John and his lancemates met up with Leftenant Taylor at the rim of a
deep valley in the midst of the Tillerbee, barely 30 minutes from Pegasus
Base. Using laser communications, Taylor communicated the situation to his
comrades.
"I picked up a 'mech lance coming down from New Pontiac. A Stinger, two Panthers, and a Griffin. I couldn't make out unit insignia, but the Dragon was plain enough. They're taking their time, but they're disciplined. These guys are no amateurs."
John forced himself to loosen the deathgrip he had on the Valkyrie's controls. He tried to slow his breathing, but he could do nothing to control the rapid beating of his heart. He'd tell his friends that it was simply the thrill of the oncoming action. They'd all agree, and acknowledge that they'd felt the same thing. And they'd all know that it was as much fear as it was excitement.
"Copy, Leftenant," John said, his eyes glancing down over his controls. Green lights stared back at him - the Valkyrie was ready for its first real fight.
"If they hold their current course, they'll be coming through this valley. We'll set up our ambush from that ridge." Rand said, motioning with his Enforcer's autocannon at a low hill to the east. The massive trees would provide cover from the Combine 'mechs scanners, at least for a little while.
As they moved into position, John watched the others' machines. He was still disconcerted by the paint scheme. The unit's Techs, having heard that the Battalion was going to be incorporated into the Tenth Deneb, had decided to paint the machines in the khaki coloring favored by the Light Cavalry. They had even added the unit insignia, a white horse head superimposed over a black rectangle, with a gold box just beneath the horse head. Inside the box was the Roman numeral 'X'.
Given the verdant green of the surrounding jungle, John was concerned that the 'mechs would make excellent targets. He found himself wishing for the camouflage paint job that had been the norm during his training days.
~Nothing we can do about that now,~ he told himself as they moved positioned their 'mechs along the ridgeline. The Leftenant's Enforcer took up the southward position, acting as the stop-gap on the ambush. Just a bit farther up the ridgeline from the Enforcer, Quinn hunkered his Commando down between two large trees.
To John's right, at the farthest north position, Kathy settled her own Valkyrie, the twin of John's 'mech, down onto its left knee. The 'mech's right arm, ending in the barrel of a Sutel IX laser instead of a hand assembly, rested on the 'mech's right knee.
~We're as ready as we'll ever be,~ John said, bringing his own 'mech to a halt.
John eyes roamed over his status displays for the thousandth time, making sure nothing had changed, when his eyes caught movement on the display screen before him.
From the north, a green and grey camouflaged Griffin stepped through the foliage, its Fusigon PPC cradled in its arms like an assault rifle. The LRM launcher on its shoulder was locked into firing position, but the Kurita pilot gave no sign of seeing any of Davion 'mechs. Still, the Griffin alone outweighed even the Leftenant's 'mech by five tons.
Just behind the Griffin came more cause for concern in the form of a PNT_9R Panther. Though massing only 35 tons, the Kurita design carried a Lord's Light PPC on its right arm and four SRM tubes in its center torso. Combined with jump jets, that mix of weaponry had proven highly effective over the years. The Panther was a mainstay in DCMS recon forces.
On the near side of the Griffin came the humanoid shape of a Stinger. At only 20 tons, this 'mech was outweighed by every unit in the training battalion's lance. John zoomed in his optics, and cursed silently under his breath. Outweighed it might be, but not outgunned. This was a 3G variant of the Stinger, which had replaced the twin machine guns in the 'mech's left arm with a second medium laser. The twin lasers gave the 'mech the appearance of someone carrying a pistol in each hand, like some kind of holovid star.
~There should be one more Panther out there, if Rand's count was accurate,~ John told himself, searching the jungle before him. Try as he might, however, he couldn't resolve another contact before the signal came.
Two short clicks through John's headset signaled the start of the ambush. John brought up the Valkyrie's golden crosshairs swiftly, and grinned as they meshed over the torso of the Griffin.
John's left index finger tightened over the trigger and his cockpit was filled with a loud whoosh as ten long range missiles launched from the Valkyrie's chest. The heat in the cockpit rose 10 degrees as the 'mech's heat sinks struggled to keep up.
