Custom Zoid Battle Story

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Background: I began writing a story featuring Zogster and I's customs. So this is a Custom Battle Story. Wheee.

Karaq Wastes
Central Continent
ZAC 2106

The Dark Spiner turned to face its foe, rearing back and snarling. Before it could strike, however, a searing energy beam tore through its head, tearing the cockpit and pilot within apart. The huge Zoid staggered on its feet and then collapsed lifelessly to one side.

Opening her Darkhorn’s cockpit, Ashleigh Thorne stood and looked over her downed opponent. Taking off her helmet and shaking out her long, braided red hair, she grinned and sniggered to herself. The Dark Spiner’s pilot had been a fool she thought. Young, cocky and overconfident, he’d never thought that an older Zoid like her Darkhorn could overcome his machine in single combat.

Fool. Even someone like him should have been able to see that her machine was no ordinary Darkhorn. An Imperial Hyperbeam Cannon, the same weapon used on the accursed Prozen Knight’s version of the Iron Kong was mounted on the back, combined with the normal Beam Gattling Cannon. That weapon gave her ‘obsolete’ machine enough firepower to take out most Zoids single-handedly.

She looked back over the Dark Zoid’s body. The Spiner didn’t seem to have done much beyond scoring the armour. Easily reparable, she thought. As she turned looked, one thing caught her eye, however. The green shield and black dragon crest emblazoned on the Darkhorn’s neck shield, the true symbol of the Guylos Empire. The symbol of all she fought for.

There was a select few within the Guylos Empire who had always had suspicions about the Zenebas influence within the empire. Thorne had been one of them. She, and a few others had formed their own association to counter the Zenebas influence within the empire. While many had dismissed their suspicions, they had turned out to be correct. Lethally correct.

Damn Neo-Zenebas, she thought. Once, they had been a part of the Guylos Empire. Then their forces, many of them amongst the Empire’s finest, had risen up in open rebellion and attacked the Guylos capital. Drained from constant war with the Hellic republic, the Guylos forces had been unable to resist them. She’d watched as the Guylos capital, her home, had been destroyed by the vengeful Zenebas forces during that one night.

Now was the time for her revenge.

Tall, attractive, red-haired and green-eyed, she didn’t look the part of a Zoid pilot. However, like her family for several previous generations, she was a warrior in the service of the Guylos empire. Even though the Empire had supposedly been defeated (rumors of the Emperor having fled to the Eastern Continent and marshalling his troops there notwithstanding) she had vowed to fight on.

A beeping from the communicator caught her attention. Returning to the cockpit, she checked the signal. No message, just an automated distress signal. A part of her wanted to ignore it. After all, the Hellic Republic had been the empire’s enemies, and were just as responsible for the Empire’s destruction.

On the other hand, if they were under attack, then it would be by Neo-Zenebas forces. It was another opportunity to strike at their forces and make them pay for what they did. She sealed the Darkhorn’s cockpit and opened up the throttle. Now was her chance.

And of any of the Hellic forces survived, well, it was just a bonus.

*****

[Deadborder]

Sam Morton – Sam Squid to his friends, not that there were many of them around these days – pushed the throttle of his Command Wolf open. Fighting with the control stick, he tried to keep up a fast-moving, zigzagging pattern, all the time trying to keep his eyes open for an enemy he hadn’t even seen.

For the last five years he’d been stuck on the Central Continent, caught behind the Neo-Zenebas lines with what was left of his squadron. The 18th Desert Wolves were an old and respected unit, but Sam had been a young rookie, freshly assigned to the unit out of training. Now it seemed that he was the last one of them left.

Less then a minute ago, an unknown attacker had taken out one of the last survivors of his squad, Corporal Rangi Droch. One second his Command Wolf was ahead of his, the next it was under attack and had collapsed in a pile of burning wreckage, its cockpit shot out. He hadn’t stopped to figure what might have happened. He’d just ran.

His Zoid’s sensors had picked up faint traces of an approaching attacker, bearing down on him at incredible speed. He barely had time to react before the first shots had gone past his Wolf, narrowly missing it. He’d broken his pattern and evaded the opponent, but he had know idea how long for.

His comrades had called him the “Attack Dingo” for his ability to strike and then fade before anyone knew he was there. Apparently the foe he faced now also fought like that.

A shiny reflection caught the corner of his eye. Turning his head he could see a small shape scurrying through the desert, kicking up a cloud of sand in its wake. He couldn’t identify it, nor could he tell if it was friend or foe. Checking his speed, he could see that he was approaching two hundred kilometers an hour. The other Zoid was managing to close the distance.

Figuring it to be the unseen attacker, he swerved towards it and opened fire. The long-range beam cannon’s shot sailed across the desert, just missing the enemy Zoid. In response, it veered off course, weaving its way through the desert sands while still trying to approach him.

“What is it?” He asked himself. Its speed was incredible. He figured that it had to be doing three hundred or more, while maintaining an incredible degree of agility. It sounded like no other Zoid he had ever seen.

