My Father's Friend
Chapter 25: Train Robbers
Lish-Nokavi Desert, Callone VI,
Outworlds Alliance,
December 24, 3077
The future assault on Bunkieki would probably take only a short amount of time to complete, but the preparations were another story. Jenna learned first-hand just how much preparation can go into one brief event. Not only did the Liberty Party need to disable Richard Marshall's communication network to disorient his forces, but Bunkieki's military supply lines had to be cut, too. Colonel Butler and the Royal Lion Lancers coordinated their efforts to strike Marshall's forces wherever they could, and make Bunkieki as soft a target as possible.
"Lance Leader Alcatar, we are two kilometers from target," stated Gerwin Jones, the commander of a Lion Lancers company that walked alongside Jenna's lance. The lot of them had arrived on a Union-class and a Leopard-class dropship.
"Copy that," Jenna responded. Sixteen total 'mechs approached the current target, a huge train station in the middle of the desert that dominated the center of Callone VI's only continent. The factories of the north-east lands sent their supplies to Bunkieki through the Lish-Nokavi Desert, and denying Marshall those supplies was one step toward taking the capital.
From plains to tundra to jungle to desert, I'm seeing all kinds of things in this war, Jenna thought to herself, amused. At least I get a change of scenery every time I step out of the hangar! That doesn't mean any less danger, though. Without a doubt, the roiling heat of the desert would limit heavy fire, especially for an energy-heavy 'mech like Jenna's. Fortunately, some of the 'mechs on Jones' company had enough heat sinks to deal with that. In the fire support lance walked two Trebuchets and a pair of huge Archers, and Jones planned to use a heavy LRM barrage to disable the incoming train. Once that was done, a waiting Party convoy of vehicles could claim all the supplies in the train and take them to a Party base.
Even without firing any weapons, Jenna noted that her Hellspawn's heat level slowly crept up as she walked. The heat radiating from the desert's rocks and sand dunes combined with that of her engine, making her cockpit plenty warm. If not for her cooling vest, she'd be miserable. Sweat matted her hair and her shorts and bra were already damp with perspiration, but she tried to ignore that.
"One kilometer out. Scout lance, race ahead and get a visual. Fie support lance, get ready to fire on my mark," Jones' voice crackled. "Let's see what kind of defenses Marshall has lined up for us today."
Ahead of him raced two spindly Wasp 'mechs and two Firefly 'mechs, their legs carrying them fast and far over the desert dunes, their feet kicking up sand everywhere. As the rest of the 'mechs climbed over a ridge of dunes, the desert flattened out to present a clear view of the huge train station. The steel-gray structure was five stories high and rather long, with openings for the maglev train track to enter and leave. The maglev rail rested on supports, about ten feet off the desert surface. There was no sign of the train yet, but that was a good thing; the attackers needed time to take out any defenders first, anyway.
"I've got something!" a Firefly pilot shouted. "My Beagle Active Probe reads a full company of Battlemechs and two lances of vehicles, mostly Vedettes and a few Manticore tanks. They're shut down right now."
"Good. Fire support lance, get ready to open up!" Jones ordered. "Scouts, get back. Target the Manticore tanks to remove the threat of PPC fire, and then take out any LRM-carrying enemy 'mechs. As soon as you get close enough to shoot, they'll detect you."
The four Davion scouts scampered back to the safety of the bigger 'mechs, and the four LRM-heavy Davion 'mechs lurched forward with their missile racks poised at the ready. They crept closer to the enemy, determined to strike the first blow.
"Tiger, fire your LRM's with me," Jenna told him. "James, Yuuki, stay back."
At that moment, the Trebuchets and Archers stood stock-still and filled the air with an impressive swarm of LRM's from their combined missile racks. Countless warheads streaked through the hot air and left thick streams of dark gray smoke. Using her optical zoom, Jenna caught sight of the enemy tanks and 'mechs, then crept just inside effective firing range. Her HUD confirmed a missile lock on an enemy Daimyo, and she pressed her joystick's button. The Hellspawn jerked as ten missiles roared out of her torso, halfway to the target as the Davions' missiles hit home.
