[DECRYPTION COMPLETE: COMMENCING RECORDING PLAYBACK]
-Orbit over Gei-Fu, Capellan Confederation-
"Kerenksy will return..."
Accepting her secret command, Lieutenant Daiyu's Orion suddenly sprung to life around her. The thrum of her fusion engine greeted her ears while a dozen lights and panels flickered to life and demanded her attention. It seemed fitting, she felt, and maybe a bit...reverent. She often wondered what those who left the Inner Sphere would say about what their descendants were doing now. She always wondered that when she strapped into her ancient machine, purportedly once itself a member of the Star League Defense Force and passed down her family line. The part that had remained in the Inner Sphere and had not gone with General Kerensky beyond the Periphery.
Could they have survived? She might even have distant relatives out there should they had found a place to live. That line of thinking had too many questions; why hadn't they come back or sent any messages, things a long those line. Pushing those thoughts aside as idle fancies, she returned to getting her 'mech up and running for her future mission today....
-Three Days Later-
Lieutenant Daiyu was beginning to believe the rain on Gei-Fu never stopped, it's deluge had continued unabated ever since the day they landed. Lieutenant Daiyu is not a superstitious person, Lieutenant Daiyu cannot be one. However, Meili Daiyu is. The rain pattering against her cockpit view shield sounded like a thousand feet marching towards inevitability, but to what end she could not say. It had left a knot in her stomache since they dropped here, but was it a good omen or a bad one? The downpour had hidden their tracks and made their job easier so it seemed that things were going well, but she couldn't help feel she was one step ahead of the headsman.
She'd never show it. Her men needed and relied on her so she owned it to them to stay calm and collected. Taking a deep breath, she bit her mic twice to open a channel to her entire lance, "Hold position, Onyx Three is returning. Give me some good news Davey." After a few moments of static a low pop was followed by "Four Contacts. I'm popular." She could read his radar signature moving, and by the looks of it he had was pushing hard. "We gunna dance this time, Mel?"
Looking out at her lance's side of the riverbank to make sure everyone was where they were needed to be, she gave the order. "Bring them home for dinner, let them choke on it." Three lights on her hud greeted her in response showing that each member was good to go. Meili's own 'Mech was situated just at the edge of the forest near the edge of the river that ran between her and where Sergeant Butcher was shepherding the enemy force towards them. His side of the river was mostly flatland with the occasional hill and rock outcropping, but in this rain the small hills made excellent cover to evade detection. Mag Scan would usually counter rainfall such as this, but there was an increased metallic content inside the rocks around this area making it harder to identify smaller 'mechs from the terrain.
Just off to her right side stood what would have appeared to be a small hill all it's own, unless her sensors had told her otherwise. Corporal Odama's Awesome was hunkered down behind small rocky hill, partially obscured by trees running up it. The forest thinned out where they were positioned, but go any deeper and it became hard to move as the trees grew dense and numerous. Sergeant McCLelland wasn't showing on her hud, but she knew right where he was.
Finally closing enough distance to see visually, Davis's 'mech bounded around a hill like it glued to the terrain. She'd seen good recon pilots, but he made them all look like kids playing at being grown ups with how he ran from cover to cover like a forbidden lover in the night. It was as if he always knew where to be, his Jenner a second skin, she felt you only saw him if he wanted to be seen. He was moving full tilt, with the first enemy contact on his heels. "Hold your fire until I give the command, this has to go perfect or we're not getting a second shot at it," she said as she steeled herself for imminent conflict.
A green bolt of energy streamed out at Davis's Jenner, occupying the space where it once ran. It burrowed into the ground impotently as he dodged behind another mound and began his final dash towards and across the river. Two more shots arced away from the second contact coming into view, blue bolts of lightning brightening the night up as one grazed the Jenner's leg. Davis's machine had already begun lifting into the air with all the grace of a 35 ton brick being launched out of a jet powered slingshot, and he had to frantically correct his flight as armor sloughed off just below his right knee joint.
The last two 'mechs of the opposing force came into viewing distance, in all there was a Raven closest, a Catapult, an Axman, and the real reason they were out here tonight...a Cyclops. Intel reported seeing the last 'mech commanding the enemies overall force, and Onyx Lance had been tasked with taking it out. A bigger diversion was being created farther up river in one of the planet's industrial complexes with the hope of being able to get a small lance near the enemy's flank. It looks like it was working.
