CHAPTER 6

Pummelo, Outworlds Alliance,
August 28, 3074

Joezen, Ian, and Mogami saw Neptune's signal and backpedaled, firing all weapons at the closest mech in the process, but the Redfield Renegades had broken through the line. A big Cataphract made a mad dash at Neptune, followed by a Caesar with evil-looking cannon on its right torso. Several other battlemechs advanced in a single file behind the Caesar. Tracers of lasers and ballistics filled the air, wiping out the remaining structures like a hurricane blasting everything in its path.

The Cataphract went straight at Neptune, raining down armor-piercing pellets on the Jagermech. Neptune threw the joystick to the left as hard as he could, but a few slipped past the gashes on the Jagermech's right torso. The Jagermech's right arm blew up, and the mech careened. Neptune bit his lips, slamming his joystick to his right thigh to compensate the shockwave. The myomer on the legs strained to keep the mech upright. Sparks and smoke bled from the stub on his right shoulder.

Banking on the good shot, the Cataphract peppered the Jagermech with cascaded laser shots. Neptune's console went haywire, but he was too caught up to pay attention. He pumped up his UAC5, scourging the Cataphract's front armor, then fired all lasers in unison. Half the shots went wide, but the one that hit served as a beacon. Laser bolts, armor-piercing rounds, and Gauss slugs poured in. Armor sprayed with every strike, and the last volley tore crunched the engine shielding. The Cataphract rocked back and forth as internal explosions tore it apart from the inside. What was left crumbled to the ground and disintegrated into smoldering debris.

The Caesar, however, had reached close proximity to Joezen's limping Jagermech. Joezen turned and launched everything he got left, but the Caesar shrugged everything off. At 500 meters, its evil-looking cannon roared, spitting the biggest ballistic cannon the Inner Sphere had engineered at the Jagermech. The Heavy Gauss slug smashed into the Jagermech's hip with such a force the legs breached clean. The torso crashed in a loud clang, and before Joezen could exit the mech, the Caesar stepped on the cockpit and squashed it underfoot.

"Bastard!" Neptune cried out in pain. He lined up his crosshair with the Caesar and fired every weapon he had left, but the Caesar shrugged off his attack. The Caesar trained all weapons at him, but 2 PPC cored its chest. The Caesar reeled, then pulled itself up but another twin PPC bolts tore its midsection. The Caesar buckled and dropped to its knees. Ian's Gauss slugs found home on the Caesar's midsection, and the half a dozen laser bolts gutted the 70-ton mech. The mechwarrior punched out of the cockpit seconds before the mech erupted like a volcano, leaving behind a plume of smoke.

Kora's Awesome took position and sent steady streams of PPC downrange. A Bushwacker crackled in blue flame. The Legends Quickdraw and Archer finished off what Korra started. Their missiles rained down on the Bushwacker. The medium mech disappeared behind a blinding fireball.

But the bulk of Redfield Renegades put pressure on the remaining Legends. Two Gauss volleys forced Korra's Awesome to backpedal. A massive Toyama fired a debilitating laser-missile salvo at Legends Grasshopper, cutting off its laser-laden arm. The Grasshopper careened off into a pile of debris. A couple of Renegades Shadow Hawk peppered the Grasshopper with their cannons. The Grasshopper fought back but the combination of speed and firepower of the Shadow Hawks was too much to handle. Its armor turned into shredded metal. The Grasshopper tried to jump to safety but a stray shot hit its jump jet outlet. The jump jet blasted, and the burning fuel engulfed the lanky mech with raging flame.

Ian's Jagermech was running out of ammo, but he still had a fight left in him. He latched on one of the Shadow Hawks and fired his Gauss rifles in quick succession. The first slug tagged the Shadow Hawk on the left torso, and the second one grazed the left shoulder. The Shadow Hawk staggered hard and fell out of the battle with damaged actuators.

The other Shadow Hawk quickly turned its attention toward the ammo-exhausted Jagermech. Its UAC5 roared, knocking the remaining armor on the Jagermech's torso. The Toyama joined the fray with its laser-missile combo. Several missiles slipped through the opening on the Jagermech's torso and detonated the gyro. The Jagermech jerked forward like a bow. Sparks and embers gushed like blood. It rolled and stumbled on its belly. Ian punched out of his mech just before the Jagermech fell, but in a blatant disregard of Ares Convention the Shadow Hawk shot him in the sky as he was parachuting in his command couch.

Neptune could only watch as Ian was getting slaughtered, unable to stop the Shadow Hawk from pulling off the cowardly attack. He wanted to dove in and launch everything he had at the coward Shadow Hawk, but his mech was in no condition to get into another brawl. It had barely any armor left, and there were only 5 shots remaining on his UAC5. His lasers wouldn't take him very far as half of the heat sinks were shot. His heart sank, knowing that all 3 of his lance mates were dead and nothing he could do to avenge them.