The very ground shuddered and a monstrous roar filled the air as dozens of explosions ripped through the AFC ranks. Blinding blossoms of orange fire erupted on the 'mechs and tanks, obscuring them from view as smoke billowed everywhere. Tiger fired his twin LRM 10's as well, and his and Jenna's missiles vanished into the fiery mass. Jones ordered the rest of his 'mechs to charge the enemy while the LRM's did their work, and Jenna similarly got her lance moving forth at top speed.
700 meters out from the train station, Jenna finally got a view of the enemy as the LRM smoke cleared. A few Vedettes and light AFC 'mechs lay in smoking ruins, falling into charred pits of glass in the dunes. The rest, however, merely suffered superficial armor damage and clearly wanted revenge. The survivors raced forward to meet the Party forces halfway, lighting with their own fire. Four Manticore tanks led the way, proving their reputation with volleys of PPC's and LRM 10's. Jenna jerked her joysticks to the side, and an LRM cluster narrowly missed her Hellspawn, whooshing past into empty air.
Jones' 'mech, a hulking Sunder, merely twitched as two LRM 10's from the Manticores slammed against its torso. The 90-ton Omnimech shrugged off the fire, but a Manticore's PPC slashed its center torso, almost breaching the SRM 4 launchers there. One of the Archers stepped forward and punished the Manticore with its missiles, blowing off large chunks of its armor. Jones' Sunder raised its right arm, and two thick red beams lashed out from the muzzles. The two large lasers cored into the injured Manticore's front armor, breaching its inner systems and triggering explosions from within. The tank blew apart into smoking pieces that scattered across the hot dunes.
Jenna hung back and aimed her crosshairs at an enemy Grasshopper and triggered her ER large laser. The beam gouged into the bigger 'mech's left shoulder and sent globs of armor flying into the air, but all that did was make the 70-tonner angry. Taking to the air on its jump jets, the big 'mech soared through the air at Jenna and launched its LRM 5 in mid-flight. Jenna tried to dodge but her hands were sweaty on her joysticks, making them slip. Her Hellspawn took the missiles to its chest, rattling the cockpit and throwing off Jenna's aim. Taking their chance, two AFC Vedettes rolled toward the Hellspawn and clawed off its outer armor with their Autocannon 5's.
James threw his Dragon's left large laser at a Vedette, slashing off armor and making the tank pull back. A Davion Trebuchet finished the job, its dual LRM 15's blasting the tank into pieces. "Thanks for the help," James cheered, but his celebration was cut short. The Grasshopper's pilot proved himself to be much better than anyone expected. The 'mech landed right by James' side, singeing his armor with a medium laser. James whirled to face the 'mech but that was a mistake: the Grasshopper drew back its fist and slugged the Dragon right on its protruding chest, knocking it clean onto its back. The Grasshopper towered over its prey, gouging James' crumpled armor with its medium lasers.
Not so fast! Jenna mentally growled. She took a step back and lined up her crosshairs on the Grasshopper, then risked her heat by firing both her ER laser and Light PPC. The ER large laser missed, flashing over the target's shoulder. The Light PPC punched into the Grasshopper's thigh, but that didn't deter the bigger 'mech. James fired his twin SRM 4's from his position, but not even that threw off the big 'mech. The Grasshopper's large laser burned into James' right SRM 4, blowing up the internal ammo.
"Yuuki! Get over here!" Jenna roared, not willing to fire another heavy weapon. The white Panther scampered across the battlefield but an enemy Commando's SRM's knocked it over, sending the Panther sprawling. An AFC Manticore rolled forward to finish Yuuki off, and Jenna couldn't allow that. She punished the Manticore with her LRM 10, and although her heat had gone down somewhat, it spiked right back up and Jenna squirmed in the sudden rush of heat in her cockpit. Damn it! Yuuki's vulnerable! And James needs help too! Tiger was busy fending off an enemy Daimyo, unable to provide assistance.
