STEEL WOLF
A/N: The last scene of chapter 2 was set in July 18, but it was meant to be June 18. That error has been corrected.
Chapter 3: Pit of Hell
Trade route, Alvarez County, Korla,
Lyran Alliance,
June 22, 3075
Kyle Goyua did his best not to think about the thick, sweltering heat in his Shadow Cat's cockpit, but it was no use.
"You know, I could go for a cold lemonade right now," Kyle admitted with a slight grin, tapping into Samantha Smith's private comm. "Plus a massage..."
"You're not getting a massage from me," Samantha responded, a smirk in her voice.
"Why not?"
"Because you haven't earned it yet, Kyle," Samantha responded warmly. "Remember, us Wolves only get what we work for. Though there are masseuses at the Vargas family mansion you could hire..."
Kyle couldn't help a laugh. "I dunno if I could afford that, dear. Have you seen how opulent that place is? I'd have to sell three organs to afford the price of one massage. And that doesn't count the towel."
Samantha shared the laugh. "Oh, screw it. The capital city, Beliza, probably has enough bars to cool yourself down with. Ever had a strawberry daiquiri? It's wonderful..."
"I dunno, but what about hard lemonade?"
"That too, if you're feeling simplistic!"
A new voice crackled onto the public comm. "We're now approaching the rendevous point. Hold position and stand by," instructed Nikolai Kerensky.
Kyle watched as Nikolai's camouflaged Marauder lumbered to a halt next to a cluster of rocks by the asphalt road, the 'mech's gun barrels lowered. Kyle brought his Shadow Cat to a halt a dozen meters away, watching the other 'mechs of the two lances do the same. One lance of Arctic Wolves 'mechs stayed behind at a 'mech hangar at Beliza while two lances carried out the Wolves' first mission for this contract. Beside Kyle's Shadow Cat stood the Marauders of Nikolai of Samantha, along with a third Marauder belonging to a calm and confident warrior names Thomas Blitz. Two other Marauders stood nearby, belonging to Mechwarriors Michelle Brandon and Gunther Zimmerman. The seventh 'mech, an Atlas, belonged to "Fury" Lister, the brawny bigger brother of Lyla Lister. Lastly, there was a Jenner piloted by a shy warrior named Juno Wealthow.
"They're late," commented Thomas ten minutes later as the scorching Korla sun crept past the noon position, minimizing the shadows of the eight waiting 'mechs.
"Just give it a little time," Nikolai told him. "They should be... there, I see 'em."
Noticing the ping on his radar, Kyle twisted on his Shadow Cat's torso and watched eight new Battlemechs approaching from the horizon, the 'mechs hazy through the wavering hot air. Nikolai sent out a hail: "It's us, the Arctic Wolves. This is Nikolai speaking."
A deep voice responded cockily. "Screaming Skulls on the approach. This is Harry Saxon speaking. I hope you mutts can keep up with us Skulls when the fighting starts."
Mutts? We're wolves! Kyle bristled, but he decided not to start an argument this early into the mission. Instead, he watched the two lances approach, and his Shadow Cat achieved a positive ID that they were 'mechs of the Screaming Skulls mercenary gang. Indeed, an emblem of a sideways screaming skull against a black circle with fire raging from the back of the skull was on each 'mech's torso and left shoulder. The lead 'mech, a Bushwacker, walked right up to Nikolai's Marauder and tilted its cockpit up to regard the bigger 'mech eye to eye. "Ready to move out, Kerensky?"
"Right. Ready op, Wolves," Nikolai told everyone, then added to Harry, "I hope your boneheaded warriors can hold out when the fighting gets rough. I don't want to haul your busted 'mechs all the way back to Alfonso's mansion!"
Kyle flinched at the blatant teasing, but Harry Saxon only chuckled roughly. "I think we're going to get along fine, Kerensky. Move it, Skulls! It's fun time."
The other seven Screaming Skulls 'mechs formed up on Harry's Bushwacker, an assortment of medium 'mechs: three more Bushwackers, three Whitworths, and a Griffin. Nikolai let the two Screaming Skulls lances start marching down the trade road, then he led his fellow Arctic Wolves along in formation right behind the Skulls.
"Okay, let's go over the mission once more," Nikolai told his Wolves a few minutes later. "We're going to retake a supply depot that the Alvarez Country guerrilla forces recently captured from Vargas Estate forces. This supply point connects to a lot of the Estate's mines, cities, and other supply depots so it's important for Alfonso Vargas to get this supply depot back. We move in, kick out the Alvarez forces, and hold the depot until reinforcements can arrive and secure it." He added with wry humor, "Then, we can return to Beliza and hit up the bars and get some hard lemonade."
"See? Lemonade is best," Kyle teased Samantha.
"Whatever, Kyle..."
Half an hour later, the supply depot, a trio of four-story buildings, showed up on the extreme edge of Kyle's radar. His radar also picked up nearly twenty hostile Battlemechs.
"Go in weapons hot!" Nikolai shouted. An instant later, a cluster of LRM's exploded against his Marauder, engulfing its torso in seething flames. The Marauder buckled, its legs straining against the kinetic force.
"Boss!" exclaimed Thomas.
"Relax, Blitz," Nikolai responded, using Thomas' callsign. "Just open fire."