The Redfield Renegades continued to crash into Lexington Legends' line of defense like tsunami rolling over levees. Korra's lance fought as hard as they could, but they were quickly outgunned and outnumbered. Their plan fell apart quicker than Neptune's stand at the front line. And knowing that all hopes was lost, the recon lance abandoned their posts and scrambled out of the battlefield. Neptune was disgusted but not surprised at all. He was part of the recon lance when he started serving the Lexington Legends. It was still fresh on his memory how the recon lance shamelessly snatched the place on the remaining dropship while the support lance was defending the drop zone. The one that ultimately put him on the helm of the support lance.

Breaking through the defense line unopposed, the Redfield Renegades started firing on the command center. Neptune hadn't seen Kasumi, the Kuritan POW, for a few weeks, and he was almost sure she was still inside. He didn't put much thought on Kasumi aside from the information she had given him, and had been using her merely as a bait to lure the Kuritans into his trap. But considering where the Lexington Legends stood now, perhaps the POW could have more use than just a bargaining chip. Mogami wanted to use her as a negotiation tool. Maybe it was the right time to play that trump… if he could get her out of here alive.

So Neptune put his blinker on fast blinks, giving a signal for Mogami to turn back and run. Waiting no response, he turned back and slipped behind the command center. Missiles and ballistics exploded all around the building. Concrete chunks flew every which way. The foundation turned into perforated concrete from the intense barrages. Neptune knew the chance was slim, but he had no choice. He had to try, because it was the only chance he got to avenge his lance mates.

Knowing the building could collapse any minute, Neptune jumped out of his cockpit and climbed down his mech. He rushed into the building. Each hit was amplified by the steel reinforcement on the wall. Neptune ran as fast as he could, bumping against techs and helmsmen that tried to escape. He burst into the gym where he last saw Kasumi. And as he expected, she was still there, tied to a gym equipment. She was gaunt and distant, but still alert of what's going on, and although her face oozed defiance, her eyes could not hide the fear.

"I'm taking you out," Neptune cut the zip ties that restrained her hands and feet. "But you have to come with me."

"I do not fear death!" Kasumi growled and tried to get up, but quickly stumbled. It had been months since the last time she stood on her own feet. Added to that the constant torture by the Lexington Legends, and she was too weak to support herself.

"Death will not help us win this war," Neptune pulled her up and slung her arm around his shoulder. "Much less your desire for it. We can go through this if we work together, and for that, I need you to stay alive!"

Kasumi didn't say anything, but Neptune caught a glimpse of relief in her eyes. He pulled her through the rattling corridors, and ducked as concrete debris pelted them from every direction. They teetered past the command center, who had turned into a pile of metal and concrete, and busted their way toward the rear exit. But just when they crossed the main rotunda, half of the building collapsed, blocking their exit.

"Shit! We have to go out from the front!" Neptune dragged Kasumi back toward where they came from. But the front of the building had caught fire. They were now trapped.

"Looks like your plan to win the war dies with me," the POW muttered. There was a desperation in her tone, even though she put on her tough exterior to hide it. "I am not afraid to die, and I know you aren't. But regardless, thank you for coming after me. Hopefully you don't regret your decision."

"The only thing I regret is that I don't live long enough to avenge my lance mates!" Neptune ground his teeth bitterly. "Redfield Renegades murdered them, and I want to live so I can send them all to hell!"

"You can get them in the afterlife," the POW spat.

"I wish," Neptune sighed. He looked at Kasumi in the eyes. "I want you to know, it's been an honor to share the battlefield with you."

"The feeling's mutual," Kasumi nodded. "Perhaps we can continue our 'alliance' in the afterlife."

Neptune flashed a forced smile, and just when he thought his life was numbered, the wall on the left crumbled. He dragged Kasumi to the side, even though he knew it was just delaying the inevitable, but puffed a sigh of relief when Mogami's Ostroc barged into the building. The lanky mech crouched and reached for the two mechwarriors. Neptune felt a slight squeeze around his body when the gigantic hand grabbed him. But the mech was surprisingly gentle, squeezing just enough to hold onto the delicate flesh without breaking any bone. A great piloting skill on Mogami's part.

Securing both mechwarriors on its hands, the Ostroc backed up out of the building, then broke out into a sprint. The building crumbled in a loud crash a mere seconds after the Ostroc reached a safe distance, kicking up dust and debris. But the concrete dust served as a smokescreen for the Ostroc. It ran and ran until the smoke and the dust from the Lexington Legends base was but a distant spectacle.