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... Captain Back Beard.))
The wind ran cold over the city buried in ice and snow. Somewhere in this frozen wasteland, on a planet called Canehda, there was the objective, a highly prized secret of all Rum-smiths from this chilled slice of hell, the ability to instantly age alcohol. It was this that brought this old burly man here.
Sitting in his Centurion, a stock CN9-AL model, Captain Back Beard observed the landscape, listening on the coms. At his back was seven other pirate scum such as he, though none but a young lad Vencent, had the enthusiasm for the absurd as he did.
Over the coms, he heard the growls and spitting harsh language from Q, a strange man who piloted a Raven, stocked with more weapons than most Atlases would consider absurd, and even more dangerous was Lightnun, an elder Swayback Pilot with a death wish who's only request ever raid was "Moar Lazors Capt'n!". He liked the old man's gumption.
The co-ordinates came in over the com, and light began to ping itself on his Heads Up Display. Turning on the com, he spoke the these blood-thursty maniacs who followed him into this suicide raid, all knowing the booty would be plenty, the rum would flow, the glory would be theirs... And Wenches.
"Aye me boy-oes, Thar be the treasure! I want all of ye to follow me, we're going right in, goo' ol' smash-n-grab. First man to fall behind, I'll shoot myself!"
It took Captain Back Beard several years before he managed to hide his thick english accent for the more traditional pirate-speak, and for all it did he may not be a pirate as told in the classic stories, but by god, if he was going to be a periphery pirate, he was going to milk it for all it was worth, and force his men to do the same!
"ARGGGG!" shouted the men in unison behind his back. The throddle was up as he marched onward, the target now less than a thousand meters on his map. The area would be heavily fortied, he knew they would have LRMs on the ridge, snipers ready to take down anyone who crested the downed drop-ship that lay between them and their prize. And more so, they knew no one would be fool hardy enough to try and go through that twisting ice-cave, such an obvious confined space, it would be impossible, sure suicide to run through it without detection and getting picked appart one by one as they exited the cave.
So ofcourse that's what Back Beard had planned. The crew followed only a handful of meters behind him, in Centurions, in Hunchbacks, in Dragons, in Awesomes and Atlases. They entered one of the cave's many mouths and began to press in. It was not more than thirty seconds inside when a Jenner would pop around the cavern's corner and come across eight mechs. The Captain was pleased as he fired his Large Laser into the Jenner. He wished he knew where he hit it, but as soon as he pulled the trigger, a hailstorm of lasers came shooting from behind him and carving into the Jenner as the boys were firing over, around, between his limbs, and any other method that would involve getting any damage on that horrible scout.
The Jenner pilot didn't have enough time to even torso twist and change his vector to run.
Sure enough, by the time they exited the cave, the enemy had been told of their position, and their disposition, which was drunk, and they were ready to hold the line. Captain Back Beard grinned as he hit the throdle, and his Centurion began it's sprint right for the enemy. At the cave opening, there was an enemy Hunchback, Dragon, and Awesome. Laser fire was exchanged between the enemy Hunchback as the Captain plastered it with his energy weapons. The mechs almost colided if it had not been for the Hunchback backing away from the on-charging Centurion, and the Captain ran right past.
As the Hunchback turned to follow, a sharp PPC blast crashed into it's shoulder, reminding it of the others coming. The Awesome took the worst of the fire, as one by one each Rum Raider ran by, firing all they could into the enemy mechs but never stopping to engage.
Turning to his side, he saw on the far ridge Catapults with LRM configurations. They would not be a problem, as this would not take long, so Back Beard sent them a invitation with Laser and LRM fire. He struck both of them just to let them know their defensive line was breached, as they seemed to have assumed he and his Raiders would be coming from over the ridge.
The Enemy Hunchback fired as it gave chase after the Captain who lead the charge. The captain twisted his torso, throwing up his shield arm to take as much of the Autocannon and Laser fire as it could. It was sheered off in seconds, but as the Hunchback cost Back Beard his mech's arm, Back Beard turned. He had reached the black spot, the nav point. Brining his Large Laser to bear upon the Hunchback, badly wounded mech to badly wounded mech, the Lasers made that horrible burning noise. For a moment, both combatants just stood there, then suddenly the Hunchback toppled over. Standing behind it was the Rum Raider's Swayback Pilot, Lightnun.
Lightnun moved to the side behind cover and turned to look down the path, and began laying fire on all persuing enemy mechs, which at this point was an Awesome that was being held together by duct tape and broken promises, and a Dragon, who was still desperatly trying to keep fire on the train of mechs flowing out from the ice caves. Soon both mechs went down, leaving only a pair of catapults at the ridge line....
Wait, wasn't it two full lances?
A crash awnsered his question, as he turned to see an Atlas bearing down on him. Without the shield-arm of his Centurion, The Captain simply raised his weapon and prepared to fire. "Come 'ere boy, we'll show ya how we do things in the periphery!"
Weapons fire ensuded, but it was not from this enemy Atlas. Instead, walking between him and the target, was another pair of giants, an Awesome and Atlas. The Captain grinned, the heavy hitters where here, and no one was ready for them after tangling with the mediums and heavies that burst through the lines. Now they set up their own defensive line, and at it's core were these two behemoths, Rass and Gi.
"We got 'em Captain! Get the loot!"
LRMs came crashing down into the twin giants, as a private Armageddon began between the three hundred tons of man-made death. Scanners going through the near by buildings, the data core had to be around here somewhere!
"Hunchback's dead Captain." Q said in his well mannered voice.
"I already know that Q, dont interupt me when I... I...." A hunchback carcass fell into the building he was scanning, it's legs and left torso being the only thing recognizable.
"AW SOD IT!" Back Beard screamed, turning off the sensors and turning to engage the Cats at the ridge line, who were now the center of attention for both lances of Rum Raiders.
"Mr.Q, get me that data. I want to be brewing on the drop ship in one hour!" The Centurion turned to greet it's new play-things, as the lance raised their weapons. "E're Kitty Kitty...."
Edited by MacabreDerek, 10 October 2012 - 04:52 AM.
