Towards the Present We Go, Langobards AAR (The Steppe Wolf MOD)

[blklizard]

The Apocalypse Campaign (4)

Chapter 2033

There was one icon on the monitor and the name associated with it was GSC_I, The description that came with the icon suggested the robot had mostly anti-air capabilities. Without any other options available to her, Joan simply dragged the icon to what appeared to be the assembly line on the monitor. As soon as they did so, the monitor requested a number and she pressed the maximum number possible.

With the commands set in, the assembling line went to work at once as it began putting together the robot. Joan knew not where the ship got its materials but its construction progress went ahead without a hitch. Soon, the first GSC_I was completed and it entered through a doorway she didn't notice earlier. Looking around for the K9P, she saw it at the entrance she took earlier suggesting that she was done with the room for now.

 

[blklizard]

The Apocalypse Campaign (4)

Chapter 2034

When Joan returned to the cockpit, she noticed that the others, too distracted with the incoming alien fleet, didn't even notice her absence. She returned to her seat with her trusty K9P standing beside her as though it was her personal guard. Joan didn't mind having a personal bodyguard given how dangerous this planet had been for the humans and they, the Langobards, were not much safer.

A few minutes elapsed before one of the operators shouted that he had a new weapon available to him. Oddly enough, the screen showed the option to not only deploy the weapon but also gave the operator an option to select the exact numbers to be deployed. When asked for the name by Joan, the operator replied GSC_I which didn't really come as a surprise for Joan who suspected as much after setting the assembly line to work.

The Langobards leader immediately ordered to deploy all the GSC_I as she was curious just how effective this weapon might be against the enemy. The operator soon replied that he deployed all ten GSC_I but, with no knowledge of where they came from, he admitted that he was unsure where they would be deployed too. After checking the different camera views atop the Apocalypse, the crew in the cockpit soon spotted the GSC_I taking up positions atop the roof.

 

[Michaelangelo]

Being able to build their own robots is pretty awesome. The Apocalypse never fails to surprise.

Those K9P robots are proving quite handy.

 

[blklizard]

Being able to build their own robots is pretty awesome. The Apocalypse never fails to surprise.

Those K9P robots are proving quite handy.

I actually want my own K9P now.

The Apocalypse Campaign (4)

Chapter 2035

From the description given on the screen, the Langobards learned the GSC_I had automated magnets underneath their feet allowing them to remain on the Apocalypse at various angles making them very versatile. The robot spread out to cover as much of the ship as possible as they readied their weapons for the incoming ships. Given that the GSC_I were new additions to the Langobards, the attacking alien due for a nasty surprise.

Some of the small alien ships ventured too close and they were shot down instantly by the GSC_I which possessed laser weapons. After losing some small ships, the alien fleet kept a wide berth berth while the large alien capital ship slowly approached the Apocalypse. Joan had noticed the capital ship earlier but she hadn't bothered worrying about it until it was nearly in range of the Apocalypse's weapons.

Meanwhile, the other alien ships circled around the Apocalypse waiting for an opening. They were likely waiting for an opportunity to attack the Apocalypse without the GSC_I targeting them. It was already clear that the GSC_I weapons were quite effective against their hull and only their capital ship could survive a few hits. The Langobards and the aliens were about to learn the exact number of hits soon enough.

 

[blklizard]

The Apocalypse Campaign (4)

Chapter 2036

The Apocalypse weapons had a slightly longer range than the GSC_I seeing them fired at the alien capital ship first. When the shots didn't make contact, Joan had the footage rewound so she could confirm the alien capital ship had a shield. After a few shots, one finally made contact suggesting that the shield had been broken through. The successive shots continued to hit the ship hull.

Once the capital ship was finally within range of the GSC_I, the Langobards robots opened fire at the capital ship as they added to the firepower. The small alien ships, using this opportunity, swarmed in around the Apocalypse but, instead of targeting the Langobards ship which would be quite futile at this moment, they targeted the GSC_I proving the Langobards robots were more vulnerable than they first believed.

