Black Knight Legion Dropship Black Falcon

Corvatti Mining Colony HB-3

15th September 3063

Isabel heard Eric's scream over the radio. She immediately activated her comm., asking for Eric's status.

"Eric?! Hello? We're approaching the cliff now, do you read me?"

There was no response, and her sensors didn't report any contacts on the cliff. Anxious for her lance leader, she decided to forge ahead and back him up. Just then her comm. came alive with the convoy leader's voice. He had anticipated her to make such a move.

"Striker Three, don't leave us alone here. We're pretty much unarmed."

Isabel held back a curse. "I can't leave Eric out there!"

"But we've got priority, remember? Your lance leader can take care of himself well enough. Hold your position."

Isabel stared at her transmitter incredulously. The man was being unreasonable. Then another voice came in, that of Mandrill's.

"Striker Three, I understand that Striker One is in trouble. But we can't leave the convoy alone and unarmed. Maintain present route and increase sensor range. I'm recalling Flanker lance to give aid. Just hold on. Don't worry, Isabel ….. Eric will be all right."

Isabel couldn't believe it. Even Mandrill was telling her to stand down. She clenched her control stick tighter, ready to bark back a vitriolic curse and go help Eric anyway.

She didn't expect another problem to appear.

"Isabel! Need ….. help here …… attacked by ……"

That came in on Radcliffe's frequency! She switched to his frequency and tried to radio him. He seemed to be a little too far out of radio range, because she couldn't get a reply from him. But he was definitely in danger. 'Damnation and hellfire, I'm coming for you boys!', Isabel thought. She turned her Mech up to maximum speed and closed the distance between her and Radcliffe's last position. The convoy was still rolling away in another direction.

"Mandrill, this is Striker Three responding to distress call from Striker Two. Repeat, I'm responding to Striker Two's distress call."

This time Mandrill couldn't stop her. Isabel turned off her radio to avoid hearing any responses. She gritted her teeth and just hoped that she wouldn't be too late, otherwise it wouldn't be worth the court martial she could face after this mission.

Radcliffe was sweating profusely. It wasn't just the prolonged use of his lasers, but the loss of a heat sink to enemy fire was also creating heat problems for him. So far he didn't have any major armour breaches, but it wouldn't be long in coming, unless someone could come and take some heat off him.

He had made a mistake. The Vedettes weren't really running away, they were actually leading him into a small trap. A Shadowcat had been hiding behind a hill, in low power mode. Just as Radcliffe ran past the hill, it powered up and suddenly attacked his rear armour with an alpha strike. Radcliffe wasn't ready at all for a sudden threat.

Fortunately, the strike didn't all strike home, giving Radcliffe a new lease on life. But the SRMs had almost cored through his rear armour, and the large laser burned away a heat sink. Then the Vedettes turned around and started to harass his front armour. Radcliffe swiftly activated his jump jets and managed to pull out of the precarious position he was placed in. Currently he was running away from the enemy, but it would be impossible to outrun a virtually identical Mech. He could not run towards the base, as that path was blocked by the Vedettes. Already Radcliffe had done several rear-guard actions. He finally managed to get a call through to Isabel, but he didn't get a response. He wiped his brow. How did he ever get into such situations?

The Vedettes were pretty far from his position now, the only threat being the blasted Shadowcat that continued to try and hit his rear armour. Radcliffe spied a tall hill near his position, and ran towards it. At the least the temporary shelter would give his heat a chance to recover. Another large laser shot burned the grey ground in front of him, but Radcliffe was unfazed as he ran on towards the hill. The enemy Mech activated its jump jets and tried to catch up with Radcliffe.

Radcliffe made it behind the mound, slowing down to keep him hidden temporarily. He checked his sensors. The Vedettes were off his sensors now, probably picking their way to the convoy now. He hoped Isabel was up to the challenge, but then those tracked vehicles weren't much of a trouble to a Mech. For a moment he thought he saw another contact on his south, but it disappeared before he could be sure. If there was another pirate out there, he was severely outnumbered.

Suddenly a threat alarm sounded. The Shadowcat was running over the hill, intent on ending the struggle there and then. Radcliffe, weary of running, decided that enough was enough. He placed his feet firmly on the ground, and aimed up the hill. When the Mech came over the top, he triggered almost everything, except his medium lasers. The SRMs didn't lock on and flew erratically into the sky. His large lasers melted armour on the left torso of the Mech, but not scoring deep enough. He wished he had another bunch of weapons to take out the damned pirate.

That came with the sudden barrage of lasers and missiles that flew in from behind Radcliffe, smashing almost completely into the Shadowcat.

Radcliffe checked his sensors. It was Flanker lance! Flanker One was armed with MRMs which while not having any lock-on systems, packed enough punch to shake even a medium Mech. As it was, the Shadowcat was not prepared for the sudden threats, and promptly fell backwards and rolled off behind the hill, losing armour as it went. Radcliffe could imagine the headache the enemy pilot must be having, rolling around in his Mech. Flanker One activated his laser comm. unit to talk to Radcliffe.

