Chapter 1: Dune Dwellers.
Third Person View
"Yo, Chris, you got visuals on anything yet? We've been sittin' here for hours." A jokeful, upbeat voice crackles over the comms system.
"Yea...Yea I do, 8...no, wait, 9 bulldogs, I see a Raven, and an Atlas, 5 Peregrines flying overhead. 5 SRM Carriers are currently under...matinence? It seems." Came the reply, from one Christoper L Myker, pilot of a Raven class Light mech. One of the 4 Members, of a small lance Mercenary group, known as "Dune Dwellers".
"Well, what'ya think Joepsh? We can take that." That's Daniel speaking, pilot of the Lance's Catapult C4, the long range fire support. 2 SRM's, 2 LRM's, with Artemis IV, and an ER Laser.
"I think, you need to shut up, and let me think." Joseph, Rude, but loyal to a fault, very charismatic when he needs to be. The unoffical leader, and tactician of the group. Pilots a King Crab assault mech, w AC/5's, A medium pulser laser, and 1 LRM 20 with Artemis IV, make up his mechs weaponry.
"Guys..guys...calm down...Don't make me go over there, and rip off what mother nature gave you..." Salissa, shy, quiet, but when annoyed, very aggressive and snappy. Pilot of a Centurion Medium class mech. Equipped with 1 PPC and 2 LRM 10's with Artemis IV. The group has recently taken on a job, to take out a small Pirate outpost, they were expected to have little resistance, and from Chris's intel, it seemed so. He was on a ridge, in the dry, arid desert valley, looking down at it. A small collection of building, with some small 'Mech hangers.
"Well...thanks for that comment Sal. Great morale boost." Finally, Christoper himself, piloting a Raven, armed with 4 medium pulse lasers. Nice guy, bit rude and sarcastic to people he has just met.
"Happy to be of service." Was the response he got.
"Well guys, let's go earn our paycheck. Chris, wait for me to get up front, take the hits, I have the armor. Sal, gimme fire support, and Dan, rain down hell. Once I'm up, go and clean up the tanks and vehicles. Got it?" The comms crackled, as the orders were relayed to the team.
"We got it, let's go. I need some sleep man, it's hot here." Daniel said, moving him Catapult onto a ridge, checking all systems in his 'Mech.
Joseph moved up, and opened fire, the AC's tearing apart a few Bulldogs, the LRM's launching, crashing into one of the Raven's as the other Raven and the Atlas turn to the threat. They return fire, the Atlas striking Joseph's 'Mech with a Gauss rifle and a PPC.
"The hell?! Pirates my ass. That's some heavy weaponry right there! Armor's holding for now. Chris, move!" The leader yelled into his comms, as the Lance's Raven shoots forward, melting the side of the already hit Pirate Raven. LRM's from Sal and Dan's 'Mechs rain down, spattering the 2nd Raven, blowing off a leg, as the 'Mech falls to the ground. Chris runs between the 6 remaining Bulldogs, and the SRM Carriers, hitting them with his pulse lasers. Sal's PPC fires into the final Pirate Raven, striking clean through the damaged mid section, knocking it out of action.
"Heheheh...Oh baby, I love you so..." Sal purred to her 'Mech.
"Get a room later Sal, we still got the Atlas to deal wi-...Hold up. I got something on the radar...Oh. Oh shit. Maurauder incoming, looks like he has 6 Bulldogs with 'im." Chris yells.
"So? We got this. No need to wor-" Something hits Daniel's 'Mech, "-ry...I got the Peregrines on me, assitance would be nice..." Clank, clunk, WHAM.
"Oh god! There's another Atlas! Backup neede-" Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wham."-d! I got no more armor, guys!"
"Hold on Dan, I'm coming." Chris turns his Raven, charging off towards Daniels position, when a large round comes out of nowhere, striking his Ravnen's leg, blasting the bottom half off, as it falls, a PPC round hits the torso, knocking out all systems, and almost killing Chris.
"Chris is down, I repeat, Chris is down. Sal, go assitance Dan, I can take care of this Atla-" He never gets to finish his sentence, as in horror, an explosion rocks the distance, as Daniel's mech detonates. Freezing Joseph's mouth open in horror.
"Jo! We need to retreat, now!" Sal and Joseph begin to fall back, there 'Mechs having sustained damage in the fight with the now dead Maurader, and the heavily damaged Atlas, as the other Atlas hastens to there position. There horror turns to saddness, then anger, as they pull out of the fight...when 2 PPC rounds, from the Atlas's strike Joseph's right leg, damaging it severly.
"Sal! Go! I can hold them off for a bit, you need to get out, tell our employers the Pirates are heavily equipped, who knows what else they have!" Josepg cuts the comms immidiatly afterwards, as he turns to reengage the Atlas's. He fires the last of his LRM's into the front of one of the Atlas's, stripping the last of its armor. He then fires his Medium Lasers, as his AC's were taken out. He burns through the weakened hull, bringing it down, as the other Atlas point blanks his cockpit with a PPC round. Sal can hear the explosion, she didn't get far enough away. The Peregrines had hunted her down, damaging her 'Mechs legs severly. It takes no time for the Atlas to catch up. In the end, most of the 'Dune Dwellers' are wrecks, remenants of once powerful machines. Only one lived. Chris had crawled out of his broken Raven. Heading in the direction of the Desert planets capital, Wüste, he was going to come back. He was going to take down that entire Pirate syndicate...the Rawk Claw were going to pay.
Pay in blood, and steel.