As the lighter Jenner finally set down on her side of the river, almost watching it sink it as the ground here was mostly mud so thick it'd swallow a tank, Lieutenant Daiyu felt the pit in her stomach growing. If they didn't finish taking the bait or if this battle wasn't over quickly, then her lance ran the risk of being overrun in short order. She felt exposed even though she'd volunteered herself and her pilots for this mission. She had to make this count. She would make her parents and her ancestors proud, she would fight through this doubt. Powering her 'mech up fully and dropping her reticule over the Catapult, she waited the few seconds for a target lock to ring out the firing stud on her right control stick then uttered, "Target the Catapult until the others draw closer, first line weapons free."
Fire bloomed from the Orion's left torso as fifteen long range missiles streaked out and into the air. Backed by an Artemis FCS, they stayed tightly packed and most of them found their target as they peppered the Catapult's left side. Armor shattered off surrounded by plumes of smoke as the rain turned deadly for her target, but not before it and the Axman had been able to bring their own weapons to bear. Both of the Catapult's PPC shots went high but the light still made for stark contrast against the ground, as if the storm overhead had lent itself to it's barrage. The newer Axman's weapon found purchase where it's compatriot's weaponry hadn't, as a large pulse laser stitched across her 'mechs left arm scoring rents in her armor but nothing serious. Turning her machine she began edging sideways to get cover behind one of the nearby trees while watching Callieo's Awesome move out of cover to fight.
Three more beams of blue lightning filled the air from the Awesome, all slamming into the left side of the Catapult again. Rocking back and to the left she saw it's arm disappear in a cascade of energy, but a second glance told her it remained...her damage readout shouted that it could only be being held together by string at this point, however. Somehow it's pilot kept the machine upright, but it quickly moved behind the Axman now charging forward to close distance and ford the river between them. The Cyclops had slowed down, causing Meili to curse to herself. She needed it across...
"Davey, someone's getting cold feet," was all she said, then found his Jenner quickly snap directions and sail right back over the river, making it's way towards the enemy assault 'mech. Keeping an eye on the Raven on their far right using cover to keep out of direct line of sight, she lined up a shot on the enclosing Axman. Jaming the firing stud again, her Gauss Rifle belched a solid metal sphere at her target that slammed into it's left shoulder, followed by three medium pulse lasers dotting it's center torso. Adding to the already torrential downpour, metal rained down off the shoulder of the Axman while small rivers dripped off it's torso. Luck seemed to be with her, each shot having found it's target.
It seemed she wasn't the only one with luck today, her Orion rocked back violently as she took an Autocannon 20 round to it's right torso, yanking her control sticks to the right as her 'mechs body twisted in that direction. Two medium lasers raked across her left arm as it came up while she tried to right her machine and keep it from falling. The restraints built into her seat bit deeply into her shoulders to keep her from slamming against the wall of the cockpit, making it harder to maintain her hands on her grips. Red was beginning to glow from her damage readout, that arm was losing a lot of armor and would soon be filling with rainwater or worse.
The Axman didn't slow and kept it's steady pace across the river towards her, looking more like the headsman she had worried about earlier with it's axe leading edge painted as if blood was dripping from it and down the machine's side and leg. Callieo had been watching and had sent a PPC shot towards it, while only shooting a second at the Catapult still trying to find cover now that the Axman had started into the river. Her first shot on the Axman boiled water around it, but didn't connect while her second aimed at the Catapult hit home on it's right leg which only marred the fresh armor located there.
Almost there...taking a quick glance at her radar showed Davis's Jenner had maneuvered behind the commanding Cyclops, and was harassing it towards the river bank. He'd been moving so fast she didn't see any damage to his mech. "Just get him closer," she almost bit her tongue as a medium laser dug into her armor just below her cockpit, "and start jamming him." His green light flickered on her hud again, showing his acknowledgement. Quickly bringing her gaze back to the opponent before her, Meili let loose with everything she had against the enemy Axman. Heat flooded her cockpit and drenched her in sweat as her Gauss Rifle missed it's target, but all her remaining weapons struck home. Her LRMs peppered the 'mechs left arm and torso, armor breaking off and falling down it's side as her three Medium Pulse Lasers finished the work her first Gauss Rifle shot had begun and punched into the enemy 'mechs internals. She saw a small puff of green smoke that was a telltale sign of a heat sink exploding, while metal flowed into it's joint to freeze slow it's movement.
