Chapter 11: Knight to C3

---.---

Thermopylae Base
Marduk, Draconis Combine
February 15, 3059
15:47 hrs

Ice's jeep skidded to a halt just shy of his battlemech. Hopping out, he began to bark out orders. Seeing Tribal checking his mech, Ice shouted out to him. "Tribal, you've got perimeter command while we're out. I want your lance guarding the bridges. Get Rain Lance out there to provide covering fire from the ridge. You find Bravo, and you get him to set up close-perimeter defense and find out who our mech-rated techs or infantry are. I want our four best to find some spare neurohelmets and get them tuned enough that they can pilot that spare Rifleman and Jenner. Those two are the priorities, but if you can get enough, power up the Urbanmechs. Keep'em home just in case. Set up infantry for road defense. And get the dumpster divers loaded up in the Pride, if we get a lull or manage to hold, I want some salvage out of this."

"You got it boss" replied Tribal as he climbed down to the hanger floor and went to make arrangements.

Grabbing a pair of shorts, Ice quickly changed behind the leg of his 100 ton Devastator. He took a quick sip of water and threw on his cooling vest, then scrambled up the ladder to his cockpit. Plugging in the vest and donning the neurohelmet that helped keep his machine upright, Ice brought his mech out of standby and went through his voice recognition sequence, unlocking the mech's wide array of weaponry.

Walking his machine out to the parade ground, Ice took a quick glimpse at his assembled force. A company's worth of mechs, though McDougal's people were still relatively green and untested. He had no choice really. If he took McDougal and his lance, he risked the dangers of green pilots. If he took Tribal's lance instead, he had more experience, but that would leave Thermopylae Base under-gunned, and still with green pilots. Ice also had Caboose's lance of heavy armor and Jackman' four squads of Cavalier armored-infantry.

"So what are we waiting for, boss?" asked Rommy as her mech shifted anxiously.

"Patience grasshopper. You happened to call me while I was in the middle of a meeting over at Norse. I managed to get us some help because of it. Should be a company of mainly mediums and a nice little surprise that's going to scare the hell out of these St. George bastards. They'll be here any moment and then we can leave, so just keep your arse in your pilot couch and make sure you're strapped in. Wouldn't want to have you fall out because you were bouncing around too much" came Ice's reply.

That earned him a very rude and obscene gesture from Rommy's Berserker. Any retort that Ice was going to make was cut off as Base Command came on the air and notified him that the Norse mechs had entered the edge of the base's fire-zone.

"Alright people, let's move out" called Ice. "McDougal, you and your people are designated Katana Lance, take point. Caboose, you follow, then the assaults, Jackman, and Grogg cover the rear. Our Norse friends are going to follow us in."

Ice switched over to a general frequency to speak to the approaching friendly mechs. "Star Commander, it is good to see you so eager for combat. Comm. frequency will be 112.8 for this operation. Encryption 'Alpha-1-6-Theta'."

"Acknowledged Captain. We have a general idea where to go, but no specifics. Lead the way" came the reply.

"Ice, why are their clanners here?" asked a confused Rommy.

"It's alright Roms, they're a goodwill defense force sent by Phelan Ward from the ARDC. They have just as much stake in this as we do since their Clan is buying Norse mechs. Don't worry about them, just try to avoid contractions when speaking to anyone from their Nova, the contractions offend them if used too frequently."

"Nova? What the hell is a Nova?"

"They have a star of mechs and a star of elementals. In their terminology that combined arms force is called a Nova. You might want to read up a bit, Rommy" snickered Ice.

With the playful comms banter out of the way, the column formed up and moved out. Relina had provided more than asked for. On top of loaning her Wolf-in-Exile Nova, she had sent a full company of medium mechs and two lances of armor. This brought the numbers out to two companies of mechs, a Nova of mechs and elementals, a company of armor, and a little over a platoon of armored-infantry. Ice prayed this was going to be enough to turn back the Order of Saint George column.

