The man appeared to already be seriously injured but still alive as he was flung aside without so much as a thought before the Balthazar kicked the downed mech and strode around it to rejoin the fight.
"Jessie, report in," Tinker called.
"Reporting," she replied.
"Hammerhand needs help with that fucking Guardian," he grumbled. "Is there anything you can do to cover for him?"
"I think so," she responded and silenced her comm for the moment while she zoomed her rifle into the Guardian that centered Athena's line.
The cockpit was fairly easy to find, despite the size and the bulk of the mech. She had worked on them enough in the past that she could probably find her way into the cockpit blindfolded. While she'd never piloted one, she knew she would be able to do it if she were given the chance.
Not that she would ever trade in her Minato for one of the hulking bastards.
She fired a couple of the hellebore rounds and attempted to hit the pilot. The Guardian was bound to have its own AI operating it, but it would still be less functional without a pilot.
Both rounds had no effect and it continued to fire its plasma cannon at the Knights.
"The armor is too thick," Mini pointed out. "Those plates were made to protect against hellebore rounds. You won't be able to kill the pilot inside."
"Is there anything I can do?" she asked. "Can you scan for any weaknesses in the armor? Someplace where I can do some damage?"
"Scanning now," he said and data scrolled as he ran through a variety of subroutine scans on the moving Guardian. "Vulnerabilities detected and highlighted on your HUD."
Jessica13 scowled skeptically as she studied the positions he had highlighted. It was difficult to understand what the AI had seen in the places he’d identified. While she could do some damage to the armor, it wasn't like hitting the cooling system in the knee and ankle joints would really achieve anything in the long run.
Then again, neither would wasting bullets on the hardened armor anywhere else.
"Fine." She hissed through her teeth in irritation, decided to trust him, and took aim. All she was asked to do was slow it anyway, and she could at least do that if not anything more important.
The rounds punched through the weaker armor around the joints and stirred a moment of satisfaction in her. A flurry of sparks drew the gazes of the men flanking the Guardian and they attempted to determine what was shooting at them while they continued to push to find a weakness in the Knights' advance.
As Jessica13 studied the battle, it became clear that Athena’s advance troops were only in place to slow their enemy. A handful of them had already pulled back and they worked in a layered defense. They made no effort to win the battle and were there to delay the Knights, which meant she had most definitely sent them in anticipation of an impending attack.
Which meant, in turn, that they would encounter far more resistance down the line. And, as Tinker had said, it was possible that Athena had set the town on fire deliberately to draw her adversaries out.
She didn't like the fact that they were pulled and drawn out into the open like this and wondered if Mini had noticed it as well. Not only that, but she also didn't want to think about what the woman might have in mind for them when her trap snapped shut.
The Guardian continued to move but it was clear that the pilot struggled to compensate for the compromised balance. It lagged somewhat on the left and almost bumped into the mechs on its flank. The change might be small but it was a distraction, and most of the shots from its cannon went wide.
It provided the opening the Knights had looked for. Hammerhand kept his shield up and moved forward as his team readied themselves behind him and used the cover to surge toward the defenders in a sudden attack that was coordinated and precise. The moment the shield dropped, they pushed forward and battered the group with consistent fire while Windchime surged in from the side and used his rifles and swords to deal with those who tried to escape the onslaught.
The Guardian attempted to contain the assault and drew as much of the fire as possible. A couple of its plasma rounds hammered home in an attempt to disable Hammerhand, even with its balance awry. The rounds made little impression on the Excalibur, fortunately, and with the damaged but determined mech focused on what they perceived as the greatest threat, the Knights were able to focus on its team with brutal efficiency.
To protect the rest of his comrades, the Guardian’s pilot fought hard to keep it on its feet when Hammerhand stepped in.
Jessica13 almost didn't want to watch but it was hard not to. Like watching Skyfall for too long, she didn't want the blaring headache that came from blinding light that accompanied it.
But Skyfall was something external and these were her teammates. She simply had to watch.
Hammerhand stepped in and swung the weapon he was known for up and over his head. The Guardian took a step forward and into the swing of the hammer.
The leader of the Knights Mechanica anticipated it and the film of blue emerged once more, illuminated the world around it, and pushed the enemy back a step. Its legs were already less than fully functional when the shield descended, immediately followed by the hammer powered into a crushing blow by a rocket blast from the back.
The mech was too sturdy to be flattened like most others would be, but the force of the
