Operation Chariot- Part 1

" I am a pilot like you are though right now I am managing staff work so you don't have to worry about it." Lorena would wink playfully. Even though she didn't look like it she'd spent the last month engaged in grueling combat against their former Mars Zeon enemies. Neither of them were part of the Federation anymore even though they still donned the uniforms, the space forces insignia still adorning some of the halls of this Clop class cruiser and visible on their mobile suits.

" We're going to have you go out on patrols on that Regz of yours. I haven't gotten the chance to get in the cockpit of one of those. I wonder if it would be anything like my Delta type ... " She wondered out loud, trying to strike a casual conversation.

" From what i've seen you can carry more explosives in it and that back weapon system isn't lacking in the firepower or mobility department either." Indeed, there were a couple of such extra equipment laying around in the hangar. Marina's loyalists had managed to snag a couple of those which could be outfitted with a variety of weapons on each hard point.

" If we want to take on them we'll have to work on your marksmanship and maneuvering. This isn't going to be like bullying rag tag Zeeks in Geara Dogas." Being former EFSF special forces, Lorena had an insight on the type of units that they were now tasked with fighting, some of them she'd even trained during her career. The current cadre of Federation pilots were cold professionals with hundred of hours under their belt complemented by a very good training program. At this point in time they used a variety of mass produced Gundam variants alongside the legacy Zeta types and some commanders even fielded things like the EX series and other heavy types.

" We got plenty of shell based weaponry too. Bazookas, 90mm and 100mm machineguns and even a few heavy caliber field guns if you want to use those instead." While beams became more common the Federation kept producing kinetic armament weaponry from which their group had secured a sizable stash. The notion that evryone had stopped using solid weaponry was false since everyone produced it in one way or another to arm the colony garrisons.

Damien's creator had gone out of her way installing combat data from countless battles including those of past conflicts which certainly explained why he knew about such obscure mobile weapons. Lorena had heard about the Pyscho Gundams but only in passing, having only gone so far as seeing pictures taken by onlookers on the spot when it rampaged through Hong Kong.

" I've been with the Federation for over a decade and I've never seen one of those not even in Luna II." She also knew the inside and out of the lunar base at Londenium, being pretty sure there was no room in the Federation funding for over the top giant mobile armors.

" The worse we have to worry about might be an S Gundam and Hummingbirds." These two particular models were considered the apex predators in the Federation inventory, given only to special operations pilots. Fast and heavily armed they excelled at overwhelming firepower from positions of advantage reducing exposure and maximizing damage.

Before long they would arrive at the hangar from where Damien could hop into the cockpit of his REGZ to start the simulation program. The raven haired young officer got behind the screen of the closest computer terminal, linking it with the REGZ simulation program. She would produce a virtual environment depicting a realistic representation of Londenium city from the outside.

Two Zeta Plus Hummingbirds painted in the standard EF two tone gray pattern were spawned several miles away, their AI's set on hunting mode. Both machines assumed a loose formation, turning on their sensors all over a wide area.

" If you can hold your own against these two then you can handle anything." Lorena would playfully wink, knowing this test would push Damien to the limits. The REGZ specs were still above anything standard issue so it wasn't going to be an entirely one sided conflict unless he slipped hard.

' I can take on two Hummingbirds ... with an entire platoon under my command.' The raven haired girl thought to herself. Had it been up to her Damien would be fighting something more sensible like a few Jegans but this weird purple haired woman flat out requested he should be put through the ringer.

The two Hummingbirds remained in waverider form, their radomes frantically moving up and down trying to get a bead on whatever it was out there. They were far away enough they couldn't get a reading on the REGZ but the flares from their boosters could be seen.