Toriyama had sent back reports that this was an advanced column with a full battalion of mechs and likely another battalion of armor, infantry support was unknown. Apparently they were trying to cut off the retreat route for the New Pontiac Militia while two or three other columns of equal or greater strength converged on New Pontiac itself. It was a classic pincer move. Cut off the route of retreat, and corner the enemy. With nowhere to run, they would have to stay and fight, and likely die.

About 16 klicks east of the Zamas River, there began the belts of solid ground and healthy soil needed for high yield farming. The farms in the area ran right up to the edge of the sporadic jungle growth, where the timber companies had ceased their clearing. These farms ran for hundreds of kilometers before the next sizable town, and of course every farm needed road access. Once the farmers had settled in, all those centuries ago, they had managed to get the planetary government to agree to build and maintain a series of grid-like roads that connected all of the farms to the Norse-New Pontiac road to the north, and down towards the township of Romulus to the south. It was this very system of well maintained roads that the warriors of the Order of Saint George now advanced. It was also on those same roads that the Spartans and company intended to keep the door wedged open for Tai-sa Toriyama and the Militia under his command.

Rommy quickly laid out the plan she had made and everyone moved their mechs and vehicles into position. Star Commander Fenris Ward's star of battlemechs was to line itself perpendicular to the road and stand there, stopping any traffic. His elementals were to hide themselves in a nearby barn that was about 50 meters east of the road. A lance of medium mechs from Norse was to wait about 800 meters back from the clanners, posting themselves at the juncture of the farming road and the Norse-New Pontiac road, awaiting the arrival of the vanguard of Militia vehicles. The remaining mechs and armor made their way into the jungle nearly 1.25 kilometers to the west, and waited in low-power mode with radars off.

---.---

Outer Farm Road
34 kilometers west of New Pontiac

Marduk, Draconis Combine
February 15, 3059
16:50 hours

Star Commander Fenris Ward sat in the cockpit of his 65 ton Cauldron-Born, waiting for the Order of Saint George troops to arrive. He was somewhat uncomfortable with the plan set forth by Lieutenant Witters. It was not fighting as the Clans fought, but rather fighting in a style perfected by the Inner Sphere troops over the centuries. He supposed that it would be acceptable this time around. After all, the Order of Saint George had proven themselves to have no honor with their execution of innocents and civilians. That act alone violated more Clan codes of honor than he could count, even if they were freeborns.

Fenris had never had as large of a problem dealing with 'freebirths' and those of the Inner Sphere. His Clan was now a part of the Inner Sphere, like it or not, and accepting that fact made it a lot easier to deal with. He figured that was part of the reason that Khan Ward had selected him for this duty, his ability to accept and have dealings with those of the Inner Sphere. If he performed his mission well, Fenris figured he might even be given a Trial of Position for Star Captain, making his command over this Nova official. Fenris had hand-picked every member of this Nova, he knew they would perform to, and surpass, expectations.

Fenris ceased his musings as Mechwarrior Adam piped up that his radar had picked up a medium scout lance. Moments later, they also appeared on Fenris' radar. Three mediums and a single light; it would hardly a challenge for even one of the mechs of Fenris' star. He had pieced the star together based on speed and overwhelming firepower. The lightest mech at his disposal was a full 60 tons.

As the scout lance crested a small rise and began to panic seeing five clan mechs, Fenris keyed open his comms. "Attention Inner Sphere surrats, I am Star Commander Fenris Ward. You have entered Norse Battlemech Works' territory with intent to harm. I hereby challenge you to a Trial of Refusal for entry into the area under Norse control."

A crackle of static brought with it a voice. "This is Lance-Corporal Meghan Kent. Who the hell are you people and what the fk is a Trial of Refusal? Our quarrel isn't with you, now get out of our way or incur the wrath of the Order of Saint George."

"You refuse honorable combat with warriors of Clan Wolf? You are foolish Mechwarrior Meghan. I was even going to give you a sporting chance with your whole lance against only one of my mechs. Are you sure you do not wish to reconsider?" replied Fenris.

