ZOIDS                 

                                      BEYOND CHAOS                                                                                                                     By Beowulf

 

                                                                     Prologue

 

  Fifty years after the war between the Republic and the Empire, a new enemy arises, bringing a more powerful threat to the existence of civilization. Coming together as one nation, the Empire and Republic form a new order of unification, The united Empire. The armies of the Empire and of the Republic also came together as a single unit, and out of the chaos came a new Zoid task force, called the Guardian Strike Force.

 

                                                                  Chapter one

 

 

BAZINE DESRT      year: 75 A.W.  ( after the war )

 

Though the two moons of Zi were clearly visible, the mid day sun beat down with the intensity of an inferno. Wheeler glided across the desert flatland with swift agility as the sun’s brightness glared off the smooth white surface of her Zero Liger.

“Hey Crowley, found anything yet?”

“Negative Lieutenant, there’s nothing on my scanners.”

Crowley slowed his Command Wolf down to a walk as he scanned the area towards the Great Mountain Goden.  “We’ve been out here for nine days looking for this alleged hidden base and I’ve gotta tell ya Wheeler, I don’t think anyone else has been out here for centuries.”

An alert signal flashed on Wheeler’s monitor. “ I’ve picked up some movement two hundred meters south of here.” she adjusted the range finder, knowing something wasn’t right, “ You stay put and continue your area scan, I’m going to check it out.”

Wheeler shifted the pitch bar and increased her Liger’s speed to 75%. “ C’mon Liger, let’s see what’s out there.”

Crowley slouched in his seat, letting out a long sigh, “You know Wolf,” he spoke to his Zoid, “I was expecting a lot more when I joined the Guardian Strike Force than combing the bazine desert grain by grain.”

Wheeler was fast approaching the area of movement located on her scanner. “Whatcha’ think Liger, anyone out here?”

The Liger Zero responded with mechanical snort.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”  Wheeler replied. “ Probably a lizard or something.”

The vid screen in the Command Wolf suddenly went haywire. “Wheeler, I’m getting some kind of interference. Seems like Mount Goden doesn’t want his picture taken today.”

Wheeler adjusted her monitor, locking on to the Command Wolf’s signal. “ Stay put Crowley, I’ll be there in a sec.” Adjusting the pitch, she swayed the large Zoid to the left. “Rookies!” she grumbled, “ Let’s go see what he’s gotten himself into this time.”

The great Liger let out a guttural roar of acknowledgment as it picked up it’s speed.

Crowley’s vid screen suddenly blanked out. “ That can’t be good.” he mumbled to himself as he tapped the blank screen with his gloved finger. “ Uh Wheeler, my vid screen’s dead. You copy?”

Moments of silence followed along with the uncomfortable churn of dread in his stomach.

“C’mon Wheeler, you copy?” his voice sounded anxious.

 

Just then the very ground beneath the Command Wolf began to shake. Large boulders and rock slid down the sheer facing of the great Goden causing Crowley to worry.

“Wheeler, you better get here fast.” perspiration began to bead on his upper lip. “Easy Wolf, keep your footing now.” Crowley tried to calm his Zoid with confidant words.

As the ground twisted and buckled, a giant metal door, which had been previously shielded, opened in the side of the mountain, spilling loose dirt and rock from it’s surface. Crowley was stunned to see what came rushing out in full battle mode. Six prehistoric looking Zoids, the likes of which he’d never seen.

“Quick! Evasive action Wolf.”

Leaping straight up at an impressive height, Crowley barely missed taking a particle cannon shot dead on.

“Good move for a rookie!” Wheeler’s voice buzzed through the static com link of the Command Wolf.

“Wheeler, am I ever glad to see you.” Crowley sighed with relief as he managed to maneuver the Wolf behind the six assailants. “What the heck are those things and who’s piloting them?” he added.

“Beats me, I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“What! I thought you said that you’d been in more than fifty encounters with hostels?”

Wheeler jockeyed the Liger Zero into a frontal assault position. “Let’s take these guys out first Crowley, we can discuss my combat record after!”

Crowley set the coordinates for his spring thrusters and readied the controls for his ultimate attack, RAGNAROCK FANG.

Wheeler steadied the Liger, waiting for the strange Zoids to begin their attack.

As if on cue, the six Raptors burst into an open assault, spraying highly charged energy beams in a circular formation. Wheeler reacted instinctively.

“Shield generator up, prepare for LASER CLAW!”

The white Liger produced an energy charge, shielding the forward motion of it’s body as it lunged straight ahead. The large gold claws of the Liger began to glow with sun-like brightness as it neared it’s designated target. The Raptors exploded in vivid arrays of light with each strike. Having no time to react, the Raptors suffered major damage, leaving only one able to attempt a retreat.

“He’s headed for the cave!” Crowley shouted, as he steered his Command Wolf after it.

“Crowley, wait!” Wheeler commanded to no avail. “Guardian base, do you read me?  We are at coordinates 62 degrees southwest, bearing 4.7, do you copy?”

“Affirmative Lieutenant, we have your location.”

Wheeler gritted her teeth in frustration. “Corporal Crowley and I are in need of support, requesting back up.”

“Roger that Lieutenant, Guardian Force assistance, acknowledged.”

Crowley had disappeared into the cave by the time Wheeler had finished her request. Help is the one thing Wheeler had hated to rely on the most. She had always felt that if she couldn’t get the job done, then it couldn’t be done.

“One more time Liger,” she huffed, “let’s go save the rookie.”

The Liger zero roared with anticipation, leaping head long into the darkened cave. Wheeler hit the flood light switch, spilling yellow light directly into her path.

“Crowley, what’s your location, Crowley, do you copy?’ Only still silence followed and Wheeler began to worry.

“I’m hot on this thing’s trail,” Crowley responded hastily, “follow my heat signature.”

As the Command Wolf sped nimbly through the narrow passages of the darkened corridors, keeping the Raptor just in sight, he could feel the walls begin to shake.

“Whoa!  What the.....?”