The missiles arced through the sky, then fell on the Kurita Griffin, blasting chunks of armor from it's left leg. John stabbed the Valkyrie's stubby right arm forward and added his laser to the barrage. The ruby beam caught the Griffin on its right shoulder as the 'mech turned to face its attacker. A larger laser beam threw dirt up from the ground in front of the Griffin while autocannon shells from the Leftenant's Enforcer ripped into its right leg.
The Griffin seemed to disappear as more LRM's from Kathy's Valk sent columns of dirt skyrocketing all around it, but failed to connect with the 'mech. Short range missiles from Quinn's Commando pocked the Kurita 'mech's torso as the heavy warheads slammed home, causing the Griffin to take a step backward. As the smoke cleared, however, the Griffin was still standing, its heavy armor, though clearly battered, still intact.
The medium Kurita 'mech leapt into the sky on jets of flame and retreated northward. As it landed, it brought its PPC and LRMs into play, targeting the Enforcer. The missiles exploded harmlessly in the jungle before they ever got close to the Leftenant's Enforcer, and the PPC detonated a tree as the man-made lightning superheated the water within.
John flung his 'mech into motion then, heading northward down the slope, keeping pace with the Griffin as best he could. He triggered another flight of LRMs as soon as they were chambered, and watched as they peppered the Griffin's arms with yet more craters. John's laser went wide, however, as the Griffin turned to shift its aim.
The Leftenant's autocannon ripped into the Griffin yet again, shredding armor on the 'mech's left breast. The high speed rounds smashed through the armor, but seemed to miss the Griffin's vitals. The Enforcer's main laser slashed out again, but missed far wide of the Griffin as it ducked back behind a hill.
Kathy's Valkyrie landed just down the slope from John's own 'mech, her weapons still tracking the Griffin, which was unshielded from this side. Her missiles arced high over the Combine 'mech, but her laser found a weak spot over the 'mech's heart. The ruby beam lanced through the armor, and the Griffin stumbled back.
~Probably a gyro hit~, John told himself. The Griffin's pilot seemed to have regained control of his 'mech for a moment, until momentum caught up with him. The 55-ton 'mech tottered for a second, then crashed in a cloud of dirt and debris. The Griffin lay still for a brief moment before it started to move again.
"Nice shooting, Kath!" John shouted over the comm, then started his Valkyrie back up the slope again. Firing as he withdrew, John triggered another missile volley from his Valkyrie's launcher. The Griffin, crouching as it tried to rise, caught the volley with its left arm. The shoulder baffle that gave the Griffin its distinctive shape disappeared under the explosions, but none penetrated.
The ground shook as the Leftenant's Enforcer landed to John's left, then again as the Kurita Stinger landed behind him. The Enforcer raised its right arm, sending autocannon shells at the Stinger at nearly point blank range. The Stinger managed to push the arm aside with its shoulder as it raised its own medium lasers to fire at the Enforcer, but the Stinger's shots also missed. The massive laser mounted in the Enforcer's left arm, however, found its mark on the Griffin as Rand split his targets, burning away nearly all the armor on the Griffin's right arm, and exposing the PPC.
The Griffin regained is feet and returned fire at the Enforcer. LRM's arrowed across the small valley, crashing into the untouched armor on the Enforcer's chest. The PPC stroked out, washing over the Enforcer's cockpit. John went cold as he saw the Enforcer stumble, but he felt relief when the Leftenant, still alive, regained control a moment later.
The Panthers were moving up the slope, firing their PPCS, but they had yet to score a hit on their targets. Kathy's Valk again fired at the Griffin, and again her missiles went wide. The laser carved a line in the armor on the 'mech's left arm, almost as if she was connecting the dots where John's missiles had struck home moments before.
Behind John, the Kurita Stinger lashed out with its foot, catching the Leftenant's Enforcer in its left leg, crumpling the armor there. Without thinking, John lashed out with his own 'mech's left hand curled into a massive fist. The blow caught the Stinger head and snapped it around.
From the way the 'mech staggered, John guessed the Stinger's pilot had been seriously injured.
In spite of the damage to his gyro, the pilot of the Kurita Griffin triggered his jump jets again, this time sending the mech hurtling toward the Davion position.
"Fall back to position Bravo," came the Leftenant's voice over the headset. He sounded groggy, but still strong as he suited action to words. The Enforcer leapt into the air as well, heading off the ridgeline to the Southeast. John and Kathy followed suit, heading deeper into the jungle. Quinn's 'mech, lacking jump jets had to fight its way through the vegetation, while all around them the Kurita 'mechs soared as well.