The only response that Fenris received was a large laser shot from a 50 ton Chameleon streaking above his cockpit and the impact of five LRMs from a 55 ton Shadow Hawk 2H. "Zellbrigen has been broken. Destroy them."

As Fenris uttered those words, the clan mechs leapt into action. The Shadow Hawk almost immediately detonated as three clan mechs choose it as their target, the large lasers and PPCs spearing right through the thin armor. Fenris lined up his reticule over the Chameleon and squeezed the trigger, sending both PPCs of his Cauldron Born Beta Configuration splashing over the small 50 tonner, melting armor and sheering off the left arm at the elbow. His mech shuddered under the glancing blows from a pair of autocannon from an old BJ-1 Blackjack, but Fenris ignored it and sent his extended-range large pulse lasers stitching across the Chameleon, turning over a ton and a half of armor into slag. The Inner Sphere pilot managed to keep her mech upright, but died a fiery death as 40 LRMs from Mechwarrior Cassie's 60 ton Mad Dog (Vulture Prime) exploited the weakened armor and ruptured the reactor.

Fenris surveyed the field for more targets, but there were none. Mechwarrior Jamie had made short work of a Jenner with her 80 ton Man-of-War (Gargoyle Charlie). The Blackjack was falling to the ground, missing its leg and its cockpit courtesy of Mechwarrior Adam's 65 ton Hellbringer (Loki Prime) and Mechwarrior Jita's 95 ton Executioner (Gladiator Alpha). None of the clan mechs had taken more than superficial damage, scorched paint and a few portions of pockmarked armor. Without a threat, the star of Clan Wolf warriors made their way back to their starting position to await the mechs that would undoubtedly come searching for their missing scout lance.

By the time the next bunch of Order mechs and vehicles came into sight, the column of armor and trucked infantry had begun to pass the intersection and continue onwards towards Thermopylae Base.

"This is Star Commander Fenris Ward of Clan Wolf. I am here to defend the lands of Norse Battlemech Works. What forces oppose me?" called Fenris to the Order troops.

"Star Commander Ward, this is Sir Edwin Mitchell, Knight of the Order of Saint George. We had no fight with you. You would have had another two weeks to surrender the Norse Facility and get off planet. You've killed Order troops though, and we can't let that stand. All who resist will be eliminated." At the beckoning of Mitchell's 95 ton Banshee, Order mechs and tanks began to move forward on the Clan Wolf position.

"Honorless dogs, prepare to feel the wrath of Kerensky's children" stated Fenris. He quickly targeted a Bulldog medium tank and poured joules upon joules of energy into it, stopping the tank in its tracks, the crew dead. The other clan mechs also targeted and began to pick apart the two companies of armor that were streaming down towards them, largely ignoring the smaller mechs that were also advancing. This lack of intention only encouraged the Order mech pilots to advance upon the stubborn Clan resistance.

Fenris found his mech being knocked around mercilessly from the combined fire of three mechs. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mechwarrior Jita's Executioner taken down to one knee to stay upright, before the Clan warrior raised her mech's arm and sprayed a flurry of fire from her three extended range large pulse lasers at another lance of medium tanks. Mechwarrior Adam's Hellbringer had lost its left arm, and with it one of his PPCs, cutting the mech's long range firepower in half. Cassie was carving a swath of destruction with her Mad Dog, its load of missiles and pulse lasers giving her a sphere of protection around her mech, as no mech or tank had yet shown the courage or foolishness to approach her mech. Jamie's Man-of-War was currently slugging it out with Jagermech, but the clan mech's Class 20 Ultra-Autocannon and six extended range medium lasers were making short work of the older mech's armor.

Then, the furthest forward Order mech, an old Thunderbolt, came even with the barn a few hundred meters in advance of the clan position. It almost appeared as if the barn exploded. A full star of clan elementals, 15 in all, came flying out of the barn and latched on to the two closest mechs, the Thunderbolt and an unfortunate Whitworth. Neither pilot was quick to react until the elementals were latched on and carving up their armor.

