May 25, 3136 Republic Garrison Outskirts of Nobadi District Alkaid _____________________
The JES missile carrier was torn asunder as twenty-four streak short-range missiles belched forth from my King Crab's shoulder-mounted launchers, ripping gaping wounds in its chassis into which Lieutenant Victor Schmidt's Targe poured a barrage of long-range missiles. A tremendous plume of fire and smoke rose skyward as the carrier's ammunition bins detonated, annihilating anything that was left intact after our initial strike.
"Scratch one missile boat,"I quipped as my weapons cycled, eliciting a cackle from Schmidt as he fell back into formation.
"Watch that LRM battery, Major," Lieutenant Schoenbaum's voice crackled, his Raptor II moving ahead of my King Crab and snapping off a volley of autocannon rounds, their tracers arcing through the dry air to strike the emplacement.
"I see it," I murmered, drawing a bead on the roof-mounted turret, and preparing to end its existence. Before I could send the automated weapon to hell in a handbasket, however, my IFF computer announced the arrival of a much larger - and much deadlier - target. A Centurion had manifested itself to the northwest, its hulking form towering above the garrison's single-story HQ building.
"We've got company!"
I pushed my King Crab forward, lumbering directly toward the Centurion, which had begun to raise its arm mounted PPC toward me. I unleashed a flurry of SRMs, their smokey contrails corkscrewing toward the medium 'Mech's center of mass. In a spectacular burst of smoke, fire, and molten debris, the Centurion's missile rack vaporized, leaving a smoldering crater where six short-range missiles once were housed. At the same moment, the HQ's LRM battery was blown apart, as Schoenbaum's autocannon breached one of the LRM warheads stored within. I grinned wryly at the overt display of carnage.
"If we keep up this pace, we shouldn't have any issues,"[ccolor=red] I chuckled.
"I wouldn't speak so soon, Major,"Schmidt announced."I show a Mad Cat III inbound on our position - and it looks like he's bringing some friends. T & T shows a Night Stalker and an AgroMech in close formation."
Republic Garrison Outskirts of Nobadi District Alkaid _____________________
The roar of a missile launch cut across the comm.
"I'm engaging the Mad Cat, Major! I could use some help!"
"Roger that! Christian - move to reenforce Victor!" I shouted, turning my King Crab southwest to get a bead on the Mad Cat.
"John, your Centurion friend's gunning for you, and he's got a buddy! We'll deal with the kitty!" exclaimed Schoenbaum, his voice nearly drowned out by the crack of his autocannon discharging. "Get those bogies off your six!"
"I copy!" I replied, swinging my gunports back to the east. The non-stop combat was beginning to take its toll on my King Crab's heat sinks, and I warily eyed my heat indicator, which was languishing disturbingly close to the yellow as the Centurion came back into view. The AgroMech had appeared from behind a line of man-made hills to the northwest, which concealed a largish mining operation, and had moved to the Centurion's side. Both 'Mechs were now jockeying into a pincer formation, and it was evident what they were attempting to do.
Throwing caution to the wind, I activated my Multi-Trac system, and selected both 'Mechs as the targets. As the tracking computer screamed a lock, I squeezed the SRM launch trigger, and released two dozen short range missiles from their tubes. The flights of missiles fanned out, twelve spiraling toward the AgroMech, while the other twelve bombarded the Centurion. The workmech was knocked from its feet, crashing onto its back under the impact of the multiple warheads. The Centurion fared only marginally better, keeping its footing, but losing a great deal of armor to the megaton of high explosives which had just finished ravaging its ferrosteel body.
The attack had been more than the King Crab's overtaxed heat sinks could handle, and the onboard computer was now attempting to manage the dangerously high heat levels the only way it knew how. Quickly, I vented an extremely generous amount of coolant, all the while sending an 'override' message to the protective computer. I sighed with relief as the heat levels plummeted back into the green, making note of the fact that I had drained the entire auxilliary coolant pod in order to accomplish this.
So much for my wild card...
As the AgroMech struggled to pull itself to its feet, the Centurion retreated behind the lenghty headquarters building, disappearing from my sensors as its pilot toggled its T & T system off.