John came down kneeling in a three point stance, his Valkyrie's left arm outstretched for balance as he cut through the thick jungle. In front of him, the enemy Stinger landed, then raised both its medium lasers. The pilot had been anticipating John making a two point landing, and the lasers both burned over his head. John raised the 'mech's right arm as he stood, triggering his own laser, but the Stinger managed to sidestep the awkward shot.
The sound of massive explosions drew John's attention to his right as he saw Quinn's Commando stagger out of the jungle not 20 meters to his left. Fire ringed the 'mech from behind as a salvo of missiles burst through his weak rear armor. Thankfully, they seemed to miss the ammo stored in the Commando's torso. Quinn pivoted his 'mech's torso and was wreathed in yet more smoke as he replied with a full volley of his own short ranged missiles. As if summoned, a Kurita Panther stepped into view just in time to catch the heavy warheads all along its right side. Quinn added the Commando's laser to the volley, despite the heat it would cause, and scored the armor covering the Panther's left shoulder.
John watched in amazement as missiles spilled from the Commando's damaged right torso. The Panther's shot must have opened up the ammo bin located in the 'mech's shoulder, yet failed to detonate any of the warheads. The missiles dropped harmlessly to the ground at the Commando's feet.
The Panther continued its charge, heedless of the damage, and Quinn reacted quickly. Half crouching, he drove his Commando's leg forward, catching the Panther on its left thigh, crushing the armor there.
Movement drew John's attention as the Kurita Stinger tried a similar move against John's Valkyrie. On instinct, John twisted to the left, punching ineffectually with the Valk's left arm. Instead of hitting the Valkyrie, the Stinger's foot hit the bole of a massive tree, causing the wood to crack, but not collapse. Instead it was the Stinger that collapsed, crumpling armor along its right side as it fell.
John triggered a flight of LRMs, even though he was far too close for them to do any good. The missiles slammed into the ground as the Stinger raced back up a hill, attempting to gain some advantage through higher ground. John's laser burned into a tree as the Stinger turned to return fire. Crimson light lanced forth from the Stinger's lasers. One of the blasts melted more armor from the Valkyrie's left arm, but failing to penetrate. The Stinger stepped forward and kicked again, this time forcing John to block with his 'mech's right arm. The collision jarred John in his command couch, but both 'mechs had only crumpled armor to show for it.
John dodged to his left, bringing his 'mech around to cover Quinn's damaged rear armor. The Stinger circled to John's left, tracking with its lasers. The twin ruby beams stitched out again, and again one of them lashed armor from the Valkyrie's left arm. An alarm sounded as the armor was breached, exposing the myomer fibers of the muslces and the alloyed "bones" of the Valkyrie's forearm. John's own laser scored the armor along the Stinger's torso, sending huge globs of molten metal running down the 'mech's torso.
The Second Kurita Panther stepped from the Jungle on John's left, PPC and SRM launcher firing at the Leftenant's Enforcer. The SRMs found their mark, scoring armor over the Enforcer's legs, but the PPC blast went wide. The Leftenant returned fire, the Enforcer's massive autocannon stripping the remaining armor from the Panther's left arm, leaving it nearly as bare as that of John's Valkyrie. The Enforcer's heavy laser, however, found purchase on the Panther's head, wreathing the cockpit in flames. For a moment, John thought the pilot had been killed outright, but when the 'mech staggered forward to regain its balance, his hopes were dashed.
The Enforcer and the Panther collided, the Panther driving its left fist into the Enforcer's chest as the Enforcer stomped on the lighter 'mech's right foot, grinding it into the ground.
John whirled his Valkyrie to track the enemy Stinger as it vaulted into the air yet again. His missiles spiraled past the Stinger as it landed, but the laser cored the armor just below the Stinger's head. The Stinger returned the favor, its own lasers stripping armor from the right leg of John's Valkyrie.
A glance at his status board showed that the Valkyrie was losing armor at an alarming rate. This fight had to end soon, John knew, or he was going to lose his 'mech.
The Leftenant had apparently had enough of the Panther. The autocannon sounded like a gigantic buzzsaw as its chewed through the Panther's left leg, sending the limb crashing to the ground. The Panther landed hard, it's already damaged head crumpling against a large boulder exposed on the hillside. The 'mech collapsed and lay still as the Enforcer turned to face the Stinger.
