December 12, 3062

0300 Hours

Indicass, St. Ives Compact

North of Galkin

Alexi Holt adjusted his grip on the stock of his modified Federated Long rifle. With a night vision scope and in-built insulation for protection against the freezing climate of Indicass' northern hemisphere, the rifle was ideal for sniping in cold weather.

Alexi tried to keep from shivering, but the cold had long since seeped its way into his white and gray cold weather fatigues. A shiver ran up and down his spice, forcing him to shake. A small amount of snow fell of his back and on to the cold, hard frozen ground.

He dropped his head back down to stare through the scope again. Less than one hundred meters away lay the perimeter of the mining town of Galkin.

Indicass exported a large amount of minerals required for the production of military equipment and was therefore a prime target for conquest.

In face, Indicass had been the target of conquest. Less than six months ago, the Capellans had assaulted and taken control of Indicass. It had been less of a fight and more of an organized slaughter. A mercenary garrison of one mech company, two armor companies, and one company of infantry against a reinforced regiment of mechs with a full two regiments of armor and infantry support. It had only taken three days for the garrison to be beaten and what was left of it to be forced to go to ground.

Alexi focused himself to the task at hand. Peering through the scope, he could see as plainly in the dark as though it was bright daylight. He could see a Capellan mech lance patrol lance in the far distance.

"How far away are those mechs?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"'Bout one thousand meters," came a reply. "You're clear, we'll be long gone before they get here."

"Don, you still talk like a mech jock. Shut it."

Even thought Alexi did not turn to look at Don Walker, his spotter, he knew that he must be red with not only cold, but also embarrassment. A mechwarrior by training, Alexi chose him as a spotter over a trained infantry veteran because of his dedication and knowledge of Indicass' terrain. His only problem was he still talked as freely as he had when he was still in that walking trashcan of his.

"Eleven o'clock. One-five-oh meters. Left of the red brick building."

Without a word, Alexi followed Don's directions and spotted an infantry patrol. Two men wearing standard Capellan infantry body armor walked through the dark streets of Galkin cradling assault rifles in their arms. Both were completely oblivious to the fact that a highly trained sniper had the both of them in his sights.

He dropped the crosshairs of his rifle on to the trooper closest to the building. The soldiers walked slowly down the snow-covered street. He could see his target's mouth moving, presumably talking to his partner, but Alexi, who spoke no Chinese and could not read lips, knew not about what.

He dropped his finger to the trigger, exhaling deeply as he did so. Slowly, he added a lead to his target to compensate for the distance and movement of the target and also the slight wind. He took a lungful of air and gently began to pull the trigger.

"Hold!" Don hissed. Alexi released both the trigger and he breath he had been holding.

"Target of opportunity! Two o'clock, there's a mech powering down. Clint, canopy open."

Alexi moved his rifle to the two o'clock position quickly. Sure enough, a Capellan Clint painted green and black of the Capellan Confederation had cracked open its canopy. The pilot was slipping out of his cooling vest and replacing it with a winter jacket and pants before he would leave the cockpit.

For a moment, Alexi wondered why the pilot would open up his cockpit to the cold air and then change.

Oh well, he thought. That pilot will never live to be taught any common sense.

Moving the crosshairs of his scope over the man's chest, Alexi took a deep breath and held it. As he steadied his rifle, he took careful aim, compensating for the slight crosswind. The pilot of the Clint stopped moving for one fateful second too long. Alexi took his chance and squeezed the trigger.

The sharp crack of the rifle sounded through the forest in which Alexi and Don were hidden and through the town of Galkin. The stock of the rifle kicked into Alexi's shoulder. Through the scope, Alexi watched the pilot jerk and fall backward as the round hit him squarely in the chest. The pilot's white winter coat was splattered with blood and bone, as was the cockpit behind him.

Alexi could hear someone yelling the warning of sniper. Everywhere, people were running for cover.

"Eleven o'clock again. Those troopers are still there."

Alexi moved back to his previous targets. The two Capellan troopers were trying to use the brick building as cover, and failing miserably. He dropped the crosshairs onto the first trooper.

Before he could squeeze the trigger, Alexi felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Cappie infantry, fifty meters on the right. Let's move before they spot us."

Without a word, Alexi and Don slowly got up and retreated back through the forest, the darkness of the pre dawn hiding them and their tracks from the Capellans.