"Victor - the Centurion's coming your way. I don't have track on him. How are you faring with the Mad Cat?"
"We're holding our own, Major, but - "
The sound of LRMs leaving their launchers, followed by multiple explosions cut off the end of the transmission.
"Major, I think we just found your Centurion. He's trying to hide behind the Mad Cat - if you can get over here, we could certainly use your help."
Several more explosions thundered across the comm.
"I'm on my way, Victor. Hang in there for another...fifteen seconds. Infiltrator squad - " I began, opening a channel to the team of shock troopers tasked with the recovery of our target - a factory-fresh Mad Cat Mk IV, stored in a hangar at the western end of the compound, ripe for the taking, "you're not going to be able to go straight up the center of the compound as we had originally planned. You're going to have to plot a route that steers you clear of the combat."
"Already taken care of, Major,"replied the gravelly voice of the squad's commander, Stuart McInnis. "We're going to swing north, and try to duck through the quarry. It looks like you managed to get the attention of the WorkMechs that were in that area - so we're expecting very little in the way of resistence."
"I copy. Good luck."
I turned to the southwest to begin making my way toward the embattled Lieutenants Schmidt and Schoenbaum. Before I could even push the throttle forward, my King Crab was rocked by a bone-jarring impact. Swinging my BattleMech's torso to the right, I was met by a hilarious sight.
The already-damaged AgroMech, after pulling itself to its feet, had elected to inflict even more damage on itself by ramming my King Crab, and had succeeded. Although my armor was utterly unscathed, the same could not be said for the diminutive WorkMech, which lay sprawled on the rocky desert floor, its now-mangled combine spinning wildly in the air.
These guys are nuts!
"You have got to be kidding me."
The roar of an ICE engine drew my attention away from the fallen AgroMech as a ForestryMech appeared from the compound, charging toward me with its oversized chainsaw swinging. I disengaged myself from the still-flailing Agro, and pushed my King Crab into reverse. Drawing a bead on both WorkMechs, I snapped off a PPC blast at the ForestryMech, while simultaneously delivering a concntrated blast of laser energy into the AgroMech.
This is getting out of hand...
"Major - we've got a Night Stalker headed into the fray - Petrov and I are going to see if we can get its attention and draw some of the heat off of Victor and Christian," Commander Van De Graff announced, his voice sounding filtered and raspy through the rebreather-mounted comm unit of his Longinus Battle Armor.
"Roger that. As soon as I can get untangled from these two WorkMechs, I'll be headed that way,"I replied, thumbing the MultiTrac system. The ICE 'Mechs I was engaged with, while lacking firepower, were surprisingly tough. It was going to take something more substantial than energy weapons to take them out. I figured that forty-eight SRMs might just be the ticket.
Now if I could just get enough distance between us...
A brilliant white flash, followed in short order by a ripping explosion from the northwest caught my attention, and I keyed my comm unit.
"Everything okay over there, gentlemen?"
"Yes, Major,"Schoenbaum replied, his comm unit garbled and static-ridden as the aftereffects of the explosion lingered."That Centurion won't be a problem any longer. In fact...scheibe!"
A thunderous cacaphony followed the expletive, accompanied by a blast of static.
"Christian! What's going on? Respond!"
There came no reply. A feeling of dread washed over me as I leveled my sights on the two WorkMechs, preparing to deliver another energy strike.
"He's still alive, Major - but the Mad Cat III just knocked his Raptor II on its backside," Schmidt replied, repeated laser blasts punctuating his words."I think he's okay...I can see him moving - hold on...yes, he's getting up - but we've got a problem. The Republic's just brought in a recovery vehicle, and it looks like they're trying to bandage some of the Mad Cat's wounds. Worse yet, they've got a modded ConstructionMech with them."
Victor paused, and the sound of his missile launchers finding a lock on an unknown target could be heard.
"I'm gonna do what I can to knock that WorkMech out, Major. The geound-pounders have the Night Stalker tied up, and it looks like Christian's back in the game for the moment. Although - "
"Hold on, Victor,"I interjected, delivering a PPC bolt directly into the ForestryMech's canopy. The chainsaw-wielding biped was thrown to the ground, its limbs twitching as the weapon's EMP effect ran its course. I chuckled at the pilot's misfortune, but my glee was short-lived. With a resounding 'thunk,' the tormented AgroMech, in an apparent act of desparation, clamped its non-combine hand onto my King Crab's elbow.
