Wherever the Universe Takes Me
by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter 14
New Star research center campus, Tungere
Periphery
May 2, 3042
"Remember, lance... we wait for our turn to strike," Brigitte Anders, or Wolf One, said on the comm. "The militia will handle things first. Samesh will wait for their signal to strike."
"Copy that," Chen said as his Panther negotiated Tungere's autumn wilderness with his lance. It was almost noon, and while the main assault force took the road toward the New Star research facility, the BattleMech lance of Jackson's Werewolves took a stealthy route through the wilderness about two kilometers to the assault force's west, navigating forests, hills, and rocky plains. Being bipedal, the 'Mechs had no trouble handling terrain that would have tangled up tanks and APCs.
Chen's HUD clock showed just a few minutes shy of noon when Brigitte signaled for the lance to take cover in a copse of deciduous trees on a tall hill's rocky cliff. Chen crouched his Panther in place, hidden among the colorful swirl of brown and orange leaves.
So, there it is. Chen got a visual on New Star's base. According to Larry's intel, this research lab did bio-mechanical work, such as prosthetics and replacement eyeballs and eardrums for war veterans and workplace injury victims. The main building was six stories high, with satellite dishes and radio antennae on the roof. Three shorter, wider buildings sat nearby, and dozens of cars and supply trucks were parked in each of the two small parking lots. There was a huge chain-link fence around the campus, but the whole thing had been knocked down.
Probably by the Oberon Confederation bandits who surrounded the place.
"There's even more than I expected," Kathy, of Wolf Two, said on the comm. Her Grasshopper leaned closer to look. "This is gonna be a tough one."
"We'll let the militia handle things first," Brigitte reminded her. "And Peter's plan is solid."
"I've never done a hostage situation before," Herb, Wolf Three, mentioned. "This had better not go south."
"Even if it does, no one can blame our lance," Kathy said casually. "It's up to them now..."
*o*o*o*o*
Larry Berthold, from his cop days, knew how to handle a hostage situation, but not one of this scale. He sat in the backseat of an armored Humvee in the assault force, arms folded, going over possible dialogue in his head. It was up to his militia and those Werewolves to handle the shooting, if and when it came to that.
The New Star research lab drew close, and Larry took a deep breath to steady himself.
An agent in the Humvee's back seat set up comm equipment once the convoy came to a halt. Larry looked out the windows, and as expected, the Oberon force spread out in a wide line to meet the attackers, ready to shoot. Larry swallowed and put on a headset, plugged into the comm set, and adjusted the headset.
"I am Larry Berthold, commander of the Tungere planetary militia," he said on a broad, open comm for all to hear. "I am here to negotiate."
The bandits didn't take long to answer. "Shit. About damn time," a man's voice answered. "You ready to pay up yet?"
Stay calm. Empathy first. "Why do you feel the need to take innocent researchers hostage? They must be terrified. What could drive you to violate their workplace?"
The bandit took a second to answer. "What, you wanna know why?" he spat. "Easy! The Confederation wants to go legit, but we can't afford shit. Our people still go hungry, you bastard. People die every day because busted, old life support systems on space sations and moon bases give out! We don't have anythin' except rust and prayers. Or have you never heard that before?"
Larry certainly never heard that phrase before, but he pressed on. "You're doing this for the people of the Confederation?"
"That's what I'm saying!" the bandit raged. "Raiding draws attention to us, and now mercenaries like the fucking Jackson's Werewolves show up to stop us! But no one will help us. What else can we do but take what we need at gunpoint?"
"But this only perpetuates the cycle," Larry told him. "This raid drives worlds like mine to hire mercenaries, and then everyone else is even less willing to support the Confederation through peaceful means."
"Shut up!" the bandit roared, and Larry winced at his mistake. "This shit will never end unless the Confederation's people get what they need! We need a society that benefits everyone, and not just the interstellar elite!"
"I know, and many agree with that sentiment," Larry said in a rush. "But violence will never get you there. It's not the way. Stand down, and we can talk this out. Representatives of the Tungere government can -"
"If you bring 'em into this, I'll blow this whole place!" the bandit warned. "Bad enough you brought those Werewolves into this. Try anything else, and these people burn."
Larry traded grim looks with the agent sitting next to him. Now what? Things were going south even sooner than expected.
Shit. Larry swallowed again and spoke into the comm. "Are you asking us to just withdraw? Those are Tungere citizens in there. We can't abandon them any more than you can neglect the hungry Oberon folk."
The bandit paused at that, and for a moment, Larry hoped that he had gotten through to the bandit. Then the man responded in a flat tone. "Listen. You wanna fight for it? We won't blow the building if you don't bring in no outside reinforcements or try anything dirty."
"Excuse me?"
