@Sci-Fi Raptor: go back and read chapter 3.

Thor's Gap, Tharkad

Donegal Province

Lyran Alliance

The first lance of Word of Blake Mech's disappeared in a hail of Laser and PPC fire, literally vaporised by the massive amounts of energy directed at them. The second wave stopped short, suddenly unsure of what to do: a retreating enemy had suddenly turned round to face them, and four of their number had died instantly.

The hesitation cost most of them their lives: the second barrage ripped into them, tearing their Mech's limb-from-limb as they tried to pall back. They found themselves caught between the heavier machines following them into the valley, and the Irregulars, who had dug themselves into defensive positions. The arrival of the heavier Mech's turned the scouts back towards the Irregulars, and weapons fire started to travel both ways as the battle begin in earnest.

Cairo twisted his Mech's torso from side to side, his Large Pulse Laser sending out darts of energy as it swept from side to side. The heat in his cockpit was rising steadily, as his double heat sinks tried in vain to keep up with the demand he was putting on them. He fired a Gauss round at an EGL-2M Eagle, spinning the Mech round with the force of impact. A second round punched through its relatively thin rear armour, smashing its gyroscope and reactor. It fell to the ground, flames starting to rise from the rent in its armour.

The weapons alert siren started to go off, and Cairo saw a veritable wall of missile heading his way. He tried to duck, but his Mech was hit reputably, taking damage all across its torso. He backtracked the missiles to a 90-tone VKG-2F Viking that was trying to find cover while it reloaded. Cairo locked onto it with all his weapons, and palled the trigger.

The SRM's missed wide, as did one of his ER Medium Lasers, but the rest of the Templar's firepower the mark: the Large and Medium Pulse Laser blasted armour up the other Mech's right torso, coming close to damaging one of it's missile racks. The Gauss Rifle sent a basketball-sized nickel-iron round into the Viking's left knee, jamming it in place. The other ER Medium Laser scorched armour across its center torso, but did no real damage.

The Viking's pilot was just about to regain their balance and send a second swarm of missiles Cairo's way when a pair of Gauss-rounds it them in the left shoulder. The effect was staggering: a live missile in the launch tubes detonated, and started a chain reaction that gutted the entire left side of the Mech. the CASE panels blow-out, saving the rest of the Mech, and the pilot, from a catastrophic ammo detonation, but the force of the blow sent the Mech down onto it's right side.

Struggling to rise, the Viking was easy pray: Cairo set both of his Pulse Lasers to his primary trigger and fire. The bolts of hyper-intense light ripped up the ground between the two Mech's, and ate into the thin cockpit armour. Cairo held his aim steady until a thick plum of smoke was seen to be rising from the downed machines cockpit, the plexy-glass screen long gone.

Cairo's eyes darted to his secondary monitor: a wall of red hostile dots stood out before the more sparsely spaced green friendly dots. Things did not look good.

He quickly shifted his aim to the right as a Word of Blake PLG-3Z Pillager appeared through a cloud of smoke, it's torso tracking round to face him. Cairo instinctively sent a flight of missiles from his SRM-4 rack towards the other Assault Mech, and ducked round behind a boulder before it could return fire.

The Templar shook as a pair of magnetically accelerated slugs caught it on the large armour plate that made up the Mech's left shoulder. One sphere punched through and ricocheted off of the center torso, denting the armour. Cairo struggled to keep his Mech upright, but his excusive use of weaponry had pushed his heat sinks to the limit of their ability: the Mech's right arm crashed against the bolder with a sickening screech of metal on stone.

The Pillager fired its twin Medium Lasers at Cairo, picking at his armour across his right torso, but doing real damage. The Templar raised its left arm and fired its Large Pulse Laser, followed by a flight of missiles from it's SRM-4, chipping armour on the Wobblies shoulders. Cairo was forced to remind himself that he no longer had Clan Double Heat Sinks, and that the Inner Sphere variants where nowhere near as effective.

The SRM-4 launcher cycled another salvo of missiles, and Cairo hit the firings stud again, this time adding his Gauss Rifle. The Gauss round struck first, shearing a ton of armour from the Pillagers center torso, and the SRM's exploited this by blasting through the remaining protection. The MechWarrior tried to pull back, but a swarm of Elementals descended upon it from their hiding places. Armour rained down onto the ground as the genetically engender infantry clawed into the Mech's innards and ripped it to peaces.

Cairo surveyed the battle: Mech's where engaged in vicious short-ranged combat, while battle armoured infantry from both sides tried to tip the balance in their favour. Cairo walked his Large Pulse Laser through a squad of Wobblies in Achileus battle armour, gutting them to shreds. Cairo fired his SRM's at a Mech he couldn't identify, and tried to take stock of what was happening.

The radio squawked with an incoming transmission from the Precenter Martail, "Highball, this is Central: what is your situation, over?" Cairo gritted his teeth, "In short Central: a shit-storm." He swung his Mech round to take a shot at a ALB-3U Albatross with his Gauss Rife, "Any word on those reinforcements?"

"Negative Highball: your orders are to pull back to the plains and head for the city." Davion's voice was grim. Cairo's eyes narrowed, "Sir, if they take the pass, we'll never be able to stop them. Release Lancaster 1 and 2 to my command: if they can bring the canyon walls down a little, we may be able to stop them here." General Steiner's voice came over the link, "Negative: all orbital assets are currently engaged. Pull back to rally point Bravo."

Cairo cut the link and changed frequency, "This is Highball calling Lancaster, come in Lancaster." The radio crackled, "Highball this is Lancaster, we are reading you, over." Cairo moved his Mech back behind the bolder so he could access his tactical map, "Highball requests fire-for-effect: my position plus 1-km, over." Star Commodore Ivan Leroux sounded tense, "Negative Highball: Lancaster's 1 and 2 currently engaged and unable to offer assistance." Cairo tapped a few command, "Can Lancaster provide Fast Movers to support Highballs position?" There was a slight delay, "Confirmed Highball: fast-movers inbound your position. ETA: 90-seconds"

To Be Contiuned…