Blake's blood!
Through my cockpit's canopy, I could see the AgroMech's frenzied-looking pilot gripping her controls, fighting to keep her ravaged war machine standing while simultaneously attempting to tear my King Crab's arm from its socket. In a panic, I fired the appendage's integrated lasers directly into the AgroMech's center of mass, sending molten ferrosteel spraying in all directions as quadruple high-intensity lasers cored into the 'Mech's torso. The biped war machine's cockpit glass instantly polarized, shielding the pilot's eyes from the near-blinding light generated by the energy weapons at close range, and obscuring my view of the happenings within. Astoundingly, the pilot kept her ground, starting to twist my BattleMech's right arm from its actuator even as her own WorkMech was coming apart around her.
"Victor, you were saying something about having a hard time over there, I believe,"I quipped, firing another salvo into what little was left of the AgroMech's torso. A plume of fire began spraying from within, an indication that her 'Mech's internal combustion engine was beginning to rupture.
"Yes, Major. It's getting somewhat hairy over here, but nothing we can't...holy sh-!"
The end of Victor's sentence was rudely cut short by a tremendous impact, accompanied by the sound of crushing metal and exploding electronics. The commlink went dead.
"Victor! What is your status? I repeat - what is your status?"
After a prolonged, agonizing silence, Lieutenant Christian Schoenbaum delivered a frenzied reply.
"Major, the ConstructionMech took a swing at Victor's Targe - by the looks of it, he took the hit pretty hard! I'm trying to - scheibe! Victor just rammed the ConstructionMech! The two of them are brawling, Major! If you're going to join this party, you'd better do it now! I'm facing down a Mad Cat III and a Night Stalker on my own!"
"Roger - hold together! I'm on my way!"
Focusing on the AgroMech's cockpit, I drew my King Crab's embattled right arm as far back as I could. As the opposing pilot applied more opposing pressure to her WorkMech's grapple, attempting to prevent me from withdrawing, I shoved the King Crab's arm forward, using the AgroMech's own resistence against it. The limb rammed forward, smashing through the WorkMech's canopy glass, pulverizing the pilot beneath it. A wash of gore spurted from within the cockpit as I continued to force the weapon mount further, not stopping until I felt the resistence of the reactor casing against the barrels of my quad ER lasers. As I withdrew the blood-covered arm, the AgroMech sank to the ground, limp as a rag doll.
The scene was one of chaos as my King Crab thundered toward the heavily-engaged elements of the Phoenix Technologies, Limited detachment. A mass of Battle Armor swarmed around the feet of a panicked Night Stalker, which traded pot shots with the diminutive warriors as it fought to keep its legs from being compromised, while the infamous Mad Cat III had retreated behind the front lines for repairs. Lieutenant Schoenbaum's Raptor II, accompanied by a Targe under the command of Lieutenant Schmidt, traded blows with a badly-ravaged ConstructionMech, which toppled to the pavement and lay motionless as I approached.
I thumbed my comm unit, and began to speak. Before the words could exit my mouth, Schoenbaum's Raptor, which had turned to assist the small squad of armor, was violently thrown to the pavement, its autocannon tearing free of its mount as dual flights of LRMs slammed into the medium 'Mech's right flank. The Mad Cat III, having finished its repairs, loped back into the fight, its bulky profile easily recognizable through the desert mist. As the OmniMech prepared to deliver its finishing blow to the fallen Raptor, I sprung into action, pushing my throttle to full and charging down the center of the battlefield, maneuvering the King Crab to block the line of fire between the Mad Cat and its fallen prey. As I did so, Victor Schmidt's Targe, a gigantic heat wave radiating from its over-exerted chassis, sprinted toward the Night Stalker, intercepting the larger 'Mech before it had a chance to draw a bead on the fallen Raptor.
The Mad Cat, caught off-guard by the sudden appearence of an opponent twice its weight, came to a dead stop.