The Axman still didn't fall nor stumble as it kept pounding it's feet, drawing the machine dangerously close to Meili's Orion. It began to rise from the river and churn the mud with it's giant metal feet while aiming it's massive autocannon for another shot. It missed, thundering past her left side just barely as it crashed loudly into a tree, sending splinters flying and the tree crashing into her 'mechs armored backside. Again, she wasn't so lucky and the Catapult's follow up attack did find it's target. Azure energy caressed her center torso and cockpit as a PPC danced it's way across her 'mech, making her hud flicker and eyes water from the brilliant light flooding her field of vision, shaking her violently in her seat. Over garbled comms she hear someone shout something, and when she finally blinked the lights from her eyes she saw the Catapult had been reduced to a smoldering ruin...while Callieo's Awesome had shut down from unloading her entire arsenal on the offender. It smoked from various parts of it's body as it had begun trading shots with the Cyclops and Raven, but nothing looked like it had made it through.
She had to take two steps back to maintain her balance while she slammed her body forward so her neurohelmet would read her actions, successfully managing to keep her 'mech upright. Shaking her head to clear her vision again, she called out, voice cold as ice "I'm alright, but I can't take many more hits. Get up here, McClelland, spring the trap."
Out of a mud berm sliding off into the river, Cameron's Cataphract stuck first it's right arm up, followed by the rest of it's torso as it revealed itself like some monster from a horror movie. He caught the Raven from behind as mud slipped from his machine as it stood from it's earthen grave, plowing an Autocannon and Laser rounds into it's back and right leg before anyone recognized he was there. It's pilot tried to pivot and bring himself around but it was too late, Davis had taken the opportunity to add his firepower to Cameron's and the leg of the Raven snagged like a twig under the attack. The 'mechs momentum carried it forward and slammed it's nose deep into the mud as it side into the river, carving a huge gash in the ground and never rising again.
Karma seemed to prevail and found it fitting that Davis share the same fate, as before he could re-engage the Cyclops it unloaded it's payload onto him. Too close for LRMS, it's Autocannon 20. SRM 4, and two Medium Lasers dug into his 'mech, the Autocannon finishing the work of the earlier PPC damage. A muffled grunt was heard over coms as his Jenners leg buckled underneath itself, sending the machine crashing down on it's right side as it twisted in it's fall.
Lieutenant Daiyu had a more pressing concern that needed her immediate attention as the Axman raised it's large namesake weapon ready to bring it down upon her 'mech. She shoved her throttle hard against it's stop, her Orion jumping forward as fast as it could with it's 75 tons of weight. Her 'mech started sliding as the mud was churned up and made movement difficult, she had to slow down to fight gravity as she almost toppled sideways. It saved her life.
All she could do was watch while the Axman brought it's weapon down at her, seeing it arc toward her cockpit. It would have caved her 'mechs head in had she not slipped though it nearly still did. A loud sickening screech deafened her ears as the bottom half of her cockpit cracked and tore away from her 'mech, rain and thunder drowning out her muffled yell as she tried to keep herself from biting her tongue from the impact. Her vision swam as her head slammed back, then she felt her right leg go numb.
Fighting through the pain and nausea, a sudden calm overtook her. It wasn't the calm of one meditating, it was the calm of someone who had learned to focus and funnel her anger, fear, and all her powerful emotions. Gripping her control sticks as hard as could, she leaned her 'mech forward causing more metal on metal shrieking. She wasn't afraid, she would end this. Aiming the reticule of her cracked display over the Axman's large head, she yelled as lout as she could, "Dodge this."
In the span of time it took her to blink a blur of metal slammed itself into the enemy Axman's head, wrenching the enemy 'mech backwards as she could have sworn she saw the eyes of the enemy pilot realize their death. He had no time to eject as his machine fell backwards into the mud, a gaping hole where once her enemy sat. One step ahead of the headsman...
Edited by Jack Gallows, 30 January 2013 - 08:01 PM.
1
Apostal, on 27 January 2013 - 10:35 PM, said:
(Besides, there are still a few 'mechs not sporting the SIEG colors...)