"Heard you needed some help, Striker Two. Where's the rest of your lance?"

Radcliffe wiped his sweaty brow. "I'm not sure. I think I was being jammed by some of the pirates, I couldn't get through to them."

"Well, then it's time we joined the battle. Think we could mop up this pirate for ya?"

Radcliffe cringed at the thought of losing his kill again, but then it could have easily been HIM being the kill just now, so he wasn't going to be stingy with his rescuers.

"He's all yours, Flanker lance!"

A salvo of 5 medium lasers seared through the remaining armour on the Vedette, setting off ammunition stores and cart wheeling the vehicle into the light atmosphere. Another Vedette, the last one, tried to run, but Isabel just jumped her Mech right into its path, forcing the vehicle to stop. It discharged a few rounds of autocannon but Isabel was too fast for it. A swift kick to its tread ended its mobility, and a few lasers burned its turret to a molten, twisted piece of metal. Unarmed and alone, the Vedette called out its surrender to her.

"Pirate Vedette, where is the location of my other lancemates?" Isabel asked threateningly. Her lasers and machine gun pointed at the pitted and scarred armour on the tank.

The pirate tank crew weren't willing to experience the fate of the other 3 crews. "We …. we don't know! Our Shadowcat took off after another Shadowcat, and we lost contact with both just moments ago."

Isabel sighed. The convoy was nearing her position, and her lancemates were nowhere in sight. And she had no clue to their whereabouts. She felt like executing the tank crew for her frustration. She took careful aim at the tank. Suddenly the pirates continued.

"But we can tell you that …. that …. that we've got a lance of Mechs and armour coming in to give us fire support on our attack on the base! They were supposed to be here now, but they're too late now ….."

Isabel raised her eyebrows. Another lance of enemy Mechs could seriously tip the scales. Her short tussle with the Vedettes had pitted her armour in several places, not enough to warrant worry but enough to tell her that she wouldn't be able to stand up to two Mechs, let alone a whole lance. And armour. She would need help, soon. She turned on her radio, hoping Mandrill wasn't so pissed with her that she'd disregard Isabel's call.

"Mandrill, Striker Three. Prisoners report another lance of enemy Mechs and armour moving in on the depot. Request fire support, over."

Mandrill didn't take long in answering. "Striker Three, you should have been on the comm. I have recalled Flanker lance and they are now on their way to the depot, with Striker Two. Hold position and complete escort mission. Please don't disregard orders again, Isabel."

Isabel felt a slight flush on her cheeks at the rebuke, and radioed her compliance. Eric was still out there, but she couldn't find him without breaking more orders. She hoped grimly he'd hang on.

"Bloody hell! Take this you bastard!"

Eric tried to plunge his the muzzle of his wrecked ER PPC into the cockpit of the Cougar but missed by a metre, instead crushing armour on its centre torso. Still, it was enough to smash the light Mech to the ground. The pilot had been severely shaken by the impact and the Cougar did not try to get up immediately after the physical assault. Eric carefully brought his leg up to stomp the other Mech's foot into the ground, crushing the already savaged limb and immobilising the Mech. Eric smiled harshly and pointed his remaining PPC at the cockpit.

He had lost his ER PPC when he used that arm to bolster his fall earlier. Fortunately he had fallen on his side, therefore costing him only the right arm. It was even more fortunate that the Cougar didn't fall on him, instead impacting almost directly face-down into the ground nearby and thoroughly damaging the Mech. Not to mention giving the pilot a severe concussion. It was amazing the pilot wasn't killed on impact. The fall had cost them both dearly in terms of armour, but still Eric had more armour. A few moments passed before he managed to lever himself up with his remaining one arm, while the other pilot was slowly struggling to his feet. Eric didn't give him a chance, quickly closing the distance between the two and then knocking the Mech down.

He might have failed to vaporise the enemy pilot the first time, but now he would have his second chance. He was so close that he could vaguely see the pirate attempting to use his hands to shield himself. It would be a futile attempt, since the charged particles would burn through his hands as easily as a knife would cut through butter.

"I surrender! I surrender! Cease fire! CEASE FIRE! Please!" the enemy pilot pleaded over the general frequency.

Eric was stunned. The voice of the pilot sounded so young. He toggled his comm. line to talk to the pirate.

"How old are you, son?"

"I …. I'm seventeen. Oh please don't kill me. Please don't!"

The pilot broke down in tears over the comm. line. Eric sighed. The kid was too young to die. He felt his hatred wane away, tempered by compassion.

Another moment passed. Eric heaved another sigh and then lowered his PPC.

"Power down and wait for the salvage crews," Eric said gruffly.