The GSC_I might possess fairly heavy firepower but they could only take a few shots from the small alien ships before they were destroyed. Considering that they needed to remain static when they attacked, they were basically sitting duck and the few GSC_I were destroyed within a few minutes. The problem for the Langobards was that the alien capital ship was capable of regenerating its shield so they couldn't shoot down the enemy ship anytime soon.

 

[blklizard]

The Apocalypse Campaign (4)

Chapter 2037

An operator reported that an unknown ship had just entered the air battle. What made him report this finding was that the ship came out of the planet surface which made absolutely no sense. The smaller alien ships were already swarming around the Apocalypse as they picked away at the ship's hull trying to do some damage. Their weapons weren't very effective but, if they continued their attacks, they would eventually do heavy damage to the Apocalypse hull.

Joan didn't really react to this news since she suspected that the aliens got more reinforcements. She soon changed her attitude when a number of the smaller ships were shot down and the culprit for their demise was the unknown ship. One of her operators then reported that they were getting a transmission from the unknown ship. One of the luxuries of being inside a capital ship like the Apocalypse was that they could answer it without affecting their overall performance.

Havoc's voice came through the speakers where he said he would explain about the new ship later. He said that it was imperative to take out the enemy ships first. Joan agreed with him and ordered Havoc to focus on the smaller ships. The Apocalypse would deal with the alien capital ship. As they readied their weapons, a large beam from the planet surface flew at and penetrated through the alien capital ship hull. The enemy ship was going down.

 

[Michaelangelo]

Clearly such an epic space battle must be rendered entirely in Paint.

 

[blklizard]

Clearly such an epic space battle must be rendered entirely in Paint.

These will be nothing compared to what I have in store. Maybe a Paint pic then.

The Apocalypse Campaign (4)

Chapter 2038

All those in the Apocalypse cockpit fixed their attention at the alien capital ship that was losing altitude very quickly. Once the capital ship crashed onto the planet surface and the ground stopped its momentum, the Langobards then searched for the source of the beam that downed the enemy ship. Soon, they located a robot on the ground that had a large cannon which was directed at the alien capital ship.

They then got informed by Havoc that the robot was on their side. Apparently, the machine he and his team found underground was actually recycling the robotic spiders and created this robot which assisted them in their battle. One of the operators then announced that the robot was entered into the system and its name was GSC_II suggesting it was an improved model of what they possessed earlier.

 

[blklizard]

The Apocalypse Campaign (4)

Chapter 2039

The alien capital ship might have been shot down but the smaller alien ships were still swarming around the Apocalypse. The weapons operators aboard realized that the alien ships were very maneuverable so shooting them down wasn't so simple. How the GSC_Is managed to shoot down enemy ships so easily was anyone's guess. Joan then realized that, from her seat, she could put more GSC_I into production instead of heading to the assembly line.

Joan had a dozen GSC_I put into production and, minutes later, she was told that they were spotted stationed on the ship's roof shooting down the enemy ships. The quick production surprised Joan but she was quite relieved that they were able to give a helping hand. With the new GSC_Is shooting down the alien ships with ease, the sky was soon clear and the Apocalypse had defeated all her enemies or at least almost done so.

There was still the alien capital ship that was shot down earlier. The ship crashed to the planet surface but its hull remained intact. If there were any aliens aboard the ship, then Joan wasn't sure what should be done. Before she could ask the others for their opinion, she saw on her screen the GSC_II was shooting at the alien capital ship which saw a ground robotic army respond to its atacks.

 

[blklizard]

The Apocalypse Campaign (4)

Chapter 2040

With the logical reasoning being assisting the GSC_II, Joan ordered the Apocalypse to descend but they shouldn't land too close to the downed alien capital ship. They weren't sure if that alien ship still possessed any weaponry that would have a clear shot at the Apocalypse's underbelly. As their altitude was lowered steadily with their descent, the GSC_I aboard the ship moved to position to shoot at the alien ground army.

It was then that Joan remembered that they had left their TF-I on the ground and she feared that it might get destroyed by the resulting battle. She quickly ordered one of her operators to search for the TF-I but, after a few minutes, the operator reported that the vehicle was nowhere to be seen. As Joan was fearing the worst, she noticed on the camera explosions that looked awfully like those during their last battle in the desert.

