Black Knight Legion Dropship Black Falcon
Corvatti Mining Colony HB-3
4th September 3063
The three Mechs had barely been on full throttle for a few minutes when Radcliffe called out a warning.
"Contact! 800 metres. Looks like light vehicles only."
"Looks like we've got company." Isabel's voice was tinged with a little fear. Or was it eagerness?
Eric saw the targets too, now visible from afar as a rolling dust cloud. His Beagle Active Probe painted them as 4 separate targets, just Bulldogs. Tanks armed with a large laser, machine guns and SRM2 missiles, they were nasty to a Mech when in large groups. However, not against 3 light Mechs! The tanks did not seem to believe that, though, and seemed intent on engaging them.
"Roger. Let's take these guys out before they make us."
Being the slower Mech, Eric was outrun by his lance mates. Isabel ran her Osiris up to a ridge in front of the tank group and let loose her fusillade of 5 medium lasers on a single tank, while Radcliffe chose to run around back to the rear of the column and harass one of the other tanks with his twin ER large lasers. Well, if you'd call blasting through the tank's rear armour harassing. The particular tank stopped in its tracks, and smoke poured out from its innards.
Eric wanted a quick clean kill too. He saw a third tank trying to run over a ridge to hit Isabel's back. They must not have noticed the third Mech right behind her. Fatal mistake.
Eric proved it when he fired two ER large lasers into the tank, piercing the armour and exploding the ammunition storage within the tank. None of the crew members would survive, something that Eric didn't exactly wish for, but he had got used to death ever since his lance was mutilated on Calderon IV. The thought of that place brought a few sad memories to his head. But there was no time for reminiscing. His Cougar was already chasing after the fourth tank, passing by a badly scarred Bulldog that was Isabel's initial target.
Isabel polished off her target while Radcliffe tried to nail that last tank. Finally getting wiser, the tank was trying to break free of the situation and escape. It had run into a depression between the ridges and was trying to slink away. But a tracked vehicle could never outrun a Mech. Radcliffe proceeded on his chase with deadly intent. Eric let him chase the tank, mindful of not letting Isabel get left behind. Just as Isabel was catching up to Eric's position, a call came in from Mandrill.
"Striker Lead, we just detected an encrypted burst transmission from your vicinity. Report status."
Eric slammed a fist on his arm rest. The remaining tank had sent a distress call out!
"They made us, sir," Isabel remarked.
Eric told Mandrill not to worry. Radcliffe made his kill, though a little too late to silence the crew. They caught up to Radcliffe and proceeded to nav Beta.
His BAP beeped a threat to him. A Mech! Finally some serious action. The probe informed him that it was a Osiris, similar to Isabel's.
"Mandrill, we're now engaging a Mech, repeat, an enemy Osiris in the vicinity of nav Beta."
"Got it, Striker Lead. Proceed with caution and neutralise all the enemy threats before proceeding to the mining facility at nav Gamma."
'Time for some fun', Eric mused. He told Radcliffe to pepper the bogey with his LRMs while Isabel worked in a little closer so her medium lasers would be useful. He himself switched to his LRMs and joined Radcliffe in launching his spread of death. They got up on a hill and locked on to the Osiris, which was still trying to close in to use its main armaments. 30 LRMs erupted from their launchers. Desperate to avoid the warheads, the pilot threw his Mech to the ground, ducking behind a small rise. Most of the missiles impacted on crystals or the dull ground. Eric blinked his eyes at the crude evasion, knowing that the Mech would get hell from them while trying to get back up. The manoeuvre would already give the pilot a big shake, not to mention shave off quite a bit of armour. Already Isabel was near it, and he could see her medium lasers flashing away at the prone Mech.
"That must be a greenie, maybe an idiot. Who the heck would charge 3 Mechs, in the first place?" Radcliffe sniggered.
Just then his BAP announced newer threats: another two Osiris, plus a Shadowcat! They appeared on the far side of where Isabel was making mincemeat of the fallen Osiris. The Shadowcat was armed with Clan weaponry, and quite capable of battering Isabel all by itself. With two more friends, this could turn brutal. Isabel must have just noticed them, for she started to back off from the first Osiris, which was still lying on the ground. Still, she loosed off a few medium laser shots in an effort to bring the Mech down permanently before the battle was joined.
"Isabel!! Pull back to our position now! You've got bogeys bearing in on you!"
Eric hit his throttle to the maximum, understanding the danger to Isabel now. Perhaps it was a crude tactic, but the first Osiris was being bait for Isabel. Now the odds were slightly against them. Well, Eric would change that fact soon enough. The new threats were primarily medium range fighters, easy picking for his customised long-range weaponry. Isabel was now pulling back to his position, and Radcliffe was also catching up with his lance leader.