---.---

Sir Edwin Mitchell stopped his mech short. Finding a star of clanners blocking his patch to the Militia armor column within sight was infuriating and bad enough. Having a swarm of elementals emerge from nowhere was even worse. Edwin looked on as the elementals jetted away from the Thunderbolt as its LRM ammo cooked off, tearing the mech to shreds and sending one of its arms careening into a Bulldog tank, knocking it out. The Whitworth crashed to the ground, devoid of a pilot, and the elementals on that chassis swarmed out to find new victims. He shot off his two medium lasers at an elemental that came too close, but the little knat didn't die. Instead it continued on and latched onto one of his Patton Heavy Tanks. Curse those damned techs! If only they had finished the field upgrade for his Banshee to the 5S version rather then the nearly powerless 3E variant. They had managed to replace the reactor with an XL version and had partially upgraded the weaponry, but the early implementation of Phase 2 as well as the severe actuator problems his force had undergone had forced the techs to bump his upgrade down their list of priorities.

He squeezed off a shot with his two PPCs, impacting a Norse Battlemech Griffin that was providing the clanners fire-support. The mech took the damage and continued to fire without hesitation. Oh how Edwin wished that he had more up-to-date mechs. Tank forces had not changed so much that his armor was completely outclassed, but there had been so many changes to mechs within the last decade that many of his mechs were more worthy of a museum exhibit from the 4th Succession War than combat. His task force in particular had been denied many of the new mechs that had been shipped in and assembled since it was not expected he would have to fight a pitched battle with other mech forces. Rather he was just supposed to cut off the escape route and make sure that Sir Baldwin's columns could engage and destroy the Militia.

No matter, two more of Edwin's mech companies were coming into the fight as was another company of armor. There was no way that he could deploy his small numbers of infantry with any hope of doing anything other than sending them to their deaths at the moment. If he was going to win this fight, even against a clan enemy that he sorely outnumbered, he needed all of the firepower he could amass. The five clan mechs in his way undoubtedly massed nearly as much as one of his lighter companies, and matched one in firepower as well.

There! Two of the supporting Norse mechs went down, one without a head due to the explosion of the LRM launcher right next to the cockpit, and one to a reactor breach. At this rate he wouldn't have much of a force left afterwards, but he would win! Order forces continued to close with the clanners and pour fire into their omni-mechs.

Without warning, LRM, PPC, and Gauss fire poured in from Edwin's left. 'Dear God it was a trap!' thought Edwin. Out of the woods at the edge of the field advanced a mixed battalion of mechs and armor. 'Oh shit, they have assault mechs and Alacorns'. Two lances of mechs and most of the armor were painted in the colors of Norse Battlemechs and lighter in nature, but a whole company of mechs and the heaviest tanks were painted black. The only identifying marks on them were the large symbol over the left chest of the machines, a ovoid shield with letters inside it, painted on in a noticeable bronze and red color scheme.

Edwin had been brief on the Stuart's Spartans, but hadn't thought they would be a factor in this fight. Their numbers were small, but Edwin had seen the combat footage the Order had managed to acquire from their sponsors on Robinson. He had seen the fight and how a severely under-gunned mixed company had held off a force over three times their strength on Devil's Rock. Edwin felt like the biggest idiot. The only reason he had chosen this location to cut off the Militia was because he had counted on the fact that the Spartans wouldn't come out to confront him due to their low numbers. 'They must have nearly stripped their base of defenses to send this force out' he thought.

It didn't matter now. The Spartans were here and were advancing in line and using the mass-fire tactics that had proven themselves so effective over the centuries. Edwin saw his force being sliced into pieces. Tanks and battlemechs alike fell motionless as the Spartans' fire cut into the older equipment the Order fielded. The clan mechs and elementals were still causing havoc at the front of the formation. There was no way to reorganize his force enough to counter this threat.