The Stinger leapt again, vaulting over the Enforcer to land behind the heavier 'mech. John triggered his own jets, coming to rest just behind the Stinger. John's medium laser flared out again licking away the armor from the Stinger's right arm. The Stinger's paired laser bolts lashed out at the Enforcer from behind, stripping away armor along the heavier 'mech's left side. There was a flash of superheated steam as a heat sink evaporated under the laser's touch.
The Enforcer didn't seem to notice the damage. The Leftenant turned the 'mech's torso and triggered his autocannon at the Stinger, missing by a mile as he pivoted his 'mech at the last second to face a new threat. Cresting the ridge where the defenders had first held their position was the hulking form of the Griffin. It was moving slowly, using its savaged left arm to brace itself against the side of the hill due to the damage to its gyro.
John felt a pang of fear as he saw that the Griffin was aiming at Kathy's Valkyrie, just slightly farther along on that ridgeline. The PPC and the LRMs crossed the distance in an instant, but missed the nimble Valkyrie as Kathy changed her position.
The Leftenant triggered a blast from the Enforcer's main laser that sent the ground in front of the Griffin skyward but the Combine 'mech ignored as it bore down on Kathy's Valk.
John triggered his LRMS at the Griffin, but the Kurita 'mech pushed off the hillside and tilted wildly for a moment as its pilot fought the gyro and brought the 'mech back under control. The LRMs fountained against the hill, leaving the Griffin untouched. Cursing, John brought the laser around onto the Griffin as well, but the light beam went wide.
John had lost sight of the Stinger on his display as it moved past a thick tangle of trees, and watched in horror as the 'mech came out behind the Leftenant's 'mech.
John tried to send his Valkyrie hurtling between the two 'mechs, but knew he'd be too late. The Stinger raised the twin medium lasers and was about to fire at point blank range into the Enforcer's already weakend rear armor when the jungle to the south erupted with missiles.
Quinn's Commando confidently stepped forward, its armor pitted and scorched from its battle with the other Panther. Quinn's SRMs did little more than distract the Stinger's aim, but his medium laser lashed out, stripping the remaining armor from the Stinger's right leg and drawing a long, glowing line from the hip to the top of the Stinger's knee.
Black smoke billowed forth as myomer fibers disintegrated, and the Stinger was brought up short as its hip actuator exploded. The 'mech's momentum sent it crashing to the ground right behind the Leftenant's Enforcer. One of the Stinger's medium lasers melted more armor on the Enforcer's leg as the Combine warrior fell, but the other was wasted as the gun's barrel was shoved into the ground.
On the hill above, Kathy's Valkyrie moved along the slope, trying to close the range with the Griffin, hoping to get inside the effective range for its LRMS and PPC. Kathy would likely lose the use of her own LRMs, but she'd still be well within the effective range of her medium laser. And with the Griffin having gyro trouble, she should be able to dance circles around it.
The Griffin tottered awkwardly down the hill, choosing to close the range with the Enforcer. As it came, it fired the PPC at point blank range at the Leftenant. Blue-white lightning stripped armor over the Enforcer's right arm laser, but didn't penetrate. The Leftenant circled to the right, firing both lasers and the last rounds from his autocannon as he went. The autocannon pierced through the armor on the Griffin's right shoulder, chipping away at the 'mech's framework. Both of the Enforcer's lasers stabbed into the Griffin's left leg, stripping it of all but the last shreds of armor.
John and Kathy fired their lasers at the Griffin at the same moment, but both missed as the Griffin stumbled under the Enforcer's onslaught. The 55- ton battlemech crashed to the ground yet again. As it fell, its left foot remained wedged into the ground, severed by the Leftenant's lasers.
As the Griffin fell, its domed head split open, and the mechwarrior ejected, riding his command couch upwards. A moment later, the ammunition for the Griffin's missile launcher began to detonate within the 'mech's breast. At this, the fight seemed to go out of the Stinger pilot.
It took a moment for John to realize that the battle was over. He and his lance had been victorious, without suffering any casualties of their own. He was dimly aware of the Leftenant broadcasting a request for infantry and Tech support, to see if anything could be salvaged from the Combine 'mechs, and to round up the pilots and escort them back to base.