Then, a Davion 'mech broke from the battle and stomped over, raising all of its guns for the kill. It was an Avatar, and its LRM barrage blasted armor off the marauding Manticore's left flank. The tank whirled around and its PPC took armor off the Avatar's torso, but the Avatar didn't slow down. Its LBX-10 barked, and the cluster rounds shattered the remaining armor on the Manticore. Yuuki's Panther got back up and washed the tank with its quad flamers, triggering internal ammo explosions. Yuuki backed away as the tank succumbed to the detonations.
"That was a close one, huh?" the Avatar pilot commented.
Jenna recognized his voice. "Andrew Ringer? Is that you?"
"That it is!" he responded. "I don't think we've fought on the same battlefield since that simulator battle in Port Nucham. I've got your back, Alcatar girl."
Finally, Jenna's heat level was low again, but she was wary. "Glad to have you on the team, Andrew." She turned and struck the Grasshopper with her large laser, striking the 70-tonner's LRM launcher. The ammo inside exploded at the laser's hot touch, throwing back the Grasshopper. Taking his chance, James got his injured Dragon back on its feet, taking a few steps back. Raising the 'mech's right arm, James shuddered the Grasshopper with a stream of shells from the RAC 5, sending shards of the Grasshopper's armor flying everywhere. The bigger 'mech took to the air again on its jets, finally escaping James' fire.
"Get him!" Jenna ordered, and Tiger Wong's LRM volleys exploded onto the Grasshopper along with an LRM 10 flight of Jenna's own. The combined warheads tore the marauding 'mech into pieces that rained all over the battlefield.
One of the Davion Wasps and Fireflys had gone down, but the other two had scampered away from the battle and checked on the maglev train rail. "The train's coming! It's going at 80 kph and is armed!" the Wasp pilot announced. The Party forces were just barely pushing back the AFC defenders, inflicting heavier losses than they suffered. A Trebuchet and an Uziel from the Davion company had also gone down and everyone else was battered, but the AFC defenders grew more weary by the minute.
"Good. Get ready to fire on the train!" Jones commanded. "Just enough to slow it down! We've still got defenders to take care of."
The two Archers drew back from the battle even farther, not willing to take any more damage. The surviving AFC defenders pressed the Party forces back, gathering together to act as a barrier between their enemies and the train. From the eastern horizon, Jenna saw a long, gunmetal-gray maglev train approaching.
"Ignore the train! The AFC forces will focus on Jones' company when they fire on the train," Jenna barked to her lance. "We'll take out the enemy 'mechs one at a time with focused fire."
"Copy that," responded three voices, and Jenna held her breath as the train drew nearer and the Davion Archers prepared to fire. She recoiled as enemy Autocannon bursts rattled her torso and arms, but she held steady and waited for the time to come.
Then, the train glided over a curve on its rail and the Archers opened fire. Their missile barrage washed over the vehicle, explosions rapidly blossoming on its side. The whole train buckled and screeched from the impact, fire and sparks flying from its underside. Although it slowed down, the train kept going and slipped into the train station before the Archers could fire again.
"Execute emergency protocol 'shield'," a flat voice declared on the public comm, and Jenna's radar came alive with four new contacts from within the train station. A large cargo door slid open and four new Battlemechs marched out, each one registering as an AFC machine. The train sped out of the station again, drawing the Archers' attention. Both 'mechs turned to shoot the train again, but the AFC, now bolstered with another lance, opened full fire on the surviving Party 'mechs. Two Thunderbolts, a Shadow Hawk, and an odd-looking Cleaver all fully exited the train station and added their fire.
