12th March 3051
Planet Moritz
The explosive bolts on Gibson's re-entry cocoon fired, shedding the protective cover as his Battlemaster continued to free fall towards the planet's surface. Freed from the smothering embrace of the cocoon, his mech's sensors hummed to life, scattering tactical symbols across his HUD. A quick glace confirmed that everyone was where they were supposed to be. To the west Melissa's company was dropping to secure a landing zone for the Warspite while high above Yurika's aerospace fighter wing was maintaining a combat air patrol, engaging the lone star of aerospace fighters that had been sent to engage them. Around him, his own company was dropping as a faint to draw attention away from their dropship and buy time for its cargo of armour, infantry and support staff to disperse into the highlands unobserved.
Gibson's stomach clenched as the retro rockets fitted to his mech's legs fired, slowing his rate of decent just before it slammed into the ground with a bone crunching impact. "Rider Leader here, report in." he ordered as the rest of the company made landfall. A chorus of replies told him everyone had made it more or less in one piece. "Right then, Jenny take point. Nick bring up the rear. Let's do this thing."
"Roger." Captain Jenny Fenwick responded curtly as she shook Eagle Lance out into a vague skirmish line. Her Clint and Nicole's Javelin out in front, John and Albert's Valkyries trailing behind. Their target was clearly visible, even if it was a good 3km away, the massive deep space radar dishes were nominally a scientific station, but combined with the neutrino detector buried deep beneath them they doubled as long range early warning for the planet's defenders. High Command had decided that it was a capability the Clanners should be denied and Gibson has decided it would make an ideal soft target to use as a distraction.
Jenny kept her eyes fixed to her radar screen as the distance to their objective rapidly shrunk. She would have preferred a more measured approach, charging about and smashing through woodblocks was not her idea of reconnaissance. But, that was what the boss wanted and Jenny was far too much of a professional to ignore orders just because she didn't like them. She felt her earlier annoyance resurface but she supressed it. Right now that was going to be helpful, only a close watching on her sensors might give her the warning she needed to avoid running straight into a Clan star. She didn't get much of one. The lock on warning sounded moments before her Clint was pounded by laser fire. Wrenching her mech round to the right she narrowly avoided a flight of LRMs as she struggled to figure out where the fire was coming from. 200m ahead, 4 omnimechs had hidden themselves behind a ridge line, they had only revealed themselves when Jenny had walked into their killzone and even now they made illusive targets. "Contact." Jenny shouted across the radio net as she activated her jump jets, throwing her mech backwards as she fired her PPC blindly towards the enemy. Warnings sounded in her cockpit as weapons fire impacted across her mech, stripping away armour to reveal the Clint's vulnerable insides. The next volley should have been the end of her, but the Clan Warrior's discipline broke down. Anxious to be in on the kill a Fire Moth and Puma broke cover, cutting across their comrade's line of sight. It gave Jenny a few precious seconds to get into cover.
"Eagle Lance, fall back on Rider." Jenny ordered as she made a break for the covering heavy lance. "Fire Moth, Puma, Mad Dog, Timberwolf." She rattled off her report as she did so.
"Roger Jenny, we got you." Gibson replied as he shook his lance out into line. To his right he could just make out Nick's medium lance taking up a supporting position while Jenny's mechs passed through their lines into reserve. He bit his lip in frustration, fighting down the temptation to order a straightforward charge. Then, to his surprise, the Fire Moth emerged from the scattered trees alone. Unsupported by the rest of its star it almost evaporated under the concentrated fire of Rider Lance.
"New guy?" Max asked, surprised at the Clan pilot's suicidal pursuit. It wasn't the behaviour he'd come to expect of Clan Wolf's Warriors.
"No idea." Gibson replied offhand, though a frown spread across his face, he activated his radio. "Nick, I want to split their force. Take Shadow Lance round this group and go for the objective."
"On it." Nick replied as he took his lance off to the right. Sure enough they soon attracted the attention of the Clan Star, the Mad Dog moving off alone to counter them, leaving just the Timberwolf and Puma to face off against Rider Lance.
"Fire on my target." Gibson ordered as he locked onto the Timberwolf.
"I am Mechwarrior Yvonne of Clan Wolf." The Timberwolf pilot transmitted on the open frequency. "I challenge the pilot of the Black Battlemaster to a duel of warriors…"
"Fire." Gibson's order cut across Yvonne's challenge as his whole lance opened fire upon her, rocking the Timberwolf backwards as armour was ripped from its frame. He ignored her cursing him across open comms as he fired another PPC blast into her mech's side. Beside him Max's new Awesome added its PPCs while LRMs from the Crusader and Thunderbolt that made up the balance of his lance added their destructive fire to the attack. Ordering the Puma pilot to withdraw, Yvonne put up a valiant fight, using her mech's superior speed and reach she scored punishing hits on her attackers. But, Gibson kept a tight rein on his lance and critically his own desire to close the range, focusing instead on capitalising on his numbers and maintaining fire superiority. At length that superiority won out, Yvonne's Timberwolf collapsing to the floor, its internals shredded by repeated impacts.
Pausing to take stock Gibson noted that Nick had already taken down the Mad Dog and Jenny's Valkyries were busying demolishing the radar station that was their objective. "Anyone see that Puma?" he asked
"Sorry Boss. Lost it." Jenny reported, embarrassed.
"3 out of 4 will do." Gibson replied concealing his own disappointment. Intellectually he knew that he lacked the types of mech needed to run a fast mech like a Puma to ground, but it would have been satisfying to leave no survivors. That said, something about this felt off, he switched to the officer's only frequency. "Is it me, or was that all a little too easy?"