1
Part 1
I am piloting my Jagermech, a 65 ton Inner Sphere heavy mech built for long range direct fire support. My DD variant is custom fitted with triple Ultra Autocannon 5's and a full 10 tons of ammo. This configuration is nicknamed the “Chainsaw” for a very good reason. Only a few salvos can punch through the armor of most mechs, and rend their internal structure before they can even return fire.
I am walking up a ramp towards what is essentially a giant doorway leading to the crater of a volcano. The inside of the crater contains a massive cauldron of lava, with a 500 meter ring of mech sized walkway suspended above, and multiple paths leading to a lower central platform. A mobile base is positioned in the center of this platform. Our task was to secure this base.
I am separated from my Lance due to earlier fighting, but the majority of the enemy force already lie in smoldering heaps. I am not expecting heavy resistance on the objective. I'm not worried.
I crest the ridge into the crater, and walk along one of the paths to the center platform, I see a large, blocky, bright orange and green mech around 300 meters away, making its way down one of the paths toward the central platform.
The Daishi is a 100 ton Clan Assault mech that can bring an absolutely ferocious arsenal to bear at almost any range. I see the telltale shower of sparks and hear the bark from dual Gauss Rifles, and bright yellow and blue lasers flash, aimed at friendlies off to my right. This is the first assault mech I've encountered in this battle, but I pay that no mind. My guns are hungry.
Being well within the 700 meter range of my autocannons, I squeeze the trigger a few times and carefully place my shots. The slugs rip into the Clan Mech, removing all of the armor, and even tearing apart a bit of the internal structure on the side that is facing me. The Daishi turns to return fire. I continue firing, relying on the impact of the shells to disrupt his aim. Chunks of armor fly in all directions, as the front of the Daishi quickly turns into a mangled mass. Almost all of his armor is gone when two of my autocannons jam. I retreat away from the now accurate fire from the Daishi, back outside of the crater.
The jams clear, and I begin to move back into the crater, looking to finish off the damaged mech. I see spears of green from the left side of of my cockpit, aimed towards my allies, and then a massive volley of burst-fire autocannon shells shred a friendly Centurion.
I round the corner, and see an the the brain child of Aleksandr Kerensky himself. An Atlas. “A 'Mech as powerful as possible, as impenetrable as possible, and as ugly and foreboding as conceivable, so that fear itself will be our ally.”
The Atlas is also 100 ton Battlemech, with a fearsome close range arsenal built for face to face brawling. It has a skull-like face, with the cockpit being contained in the glowing red left eye. He is no more than 200 meters away; well within the nominal range of his large bore AC/20 and bevy of short range missiles.
The fact that Clan and Inner Sphere pilots are working together doesn't even cross my mind. The grim visage of the Atlas wipes all thought from my mind.
Out of instinct, I train my cross-hairs on the large round face of the Atlas and begin dumping shells into it as I retreat. I manage to keep my guns on target, and the repeated precise impacts rock even the sturdy Atlas. The pilot realizes that his armor is completely gone, and attempts to twist his body to protect his engine with his massive arms, as I move out of sight.
Looking quickly at my HUD, I know it won't take many more shells to finish the job. A smile fills my face, and I move in for the kill.
As I round the corner yet again, I see the Atlas still retreating and I begin firing again. I fail to notice the two mechs behind him until an heavy AC/20 shell slams into my mech, jarring me in the cockpit and throwing my guns off target. As the fireball clears from my view, I see a second Atlas behind the first, with yet another Daishi, this one painted like his ally, but bristling with multi-barreled autocannons. three hundred tons of Battlemech, with over one hundred tons of weaponry are now bearing down on me.
Thinking quickly, I designate their position for an artillery strike, and shells begin raining down. Against mechs armored such as these, the artillery shells serve as no more than a distraction, however the eighty foot explosions block their sight, and many of their shots fly wild. Through the explosions, I can barely see the pockmarked face of the first Atlas with his left eye glowing. I point my cross-hairs directly at that eye and open up. I grit my teeth as my autocannons spit round after round, slamming all around the cockpit of the Atlas, shredding internal structure. I start to sweat, as the heat from the continued firing leaks into the cockpit. After many salvos, a large explosion rips the entire head of the mech apart, and he topples, his hundred ton bulk sending debris flying in all directions.
I breathe a sigh of relief as the small force supporting me engages the first Daishi from off to my right, directing his fire away from me. My relief fades though, when the two remaining Assault mechs, merely scorched from the explosions, notice their fallen ally, and begin to stomp toward me. Autocannon shells bite chunks out of my armor, and a salvo of short range missiles completely removes my left arm, taking one of my autocannons with it.
I'm able to back around a the corner, outside of the crater, and I hear through comms that the first Daishi has been brought down. I hope my Lance will be able to support me in time, as I prepare for the oncoming assault. I throw my throttle in full reverse, and move down the ramp leading up to the crate. I wait for the lumbering machines, taking the time to give myself as much range as I can.
The grim face of the Atlas is the first to rise above the berm, and I squeeze the trigger, screaming curses over an open comm channel. My two remaining autocannons do their work, quickly turning the face of the Atlas into a mangled mass of metal. I can see internal structure where armor once was.
Bright green lasers lance out from below the hands of the Atlas, and another salvo of short range missiles slams into my chest, throwing my cannons off target. As the Daishi rises over the hill, I strafe it with rounds, attempting to sabotage the pilot's aim, but his autocannons find me nonetheless. I get my cannons in line with the Atlas yet again, aiming directly for the glowing red eye that I know contains the pilot. I depress the trigger yet again, letting a primal scream from my mouth, swearing to bring this mech down. Click. Both autoannons jam.
In slow motion, I see the AC/20 shell spit from the Atlas' chest. I watch the it sink slowly into the chest of my beloved Jagermech. I close my eyes. The sounds of battle fade away. I only hear a faint hum. I see only black. I don't feel the massive explosion that rips the chassis of my mech apart and throws my limp body through the air.
I awake, feeling warmth run down my face. I look down at my broken body, unable to move, unable to feel anything. I hear booming footsteps, and look up see the Atlas thundering past the past the disembodied legs of my Jagermech that still stand, topped with a twisted mass of wires where a torso once was. I see the Atlas and Daishi scanning for targets, just as the remnants of my Lance appear in the portal directly behind them, silhouetted in the orange glow of the volcano. As I lose consciousness, I hear volleys of fire, followed by two large explosions. I die with a smile on my face.