All of the Vedette and Manticore tanks had gone down, but an Uziel from the Davion company went down and Jones' Sunder shuddered from enemy fire. The enormous Sunder knocked over an enemy Thunderbolt with an deafening Autocannon 20 shot to the shoulder, but the other Thunderbolt slugged the Sunder with its large laser, blowing up one of Jones' SRM 4 launchers. A cluster of LRM's from the Thunderbolt further staggered Jones and kept him from firing.
Jenna and Tiger fired their combined 30 LRM's at a damaged enemy Centurion and sent the ruined Romanesque 'mech to the dunes, but this only spurred on its allies. Protected by friendly cover fire, the Cleaver stomped quickly and gracefully across the battlefield, its forward-bending legs showing no sign of strain that the other Cleavers did. Andrew's Avatar backed up and triggered its LBX-10, filling the air with murderous cluster munitions. Quick on the upkeep, the Cleaver tensed its legs and pounced into the air, sudden jets of flame propelling it much higher up.
"Hey, wait! None of the other Cleavers ever used jump jets," James commented, sounding as afraid as Jenna felt. He slashed the Cleaver's back armor with his large laser, but the flying 'mech paid no attention. Instead, it raised its swords up and triggered a flamer on its torso. The flame heated up both swords and made them glow red-hot, and the Cleaver landed right in front of an Archer. The Davion 'mech struck back with two medium lasers, but that was the last move it made. The Cleaver thrust both of its hot swords forth, each impaling one of the Archer's twin LRM 20 racks. The heated blades cooked the missiles inside, and the Cleaver drew back just in time. The Archer was immediately engulfed in a vicious chain of explosions, consumed by its own LRM's.
"Now that is disturbing," Tiger hissed. His Hellspawn slugged an AFC Shadow Hawk with its LRM's a second later. "So that is the famous Cleaver?"
"I... think so, but this one seems different," Jenna frowned. "I've never seen one use a flamer or jump jets. Maybe this is a different model? Yowch!"
Jenna kept her mind from the battle too long; a small pack of missiles exploded against her right arm, chipping the armor down nearly to the inner bone. Cursing, Jenna got her lance back together. "Go for the Cleaver! I don't want another one of these things on my home planet!"
Her lance threw all of its fire at the Cleaver, but the AW-001 pilot boasted inhuman reflexes. The 60-ton 'mech evaded all of the shots and took to the air, tilting down slightly. A crackling PPC bolt streaked through the air and washed into Tiger's front torso, close to the cockpit. Tiger cursed on the comm as his frazzled 'mech staggered back, and then his Hellspawn got knocked into its back from an LBX-10 shot by the Cleaver.
This isn't right! Jenna glared at the enemy 'mech. It certainly looked like a Cleaver, but she started to see differences. Its head had more of a helmet shape, like that of an ancient Spartan warrior. The Cleaver's canopy glass hid within the helmet shape, the cyborg pilot safe within. Further, the gun muzzles on its chest matched the weapons that had fired: a PPC for disabling shots, and an LBX-10 for the kill. Not to mention the flamer.
"I need support!" Jones roared as his Sunder traded fire with a Thunderbolt. "Alcatar?"
"Busy here!" Jenna shouted back. She grazed the Cleaver's left arm with her ER large laser, vaporizing a sheet of armor.
The strange Cleaver drew back a little, raising its blades. "I am AW-002, pilot of the Cleaver II," it stated. "Test battle results thus far: favorable."
That proves it! The Ghalans made another model of this thing! Jenna realized with dread. Stray shots from the main battle peppered her lance, but the Cleaver II was the bigger problem. It easily knocked over Jones' Sunder with a shot to the knee, then vaulted into the air on its jump jets to evade fire. It then soared in the air toward Jenna's lance for another kill. Its flamer came to life, heating up its swords again.
"Quick! Maneuver so an enemy shoots it!" Jenna ordered, remembering her tactic from the jungle. "It's the best way to fight this thing!"