Suddenly, a fast projectile flew straight into Isabel's Mech, crunching armour plates on her torso. Then came the sound of a crackling thunder: the unmistakable sound of a Gauss rifle discharging. That Shadowcat had a Gauss rifle! Able to hit targets at almost one kilometre distance, it was capable of tearing apart armour from Isabel's Osiris and brutalising her internals. Fortunately for Isabel, she had not suffered a breach yet and managed to maintain her Mech upright. She forgot her initial target and was busy trying to seek cover.
"Damn! I've lost almost all armour on my left torso! I need some help here sir!"
That shot, from so far out, told Eric that the enemy pilot was a pretty good shot. He radioed Isabel to pull back as fast as she could, while Radcliffe and him would try to draw the attacker's attention. Time for the two men to save the damsel in distress, Eric thought grimly.
Hopefully, none of them would get a Gauss slug in the cockpit for that.
The distance closed and Eric had a glimpse of an Osiris in the distance. Eager to catch their attention, he fired his ER large lasers at the Mech. Armour melted off the centre torso, though not enough to expose the internals of the Mech yet. His LRMs acquired a lock and he thumbed the launch trigger. Unfortunately the Mech ran behind a rise just in time to avoid most of the 20 missiles. But at the least Eric was sure he caught their attention now. Radcliffe reported that he was engaging the third Osiris. But where was that damned Shadowcat?
Eric checked his sensors and found it running up a rise. It probably wanted to stand on a high position where it could snipe better while its lance mates distracted them. 'Not a chance, pirate!' Eric smirked.
His lasers cycled and he managed to attain a decent lock on the Shadowcat before firing his lasers, impacting on the enemy's right leg. The warmth of his cockpit started to reach new zeniths, but his cooling vest kept him alive. Luckily his heat sinks were more efficient in this environment, otherwise he might have cooked off his LRM ammunition if he kept on shooting. The Shadowcat saw the danger now that he was noticed, so it crept back down from the rise to close in on Eric. Eric would gladly oblige. Though his LRMs would be quite useless at short range, he would stand a better chance of avoiding that murderous Gauss rifle by sticking to the Mech's back, and that needed closer contact. Radcliffe was complaining about getting hammered by SRMs from the Osiris, but Eric had to worry about the Shadowcat first. Speaking of Osiris, weren't there two other Osiris??
Sensors warned him of a missile threat on his left flank, but it was a bit too late. The other Osiris Eric had hit earlier was back, with a vengeance (A/N: Cliché, huh?). The SRMs smacked all over his Mech, but causing no serious damage. He turned to meet the new threat, firing one ER large laser to ward off further attacks. The shot missed. However he quickly followed up with the second laser, burning away armour from the left torso. The Mech dashed around to Eric's back. Eric turned in the opposite direction, just in time to catch the Osiris before it blasted his rear armour and launched his LRMs at the Mech, even without a good lock. A few warheads exploded on the Osiris but their impact was enough to throw off the pilot's aim for a while.
Eric checked his sensors and saw that the Shadowcat was now approaching his rear. Leg damage from his earlier hit was slowing it a bit.
"How the heck am I to face two Mechs at once?" he mumbled. Gritting his teeth, he knew it could get ugly in a few more seconds. Just then, there was an explosion on his far right, where Isabel had fled to. Fearing the worst, Eric consulted his sensors but amazingly found her still up and running. Her triumphant voice confirmed her status.
"One kill, sir! I finally nailed that blasted Osiris that got me in that ambush!"
Eric smiled. The tide was turning. Still, he had to finish off this pesky Osiris. The Mech burned away armour on his right hand, while its machine gun hammered at his torso. Annoyed by the attack, he planted his reticule on the Mech's torso just as both his lasers cycled free. Eric hit the reverse throttle while mashing the trigger button contemptuously. For a moment there, Eric thought the lasers weren't enough to core the Mech. But his LRMs had gouged a few holes in the centre torso, enough to expose the reactor shielding, and by luck his shot had been right on target. The enemy pilot swiftly dropped the dampening fields before the Mech went critical, but the Mech now fell into a useless heap on the ground.
He didn't have time to crow about his victory. The Shadowcat was now rushing in, eager to claim revenge. But the heat levels in the Cougar was coming close to critical. Eric had to pull back or overload his reactor. On his sensors, he saw that Radcliffe was coming off his engagement quite well. The opposing Osiris was short on armour to begin with, and Radcliffe was a pretty good shot. But he wouldn't be able to back Eric up yet. Neither could Isabel, who was limping towards him after her fight with the other Osiris. He'll have to face this pirate alone.
