Black Knight Legion Dropship Black Falcon
Corvatti Mining Colony HB-3
17th September 3063
Eric brought his Mech to a stop a kilometre before nav Alpha. He checked his rear camera and saw Radcliffe's Uziel, Isabel's Shadowcat and Olsen's Raven catch up with him. So far the Colonel had been right. Olsen did have a knack for piloting. The bobbing Raven wasn't exactly very easy to pilot, but Olsen seemed at ease with it. For now. Eric wondered how he would fare in combat later. "He'd better not freeze up and force us to save him," he grumbled quietly. He activated his voice microphone and got on his lance's channel.
"Okay Striker Lance, we do this one right and our pirate-hunting days are over."
Radcliffe raised his PPCs in mock celebration. "Amen to that!"
Eric chuckled, and then continued. "Our new lancemate is Corporal Robert Olsen. Try to set a semi-respectable example for him."
Radcliffe cheekily countered, "Why sir! I'll have you know, I consider myself the very height of respectability!"
Isabel spoke to Robert. "Good to have you aboard, Olsen." Eric was about to compliment her on her positive greeting, when she added: "Try not to get anyone killed."
"I wasn't planning to!" Robert replied indignantly.
Eric smiled. Robert would fit just fine with them. Provided he didn't get killed on this mission. He turned up his throttle and gave his orders.
"Okay, clear the comm. and let's run the pattern. Olsen, you stick close to Radcliffe and double-up on targets with him. Isabel, you're with me."
"I'm honoured," Isabel replied. Eric wasn't sure if it was laced with sarcasm, but she moved up next to him anyway, and they were on their way.
Mandrill had ordered them on an extended patrol route, to check for the pirate's crystal shipments. A previous fly-by had detected an abandoned depot at the end of their patrol route. She told him not to expect any pirates there, since the depot had been abandoned long before the arrival of the pirates, but she felt that the place needed a check anyway.
While pounding to nav Alpha, Eric checked the ammunition feed to his new autocannon. The quartermaster could not replace Eric's lost ER PPC or even give him a new PPC, so Eric had left that left arm weapons pod empty. Instead he mounted an LBX10 scattershot autocannon in his left torso. He had to strip out 2 heat sinks to do so, but then with only one PPC, it wouldn't make a difference. He could even spare an extra tonne of ammo for the autocannon. He might have a little less firepower in terms of range, but now his Mech could be deadly at close range. He was raring to try out his new configuration.
Of course, that depended on whether there was anybody to shoot on this mission.
"Robert, scout ahead with your Beagle Active Probe (BAP) and sniff out any enemies."
"By myself?"
Eric groaned. He could bet Radcliffe was about to spout some sarcastic rhetoric, so he quickly spoke again.
"All right. Isabel, cover his rear. Radcliffe, you're with me now."
There was a chorus of ayes answering his orders. Robert's Raven, equipped with an active probe sensor which was able to pick up powered down or Mechs using ECM better than normal sensors, jogged ahead to nav Alpha. Isabel followed close behind, her Mech almost able to match the Raven's speed. Radcliffe came up on Eric's right flank.
Radcliffe used laser comm. to talk to Eric personally. "Eric, are you sure Robert's any good in that Raven? We're not sure if he's good at reading his sensors at all. Heck, we aren't even sure if he can shoot either! Why did you bring him out on this mission?"
"Give the kid a try, Striker Two. He's going to have to get some field experience sooner or later. Anyway his dossier says that his sensory skills are one of the best among the recruits. Otherwise I'd not be bothered to bring deadweight on this mission."
Radcliffe sighed resignedly and kept quiet after that. It was interesting to hear Radcliffe express concern over anyone, with the way he tries to piss everyone off. It was most likely the developing camaraderie among his lance and the fact that Robert Olsen was more like a younger brother to all of them. Eric smiled.
His smile didn't last.
"Str … Striker One! I'm picking up some soft reactor signatures below the ridge near nav Alpha. Could be armour assets. Requesting backup," Robert suddenly announced.
Eric jolted upright in his seat. He barked an order to Robert and Isabel to hold position near Alpha, while Radcliffe and him caught up with them.
Then Robert warned him that he had been hit with an active sensor ping, signs that there could be enemy Mechs with BAP around the area. Eric started to feel nervous. He hoped that this mission wouldn't be a trial by fire for Robert, but it looked like it would be the other way around now.
He caught up with his two lancemates. Radcliffe and Robert went to the left flank, while Eric and Isabel went around to the right flank in order to try and trap the armour assets in the gulley. It was likely that the armour units had been warned of the threat by the nearby Mechs, and were still lying low in ambush. But Eric decided that a full lance of Mechs could take on the tanks or whatever tracked vehicles anytime. As he neared the edge of the gulley, he picked up the powering up of 5 enemy tanks: Bulldogs only. He was expecting PPC-armed Shreks or Demolishers with enough short-range punch to ravage them, and so was surprised at the appearance of such a lousy opponent.