Tiger got his 'mech back up and all of the 'mechs on Jenna's lance skittered around, trying to get the Cleaver II between them and AFC fire. Lasers and Autocannon bursts whooshed by the sword-wielding 'mech, and Jenna felt her heart hammering as she kept moving. She prayed that her sweaty hands wouldn't slip off her joysticks. Come on, work!
Then, the enemy Thunderbolt fired its LRM's at Jenna but missed; the warheads rammed into the Cleaver II's right shoulder and blasted off armor chunks, and Andrew's Avatar approached to help deal the killing blow. The Cleaver recoiled from the missiles, then turned to face the Avatar. The Avatar's two medium pulse lasers raked the Cleaver II, but the Cleaver II ignored that and triggered its LBX-10 right on Jenna's left knee. Jenna felt her stomach lurch as her Hellspawn crumpled onto its back, thudding heavily onto the hot sand.
The trick didn't work! This pilot doesn't have the IFF flaw like the others! Jenna's mind whirred as she fought to get her machine back up, but in her panic, she couldn't work the controls right. No! No! I'm exposed down here... She heard James' RAC 5 fire and Yuuki's flamers ignite, but she couldn't see the results. Her Hellspawn slowly got to its feet as she calmed herself down, and she saw the battle-damaged Cleaver II still walking forward, close to Jenna's Hellspawn. Andrew's Avatar approached and fired its LBX-10, but the Cleaver II vaulted into the air again on its jump jets and landed right in front of the Avatar, taking Andrew by surprise. With one sword thrust into the Avatar's cockpit, the AW-002 pilot dispatched Andrew.
Jenna's heart hammered in panic and rage at the sight, remembering how hard she had fought to prove to Andrew Ringer that she was a comrade with him and the other Davion forces. With one strike, the Cleaver II took that away, and it wasn't done yet. Only five 'mechs of the Davion force remained, including Jones' Sunder. The Sunder and other four Davion 'mechs drew into a tight group, fending off the more numerous AFC forces. The train was long gone by now, and the Cleaver II raised its guns for another shot.
A sudden buzz in the air preceded the roar of engines, and Jenna's radar picked up six helicopters and a Leopard-class dropship that landed and deployed four Battlemechs. She narrowly dodged the Cleaver II's PPC and heard a new voice on her comm. "You look like you need some help. Lucky that we were in the area."
That's Alexander's voice! Jenna realized. She didn't dare look away from the battle, but two ER large lasers flew from behind her and slashed onto the surviving Thunderbolt, melting the rest of its tattered torso armor into hot slag. A PPC from Alex's group cored into the wounded Thunderbolt, sending the bulky 'mech crashing to the ground. On top of that, the six helicopters flew past overhead, raining down fire everywhere. Autocannon bursts and Gauss Rifle slugs from the Yellow Jacket and Warrior helicopters tore into the AFC ranks, leaving them a better target for the ragged Davion survivors. Jones led his men back into the fight, trading fire with the AFC 'mechs with renewed intensity.
"Let me get this one," another familiar voice said cheerily, and one of the Yellow Jackets swooped on the Cleaver II and fired its Gauss Rifle. The slug blasted into the 'mech's torso and punched into its left side's armor, and Jenna and her lance opened fire to take the 'mech down. Reacting quickly, the Cleaver II once again took to the air and evaded all of that fire, then looked upwards. Its PPC grazed the side of the nimble Yellow Jacket, shearing off all of its right side armor and setting the internal systems ablaze.
A PPC bolt slashed into the Cleaver II's leg, and a red and silver Griffin advanced, its gun raised at the airborne 'mech. "This is a tough one, isn't it?" the pilot commented.
"Hey, that's Toshiro Sato! I remember hiring him!" James exclaimed. "Now I'm really glad I did..."
