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Murder By Cat-A-Phract


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#1 Omar Yo

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Posted 20 November 2012 - 08:38 PM

I was still in the Mechbay, preparing my Mech to depart for a mission to another planet, when the call came. Enemy Mechs were sighted advancing to our position.

All available Mechs were ordered to launch.

This is not fair. So, I missed the last Dropship out of this novaforsaken hell planet. What's wrong with that. If you get a hangover after drinking at the local bar and talking and discussing all things Mech, to an individual whose whole life was dedicated to Mechs! You would miss the Dropship too.

Just yesterday, I had received orders to ship out to help bulk up our forces on some forest type planet. Scuttlebutt said it was some sort babysitting job for a bunch of VIPs playing soldier. I was tempted to empty all my Cbills on alcohol, just to celebrate getting off this planet.

Fortunately for my Atlas-like will stopped me. Where I was going, I would most likely enjoy the consumption of that wonderful liquid in a cooler and relaxing planet than this one. But, noooo! Enemy Mechs just want to kill me before I even try to leave.

I have just fitted and optimized new weapons to my repaired Hunchback after that last battle.

I came to a shouting match with the new Lt I was stuck with.

He shouted back, as he was getting his Hunchback online, that we had no choice and something about reading the fine print on my contract.

Phract that!

I sometimes wish I haven't said that, because of what happened next.

To keep the enemy away as much as possible at our current base, we needed to increase our distance from our base and push the enemy back.

Four Catapults formed a moving line towards the mountain opposite our base. It's really a glorious feeling seeing those Mechs in proper defensive formation against the enemy. I was just feeling good about it that we had an Lt who knew what he was doing.

My Hunchback was right next to Lt's Hunchback. I noticed that it was not identified on IFF as shown on my sensors. I moved my Hunchback bit forward, to see if my close proximity to the other Mech was just a bug on my sensors.

Still no IFF, so I moved to have a look-see if Lt's Mech was still there, or just moved away...It was powered down!

Phract!

I called the Lt if everything was OK with his Mech.

He said it was a technical glitch and he'll have it back online as soon as possible.

That was then I remembered the four Catapults advancing towards the enemy. They had no Lights or even Mediums protecting their flanks.

Phract! The Lt didn't give any orders to those Catapults. We were Phract!

I quickly moved my Hunchback to the Catapults' left flank. As as I was reinforcing their position, they encountered the enemy over the ridge-line.

And sure enough two enemy Mechs were trying to flank them. Fortunately I was there on time. Fired a salvo of SSRMs at the first one and retreated back the ridge.

Did I tell you I had new weapons installed. I did? Oh, OK.

At that distance, it looked like an Awesome. Sol, it could have been an Awesome, because the other one looked liked it, until I was 80 meters away from it. It looked strange for an Awesome, until I saw it's arms, as I maneuvered sideways from it and it from me.

It was a Cataphract!

I was Phract in every sense of the word! Phract!

The enemy Cataphract pilot was probably new. That Cataphract model was said to be faster than my Mech, but it was moving sooo slow. Now that I think of it, that Mech was probably trying an Alpha strike on me and was lining me up on his weapons.

Phract that! I Alpha that tin can before it could.

Did I tell you I had new weapons installed. I did? Really?.

So anyway, Half my weapons load was Flamers.

Yup, you heard me---Flamers! F L A M E R S!!! On a novadammed hell planet!

Got in two Alpha strike salvos, before my Mech overheated.

One second that Cataphract was on my right, then suddenly it was right in front of me just as my Hunchback powered back online; with that Awesome somewhere on my right. Just looking at my internal sensors, I knew I wouldn't make it.

If a miracle happened and I could have grilled that Cataphract, that Awesome would have gotten me. So I did the only thing I could do. I set my Flamers to auto, kissed my Hunckback goodbye, and ejected out of there.

A few seconds later, my poor Hunchback exploded in a shower of sparks and oil.

Phract that Phract!

No, I don't give a novadammed what happened to the Lt!

Edited by Omar Yo, 20 November 2012 - 09:01 PM.


#2 Vertous

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Posted 04 December 2012 - 12:53 PM

Trust me i wouldnt care bout the Lt. ethier

#3 Hawk Drakkarsson

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Posted 17 December 2012 - 05:49 PM

Reminds me of a battle I had some time back. I was lumbering along in my Cataphract in a nice line formation with my lance. Suddenly we get the order to turn towards this nearby mountain and assault what we assumed was a spaceport. Finally! A decent assault assignment rather than patrolling this scorched hell of a planet. Maybe after this quick run I could get off this hell hole to a nice tropical paradise to spend some creds.

So in the distance I see a line of four Catapults heading towards my lance. I signalled the Awesome to flank while our scout kept eyes on two Hunchies farther back. One appeared to be powered down, maybe even burned out from the heat. Glad I upgraded to Double Heatsinks. My scout radioes me to watch out, one of the Hunchies, the working one, was breaking off and moving to form up with the Cat's were were gearing to skin. I laughed as i switched the targeting computer to focus on that poor medium mech and reduced my speed to stabilize my mech's sway for a nice clean alpha barrage from the 4 A/C 5's I had fitted on, too damn hot here for beams.

My luck turn sour right as I had a perfect canopy shot, the heat on this damned rock must've warped my ammo feeds as all four guns jammed as I squeezed the trigger. That hunchie pilot had no idea how lucky he was. He was a slick one too. As I tried clearing the racks the little ****** torches me with flamers! Now not only were my weapons jammed, but the heat actually warped my targeting optics so I couldn't get a clean shot unless I was right on top of him. Then just as I close in for the kill shot, he torches me again, ejects, and lets his mech blow right in front of me! Slippery devil just ripped open my left torso and breached my ammo case! Half my rounds fell out on the ground! Now with the jammed guns and the open hole showing my remaining ammo I could only return to base and repair. Damned hunchie just cost me a month's pay.

At least my buddy in the Awesome tore apart one of those Cat's before the assault was called off. All the heatsinks in the galaxy couldn't make that place decent.

Edited by Hawk Drakkarsson, 17 December 2012 - 05:52 PM.






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