"Your army's here, and so is mine," the bandit said. "Winner gets his way. We win, we get all the concessions we asked for and the hostages go free. You win, and we pay for any damages, leave the system, and King Grimm III swears to declare Tungere off-limits to raids. You get me?"
Larry froze, aware that if he agreed, he'd be responsible for the outcome, whatever it may be. But then again, it was a sensible deal, and better than leaving the hostage in there to rot...
"Agreed."
"Damn right," the bandit said. "We open fire in two minutes. Get your ass somewhere safe if you don't want it blown to hell."
Larry cut the comm and swore. "Driver! Get us out of here!" he demanded. "Now!"
The driver wasted no time. The Humvee's wheels scuffed into the cool dirt and the vehicle roared through the battle formation and into the safety of the nearby forest, sheltered from the impending fire.
Larry gave the combined militia and Werewolves a hopeful look. It's in your hands now.
*o*o*o*o*
Chen's bloodthirsty mercenary side wanted to spring right away and start blasting, but his CCAF training kept him tensed in place like a compressed spring. Down below on the plains around the New Star facility, both sides suddenly opened fire. A dazzling tidal wave of LRMs erupted from the militia's LRM carriers, and the Oberon bandits panicked, scattering wide to avoid splash damage. The very ground shuddered as hundreds of missiles blasted the earth.
As the bandits fanned out, the militia's APCs rolled forward and rapidly deployed their armored troopers, who prepared their RPGs, Inferno rocket launchers, and laser turrets to fire. The Oberon infantry rushed to meet them, hundreds strong, and small arms fire thickened the air in a deadly melee.
"Any minute now..." Brigitte's voice said in Chen's ear, and he narrowed his eyes as he watched the bandits move. He monitored the Oberon 'Mech company and determined that the assorted light and medium 'Mechs were meant to augment the main force rather than take charge. But what if they were taken out first?
"Almost..." Brigitte said eagerly on the comm, her Shadow Hawk creaking as it rocked on its heels. "On my mark... GO!"
Chen shoved his Panther's throttle to 100% and held himself steady as his 'Mech thundered down the sloped cliff, his lance right around him in formation. A lance of light Oberon 'Mechs were nearby, two Wasps and two Commandos. Perfect targets.
"That Wasp! Fire!" Brigitte barked.
As Brigitte spoke, Chen's HUD received battle data from the Shadow Hawk, painting a target onto an Oberon Wasp. Chen lined up his crosshairs, got the lock, and squeezed his trigger.
Chen's PPC struck the Wasp first. The thick beam sheared off its left arm at the shoulder, leaving only molten armor and smoke at the left torso. Brigitte followed up, and her autocannon shells rattled the hapless light 'Mech. Her LRMs knocked the Wasp off-balance, and an LRM volley from Herb's Trebuchet blasted the disabled Wasp onto its back.
"Good! We've got eyes on us. Aggravate and scatter!" Brigitte hollered. "Move it, Werewolves!"
Chen obediently broke from the engagement and circled wide, and on his radar, he watched his lancemates do the same, giving no easy target for the Oberon 'Mechs. They were no doubt furious at the deadly flanking attack, eager for payback. And that would make them sloppy.
LRMs pounded Chen's torso, and he felt a chill as he realized that no Oberon 'Mech had fired them. What? I can't get a bead on the target!
More LRMs, and now PPCs, flashed across the battlefield from strange angles, cleanly going through the ranks of the Oberon 'Mechs and chipping away at Brigitte's own lance.
"What's going on, Wolf One?" Kathy cried on the comm.
"We're the ones getting outflanked!" Brigitte realized, her horror clear in Chen's headset. "Look! The Oberon 'Mechs are just toying with us. Those Oberon Manticores are backing them up."
Already? Our flanking attack was flawless, Chen thought as he avoided more enemy fire from tanks and 'Mechs alike. The Oberon tanks couldn't have been redirected to us so soon! Unless...
Chen bared his teeth. "Wolf One! They were ready for us. There's no other explanation."
"Ready? How?" Kathy demanded.
"Look at the battle," Chen said grimly. "The Oberon forces are countering everything we do."
Already, the disaster was unfolding. Although the militia's LRM carriers had dealt impressive damage with their first two volleys, Oberon Manticores and VTOLs alike had already weaved their way expertly through the battlefield, around militia formations, and pounced on the LRM carriers at close range.
Chen winced as one, then two, then three LRM carriers succumbed to enemy fire. LRM carriers were fire-support only; they were slow, and had thin armor and no backup weapons of any kind. The surviving LRM carriers backed away on their treads to give themselves breathing room, and the two tanks lances of Jackson's Werewolves moved in to protect them.
Good. If we can keep those LRM carriers safe... Chen thought. He saw the Werewolves' own Manticores engage the Oberon ones, and being in better condition, they gained the upper hand. The two Goblin and two Bulldog Werewolves tanks backed them up.