Edwin's Banshee rocked as twin gauss and PPC impacted against his mech, chewing deep gouges into its torso. He returned fire at the Devastator, said to belong to the de-facto commander of the Spartans on-planet. He wanted to fight, his honor and pride demanded it, but there was no way that his Banshee could stand up to a Devastator in its present state. More LRMs and large laser fire from a Spartan Mad Cat rained across the upper extremities of Edwin's mech. It forced him to accept logic.

Edwin keyed up his command's general frequency. "All Order forces, fighting retreat to the southeast. Watch for pursuit and elementals." It galled him to have to pull back. Sir Baldwin would have his hide, but at least he had some troops to return with. As his people pulled out of range and detected no pursuit, Edwin took a quick head-count of his taskforce. Out of 48 battlemechs taken to the field, a full 4 companies' worth, Edwin was returning with 31. 17 mechs left on the field, most from the Spartans' sneak attack. It was unacceptable! Damn Sir Baldwin and his refusal to give Edwin even a few lances of newer mechs. He would never say that to the man though, that would be asking for an instant execution. The totals for his tank force were even worse. 5 companies for 60 vehicles and he was coming back with 25. Over half of his tank force was burning or scrap in the fields of wheat, almost all of that damage due to the clanners. Edwin could only shake his head. He might be executed after all…

---.---

Ice couldn't wipe the grin off of his face. Rommy's plan had worked even better than he had hoped. Most of the machines that had been thrown at the Star Commander hadn't seen combat since the 4th Succession War! It was almost like picking on defenseless little children. When the Clans had first invaded, old mechs like the ones he had seen today had proven themselves to be no match at all. Their armor was too thin and their weapons lacked the power and range. It was like watching an old holo-vid of the invasion…that's how lopsided it had been. Then there was the ambush! Oh he was almost giddy about that. Now he knew what people meant with the old expression 'like wheat before the scythe', an apt reference considering where they had fought.

The Spartans and Allies had gotten away from this fight easy. They had lost 9 tanks and hovercraft. Two had been medium tanks from the Norse company helping with the ambush. The other 7 had been from Militia armor that had turned off the road to help hold back the Order force while the mobile artillery had moved to safety. 5 mechs had also gone down, 4 of them from the light and medium mechs provided by Norse. Their lesser amounts of armor hadn't allowed them to go toe to toe and shrug off the damage as the larger mechs had. Two Griffin's had fallen in support of Star Commander Ward's position, both pilots were dead. The other two Norse mechs taken down were due to a Wolverine that had its leg shot off and a Nightsky whose reactor dampened before it exploded. The other mech taken down wasn't so much a casualty as it was inconvenient damage. Marzipan's Mad Cat had taken a pair of PPC shots from the Banshee as it fled the field. It had been a lucky hit, but the heat and energy from the beams fused the hip joint of her mech's left leg, leaving the mech nearly immobile.

"Thermopylae Base, this is Captain Olsen."

"Thermopylae Base here. What can we do for you Captain?" came the response.

"Send in the Pride of Sparta, we'll need the salvage teams and as many techs as can be spared. There are plenty of hulks to strip."

"Roger, Captain. Message relayed. Pride reports ETA 10 minutes. Thermopylae Base out."

It was a good day to be a mercenary, thought Ice. Good fights, even better salvage, and the immense satisfaction of having thrown down the gauntlet, effectively bitch-slapping one of the Order's ranking 'knights'.

'Take that Order of Saint George…you're not going to win this without one hell of a fight. And if it's a fight you want, you'll get the biggest fight of your lives. I will guarantee that every meter you gain is going to be paid for dearly with the blood of your troops and those bigoted assholes that support you" thought Ice as he surveyed the carnage.

---End Chapter---

AN: There you go people, another exciting episode of Stuart's Spartans: Backstab. Hope you enjoyed some good old-fashioned action this time around. R&R and I'll see you next time, mech-fans.

-AP