Then it struck him. They were bait!
"Sir! Enemy Mechs on our rear! 3 lights and one medium Mech! 800 metres and closing fast!"
Robert was getting pretty good at warning Eric of impending threats, though Eric wished Robert was wrong about his contacts for once. The Mechs were armed with ECM, since he couldn't see them on his sensors.
"Strikers Two and Three, pull back to our position! Now! Striker One, advance with me and destroy the Bulldogs! Move it!"
Radcliffe brought his Mech up to speed, along with Eric. The tanks were advancing on their position, ignoring the fact that Isabel and Robert were coming up on their backs. Eric had to give them credit for having the balls to face 2 medium Mechs head on. Before they could open fire, Radcliffe let loose his PPCs into the lead tank, which promptly erupted spectacularly into flames for a while before the flames died out due to lack of oxygen. Not to be left behind, Eric fired his PPC into the tank behind it. It didn't score through the armour, but blew its tracks off and immobilised it.
As fast as the drive had started, it died out. The remaining tanks started to flee, but Eric fired his LB10X and his SRMs on another tank, this time penetrating its armour and exposing its crew to the harmful environment outside. Isabel managed to catch one tank with her large laser, medium lasers and Streak SRMs, also penetrating the armour and killing the crew. Robert tried to hit a tank, but missed wide with his small lasers and even his pulse lasers. The two tanks scrambled by Isabel and Robert for the relative safety of their approaching comrades. Eric toggled his comm.
"Let them go. Form up on the ridge, let's get out of this gulley."
Eric checked his sensors and could now detect the opposing Mech lance. Two Ravens, a Cougar and a …. Bushwhacker. The last Mech, a 55-tonner, usually carried an AC10 and LRMs as its primary weaponry. Coupled with the Cougar's LRMs, the two Mechs could smash their armours all from a distance. Even worse, the Ravens had NARC, a beacon which once implanted by a missile on to a target, would attract friendly missiles to the target, even those without lock. Currently the enemy lance was still behind a hill, but they would be over the hill in another minute or so. The Ravens were wise, pacing themselves to match the speed of their lancemates first. Eric quickly gave orders.
"Seek cover, Striker lance. Those LRMs will be incoming soon, and watch those Ravens. Don't get hit by a NARC or you're in trouble. Olsen, try to hit the Bushwhacker with a NARC and take it out. Radcliffe, attract his attention and watch Olsen's back. Isabel, engage that Cougar while I take on the Ravens. Go!"
Everyone took their positions, and Eric radioed to Mandrill about their engagement.
"Roger Striker One. Engage but watch for more enemy forces. We believe you've hit the hornet's nest."
Eric watched nervously as the Bushwhacker and the Cougar set up their positions on a ridge north of them, probably waiting to shower their targets with LRMs. The Ravens were moving in on Radcliffe and Robert, who were approaching the Bushwhacker from the southwest. Eric quickly set his throttle to maximum and closed the distance to the Ravens, going over a series of depressions and in the process attracting the attention of the Mechs on the ridge. He was trying to cover Isabel's approach, who was moving in on the Cougar as quietly as possible from its southeast flank.
He zoomed in on a Raven as he heard the warning of a missile lock.
"Crap …. it's started."
He managed to fire his PPC, grazing the armour on the Raven's left torso just before he saw the Cougar let loose with its full complement of 20 missiles at him. He watched the missiles fly in on his right flank.
"Almost …. almost ……" he mumbled to himself.
"Striker One, taking fire, request support!" Robert was shouting, unaware of his lance leader's own problems.
"I'm on your back, just keep moving" Radcliffe retorted.
Eric didn't have time to listen carefully. When the LRMs were almost 20 metres from him, he mashed his jump jet controls and took off into the air. The manoeuvre raised the heat levels in his cockpit by several degrees, but it managed to avoid a few LRMs. Nevertheless, almost 10 missiles retained their lock and hammered his legs, enough to damage his knee actuators but fortunately not destroy them.
He landed gingerly, almost stumbling due to the trouncing he took in the air. His jump had managed to land him in a depression, shielding him from the missile boat Mechs on the ridge. He quickly brought his Mech up to speed and chased down the Ravens, who were delaying Radcliffe and Robert in their objective. He didn't want Isabel to take on those two other Mechs by herself.