"Eyes over here, Scrappy!" Brigitte told him. "Let our tank lances handle things. We have to get out of here."
Sure enough, the Oberon 'Mechs were increasing the pressure, and they had plenty of vehicle support. Chen winced as an Oberon Phoenix Hawk's large laser grazed his thigh, and he yanked his joysticks hard to the left to regroup with the lance and retreat. He kept weaving and juking at random to present a tougher target to the Oberon forces.
"LRM carriers down! I repeat, we have lost the LRM carriers!" Samesh barked on the general comm. "Werewolves, get out of there! No use defending their carcasses. Form up!"
What the...! Chen stole another glance at the battlefield. The last surviving LRM carriers were smoking wrecks, and the militia's SRM carriers were the next targets. Samesh's tank lances had finished off the Oberon tanks with two of their own Manticores going down, but more Oberon forces were inbound. This time, it was APCs with RPG-carrying infantry riding on their roofs.
Chen saw Samesh's tanks vanish off his radar one by one, and the radio chatter confirmed that overwhelming RPG fire, plus Oberon VTOL support, made short work of Samesh's last two Manticores. The lance of two Bulldogs and two Goblins regrouped with the main assault force, and the Oberon APCs retreated.
We'll never win at this rate, Chen realized. The bandits were outnumbered, but their flanking attacks were impeccable, and they knew exactly when and where the militia and Jackson's Werewolves were vulnerable.
Chen's eyes widened and he tapped into Samesh's comm. "Commander! Is it possible that the bandits hacked our private servers? They're anticipating everything we do with perfect timing."
"Got to be," Samesh said. "Get your lance with the main force and we'll make an assault so simple and blunt there won't be anything to read! Just man-to-man!"
Chen had to agree. Getting fancy out here would just leave openings that the bandits would exploit every time. But in a meat grinder, the militia and Jackson's Werewolves could press their numerical advantage.
"They're pursuing us!" Herb cried as his Trebuchet sprinted full speed away from the Oberon 'Mech company. "Wolf One?"
"Shit. Let's try and discourage them," Brigitte told the lance. "Then we'll form - aaaargh!"
A bandit Griffin punished Brigitte's Shadow Hawk with its PPC, blasting armor off her right torso. Autocannon fire from a hostile Clint wiped out even more of her armor, and smoke poured from the jagged wound. Brigitte's return fire chipped armor off the Clint, but it didn't dare back down.
Chen let out a frustrated yell and aimed his Panther's PPC. The beam cored the Clint's center torso, but when the beam exhausted its energy, a little armor was still left. This allowed the Clint to pepper Chen's 'Mech with its autocannon, and his armor tracker marked his center torso with orange. Not good.
"Hey there!" Kathy taunted on the general comm. Her hulking Grasshopper spread its arms wide. "You boys want some fun?"
The Clint's pilot greedily took the bait. The 35-tonner raced ahead and fired its autocannon 5, but this time, the shells went wide. Kathy's return fire blasted right into the Clint's center torso and blew the 'Mech to pieces. Its flaming wreckage scattered over the rippling grass.
For a fleeting moment, Chen was sure the bandits would back off. Instead, the ten light and medium 'Mechs surged in a wide formation, wildly blasting. Herb's Trebuchet jerked as autocannon shells and LRMs punished it head to toe, and while his own LRMs damaged an enemy Dragon's torso and right arm, the bandit 'Mech kept on firing. Its next volley blew off Herb's left arm, robbing him of a precious LRM 15 launcher.
"Watch out!" Chen hurried over to cover Brigitte's Shadow Hawk from an enemy Jenner that had set its sights on her. Too late; the smaller 'Mech's lasers scoured the Shadow Hawk's legs, and its SRMs blew armor plates from the bigger 'Mech's right arm. Brigitte turned and returned fire, but her SRM 2 and medium laser were taken in stride.
Damn! Chen's own SRMs pounded the Oberon 'Mech, but once again, the enemy forces refused to back off. The Jenner, working in tandem with a Commando, converged on Chen's Panther. Fourteen SRMs rattled Chen's Panther, and he hung onto his joysticks for dear life, his ears ringing as explosions blinded him. Mei... forgive me, but I don't want to meet you in the next world just yet. The Little Dragon isn't done yet.
Chen never got the chance to recover. He couldn't see a thing, but he felt LRMs envelope his Panther with fresh detonations, and autocannon shells splintered his 'Mech's metal bones and myomers.
"Damage critical. Eject. Eject," the 'Mech's computer warned, and Chen felt horrible heat surging into his cockpit. It was now or never.
Chen muttered a tense prayer and pulled on the ejection lever. Flaming jets elevated his command couch from the Panther's head, and the G-forces mashed him into the seat, his vision dimming as he rose higher and higher.