  Its barrel extended forward as four pronged ends rose up from the firing end, each one lightly glowing blue from the energy that was now pulsing through the weapon.  The Frontal Assault Vehicle was now fully capable of destroying the entire facility with one, lethal blast.
"What the hell?!" Echo One exclaimed in surprise.
"Say hello to the main event." Chase smirked, "At the risk of sounding corny, let's crack this nut wide open."
Despite having seen the FAV's main cannon before, Krystal was still amazed by just how big the cannon was.  With a smile, the vixen knew that this would be the parting blow to the Sev`fel operation on Iron Sight.
Then, Chase did something she had not expected.  The fox activated the external speakers.
"Attention Sev`fel." Chase growled over the speakers, his ears flattened against his head, "Now is the time you realize exactly who you are up against.  You killed everyone I ever knew twenty years ago here.  Now, I'm going to kill every last one of you here as well.  Remember this: You messed with the wrong Ronin that day.  And today, you suffer for it!"
With that, Krystal could only watch as the cannon fired!
A bright, blue beam shot out from the cannon, entering one of the holes in the facility wall Chase had made with the missiles.  As the beam grew brighter, a sphere of shifting energy began to grow inside the facility, engulfing anything inside with a bright light of destructive energy.  Suddenly, the beam vanished, but the energy kept building inside the facility, growing to fill the facility with its light.
Suddenly, the shifting energy within the ball violently detonated outward!  Any of the Sev`fel forces trapped inside the energy detonation were wiped out of existence before they could even realize what was happening.  Shockwaves spread out from the center of the blast, ripping the facility apart with an unrelenting destructive force!  Robots were wiped from existence in a single blow.  The earth and steel within the radius of the explosion were ripped to shreds as the detonation gave up all of its force in that single display of brutal power.  Nothing inside the facility or near it had survived the explosion.  All that was left was a huge crater and the twisted, smoldering remains of what was once a Sev`fel construction facility.
The shockwaves washed over the FAV, destroying the weakened buildings around it.  As some of the buildings collapsed, the FAV stood firm, the blast only shaking the extended turrets slightly.  As the shockwaves disentigrated behind them, the FAV reassembled itself.
As the cannon refolded and slowly lowered back inside the protective body of the FAV, Chase remained silent.  The fox simply watched the monitors as the support legs folded back into the body of the FAV as well, swinging the four turrets back in before locking them against the body.
"That was awesome!" Echo One smirked, "Now I'm starting to wish the corporation I work for had your kind of vehicle tech."
Krystal shook her head, re-establishing a link with Echo One's turret communications, "Sorry, but there are not a lot of Frontal Assault Vehicles in production.  They cost a lot of money for anyone to make.  Despite the firepower, they will never make an effective machine to use."
"Too bad." Echo One sighed, "With a few more of these, the Sev`fel won't stand a chance of winning."
"They won't win." Chase thought coldly, turning the FAV around, "I'm going to be sure of that.  Even if I have to die to be sure of it."
*           *          *
After a long, silent drive back to the airfield, Chase stood outside of the drop ship.  The sun blazed overhead, heating up the colony.  With the drop ship crew already strapping the FAV back down to the floor of the craft, Chase, Krystal, and Echo One had left the machine.
"I guess this is it for now." The tigress had said as she slung her sniper rifle to her back.
"Yes, it would seem that way." Krystal smiled, "At least we know there are allies who will fight the Sev`fel along side us."
Echo One nodded, "Same here.  Take care you two."
The three shook and Echo one began to run off.  But as she did, Krystal could not help but ask her true name.
The tigress turned with a smile, "Sorry, can't tell you that still."
Watching as Echo One took off towards her own pick-up point, Chase could only wonder exactly how many others had been affected by the Sev`fel's spread so far.  His corporation had colonies spread throughout the Lylat system, several of them already having been taken over by the Sev`fel.  It had only been a month since the first colony had been taken, but tens of corporation troops were dead and innocent lives had been torn apart.  If things got any worse, the corporation would be forced to either shut down and evacuate all of their colonies, or ask for military assistance.
