Chapter Four: Road to Rendezvous
*****
"We are here." A green light appeared on the map Conner was watching. It was situated where the missile platforms had once been, where the field bases had just arrived. The map did not show the area they'd just been through however; rather, it showed the valley that was their route to the Mech factory. "We need to be here." A red dot flashed on the other side of the valley. Probe data was routed to his Bushwacker, showing the intended path, buildings, and eventually a bridge. "There are two facilities near this bridge which you'll need to take out. Watch for fixed emplacements. However..." The image froze, and zoomed in on something on the far side of the bridge.
A BattleMech, with a bullet-shaped torso projecting over blocky legs. Arms sporting heavy weaponry. An involuntary shudder ran up the MechWarrior's spine.
Sorenson confirmed it. "An Annihilator. An assault Mech. ...Then again, this data is old. But keep your eyes open. Intercepted Clan broadcasts indicate that this Star Commander Freya is also somewhere nearby, and coming for us. Dominic will be waiting so we don't have a lot of time."
Throttling Guiding Light into a walk, Conner started up the incline which would lead him to the top of the plateau, overlooking the valley. Almost immediately a voice announced, "I have good position. Enemy unaware." A Clanner, clearly not knowing that the Damocles warrior could hear every word. Sorenson's techs had recovered Clan communications codes from the center Conner had scrapped earlier.
"That's what he thinks," the intel analyst muttered grimly. Conner allowed himself a slight smile as he headed forward to meet the challenge.
A Firefly. A light but tough older design, not too much of a threat. Hopefully. He let loose with two flights of missiles, but the Firefly's anti-missile system reduced it by half, which the Jaguar 'Mech matched with a salvo of its own.
Neither machine was horribly deterred, though one of Conner's missiles had impacted on the Firefly's head and probably made the pilot very uncomfortable. He switched to his laser and melted armor from the little Mech's side, then punched autocannon shells through the softened protection.
The Clanner's response was quick and highly effective, all three lasers finding the 'Wacker's arm-mounted LRM rack and melting it. Luckily the ammunition did not go off. Not a horrible loss for the moment, since he was getting into a range where he wouldn't have used the missiles anyway, but with no time to have the launcher fixed it could spell trouble soon.
He could worry later. Lashing out again with cannon and laser, he ripped open the side of the light BattleMech, then a flight from his remaining LRM launcher found the exposed reactor. Fire blossomed from the heart of the Mech and it exploded, and Conner turned the Bushwacker down the slope into the valley.
*****
"We're under attack! There's a Shadow Cat over here."
Epona Rhi swore and whirled her Bushwacker around. "Hang on, I'm almost there. Give me a minute more..." She had a sinking feeling, she knew she was going to be too late. How the hell had the Jaguars found her field bases? She'd thought they were well hidden, waiting in a small, empty cavern for her to finish her latest scouting run. There should have been no reason for the Clanners to be down there...
She could worry about it later. Throwing caution to the wind, she raced back to the cavern in about a fifth of the time it'd taken her to press forward. There was no point in stealth now.
On arrival she took a quick inventory. One field base down, one getting close. The Shadow Cat was ignoring her in favor of blasting holes in her vehicles, a very stupid thing to do.
She let off a flight of missiles to announce her presence. "Come on, then. Let's dance."
The Cat responded by triggering all of its weapons and blowing her shoulder-mounted missile rack off. All of Epona's piloting skill wasn't enough to keep the 'Wacker upright after the assault, and it pitched to the ground.
Alarms rang in her ears and she swore, fought the Mech upright. While she was thus occupied the Cat's lasers sliced into her Mech's right leg, but the armor had been pristine and the damage wasn't serious. She answered with her autocannon and after a moment's hesitation added her laser to the mix.
The autocannon shells impacted on the Omni's leg and left flank, but that didn't really matter as the laser struck and destroyed the cockpit. She shook her head and turned the Bushwacker around. "Any idea what it was doing here?"
"We've got a good idea," the field base commander replied. "We've picked up some readings through the rock... there's some sort of facility underground, and we're near the entrance."
Epona frowned. "Something we didn't know about before? Okay... relocate and keep trying to raise any survivors. I'll go check it out."
*****
Conner's laser lanced out again, stripping more armor from the enemy Bushwacker's flank but not doing any critical damage. Star Commander Freya answered by missing with her own laser, evaporating some of the water in the river. On the other side lay the wreckage of several Bulldog tanks and a Strider who had thought to take on the Damocles Commando warrior.
The Jaguar commander was coming off on the worse end, her autocannon ammo having already exploded. Were the Bushwacker an older design it would've ended the fight right there, but the Mech's CASE system had vented the explosion and left the machine intact.
Missiles impacted on Guiding Light's flank, and a shudder told him his gyro had been hit. He triggered his autocannon.
The shells punched through the paper-thin armor remaining on the enemy 'Wacker's torso, penetrating to the engine. "Cannot avoid destruction—" she transmitted. She might've if she'd just ejected instead of announcing it...
"Do we have time for repairs?" he inquired of Sorenson, as the field bases rolled forward. No doubt Dominic was waiting—and patience was not one of the warrior's stronger traits—but Conner's Bushwacker was a mess. He wouldn't be much help in this condition.
"Gunner reports that his location is clear for the moment. He'll move in as soon as you begin your run. But the Jaguars almost certainly have reinforcements coming, I wouldn't suggest pressing your luck..."
Losing Dominic was not something the lieutenant was willing to risk, and every second he waited would make the mission that much harder. "Ten minutes for whatever repairs are possible, then we hit the factory. Let's get this over with."
There was a pause. "All right. And sir? We have some bad news..."
It figured.