The Cairo Saga, Book 2: The Solaris Irregulars
Chapter 26: 8-miles high and falling fast…
Assault orbit
Hesperus II
Word of Blake occupation Zone,
Lyran Alliance
Cairo felt his stomach lurch upwards as the clamps holding the drop-pod released. The transit from the DropShip Mary-Ellen Carter to the upper atmosphere of Hesperus II started silently, with only the steady tick-tock of the drop-clock and the ever-changing altimeter to show that any time had passed.
As the atmosphere outside the pod started to thicken, a steady howling grew from barely audible to hurricane-force as the steel and titanium cocoon forced its way through the ever-thickening air. A buzzer sounded, and five- seconds later the cocoon blasted clear of the Orion.
The Mech continued to fall towards the Myoo Highlands at hundreds of miles an hour. The first drone-parachute deployed, and the Orion shock as the speed started to bleed-off. The micro-chute detached, and Cairo continued his plunge towards the Word of Blake controlled planet. Cairo adjusted the controls for the detachable jump-packs that where mounted on his Mech's back: slowly, Retribution span round. Cairo could clearly see the rest of the command lance spread out below his falling Mech.
Again a buzzer sounded, and the main- parachute deployed with a thump. The old Orion shudder as the acceleration dropped to zero, and the Mech started to slow-down. Cairo eased his thrusters, trying to remember the words of his instructor back on Los Alamos: keep it steady and try not to land at an angle.
His HUD came alive with contacts on the ground: some the green of friendly units, others the red of the enemy. He broke radio-silence, "Command Lance, Battle Lance, this is Command-1: the LZ is hot, I repeat, the Wobblies are on the ground below us. It look's like Christifori's people are throwing us a welcome party. Arm your weapons and be ready to come-in fighting. Let's lock and load!" he saw Azure PPC bolts shoot-forth from Cameron's Thor and Carpenter's Templar, striking out at targets below.
He targeted a W.o.B ALB-3U Albatross and blasted it with his arm-mounted Large Heavy Laser. The beam of coherent light meted its way through the assault Mech's right arm, dropping the limb to the ground
Off-balance, the Albatross fell to the ground. With a quick adjustment of his thrusters, Cairo lined up his Orion with the back of the struggling Assault Mech.
Cairo cut the jump-pack free and the Orion struck with a force many times it's own mass: the relatively thin rear armour slowed the heavy Mech to a relative speed of only a few kilometres an hour, but failed to save the W.o.B Mech.
Cairo set his radio to a general frequency, "Listen up Wobblies: the Solaris Irregulars are here, and it's payback time!" he switch back to the command channel "Irregulars, ATTACK!"
He grinned as the Mech's of the Command and Battle lances began to tear into the Word of Blake forces.
TBC…