Without a second thought, Chase walked to the center of the airfield.  His body seemed to be acting on it's own as the fox picked up several pieces of small debris.  Taking another length of twine he had found inside the building where they had first been outnumbered by the Sev`fel robots, the fox fashioned a cross from the debris he had found.
Looking out from the drop ship, Krystal watched in silence as Chase worked, wondering what he was doing.  But when she saw Chase lift the small cross he had made, she knew immediately.
"Chase still thinks he lost everything here." Krystal reminded herself as she walked to him, "His family, his home, his friends, everyone he had ever known up to that point in his life are all dead."
The vixen stopped a few feet back from Chase, giving the fox some privacy as he set the cross up against the twisted, decaying remains of a drop ship.  The fox dropped down to one knee and bowed his head.  As he did, Krystal walked up to him slowly.
"I'm never going to give up." Chase said softly, "If you two can hear me, I'm not going to let the Sev`fel do this again.  I'll fight to my last breath to avenge what happened here, even if I have to do it alone."
"You won't have to." Krystal said tenderly, laying a hand on her partner's shoulder, "I won't let you fight them alone."
Chase looked up at his partner, looking into her emerald eyes.  The fox stood up and hugged Krystal tightly.  Then, for the second time that mission, Chase felt tears welling up in his eyes as he held onto his partner and friend.
Krystal slowly rubbed her partners back, softly saying, "It's alright now, Chase."
"It will never be all right, Krystal." Chase said sadly, trying to keep his sadness out of his voice, "We have to stop them before this happens again."
"We will." The vixen said softly, stroking her partner's ears lightly, "You know we won't let this happen twice.  We will end this."
Chase nodded and rubbed his eyes, Krystal letting him go as he did.  After a few seconds, Chase took a deep breath as Krystal smiled.
"Better?" The vixen asked.
Chase nodded, "A bit…thanks."
"I'll always be here for you Chase." Krystal smiled gently, "Just as you would be for me."
Chase nodded and looked to the skies.  Krystal nodded to the drop ship and Chase nodded in reply, knowing what she meant.  It was time to leave the colony once more.
As Krystal walked back to the drop ship, she glanced back at Chase.  She knew how Chase felt, having found out about her own parents deaths before the incident on Sauria.  The news had torn her apart inside, but the vixen could not even begin to imagine the hell Chase had gone through losing so much more.  But, just as Chase had been there for her to help Krystal get through that loss, the vixen would always be around for Chase.  As long as the two worked together, Krystal promised herself that she would not let Chase think he was alone.
As he strapped in beside Krystal, Chase thought a bit more about his relationship with Krystal.
"She really does care for me." The fox thought as the engines of the drop ship roared to life once more, "I guess…maybe…I do still have a family…"
As the drop ship lifted into the skies, the craft turned around before the thrusters sent the craft forward towards their carrier.  The fight for Colony 341 'Iron Sight' had ended, but both Chase and Krystal had a feeling this was still only the beginning of the war.
*           *          *
One day later, a black, boomerang shaped craft entered the planet's orbit.  As several black drop ships exited the carrier, the creatures knew what they were after.  Losing contact with their construction facility, the Sev`fel had become worried that it had been discovered.
Landing near where the remains of the facility were located, a group of large lizard-like creatures stepped out of the drop ships.  Dark, pebbled skin covered the creatures, their glowing red eyes examining the surrounding areas.  With a quiet growl, the lead creature walked towards the epicenter of the destruction, a set of dark red blades jutting out from the creature's arms and back as it walked.  It lowered the assault rifle it was carrying, signaling to the rest of its team that there was no sign of a threat now.
It was now confirmed that the facility was destroyed, a major blow to their efforts.  But the most important piece of information was nowhere to be found except in the memory backs of several of the destroyed robots.  Whoever had done this was doing much more than simply attacking their base.  They had made a statement with this destruction.  A statement that said the fight against the Sev`fel was only just beginning.