The yellow and brown Command Wolf closed in on its opponent, opening fire with a pair of missiles from each of its launchers. The missiles flew towards the enemy Zoid, which responded, to his surprise, but turning to come straight at them. The enemy raced at the missiles and then, at the last possible second, executed a ridiculously tight turn inside their line of fire. The missiles tried to come around, but found themselves unable to match its rate of turn and instead spiraled off, slamming into the desert floor.

As it passed near his Zoid, Sam got his first good look at the attacker. Its body resembled that of a Guysack, complete with the eight slim legs. However, it lacked that Zoid’s claws or tail, and instead had the signature “clamhead” cockpit of the Empire’s oldest Zoids. A beam cannon was mounted on its back, and was swinging in his direction.

He swerved the Command Wolf to the left, veering away form the enemy Zoid just as it opened fire. Turning his back turret, he opened up with the twin light beam cannons, spraying fire across a wide area, hoping to hit his opponent. The two traded fire, their shots scorching the hot desert sand, but neither found their mark on the other.

The two Zoids passed by each other then turned away from each other. As Sam ran, he swerved the Wolf across the desert, trying his best to avoid the enemy Zoid’s fire before coming around to face it again. Pulling the Zoid into the tightest one-eighty degree turn he could manage, Sam came around, ready to face his opponent. “Now I’ve got you!” He shouted in excitement, if only to calm his own nerves.

Instead there was nothing. There was no sign of the enemy Zoid, just miles of flat, open desert. It was as if it had simply vanished into thin air.

“Where did it go?” He asked himself.

*****

[Deadborder]

From the cockpit of is Tarantulon, Alec Willows watched the Command Wolf as it frantically searched around for him. He knew it had very little chance of locating him in his current bolt hole. Litle more then a hole dug into the sand, it was still enough to conceal his Zoid while allowing him to see what was going on outside.

Still, the Command Wolf had been a tricky opponent, he thought. He pilot was a skilled opponent, who was clearly a master of the same style of hit and fade warfare as him. The Command Wolf was more heavily armed and armoured then his machine, but he as far faster and more agile.

This would be a challenge.

His Zoid was a relic, left over form the first Helic-Zenebas war. It had been captured over sixty years ago by one of his ancestors and refitted for use as their personal machine. He’d acquired the Zoid recently, and had it further upgraded for is own use. Now, decked out in the colours of the Neo-Zenebas Empire, it was a killing machine with a dangerous combination of speed and power.

He opened up the throttle. The Zoid burst out from its hole in a cloud of sand, sprinting towards the unsuspecting Command Wolf. Squeezing the trigger, he sent off a volley of shots at the Zoid’s hindquarters. One of the shots struck the Wolf, the pilot suddenly opening up the throttles in response. The enemy Ziod broke into a run, leaving him behind.

No you don’t, he thought to himself. The Tarantulon closed eating up the distance between the two Zoids. As he ran, however, the Command Wolf slewed around its turret and opened fire on him with the two beam cannons. The shots peppered the desert sand near him, coming closer then he would have liked. He swerved the Tarantulon hard to one side, crossing behind the Wolf before opening fire again.

To his surprise, the Command Wolf did the same, crossing back over his path and opening fire with its top cannons. He swerved the Tarantulon again, managing to evade its fire. He’s sharp, Alec thought. Now to see what he does next.

The Command Wolf veered hard to the left, turning away form the Tarantulon while firing its cannons. He swerved after it, accelerating while turning inside the other Zoid’s path, firing the top cannon and the chin cannons as he went. Suddenly, the Command Wolf sharply turned away, veering off to the left. Black smoke billowed out from its tail-mounted launchers.

“Clever.” He muttered. The Tarantulon swung around, dashing through the smoke. He momentarily lost sight of the Zoid in the darkness, but caught it again when he emerged. It was heading away, the pilot seemingly more interested in fleeing then fighting.

The fool. He can’t escape me. He closed on the Command Wolf, drawing almost level with it for a moment. Swinging the beam canon around, he levelled it with the Wolf’s head. This is where it ends, he thought.

A burst of fire raked across the desert in front of his Zoid. He yanked the controls hard to the right, veering out of the way of the enemy attack. The Command Wolf, clearly as surprised as he was, but not the target of the attack, also peeled off in he other direction, heading away from him.

“Who was that?” He asked himself.

*****

[Deadborder]

Sam pulled on the Command Wolf’s controls, steering hard away from the other Zoid. As he went, he desperately searched around for the source of the attack.

Then he saw it. Looming on top of a hill, the sun behind it, was the bulky shape of a Darkhorn. The huge black Zoid’s back weapons were turned to face the Tarantulon; Sam could see that there was a large beam cannon mounted alongside the Beam Gattling.

To his surprise, the Tarantulon stopped running and turned towards the larger Zoid. The Darkhorn in turn moved to face the other Zoid, Sam spotting an unusual crest on its forehead; a black dragon on a green crest.

“A Black Dragon, eh?” The Tarantulon’s pilot spoke up. “I didn’t know there were any of you left. Somebody must have gotten careless.”

“Zenebas scum.” The pilot of the Darkhorn replied. Sam was surprised that it was a woman’s voice. “You shall pay for your treachery.”

