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in the arctic regions of the Borealis Vault in a unit comprising of noble House Liao Warriors, those of House Marik and a scattering of Free World's League Warriors, backed up by a lance of mercenaries, the snow was littered with the town and twisted remains of 'Mech limbs, thick brown smoke still billowing from the rents in which fierce, concentrated laser fire of the Clan's dreaded extended range weaponry had dealt just hours ago during their assault on the arctic base. A Raven - 4X lay face down, between the outcropping of rocks that led up toward the base on the far right, its back shredded with laser and short range missile fire, while its right let had been sheared away, probably by the pilot during a futile attempts to escape the weapons barrage aimed directly at her,
On the rugged snow-capped rocks around the base, the scene was repeated time again, with the once proud war machines of the Inner Sphere's elite Skittles Company reduced to nothing more than mere scrap, as the base itself still belched choking black smoke from the burning hangers and domes that had once served as aerospace maintenance hangers and radar installations, and defense turrets all around the base were reduced to smoking wrecks, while the massive orbital gun in the center of the outpost stood silent.
The occasional Clan Jade Falcon 'Mech also found its demise among the snowy terrain, with a pair of Stormcrows lying flat on their backs before the orbital cannon and a Timber Wolf, who lay on its head, bird-like legs dangling comically in the air at the front of the Alpha Gate, taken down in a successive assault from the turrets of the Alpha Gate entrance to the Inner Sphere base. A Clan Gargoyle and two Fire Moths also became part of the terrain, a testiment to the power of the defensive guns that the Gates could wield, even to the technologically advanced OmniMechs from beyond the periphery.
No more Inner Sphere 'Mechs were landing to provide support for their comrades still on the ground, putting up a final fight to repel to Clan invaders. They were none left to spare. Of the sixteen that landed and deployed to set up their defense, only three were standing. A Clan Jade Falcon Mad Dog was firing on an Inner Sphere King Crab, ripping away the heavy armour that covered its chest and side torsi, while the Inner Sphere pilot frantically tried to bring out his 'Mech's heavy left arm mounted with one of the most featured weapons of war ever designed for a BattleMech: the Gauss rifle.
The Mad Dog pilot must have realised what the Inner Sphere Warrior was attempting to do and knew that even one of those slugs would shatter his 'mech, so he watched through a thin smile as the left arm with the Gauss rifle dropped away from the King Crab with a sickening screech and pop of metal, accompanied by green 'Mech coolant and a flurry of sparks as his medium pulse lasers finished the job on that arm.
The King Crab pilot attempted to compensate for the last of weight and furiously fought gravity as it pulled him hard to the right and crashing face-down into the black and scarred courtyard of what remained the base.
From his vantage point, looking out at the carnage of the Clan 'Mechs from the shattered remains of Harumi, his Hunchback 4-J, Force Leader Leif Tanner could do nothing but watch helplessly as even more Clan war machines swarmed past and made light work of the final two 'Mechs of the Inner Sphere before turning their attention to their objective: Omega.
Omega. A simple name, but an apt name indeed. The final obstacle before the base fell, Leif watched and vowed, as the generator exploded into thick flames and smoke, that one day, he would return in a brand new 'Mech and bring out some real Capellan Confederation justice to these canister monster. But revenge would have to wait and as the toll of the battle and his injuries coursed through him.
Barras might have fallen, but there were plenty of other Worlds in the Inner Sphere that were just waiting for the Warrior s like Leif to fight in. Warrior... that title did not seem to apply to him anymore, as the cockpit around him trembled by the heavy foot-falls of the Clan 'Mechs around him, with the occasional whistle of SRM's and medium laser fire burning his ears. Words like Warrior and Force Leader meant nothing anymore.
The troops under his command were lying scattered, dead or in pain, all around the base outpost. He was no Force Leader or a Warrior; he was just another victim of war.
And that thought was enough to spur him on to survive this battle and hit back at those who had ended his life until now. He was still Leif by now, but now a fire raged within him, capable of razing any forest that got in his way, no matter how dense or whomever stood against him and the the glorious Capellan Confederation.
The tremor of the Jade Falcon 'Mechs rushing past the shattered remnants of his 'Mech grew softer as Leif realised the entire enemy force was now at the base, reducing it to rubble. He slowly lifted his head, trying to see out through the broken window of the cockpit and the dirt and rocks that obscured much of his view.
A giant metallic leg stood before him, coated in a fine layer of dust, it was impossible to tell what kind of 'Mech that foot belonged to.
There was but one thing for him to do; pray that the Clan pilot who controlled that foot did not decide to take one last pot-shot at his 'Mech just to relieve boredom or confirm that Leif was not playing possum.
Nothing to worry about, he is just the back guard, Leif tried to reassure himself. It is just a coincidence he stopped right in front of me and Harumi.
Out of the corner of his eye, Leif saw the flashing glow of the artillery strike come online and he allowed himself a small smile. Although he knew that if he used it now, he would be in the direct line of fire and would undoubtedly be killed, but then, it was his final option at hitting the Clans who had taken so much away from what he prized about all else in his life - being a Citizen of the glorious Capellan Confederation.
He would meet the end, not with eyes closed, but staring straight into Death's eyes, as any true Warrior of House Liao would do. And as his hand moved out and slighted the artillery release switch, the brief seconds before the tiny, explosive pellets fell at last gave way to peace in Leif's heart.
Even as the first barrage of pellets peeled open the back armour of Harumi, exposing her engine shielding and shredding it in a hundred different places, Leif got the please of seeing the Clan 'Mech in front of him buckle as the leg outside the cockpit snapped off and sent the 'Mech careening into the ground. It was only now that Leif could identify it an Executioner.
As the explosive pellets fell in faster succession, pelting both 'Mechs and utterly destroying any hope of repairs to their 'Mechs, the fusion reactor on the Executionerwiped out a radius of 300 meters of terrain, turning the snowy landscape into a melting pot of liquid rock.
Leif gasped as super-heated air rushed in through through his broken cockpit, feeling the searing heat of the fusion fire that had that obliterated the Clan Executioner and reducing its genetically engineered Warrior to ash, and knew this was how it would end for him. Dying fighting in the cockpit of his 'Mech for the Confederation and His Excellency, the Chancellor, was the best way he could think of dying for his beloved House. And as the skin on his arms and face began to burn away and his hair quickly receded underneath what remained of his neuro-helmet that caught alight in the super-charged air, Leif found no regret in his in life.He was born a Capellan and through his life-long service for His Excellency, he would finally obtain the Citizenship that had strove him forward all of his life. To die, achieving that was not sad, not to Leif, but a pleasure to obtain the purpose in his life that he had so long had worked for...
And yet, as consciousness faded, a part of his mind reassured him that this was not the end. However hurt he was in this battle, he somehow knew that he would emerge to fight again... Sure, it might take some months to recover from his injuries - and there were so many injuries that he could not even focus through the pain that flooded his entire body, but pilot a 'Mech again, he would and next time... next time, he would show the Clanners just how much they had taught him and then he would pass on that knowledge back to them with a vengeance.
But for now, the vision in Leif's eyes dimmed and he could not stay awake any longer. He slumped down, against the broken controls of his shattered cockpit and slipped into blessed consciousness, dreaming of the day when he would take the fight back to the Clans...
The battle for Barras was over, but it was far from ended.
L. Tanner
Edited by Leif Tanner, 10 September 2015 - 03:43 AM.