The operator who was searching for the vehicle then reported that, on his screen, the TF-I was said to be in AUTO mode which suggested that it was controlled by an AI. With a sigh of relief, Joan returned to ordering her weapons operators to focus on the alien land army. Once the alien land forces were eliminated, they could finally decide what to do with the alien capital ship that seemed quite vulnerable on the ground.

 

[Michaelangelo]

So the robotic spiders sacrificed themselves to be ground up and turned into a newer better robot? Not all robotic spiders are so bad after all.

 

[blklizard]

So the robotic spiders sacrificed themselves to be ground up and turned into a newer better robot? Not all robotic spiders are so bad after all.

They are basically mobile resources.

The Apocalypse Campaign (5)

Chapter 2041

With the alien land forces annihilated, the Apocalypse was landed some distance from the alien capital ship with her weapons pointed directed at the enemy ship. If they were given any reason, they would fire and hopefully destroy what weaponry remained on that ship. Joan also learned that convincing Havoc to stop was a bit tougher than she expected as he and his crew were having too much fun taking to the air.

With the new ship landed reluctantly, Havoc and his team exited the ship before being given the assignment to investigate the alien capital ship. They were given more support by double their numbers of Langobards but they were still hesitant to enter a hostile ship. While Havoc and Joan were discussing their best approach, a team of three dozen K9Ps marched towards the capital ship without a care in the world.

As the K9Ps were entering the capital ship, a few Langobards noticed them in the distance and directed both Joan's and Havoc's attention to them. As they absorbed this new information, a K9P beside each of them got their attention and seemed to be directing them towards the capital ship. Thinking that the K9P army was clearing out whatever remained in the ship, they chose to see the interior to see what they could find.

 

[blklizard]

The Apocalypse Campaign (5)

Chapter 2042

The team of Langobards, led by Joan and escorted by two K9Ps, headed towards the alien capital ship. Soon, the GSC_Is and the lone GSC_II arrived to escort them towards the unknown within the enemy ship. They couldn't hear anything from inside the ship but they could only assume that the army of K9Ps were encountering some resistance. Their assumption was proven correct when they entered the ship.

The interior of the ship was littered with random pieces of robots which the K9Ps clearly destroyed to eliminate all those opposing the Langobards. Once they stepped inside, the Langobards realized that the ship hull was quite soundproof since they couldn't hear anything from the outside. Small skirmishes could be heard as the K9Ps worked to secure the entire ship from the enemy control.

The two K9Ps served as guides with the Langobards following them deeper into the alien ship until they arrived at a large gate. A few minutes passed before the gate began opening so one could only assume that some K9Ps got into the control room. Once the gate fully opened, they couldn't see anything due to the room being pitch black but they could see a silhouette of something massive.

 

[blklizard]

The Apocalypse Campaign (5)

Chapter 2043

After some difficulty in the dark, the Langobards eventually found the light switch to the room and, when they switched it on, they found themselves staring at an enormous container. To some, it appeared like a poorly made coffin that was just sitting there. A large logo was shown on the front but no one had any idea what it meant. The two K9Ps that escorted the Langobards walked up to the container and simply stood at the two ends as though waiting for something.

Another minute passed by before the GSC_Is that came into the ship with the Langobards arrived. They moved into position around the container until they were equal distance from one another. Then, they proceeded to lifting the container using their magnets and were making slow but steady progress towards the exit. The Langobards got the impression that their reason for entering the capital ship was simply retrieving this containers which had contents they had no knowledge of thus far.

 

[Michaelangelo]

That is one odd shaped container. Maybe it's full of friendly robotic spiders.

 

[blklizard]

That is one odd shaped container. Maybe it's full of friendly robotic spiders.

Maybe it's not.

The Apocalypse Campaign (5)

Chapter 2044

While the GSC_Is labored away at moving the container out of the room, the Langobards followed their K9P guides to explore rest of the ship. They could still see the aftermath of the battle which took place earlier with all the debris scattered across the hallway. Some K9Ps stayed at the hallway to escort the Langobards and, from the silence from other parts of the ship, the Langobards assumed that the battle had concluded.