Once again, John had to force his fingers to relax from the controls.
"I picked up a 'mech lance coming down from New Pontiac. A Stinger, two Panthers, and a Griffin. I couldn't make out unit insignia, but the Dragon was plain enough. They're taking their time, but they're disciplined. These guys are no amateurs."
John forced himself to loosen the deathgrip he had on the Valkyrie's controls. He tried to slow his breathing, but he could do nothing to control the rapid beating of his heart. He'd tell his friends that it was simply the thrill of the oncoming action. They'd all agree, and acknowledge that they'd felt the same thing. And they'd all know that it was as much fear as it was excitement.
"Copy, Leftenant," John said, his eyes glancing down over his controls. Green lights stared back at him - the Valkyrie was ready for its first real fight.
"If they hold their current course, they'll be coming through this valley. We'll set up our ambush from that ridge." Rand said, motioning with his Enforcer's autocannon at a low hill to the east. The massive trees would provide cover from the Combine 'mechs scanners, at least for a little while.
As they moved into position, John watched the others' machines. He was still disconcerted by the paint scheme. The unit's Techs, having heard that the Battalion was going to be incorporated into the Tenth Deneb, had decided to paint the machines in the khaki coloring favored by the Light Cavalry. They had even added the unit insignia, a white horse head superimposed over a black rectangle, with a gold box just beneath the horse head. Inside the box was the Roman numeral 'X'.
Given the verdant green of the surrounding jungle, John was concerned that the 'mechs would make excellent targets. He found himself wishing for the camouflage paint job that had been the norm during his training days.
~Nothing we can do about that now,~ he told himself as they moved positioned their 'mechs along the ridgeline. The Leftenant's Enforcer took up the southward position, acting as the stop-gap on the ambush. Just a bit farther up the ridgeline from the Enforcer, Quinn hunkered his Commando down between two large trees.
To John's right, at the farthest north position, Kathy settled her own Valkyrie, the twin of John's 'mech, down onto its left knee. The 'mech's right arm, ending in the barrel of a Sutel IX laser instead of a hand assembly, rested on the 'mech's right knee.
~We're as ready as we'll ever be,~ John said, bringing his own 'mech to a halt.
John eyes roamed over his status displays for the thousandth time, making sure nothing had changed, when his eyes caught movement on the display screen before him.
From the north, a green and grey camouflaged Griffin stepped through the foliage, its Fusigon PPC cradled in its arms like an assault rifle. The LRM launcher on its shoulder was locked into firing position, but the Kurita pilot gave no sign of seeing any of Davion 'mechs. Still, the Griffin alone outweighed even the Leftenant's 'mech by five tons.
Just behind the Griffin came more cause for concern in the form of a PNT_9R Panther. Though massing only 35 tons, the Kurita design carried a Lord's Light PPC on its right arm and four SRM tubes in its center torso. Combined with jump jets, that mix of weaponry had proven highly effective over the years. The Panther was a mainstay in DCMS recon forces.
On the near side of the Griffin came the humanoid shape of a Stinger. At only 20 tons, this 'mech was outweighed by every unit in the training battalion's lance. John zoomed in his optics, and cursed silently under his breath. Outweighed it might be, but not outgunned. This was a 3G variant of the Stinger, which had replaced the twin machine guns in the 'mech's left arm with a second medium laser. The twin lasers gave the 'mech the appearance of someone carrying a pistol in each hand, like some kind of holovid star.
~There should be one more Panther out there, if Rand's count was accurate,~ John told himself, searching the jungle before him. Try as he might, however, he couldn't resolve another contact before the signal came.
Two short clicks through John's headset signaled the start of the ambush. John brought up the Valkyrie's golden crosshairs swiftly, and grinned as they meshed over the torso of the Griffin.
John's left index finger tightened over the trigger and his cockpit was filled with a loud whoosh as ten long range missiles launched from the Valkyrie's chest. The heat in the cockpit rose 10 degrees as the 'mech's heat sinks struggled to keep up.
The missiles arced through the sky, then fell on the Kurita Griffin, blasting chunks of armor from it's left leg. John stabbed the Valkyrie's stubby right arm forward and added his laser to the barrage. The ruby beam caught the Griffin on its right shoulder as the 'mech turned to face its attacker. A larger laser beam threw dirt up from the ground in front of the Griffin while autocannon shells from the Leftenant's Enforcer ripped into its right leg.
