Takeshi heads down to the old Sentai fortress. It seems an age ago when this place was what he called home. Before the mountain split in two and the beginning of the war with the robots.
His Grand Titan has all of the Golden City's data regarding Martians but Sentai Mountain has had more recent contact with the colonies in the past. It's time to do some data scavaging. It's a long trek down but his mecha makes it a lot easier than on foot and the added rocket packs lets him leap and hover past many of the obstacles.
It's nighttime as Takeshi approaches his old home and academy. There is a sense of sentiment in seeing the old place but the soldier in him puts his feelings aside as there are more pressing matters at hand and he doesn't want to wait a moment loner than he has to. Previous experience has taught him that any unnecessary delay encourages mishap.
Hmmm. Multiple target locks. And they're all on him. Takeshi thinks that maybe this is one time when haste may not have been the wisest choice. The Grand Titan has already detected danger and has readied itself for battle stations. All weapons charged and ready, XS style.
Friendlies detected. Six targets acquired, all friendlies. "Takeshi? Is that you?".
Takeshi recognised the voice of his friend and colleague, Ha-Ya-To.
Six mechas emerge from the shadows, all Gate Defenders that have been designated "Falcons". "What are you doing piloting one of those?", Takeshi assumed Ha-Ya-To would be in a Aero Booster.
Ha-Ya-To sighs. "Long story. I guess we have time as we should lay low in the darkness."
Takeshi follows Ha-Ya-To and his pilots to the docking bays.
Meca One was attacking. That much you know. We were holding back his Sonic Condors. It was bizarre why they were attacking forces that outnumbered and outgunned them. I was assigned a reconnaissance mission by Sensei Keiken to spy on Meca One. There were six of our Falcons (Ryo's Gate Defenders that were modified for agility and manoeuvrability) and two White Lightnings as escorts. That's when it happened.
Devastators infiltrated the command centre and sent a virus that turned our Golden Guardians, Sky Guardians and Blade Titans against us. All the Golden Tower mechas were affected aside from the Cyclone Defenders. They just all shutdown. Then they were disintegrated.
"No, I think they were teleported". Takeshi interrupted. "Martian technology".
That's not right, that's not what happened. It was Meca One. He created another Striking Venom.
That sent a shiver down Takeshi's spine, the Striking Venom took down virtually every mecha sent up against it. It was his Grand Titan that eventually stopped it but not before it was fried to a crisp.
This Striking Venom was improved, it's weaknesses were removed and it was equipt with a new weapon that disintegrated everything in it's path. It took out all the stationary Golden Tower mechas, then the MDTs and our aerial forces. My White Lightnings couldn't escape it's beams of energy, only the agility of our Falcons managed to escape by fleeing down the mountain out of it's reach. I assume it then proceeded to wipe out the ground forces which would have only consisted of the few Grand Titans and Uplinks/Cyclone Defenders which would have been easy pickings for Meca One's own army if he didn't decide to disintegrate them.
Takeshi takes a moment. "It can't just be us. There was no wreckage and I can't believe that everyone else was taken in just a couple of hours."
Hi-Ya-To ponders, "Why do you say they were taken?".
"Because that's the analysis L.01 gave me, and I trust Ryo's inventions like I would trust our friend himself.", Takeshi was adamant. Hi-Ya-To could see this and took faith in his comrade. "Then let's go look for them.".
Ha-Ya-To leads Takeshi to the acadamy control room. "Power's low but we have enough to search the computers. Tashi!". Ha-Ya-To calls one of his pilots. He looks at Takeshi. "Well, we haven't got all night and I'm about as good with computers as you are!".
Lt Tashi analyses the sensor arrays from the Sentai Fortress. "There is a lot of teleport activity that matches the data from Grand Titan L.01 at the beginning of the attack, then there is a new energy signature mixed in with the old.". Tashi looks to Takeshi, "We need to run this against your mecha for further data, sir.".
Takeshi nods, he leads them to his Grand Titan XS and feeds in the data chip. "Energy signatures suggest a two phase execution". There's silence, L.01 picks up on this and adds: "A teleportation beam directed at the Golden Gateway would suggest sending the target through the portal. The number of total energy signatures completed from the Striking Venom suggests that no more than 20 mechas escaped."
Twenty! That means perhaps upto another thirteen mechas escaped. We need to regroup.
In all likely hood, the only mechas that could have escaped the Striking Venom would have to have been aerial unless one of the wall defence squads of uplinks, cyclone defenders and MDTs decided to abandon posts and run. Ryo would have likely been at one of these posts or the command centre with Sensei Keiken.
"No. Ryo was examining the Devastators that broke into the city." Ha-Ya-To says. "He would have been in his lab. He was examining the Devastators that infiltrated the Golden City. If he saw the Striking Venom attack he would have weighed the consequences of joining in the fight or retreating. We just don't know what he would have chose.".
If, assuming the majority of those that escaped were pilots of flying mechas (like the Falcon section) then there should be Stealth Hunters and perhaps even Ha-Ya-To's detail or Aero Boosters - but where could they be hiding? That's a lot of hardware that needs maintenance.
"Sensei Keiken showed us some Golden City outposts, most were still functional but one had been abandoned by the original inhabitants of the Golden City long ago.". Takeshi turns to Ha-Ya-To, "Didn't you and Hikaru use that as a training base and refuel depot?".
To be continued...
