[Spindrifter]

Seeing nothing convenient for an ambush, Jon conceded the strategy and simply kept moving. He was quite a distance from the escort, but he kept moving eastward. Kleas itself would have to wait in his niece's hands until he could return to them. He also rolled back his jet power and fed it into walking the tangled overland route through cover. He kept his ECM in place, though; something was clearly out of sorts in Nurande right now, and he felt better staying out of it until he could patch up.

[JackAce]

As Sir Jon ledt the road and ascended a gentle slope up the eastern hills, he noted that the carriers behind did not attempt to folow him into the country. The laser carriers still gave off a couple of increasingly inaccurate pot shots, but the formation as a whole stayed on the southbound road and sped forward towards the crossroads.

===============================================

The remaining crew members of the wrecked missile carrier stumbled out into the open - and so did several others from the surrounding vehicles. Most kept their hands raised above their heads, except for those who supported their wounded comrades.

The squadron from the south road had by now advanced into the crossroads propper and formed up behind the Blyke twins. Prince Garran had managed to get to his feet and shakily headed towards his bodyguards. None of the Patroponese seemed to be inclined to give persuit to the retreating Knights...
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Please click on my Eggs and Hatchlings.

[Tenshi]

Davion surveyed the gathered pilots and gunners with anger at first. He had suffered, his friends had suffered. The cries of pain and the flashes of explosions still rang in his ears. For a brief moment, he could have engaged the machine gun mounted below Mercy's torso and ended all of their lives in a fit of rage.

And yet... they were not his enemies, not now. They stood, battered and broken. Their faces brave and scared, they clung to their wounded and supported the unconscious with resolve that he had only seen from his own troops. In that moment, he recognized them as people and not simply foreign enemies. They were...human.

There was a long silence before he spoke, the massive and imposing form of Mercy accented only by the pale moon's glow and the smoke still rolling out of the damaged vehicles. It took him quite some time to find his thoughts and put them into words.

[External COMM] "...head back to the crossroads. I will send a message to the Patroponne forces that you are on your way and you are not being escorted. If they will not wait for you, return to your vehicles and wait for me. I will send salvage and rescue forces as soon as we reach my territory.. You will be treated well until your turn to your native lands."

Cutting the Comms system, he released the vehicle's operable turret. With a sigh, he stood Mercy back to it's full height and looked toward the west. For a moment, his anger and hatred were spinning their wheels and gaining no ground. These people, these pilots, were not his enemies now. Too much blood had already fallen upon this field, and his memories returned to the civil war which granted him his fiefdom.

[COMM > Patroponne Only] "Patroponne forces, this is Lord Davion Vayne of Myrandria. I am sending the surviving crews from your vehicles in the east to the crossroads. I will not be escorting them. If you either will not or cannot receive them, I will send rescue forces back for them as soon as I am able. Enough blood has been spilled on this ground, I will not add any more to it than I am forced to."

His voice sounding too defeated to make any more statements, he silenced his comms unit. They would reply however they wished, it mattered not. With the good arm of Mercy, he motioned for the vehicle crews to begin their path to the crossroads. After his motion, he simply turned Mercy on it's heels and began walking the mecha toward the roadway. He would meet up with the Myrandria forces and escort them the rest of the way to "home" while keeping them from harassing the vehicle crews.

[COMM > Myrandria] "Surrendered vehicle crews moving toward Patroponne's forces. Consider them under my protection. The East is clear, I believe we should consider a tactical retreat this time."
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. Dubbed "Usagi" by AsA .
Keeper of the Siderean Swords

"If by chance some day you're not feeling well, and you should remember some silly thing I've said or done, and it brings back a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled."
Red Skelton

[Nem]

"Surrendered vehicle crews moving toward Patroponne's forces. Consider them under my protection. The East is clear, I believe we should consider a tactical retreat this time." Crackled over the coms.

"Wait a minute. You're rewarding people who failed to kill you with another chance to try and kill you?" Alana mumbled, "Your call I guess. We're falling back to Nurande Castle. The prince and his escort seem to be withdrawing for the moment."
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Never forget,
We stroll along the roof of hell
Gazing at flowers.
- Issa