The Griffin seemed to disappear as more LRM's from Kathy's Valk sent columns of dirt skyrocketing all around it, but failed to connect with the 'mech. Short range missiles from Quinn's Commando pocked the Kurita 'mech's torso as the heavy warheads slammed home, causing the Griffin to take a step backward. As the smoke cleared, however, the Griffin was still standing, its heavy armor, though clearly battered, still intact.
The medium Kurita 'mech leapt into the sky on jets of flame and retreated northward. As it landed, it brought its PPC and LRMs into play, targeting the Enforcer. The missiles exploded harmlessly in the jungle before they ever got close to the Leftenant's Enforcer, and the PPC detonated a tree as the man-made lightning superheated the water within.
John flung his 'mech into motion then, heading northward down the slope, keeping pace with the Griffin as best he could. He triggered another flight of LRMs as soon as they were chambered, and watched as they peppered the Griffin's arms with yet more craters. John's laser went wide, however, as the Griffin turned to shift its aim.
The Leftenant's autocannon ripped into the Griffin yet again, shredding armor on the 'mech's left breast. The high speed rounds smashed through the armor, but seemed to miss the Griffin's vitals. The Enforcer's main laser slashed out again, but missed far wide of the Griffin as it ducked back behind a hill.
Kathy's Valkyrie landed just down the slope from John's own 'mech, her weapons still tracking the Griffin, which was unshielded from this side. Her missiles arced high over the Combine 'mech, but her laser found a weak spot over the 'mech's heart. The ruby beam lanced through the armor, and the Griffin stumbled back.
~Probably a gyro hit~, John told himself. The Griffin's pilot seemed to have regained control of his 'mech for a moment, until momentum caught up with him. The 55-ton 'mech tottered for a second, then crashed in a cloud of dirt and debris. The Griffin lay still for a brief moment before it started to move again.
"Nice shooting, Kath!" John shouted over the comm, then started his Valkyrie back up the slope again. Firing as he withdrew, John triggered another missile volley from his Valkyrie's launcher. The Griffin, crouching as it tried to rise, caught the volley with its left arm. The shoulder baffle that gave the Griffin its distinctive shape disappeared under the explosions, but none penetrated.
The ground shook as the Leftenant's Enforcer landed to John's left, then again as the Kurita Stinger landed behind him. The Enforcer raised its right arm, sending autocannon shells at the Stinger at nearly point blank range. The Stinger managed to push the arm aside with its shoulder as it raised its own medium lasers to fire at the Enforcer, but the Stinger's shots also missed. The massive laser mounted in the Enforcer's left arm, however, found its mark on the Griffin as Rand split his targets, burning away nearly all the armor on the Griffin's right arm, and exposing the PPC.
The Griffin regained is feet and returned fire at the Enforcer. LRM's arrowed across the small valley, crashing into the untouched armor on the Enforcer's chest. The PPC stroked out, washing over the Enforcer's cockpit. John went cold as he saw the Enforcer stumble, but he felt relief when the Leftenant, still alive, regained control a moment later.
The Panthers were moving up the slope, firing their PPCS, but they had yet to score a hit on their targets. Kathy's Valk again fired at the Griffin, and again her missiles went wide. The laser carved a line in the armor on the 'mech's left arm, almost as if she was connecting the dots where John's missiles had struck home moments before.
Behind John, the Kurita Stinger lashed out with its foot, catching the Leftenant's Enforcer in its left leg, crumpling the armor there. Without thinking, John lashed out with his own 'mech's left hand curled into a massive fist. The blow caught the Stinger head and snapped it around.
From the way the 'mech staggered, John guessed the Stinger's pilot had been seriously injured.
In spite of the damage to his gyro, the pilot of the Kurita Griffin triggered his jump jets again, this time sending the mech hurtling toward the Davion position.
"Fall back to position Bravo," came the Leftenant's voice over the headset. He sounded groggy, but still strong as he suited action to words. The Enforcer leapt into the air as well, heading off the ridgeline to the Southeast. John and Kathy followed suit, heading deeper into the jungle. Quinn's 'mech, lacking jump jets had to fight its way through the vegetation, while all around them the Kurita 'mechs soared as well.