The Shadowcat caught him just as he was about to back down below a mound. The enemy pilot was unsure of his aim so he only loosed his Streak missiles and fired two ER medium lasers. The missiles shook his Mech but fortunately the lasers missed. The Cougar damage schematic was painting a pretty bad picture for Eric. Already wounded from the fight with the Osiris, he wasn't sure if he could take on a medium Mech by himself.
Quite suddenly, the Shadowcat ignited its jump jets. It intended to close with Eric! Eric refused to follow and fired his jump jets to propel him away from the Shadowcat. The Shadowcat pilot got impatient, and fired his large laser while in mid-flight, missing the Cougar by metres. Eric twisted his Mech around in mid-air to face the Shadowcat and fired his lasers at his antagonist. The manoeuvre took too much effort and the shots missed cleanly, but it allowed his LRMs to lock on just in time for Eric to launch a volley at the still flying Shadowcat. Almost 20 rounds impacted on the Mech, rocking its gyro and sending the Mech crashing to the ground. It didn't stay prone for long, though, the pilot was so incensed that he quickly got up and tried to impale Eric with a Gauss slug. Eric had just landed, and was caught unawares. The shot missed his cockpit, but instead it sheared off his left arm completely. The computer announced the loss of the laser there. Eric cursed, and fired his remaining laser. It melted armour off the left torso of the Shadowcat, but did not create a breach he so desperately needed to bring down the Mech. Lasers flashed out from the enemy Mech, washing over his cockpit. Eric instinctively covered his eyes after being flash-blinded.
"Argh!"
Isabel and Radcliffe were immediately asking him about what happened. Eric didn't have time to answer, on instinct he activated his jump jets quickly to avoid further damage, even when blinded. It was most fortunate because the Shadowcat filled the space which he had left with a barrage of lasers and missiles. A few missiles scarred his Mech's legs, sending him into a slight crash to the ground behind another rise. Alarms rang as the computer reported a damaged leg actuator. Eric felt panic, but wasn't prepared to die in the mud like that. He swiftly brought his Mech up again, while the Shadowcat closed in on his position. The situation was desperate. Eric fired his lasers and LRMs, all without a lock, in a bid to throw off the enemy's aim. The Shadowcat pilot was good, though. It weathered a few missiles and then planted a large laser shot on Eric's centre torso. Another alarm rang, signifying internal damage. Eric tried to jump again but the heat levels in the Mech were too high. The Mech was responding sluggishly already. Without a way to eject, Eric could only wait for the Gauss slug to end his life.
Until a barrage of laser fire and missiles rained upon the Shadowcat! The Mech staggered, its aim ruined. Eric glanced higher up and saw Isabel and Radcliffe raining as much fire on the Mech as they could.
"Care to help us finish him off, sir?" Radcliffe taunted.
Eric smiled, partly in the knowledge that he would survive this battle, and the retribution he would wreak upon Radcliffe for that comment later. The Shadowcat was battered, and attempting to back away. Eric heard the LRM lock tone and didn't spare another thought. The missiles smashed into the crippled Mech, which then crumpled to the ground. The pilot didn't make it. Eric sighed, as he would've wished to meet that pilot. He was obviously a worthy opponent. But on the other hand, it was either him or Eric dead. He'd prefer the way it turned out.
The mining facility was garrisoned by a few static LRM emplacements, but Eric detected the location of the two turret controls and sent in Radcliffe to destroy them. Not that he wouldn't have gone in himself, but his Mech was in really bad shape. Same went for Isabel. Radcliffe took down the other Osiris without much damage, so he was the best to finish the job.
"Mandrill, this is Striker One. All hostiles at Nav Gamma have been neutralized. Request infantry support to sweep mining complex and subterranean facilities," Eric radioed.
"Roger Striker One. Infantry support is on route. Secure station until their arrival and report to Tac Com for mission debrief." Mandrill didn't have a clue to how tough the fight was. Eric suppressed a complaint about her lack of concern and radioed back a simple reply.
"Roger Mandrill. Orders received. Striker One, out."
He keyed his lance's comm line. "Good work, Striker Lance. Keep it up and we'll be off this rock in no time."
Suddenly another voice broke in. "Great work, Eric. We've given them something to fear."
Eric smiled. So the Colonel had been monitoring their fight, after all. At the least he felt gratified now. Of course, he would feel more gratified later, after a good bath and hours of sleep!
A/N: Extremely long fight scene, huh? Just wondering if it would appeal to fan fic readers. Sorry if it is too long-winded. Later missions would probably be shorter.
