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"Fastball lance here," one of the Jenner pilots spoke over comms, sounding as though he was out of breath. "That hunchback that supported the Atlas is trying to fall back, tackle him!" My twin Gauss cannons whined as I belched a salvo of magnetically accelerated slugs toward the Hunchback. I saw the impact, and my computer reported 54% remaining on the 4SP. I turned away and climbed past the wrecked dropship to higher ground. "We're up by an atlas: gents, time to advance," I ordered.
The two lances under my command poured from behind me, a bright flash and computer notification the only indication that the hunchback had been put down. I surveyed the enemy, seeing two dragons, an LRM Catapult, and an awesome on the right. cReddit forces poured onto them like molten slag in a furnace.
Suddenly my cockpit shook with an impact, my computer quickly indicated another Awesome cresting a hill to my left, across the chasm the other cRedditors were attacking from. I swiveled my torso and let loose a snapshot from both cannons, tearing across the frozen air and into the enemy's center torso. My targeting computer registered light damage to the silver smile that represented the Awesome's cockpit, and the enemy let loose with 3 large laser beams as he backed away from me. My cockpit took heavy damage, a large drop of molten armor slid across the canopy.
My computer reported 80% armor loss on my cockpit, but I paid no attention because I felt the deep, whirring click that meant two more lethal gauss projectiles were fully loaded. My fist convulsed on the firing studs and both rounds sailed blissfully into the enemy cockpit. The awesome did not fall, but my computer reported his canopy nearly breached.
He returned fire, still while backpedaling. huge blue beams of coherent energy pulsed into my 'mech. Sparks, smoke, and shards of shattered metal flew across the controls, and a wailing klaxon indicating critical cockpit damage began wailing from the computer, but I didn't notice. Every fiber my being was focused on the enemy pilot. I felt like I could reach out and knock on the armor plating with my arm while I waited the 1.5 seconds remaining til I could fire again.
The enemy assault 'mech, nearly safe behind the ridge he had been retreating from, overheated as the blazing attack ended. The Awesome listed forward, perfectly bringing his cockpit under the ridgeline! I would have cursed, swore, or cried, but the only sound to be heard was a hiss of displeasure and the wailing damage alert. I knew the 'mech would power up, and when he did, it would bring its gray grin right onto my crosshairs!
Across the chasm, at maximum zoom, I could see the shimmer of huge amounts of heat pouring into the frozen, scarred environment. The Awesome jerked to life, pilot desperately trying to maneuver the 'mech away from my vengeful cannons, but the rounds were already en route. I don't remember pressing the button to fire both cannons, but the shriek of destroyed cockpit and the vanquished tons of metal crashing to the ground is seared into my memory.
We swept across the rest of the enemy, my breathtaking sniper duel going unnoticed by my fellow cRedditors. As we stepped onto the enemy capture point, the enemy awesome pilot sent me a tight-beam message: "T.T"
Edited by Rathe, 22 October 2012 - 11:04 PM.