John came down kneeling in a three point stance, his Valkyrie's left arm outstretched for balance as he cut through the thick jungle. In front of him, the enemy Stinger landed, then raised both its medium lasers. The pilot had been anticipating John making a two point landing, and the lasers both burned over his head. John raised the 'mech's right arm as he stood, triggering his own laser, but the Stinger managed to sidestep the awkward shot.
The sound of massive explosions drew John's attention to his right as he saw Quinn's Commando stagger out of the jungle not 20 meters to his left. Fire ringed the 'mech from behind as a salvo of missiles burst through his weak rear armor. Thankfully, they seemed to miss the ammo stored in the Commando's torso. Quinn pivoted his 'mech's torso and was wreathed in yet more smoke as he replied with a full volley of his own short ranged missiles. As if summoned, a Kurita Panther stepped into view just in time to catch the heavy warheads all along its right side. Quinn added the Commando's laser to the volley, despite the heat it would cause, and scored the armor covering the Panther's left shoulder.
John watched in amazement as missiles spilled from the Commando's damaged right torso. The Panther's shot must have opened up the ammo bin located in the 'mech's shoulder, yet failed to detonate any of the warheads. The missiles dropped harmlessly to the ground at the Commando's feet.
The Panther continued its charge, heedless of the damage, and Quinn reacted quickly. Half crouching, he drove his Commando's leg forward, catching the Panther on its left thigh, crushing the armor there.
Movement drew John's attention as the Kurita Stinger tried a similar move against John's Valkyrie. On instinct, John twisted to the left, punching ineffectually with the Valk's left arm. Instead of hitting the Valkyrie, the Stinger's foot hit the bole of a massive tree, causing the wood to crack, but not collapse. Instead it was the Stinger that collapsed, crumpling armor along its right side as it fell.
John triggered a flight of LRMs, even though he was far too close for them to do any good. The missiles slammed into the ground as the Stinger raced back up a hill, attempting to gain some advantage through higher ground. John's laser burned into a tree as the Stinger turned to return fire. Crimson light lanced forth from the Stinger's lasers. One of the blasts melted more armor from the Valkyrie's left arm, but failing to penetrate. The Stinger stepped forward and kicked again, this time forcing John to block with his 'mech's right arm. The collision jarred John in his command couch, but both 'mechs had only crumpled armor to show for it.
John dodged to his left, bringing his 'mech around to cover Quinn's damaged rear armor. The Stinger circled to John's left, tracking with its lasers. The twin ruby beams stitched out again, and again one of them lashed armor from the Valkyrie's left arm. An alarm sounded as the armor was breached, exposing the myomer fibers of the muslces and the alloyed "bones" of the Valkyrie's forearm. John's own laser scored the armor along the Stinger's torso, sending huge globs of molten metal running down the 'mech's torso.
The Second Kurita Panther stepped from the Jungle on John's left, PPC and SRM launcher firing at the Leftenant's Enforcer. The SRMs found their mark, scoring armor over the Enforcer's legs, but the PPC blast went wide. The Leftenant returned fire, the Enforcer's massive autocannon stripping the remaining armor from the Panther's left arm, leaving it nearly as bare as that of John's Valkyrie. The Enforcer's heavy laser, however, found purchase on the Panther's head, wreathing the cockpit in flames. For a moment, John thought the pilot had been killed outright, but when the 'mech staggered forward to regain its balance, his hopes were dashed.
The Enforcer and the Panther collided, the Panther driving its left fist into the Enforcer's chest as the Enforcer stomped on the lighter 'mech's right foot, grinding it into the ground.
John whirled his Valkyrie to track the enemy Stinger as it vaulted into the air yet again. His missiles spiraled past the Stinger as it landed, but the laser cored the armor just below the Stinger's head. The Stinger returned the favor, its own lasers stripping armor from the right leg of John's Valkyrie.
A glance at his status board showed that the Valkyrie was losing armor at an alarming rate. This fight had to end soon, John knew, or he was going to lose his 'mech.
The Leftenant had apparently had enough of the Panther. The autocannon sounded like a gigantic buzzsaw as its chewed through the Panther's left leg, sending the limb crashing to the ground. The Panther landed hard, it's already damaged head crumpling against a large boulder exposed on the hillside. The 'mech collapsed and lay still as the Enforcer turned to face the Stinger.