What Joan realized quickly was that the interior of this capital ship seemed very similar to that of the Apocalypse. The similarities were uncanny which made her wonder what was actually going on. Their arrival to this dimension had to be preordained and, thus far, they had been rescued in a timely manner every time as though the scenario was biased towards their success. Joan was deep in thought and nearly tripped over the K9P that stopped ahead of her.

The Langobards found themselves standing in front of another room much like the one they were in earlier containing the container. This time, the room was already properly illuminated and a new container, similar to the one they saw earlier with the exact same logo, was waiting there to be taken away. Remembering the rough outline of the alien capital ship, Joan wondered if there were two more containers awaiting them on the other side of the ship.

 

[blklizard]

The Apocalypse Campaign (5)

Chapter 2045

As Joan suspected, there were two more of these large containers which were systematically brought over to the Apocalypse. As soon as the four containers were removed from the alien capital ship, the K9Ps lost interest in the ship altogether. The two K9P guides led the Langobards back to the ship with the K9P army and GSC_Is escorting them back. The GSC_II was seen atop the Apocalypse where it took up a defensive position.

Once inside the Apocalypse again, Joan and the Langobards were led to one of the new section of the ship where the repair drones had carved out a massive room. The four containers were placed into their proper locations as a new pattern but nothing happened when they were put together. The Apocalypse was shaking violently moments later and the alarm was sounded as the Langobards were under attack.

 

[blklizard]

The Apocalypse Campaign (5)

Chapter 2046

The curiosity about the containers brought aboard the Apocalypse was quickly forgotten as the Langobards rushed to their battle stations. They were getting annoyed by the constant attacks but they shouldn't be surprised more alien forces were arriving onto their location. They hadn't been moving at all so it wasn't exactly difficult for the aliens to track them down and open fire on them.

Joan ordered the ship to take flight as soon as she reached the cockpit while the GSC_Is and GSC_II atop the ship were doing their best to fight against alien ships in the air. When Joan sat down on her chair, she didn't hesitate to build more GSC_IIs to bolster their fighting force. It was becoming obvious that the ship's weapons weren't sufficient to deal with the increasing number of alien ships.

She realized that the enemy forces were growing in numbers, quality or both. Joan hoped that the containers they brought aboard the ship would be critical to their success. They needed more mobile robots if they hoped to better fight the alien considering that lack of mobility meant the robots had limited life against enemy heavy firepower. Some added firepower and mobility would be great addition for the Langobards.

 

[Michaelangelo]

The Apocalypse seems to have an infinite number of undiscovered rooms just waiting to reveal themselves as well as many new inventions inside them. There's nothing that ship can't do.

 

[blklizard]

The Apocalypse seems to have an infinite number of undiscovered rooms just waiting to reveal themselves as well as many new inventions inside them. There's nothing that ship can't do.

True, but the ship also greatly challenges my paint skills.

The Apocalypse Campaign (5)

Chapter 2047

Havoc and his team took their ship to the air for battle while Joan noticed that the TF-I had parked itself inside the Apocalypse. She could only assume the lone K9P they found inside the vehicle drove it back. At the thought of K9Ps, she turned to see the loyal K9P standing guard beside her seat. It looked back in return as though it was trying to figure Joan out. The Langobards leader then turned her attention back to the battle at hand.

The newly constructed GSC_II soon moved into position and their long ranged weapons were proving to be very valuable. Not only did their range allow them to shoot down alien ships before they could get close but these weapons possessed both the accuracy and firepower to quickly vanquish enemy small ships. There were a number of alien capital ships in the mix of the enemy fleet and Joan wondered if they carried any valuable containers aboard them as well.

Soon, the Apocalypse was also adding her firepower into the midst of the enemy fleet resulting in rising enemy casualties. However, there seemed to be far more alien ships than they first expected and the battle wasn't going to end anytime soon. The weapons operators aboard the Apocalypse were content shooting at the enemy capital ships which were much harder to miss ensuring that they were continuously contributing to the battle while the GSC robots picked out the enemy smaller ships.