“Rich words, coming form somebody piloting a Zenebas-designed Zoid.” He replied with a sneer.

“Better that then an ancient republican wreck like yours” The Darkhorn broke into a run, charging at the Tarantulon. The Beam Gattling opened fire, spraying shots in the Tarantulon’s direction. The other Zoid responded by sprinting away as fast as it could, returning fire with its tail cannons and top turret.

Despite the fact that it was obviously outmatched, the Tarantulon swerved around and headed back towards the Darkhorn, speeding up as it went. The pilot opened fire again, scoring hits on the larger Zoid’s flank, with very little visible effect. In return, the Darkhorn sprayed fire at the Tarantulon, its pilot able to skilfully evade the shots. The Zenebas Zoid once again broke away, scurrying away form its attacker.

“Don’t just stand there!” The Darkhorn pilot shouted. “Make yourself useful! Get him!”

“Me?” Squid asked.

“Yes, you, damn it!” She yelled back as her Zoid slowly turned, firing as it went.

“Well… okay…” He stammered out. His Command Wolf opened up, running after the enemy Zoid. He quietly wondered who the Darkhorn pilot was, and why she was after that Tarantulon. He’d also wondered why he was helping her, but put that down to her having a much larger Zoid then him.

The Darkhorn moved alongside him, charging after the fleeing Tarantulon. Both Zoids opened fire, spraying the desert sand with shots. The enemy Zoid sped up, trying desperately to increase the distance between it and its pursuers. Abruptly, it veered to the right, heading of into the desert.

“Don’t let him get away!” The Darkhorn pilot shouted as she pulled her Zoid to the right. Half to follow it and half to get out of the other Zoid’s path, Sam veered off after it, trying desperately to close the distance. Behind him, the Darkhorn opened fire with its large beam cannon. The shot narrowly missed the fleeing Tarantulon, instead blasting into a dune and kicking up a huge cloud of sand and debris.

The two Zoids leaped through the smoke cloud, searching around frantically. However, there was no sign of the Tarantulon. He looked around, hoping to find some sign of the elusive attacker. However, there was nothing. He’d eluded the pair of them. Looking around, he could see no other signs of life apart from the wreckage of Droch’s Command Wolf.

He turned the Wolf around, walking back to the wrecked Zoid. He hadn’t known corporal Droch that well, despite all the time they’d spent together. As he approached the downed Command Zoid, he realised that there wasn’t much chance of Droch having survived.

He stopped the Zoid and climbed out to inspect the wreckage. From here, it was more obvious what had happened. The Tarantulon’s first shot had gone straight through the cockpit, probably killing Droch instantly. The Other shots had been enough to cripple the Wolf’s systems, probably fired before the enemy pilot had confirmation that the Zoid pilot was dead.

“I want to ask you something.” A female voice came from behind.

Sam spun around and found himself face to face with one of the most attractive women he had ever seen. She was tall and shapely, with long red hair that had been tied into numerous long braids, and brilliant green eyes. She was dressed in a tight, black outfit that could never have passed for a normal uniform.

Sam suddenly felt very small. Of average height and a thin build, with short brown hair and brown eyes, he would have never stood out next to her. Heck, he would have never stood out in a crowd. “Yes?” He stammered out.

“Where are the Hellic forces?” She snapped out. ‘Where’s the front? Where are the rest of your unit?”

“Um, I don’t know, I don’t know and over there” He replied quickly, pointing at the wreckage of Droch’s Zoid.

“Don’t mess around with me.” She snarled, grabbing the collar of his shirt. ”Tell me the truth.”

“I don’t know!” He replied, trying to avoid the obvious ‘you’re cure when you’re angry’ comment. “I’ve been stuck here lost in the desert and hiding from the Zenebas forces for years!” He explained hurriedly. “I haven’t been able to hook up with the rest of the Hellic army. I’m the last one left in my unit. Really!”

She glared at him for a moment and then let go of his collar. “Fine then.” She said and turned away.

“Wait a second.” He replied. “I, uh… I wanted to say something.”

“What?” She stopped and replied without turning.

“Thanks for helping me out there.” He replied. She didn’t say anything. “You’re not with Zenebas, are you?”

“No.” She flatly replied. “I am a soldier of the Guylos Empire.”

Sam didn’t know there was a Guylos empire left. Maybe she was like him, cut off form the rest of her arm. Then again, he had to wonder what a Guylos soldier was doing here on the Central Continent. “Maybe we can help each other.” Sam spoke up. “I mean we’re both fighting Zenebas. We’re both cut off from our armies. It makes sense for us to work together. The two of uss are a lot less vulnerable to attack then we would be as individuals.”

“All right then.” She replied. “We’ll work together fro now.”

“Great.” He replied as he walked over to her. “My name’s Samuel Morton, but everyone calls me Sam Squid.” He offered her his hand.

“Ashleigh Thorne.” She replied, walking past him back to her Zoid.

Well that went well, he thought. But at least now I have a chance.

*****

[Andy F²]

Yay! A story with a Darkhorn that isn't dead before it enters the story!