The Stinger leapt again, vaulting over the Enforcer to land behind the heavier 'mech. John triggered his own jets, coming to rest just behind the Stinger. John's medium laser flared out again licking away the armor from the Stinger's right arm. The Stinger's paired laser bolts lashed out at the Enforcer from behind, stripping away armor along the heavier 'mech's left side. There was a flash of superheated steam as a heat sink evaporated under the laser's touch.
The Enforcer didn't seem to notice the damage. The Leftenant turned the 'mech's torso and triggered his autocannon at the Stinger, missing by a mile as he pivoted his 'mech at the last second to face a new threat. Cresting the ridge where the defenders had first held their position was the hulking form of the Griffin. It was moving slowly, using its savaged left arm to brace itself against the side of the hill due to the damage to its gyro.
John felt a pang of fear as he saw that the Griffin was aiming at Kathy's Valkyrie, just slightly farther along on that ridgeline. The PPC and the LRMs crossed the distance in an instant, but missed the nimble Valkyrie as Kathy changed her position.
The Leftenant triggered a blast from the Enforcer's main laser that sent the ground in front of the Griffin skyward but the Combine 'mech ignored as it bore down on Kathy's Valk.
John triggered his LRMS at the Griffin, but the Kurita 'mech pushed off the hillside and tilted wildly for a moment as its pilot fought the gyro and brought the 'mech back under control. The LRMs fountained against the hill, leaving the Griffin untouched. Cursing, John brought the laser around onto the Griffin as well, but the light beam went wide.
John had lost sight of the Stinger on his display as it moved past a thick tangle of trees, and watched in horror as the 'mech came out behind the Leftenant's 'mech.
John tried to send his Valkyrie hurtling between the two 'mechs, but knew he'd be too late. The Stinger raised the twin medium lasers and was about to fire at point blank range into the Enforcer's already weakend rear armor when the jungle to the south erupted with missiles.
Quinn's Commando confidently stepped forward, its armor pitted and scorched from its battle with the other Panther. Quinn's SRMs did little more than distract the Stinger's aim, but his medium laser lashed out, stripping the remaining armor from the Stinger's right leg and drawing a long, glowing line from the hip to the top of the Stinger's knee.
Black smoke billowed forth as myomer fibers disintegrated, and the Stinger was brought up short as its hip actuator exploded. The 'mech's momentum sent it crashing to the ground right behind the Leftenant's Enforcer. One of the Stinger's medium lasers melted more armor on the Enforcer's leg as the Combine warrior fell, but the other was wasted as the gun's barrel was shoved into the ground.
On the hill above, Kathy's Valkyrie moved along the slope, trying to close the range with the Griffin, hoping to get inside the effective range for its LRMS and PPC. Kathy would likely lose the use of her own LRMs, but she'd still be well within the effective range of her medium laser. And with the Griffin having gyro trouble, she should be able to dance circles around it.
The Griffin tottered awkwardly down the hill, choosing to close the range with the Enforcer. As it came, it fired the PPC at point blank range at the Leftenant. Blue-white lightning stripped armor over the Enforcer's right arm laser, but didn't penetrate. The Leftenant circled to the right, firing both lasers and the last rounds from his autocannon as he went. The autocannon pierced through the armor on the Griffin's right shoulder, chipping away at the 'mech's framework. Both of the Enforcer's lasers stabbed into the Griffin's left leg, stripping it of all but the last shreds of armor.
John and Kathy fired their lasers at the Griffin at the same moment, but both missed as the Griffin stumbled under the Enforcer's onslaught. The 55- ton battlemech crashed to the ground yet again. As it fell, its left foot remained wedged into the ground, severed by the Leftenant's lasers.
As the Griffin fell, its domed head split open, and the mechwarrior ejected, riding his command couch upwards. A moment later, the ammunition for the Griffin's missile launcher began to detonate within the 'mech's breast. At this, the fight seemed to go out of the Stinger pilot.
It took a moment for John to realize that the battle was over. He and his lance had been victorious, without suffering any casualties of their own. He was dimly aware of the Leftenant broadcasting a request for infantry and Tech support, to see if anything could be salvaged from the Combine 'mechs, and to round up the pilots and escort them back to base.
Once again, John had to force his fingers to relax from the controls.