"Quiet!" Jenna ordered. The Cleaver II landed and pushed back Toshiro's Griffin with its LBX-10, then knocked over James' Dragon with another LBX-10 shot to the leg as soon as the LBX recycled. Yuuki circled wide as Jenna distracted the Cleaver II with her fire, and the white Panther got right up behind the Cleaver II and poured fire all over its left arm. The damaged armor there started to melt and sag, distracting the AW-002 pilot. James took his chance and fired: His RAC 5 rounds filled the air, tearing into the fire-softened armor. The Cleaver II staggered to the side as its left arm came off, torn myomer fibers poking out of the shoulder like worms.
Toshiro's Griffin backed up a step to line up another shot, but Jenna suddenly got a bad feeling. She yelled at him to run, but it was too late: the Cleaver II blasted the Griffin's neck with its PPC, stunning the whole 'mech. Then, the cyborg-piloted 'mech rocketed forward on its jump jets, forcing the Griffin to its knee with an LBX-10 shot to the leg. Then, the Cleaver II heated up its remaining sword with its flamer and thrust the hot blade deep into the Griffin's chest. The blade pierced the victim 'mech's engine and set off countless inner explosions, and Toshiro's ejection pod barely made it out of the fireball in time. The pod landed on the dunes and rolled away from the battle, tumbling all the way down a dune and coming to a halt further away.
The Cleaver II buckled as Jenna's ER large laser slashed into its center torso, but it still didn't go down. The 'mech no doubt flushed some coolant before it fired again: its LBX-10 rattled James' left torso and knocked his 'mech over, then its PPC smashed into Jenna's center torso, flooding her cockpit with heat and blinding her with the blue flash and shower of sparks. Her HUD scrambled and distorted, rendering her 'mech nearly useless. Tiger punished the Cleaver II with his LRM's, and although the bigger 'mech now lacked most of its armor, it approached for the killing shot.
At that instant, the Cleaver II's chest crumpled and caved in, and the buzz of helicopter rotors filled the air. The same Yellow Jacket from before kept its distance from the Cleaver II, but its Gauss Rifle shot had done the damage. The Cleaver II staggered and limped around, unable to control itself with the internal explosions starting to shudder the whole 'mech.
"Systems... failing," the AW-002 pilot said flatly, and the Cleaver II's head vanished as Jenna's, James', Tiger's, and Yuuki's combined fire demolished it. The rest of the AFC forces succumbed to the Alex's forces, and Alexander's Toyama took in the battlefield.
"Did the train get away?" Alex asked, and Jones' damaged Sunder wandered over.
"Yes, it did," the Davion commander answered heavily. "We damaged it and slowed it down, but the Cleaver II and its allies kept us too busy. We wouldn't have made it at all if not for you lot."
"Thanks, dad," James said with a tremble. "That Cleaver II took out at least two or three 'mechs all by itself!"
"It wasn't any trouble," the Yellow Jacket pilot chimed, and Jenna recognized her voice as Chilali's.
Sweating buckets, Jenna sighed and brought her Hellspawn to a halt. "That was close, Chilali. How'd you know to find us?"
"Us FlyCats were coming back from a strike operation to the west," Chilali answered, "And we caught wind of this battle and recommended reinforcements to nearby Party forces just in case. Alex Taylor got a group together and came here."
"FlyCats, we're going after that train," Juliette, the FlyCats commander, announced. The other Yellow Jacket angled toward where the train had gone. "We're going to catch that train and stop it ourselves. Gerwin Jones, I recommend you alert the capture convoy to follow us? We can't carry the train's contents in our choppers."
"I'll do that," Jones responded. "Then when I get back to base, I'll get a good drink. This op was much harder than I imagined."
I could use a break too, Jenna thought as she headed back to the dropships with the other survivors. And have a long shower, a long nap, a hot meal, a good book, maybe a little origami-making, and... well, anything to sharpen my mind for whatever will come next.