He found the four Mechs tangling near the base of the hill where the Bushwhacker and Cougar held their ground. Radcliffe was protecting Robert's back as he moved backwards, taking on the two Mechs while Robert slowly moved upwards to engage the Bushwhacker. Radcliffe had been good; already one of the Ravens was smoking from a penetrating hit on its right torso, and the LRMs there were all but destroyed. However, Radcliffe's Uziel wasn't in a pristine state either.
"Radcliffe! Roberts! Go on to engage the Bushwhacker! Support Isabel, now!"
Radcliffe seemed reluctant to leave his kills behind, but complied anyway. A Raven tried to pock Radcliffe's rear armour with an alpha strike, but failed to hit anything at all as he deftly triggered his jump jets and sailed away from them.
He carefully laid his reticule over the Raven which had missed just now, then fired his own alpha strike. The salvo burned and blasted away enough armour on its left torso, almost knocking the Mech over. As it was, the pilot had to place a foot forward to balance himself. His compatriot turned around to bring the Raven's weapons to bear on him. Eric grinned.
"All right boys, it's my turn to play," Eric said, much to himself.
Isabel launched a hasty salvo from her lasers, not really hitting anything but able to keep her antagonists occupied. The Bushwhacker had already cratered her centre torso with a few rounds from its AC10, and by some stroke of luck (for them) the Cougar had struck the same spot with its ER lasers as well. If either Mech had another solid strike with its full complement of weapons, she could lose her centre torso completely. Not to mention her life.
"Striker Two, where the hell are you? Radcliffe!"
Radcliffe's response wasn't long in coming, though slightly distorted by the jamming action of the Ravens. "Don't worry, Three. We're coming up on their rear, just below the hill. Keep them occupied, Isabel. Olsen, tag that bloody Bushwhacker with a NARC."
"Roger Radcli …. err … sir."
In his cockpit, Radcliffe grinned at the formality. "Olsen, it's okay to call me Radcliffe. I'm not the Lieutenant ….. well, not yet."
"ARE YOU BOYS DONE CHIT-CHATTING YET?" Isabel's voice boomed on their ears.
"Uhh …. got it Isabel. Attacking!"
Radcliffe cringed as he saw Robert's NARC round miss and fly into the sky. At the least Robert knew to shut the transmitter off immediately upon missing his target, but it looked like Radcliffe's SRMs would have to be manually aimed for a while. He squeezed his jump jets, catapulting himself into the sky, hoping to find himself facing the rear armours of the two Mechs. He found the Bushwhacker approaching Isabel's position, but the Cougar was facing him, tracking him as he flew above it. Uh oh.
The alarms shrieked a missile lock, confirming Radcliffe's fears. Radcliffe grimaced as LRMs erupted from the Cougar's torsos. What a stupid mistake to make.
Robert just watched, mouth agape, as Radcliffe's Uziel was bathed in fire and explosions. He hadn't seen the effects of LRMs on a Mech so far, only in the simulations and holo-vids. The Mech was almost completely obscured by smoke, and then it went out of his view.
Isabel's concerned voice came on the radio. "Radcliffe! Are you all right?! Olsen, support Striker Two NOW!"
Robert shook himself out of his daze and pushed his Mech forward into the battle. Radcliffe didn't respond, but Robert's radar still picked up a live reactor reading. Either Radcliffe's radio had been blasted apart or he was knocked out. Whichever way, Radcliffe would be needing help. And the best person to help would now be him. He hoped the Lieutenant would come and help him soon.
Eric jump jetted over a Raven, landing behind it and finding himself facing its paper-thin rear armour. The Mech struggled to turn around but Eric was too fast for it. "Gotcha now!"
He fired his PPC and his autocannon at once. The autocannon just sanded away the remaining protection on the Mech's rear, not enough to cause critical damage, but enough for the PPC to carve a hole the size of a basketball in the armour. The pilot, realising his precarious situation, quickly attempted to flee. Lacking jump jets, he tried to run away, hoping to put as much distance as possible between him and Eric. His compatriot tried to attract Eric's attention by launching LRMs on him, but Eric knew better than to let his quarry run away. His SRMs didn't have a secure lock thanks to the rocking the missile hits caused, but he fired them anyway. He was rewarded amply by seeing at the least two missiles fly into the cavity he had created. The Raven keeled over, seemingly drunken, and crashed into the ground head-first.
Before Eric could crow over his kill, a bright light suddenly blinded him. He screamed in pain, covering his eyes. The Raven had flash-blinded him! His Mech stumbled without his controls. Eric managed to regain his composure quickly, but spots still swam before his eyes. He heard the warning of missile lock, and instinctively triggered his jump jets. However, without knowing which way the missiles were coming from, it was a futile gesture. As he took off, LRMs crashed into his right leg, this time smashing his leg actuators into ruin and rendering that limb useless. Gritting his teeth, Eric knew his landing would be really rough. He braced for impact.