The kid was still sobbing over the comm. line. Eric didn't wait for a reply, feeling slightly embarrassed now at scaring the kid. He checked his chronometer and found that almost 20 minutes had passed since he broke off from the convoy. They weren't even on his sensors anymore. He had better catch up to them quickly.

"Mandrill, Striker Three reporting Nav Epsilon reached."

"Roger Isabel. Hold position while the convoy unloads. Striker Two and Flanker lance are coming into your area shortly."

"Roger that. Any news on Striker One?" Isabel watched as the haulers rolled into the facility. At the least they were in a safer area now. The depot had about 6 missile turrets covering its western edge, flanked by a number of laser turrets.

"Negative, Striker Three. I'm sending out a patrol to locate him."

'Or bring back his body', Isabel thought bleakly.

Just then her threat sensors wailed a warning at her, but it wasn't the normal warning. "Air threat??" Isabel blurted out in surprise. Her sensors painted two planes flying in close formation towards the depot. Neither carried bombs or any ground attack weapons, which relaxed Isabel a little. Before they came into missile range, the planes flew away, apparently intimidated by the defences of the base.

"Looks like a recon wing. That's not a good sign .... Striker Lance, get ready for company," Mandrill radioed.

Isabel sighed. Looks like rest time was over. Before she could even reply, there was another urgent message from Mandrill.

"Striker Lance, we detect six pirate Mechs approaching depot from the West. Flanker lance and near support is just one klick away. We're launching Stilletos to lend fire support. Phoenix Wing ETA 2 minutes. Hold depot and wait for reinforcements."

Isabel winced. 6 Mechs could really ruin her day. She keyed her radio. "Roger Mandrill. Flanker Lance, Radcliffe, looks like we're in for a real scrap." She could see the 4 friendly Mechs already approaching her southern flank. At the least she wouldn't have to face those Mechs alone.

The battle was in full swing by the time Eric got to the depot. He counted 5 pirate Mechs, 3 Chimeras and 2 Hellspawns drawing fire from the combined power of Flanker lance and his lance. Already one Hellspawn was lying in a smoking ruin on the ground, near one of the destroyed missile turrets. Most of the turrets were still functional, but unable to aim well without firing upon friendlies. However they could engage targets on the southeast flank of the depot, where 5 Vedettes had appeared and attempted to wreak havoc. The Stilletos had long ago left the area to refuel, but had managed to kill 3 of the Vedettes. The remaining Vedettes had pulled back under the intense fire of the missile turrets. So it was a pretty even match, although he could see that Radcliffe and Isabel were quite beat up.

Well, time for him to change the odds.

He announced his arrival with a PPC blast into the back of one of the Hellspawns, striking the right torso. The charged particles ran blue streaks all over the Mech's torso, probably scrambling some of its circuitry as well. The Mech staggered forward under the shot, turning its torso to see the new aggressor. Eric grinned. His comm. links came alive with his allies' excited hollers. Isabel was the first to get through clearly.

"Eric! Sir! You're alive!"

"Damn it, sir, where have you been? We've been needing that extra edge to nail these pirates!"

"Striker One! Good to see you still up and running! Help us mop these guys up, will you?"

'I guess I got my work cut out for me now …' Eric thought, as he watched weapons fire from his side increase. Even though his Mech wasn't in good shape, a medium Mech could always turn the tide easily. The pirates were attempting to pull back, but Eric knew they wouldn't have much of a chance ….. not against the Legion.

Black Knight Legion Dropship Black Falcon

Corvatti Mining Colony HB-3

16th September 3063

"Okay Legionnaires, we've got the pirates on the run. Intel expects they're pulling back and getting ready to get off this rock with as much crystal as they can haul. The Black Legion needs to ensure they don't get away with enough crystal to finance any return trips. All forward lances are being deployed on long range recon routes to locate and destroy any dropships or other vehicles capable of hauling crystals into orbit. Forward leaders, run your points and call them in. Report any dropships sightings as priority traffic. Stay sharp. Dismissed."

As Eric was about to leave the mission briefing room with his lancemates, Colonel Lawhorn's voice called over the PA system again. "Eric, please come to the front."

Isabel and Radcliffe gave him questioning looks, but carried on their way to the mess anyway.

Eric walked up to the stage at the front of the room, and saluted Colonel Lawhorn. The Colonel returned Eric's salute.

"Eric, we've just got a bunch of recruits from Harlech. All newbies, with only militia Battlemech training, but there's one with a pretty solid piloting instinct. Corporal Robert Olsen. Not too good at gunnery, though. Still, he can refine his skills being in a semi-light lance, not on the frontlines in an assault Mech. As a reward for a job well done a few days back, not only I'm assigning your lancemates new Mechs, I'm also giving your lance top priority for selection."

A fourth lancemate! At the least he would have an additional Mech as backup now. Not wanting to show too much enthusiasm, Eric just shrugged his shoulders.

"I'd trust your opinion sir. I'll take him." Inwardly, he was grinning.