0
There I was, just dropped with my newly armed Hunchback onto the Caustic Valley. The Caldera in the horizon.
Sensors indicated no enemy activity in the immediate vicinity. With the mission clear in our minds, our group moved cautiously towards the enemy Base.
The Joker in our group (names withheld, to protect the guilty) told us that he would just stay behind and protect the Base.
The Lt quipped to Joker to lie down then. His Wingman told Joker to pitch a tent. How and why that would be any comfortable in this godforsaken hell planet, even the trees have difficulty growing on here.
The group had no problem with Joker staying behind, that's what we call an Atlas surprise for any unsuspecting enemy Mech which might happen to make a dash for our base.
I told the Joker to keep the beer cold then. A good banter as the mission starts is usually abit more pleasant than grim silence of the impending mission.
I might have told a good joke there, until I remembered my Hunchback had new weapons and it's groupings haven't been optimized yet. The joke was on me! The mechanics, in their infinite wisdom, set all my weapons to activate on my primary weapons fire button!
My Hunchback just crossed the little lake that separated our base from the Caldera, when I slowed down and hid my Mech behind a small hill just at the other shoreline.
There was more lighthearted banter on the coms, something about pitching a tent inside Joker's Atlas. That would usually interest me, but I was busy optimizing my weapons groups.
Just as I finished, all hell broke loose.
My sensors told me, our group encountered three bogies. Two lights, and a medium. Time to go.
The bogies were close to our Base that even Joker joined the fight.
Moving a 50 ton Mech is not easy as it sounds. It took several seconds to just move my Hunchback sideways facing away from the hill, and towards the Caldera to join the battle. In the corner of my eye, two friendlies were engaging what I believe to be an enemy Raven. My Twin of a Hunchback, squeaked that an enemy Mech was moving to the Base.
I moved my Hunchback as fast as it could and tried to engage the enemy Raven with my SRMs, but was 200 meters out of range. Firing my lasers would hit Twin, and Twin's wingman.
My Hunchback was still on the lake when Twin killed the enemy Raven. With the area clear, Twin, his wingman, and my Mech moved towards the battle.
Then the **** hit the fan.
Our computers reported that our base was under attack.
WTF! My Hunchback and Twin immediately did a 180 and headed at full speed back to base. This only happens with light Mechs with novadammed jump jet thrusters. They jump from hill to hill, land on our Base and jump back to a nearby hill were our weapons can't get a lock.
I sometimes have nightmares that Atlas Mechs would get equipped with jump jets. Those were so vivid, that I swore that I was reliving a past life a long time ago as a Mech gladiator in an enormous arena.
There is a small hill that is between our base and the lake. I was convinced the enemy Mech was behind it. I moved my Hunchback towards the Base from one side. Twin was already moving on to the other side of the hill.
With my SRMs ready and my finger hovering on the fire button, Twin and my Hunchback got this enemy Mech trapped!
We rounded the hill at full speed, our computers was still blaring that our Base was still under attack. Finally, the Base was fully on our sights. But, there was no one there...
We slowed our approach as the alarms died off. It was clear. There was no enemy Mech. I checked the nearby hills, as it could be hiding there.
Twin and my Hunchback had 360 view of the base. No enemy in sight.
We confirmed it was clear. So, as we were about to turn and head back into battle, the alarms went off again. We still had 360 view of the Base. But, there was still no one there...
Twin, thinks it was some sort of bug as he headed towards the battle. I know better. I've heard rumors of some Ravens still equipped of secret old lost stealth tech that makes them invisible to the naked eye. That has too be it. That's the only explanation.
I moved my Hunchback into the battle. I was almost lost in my thoughts, when four enemy Mechs crossed the edge of the Caldera. Sitting targets, I thought. Then they all emptied their LRMs on me.
"F-!!!"
I ejected just as the LRMs were descending at my poor Hunchback.
*edited for grammar and formatting.
Edited by Omar Yo, 17 November 2012 - 10:00 AM.