Kyle trotted to the side, breaking free of the other Wolves to get a clear shot. He took a deep breath and rested his finger on the main button of his right joystick, which could trigger his Clan Gauss Rifle in his 'mech's right arm. Three ER medium lasers rested in his Shadow Cat's left torso, and two machine guns sat in the right torso to deter infantry. As the Marauders of the Arctic Wolves and Whitworths of the Screaming Skulls opened long-range fire with PPC's and LRM's, Kyle activated his optical zoom. He found an Alvarez Vindicator that stood apart from its allies, firing its LRM 5 and PPC at the Arctic Wolves 'mechs. Fixing his crosshairs onto the Vindicator, Kyle held his 'mech still and pressed his right joystick's button.
The whole Shadow Cat jerked back as the Gauss Rifle fired, but Kyle was rewarded by seeing the Vindicator reel as though punched in the face. The metallic Gauss slug hammered the 'mech's upper chest, bending sheets of metal out of shape and creating a shower of sparks. A second later, Samantha's customized Marauder raised its arm pods and fired. One Light Gauss Rifle sat in each of Samantha's Marauder's arm pods, and both metallic slugs punched into the wounded Vindicator's chest. The 45-ton 'mech stumbled back, smoke and fire leaking from the jagged wounds in its chest. Kyle launched another Gauss slug, and the metal sphere blasted into the Vindicator's torso and breached critical systems. Even more fire burst from the Vindicator's chest, and the 'mech slumped over in defeat and sprawled across the sandy ground in a puff of dust.
"Slippery bastards," Nikolai cursed. His PPC's streaked past his intended target, an Alvarez Trebuchet. He wasn't the only one missing; the Alvarez 'mechs, none of them heavier than 60 tons, continuously moved in flowing patterns across the battlefield like schools of fish, letting most of the PPC's and missiles of the Arctic Wolves and Screaming Skulls fly harmlessly past. Worse, the Alvarez 'mechs tended to focus their fire, with four or five 'mechs concentrating their fire on just one Wolf or Skull 'mech. Already, two Whitworths of the Screaming Skulls team had gone down, and the rest of Harry's mechs were in bad shape. Michelle and Gunther's Marauders lay in pieces on the desert floor, and their pilots had already ejected and landed safely near the road. Fury's Atlas' thick armor protected it a lot of firepower, but Fury relied on short-range weapons, making his Atlas little more than a punching bag during the long-range battle.
Kyle tried to evade enemy fire as best as he could, but LRM's and Autocannon bursts from Alvarez Shadow Hawks peppered his Shadow Cat from head to toe, quickly chipping away at his armor. More than once, he tried to get a bead on an opposing 'mech, only to get thrown off-balance by taking more fire.
A Screaming Skulls Bushwacker succumbed to the Alvarez Battlemechs' LRM's, slumping in smoking ruins to the desert floor. However, the remaining five Screaming Skulls rallied and returned fire, their LRM's and large lasers finally catching the slippery Alvarez 'mechs. An Alvarez Trebuchet staggered back as large lasers from the Screaming Skulls Bushwackers stabbed its torso, causing globs of molten armor to slosh onto the sand. Two LRM 5 clusters from Harry's 'mech pounded onto the wounded Trebuchet, knocking the 'mech onto its back and blowing out its inner systems. Then, Samantha's Light Gauss Rifles tore into an Alvarez Rifleman, shearing off the 'mech's left arm. Thomas' PPC's lashed across the Rifleman's chest along with Kyle's Gauss Rifle slug, and the 60-tonner crumpled.
The remaining Alvarez 'mechs broke off and retreated, scampering across the dunes faster than the Arctic Wolves or Screaming Skulls could recycle their weapons. By the time the Wolves fired another volley of PPC's, the Alvarez forces had gotten out of range and vanished behind a ridge of dunes.
"That's it. Stand down," Nikolai told the Wolves, his breathing heavy. "Advance to the supply depot but watch for ambushes. The Alvarez Country forces are known for their hit-and-run tactics."
"I'll go first," Harry decided, his battered Bushwacker taking point. Although his 55-ton 'mech had its armor worn thin and some of its inner systems were exposed, the 'mech marched forward with impeccable confidence and pride, the other four Skulls 'mechs tagging along. The six remaining Arctic Wolves 'mechs followed close behind, constantly checking their flanks for any ambushes en route to the supply depot. Kyle reached the edge of the depot's facility without any trouble, trampling over a chain-link fence that enclosed the depot. Then his Shadow Cat stomped across a wide parking lot that was empty except for a few cargo trucks that sat silently.
"No enemy contact," Nikolai muttered on the comm. "Unless the enemy is waiting behind the buildings, powered down to hide their presence. Kyle?"
Kyle gently pushed on his throttle. "I'm on it." He activated his Beagle Active Probe, expanding the range of his radar. He trotted his 'mech around the corner of the nearest structure of the supply depot, passing a closed pair of cargo bay doors. No enemy contacts appeared anywhere, no powered vehicles at all in fact. Frowning slightly, Kyle moved on to the other two buildings, passing by a number of communication towers. "Boss, I've got nothing here," Kyle reported, using Nikolai's callsign.
"Hmmmmm. Copy that," Nikolai responded uneasily. "By what Alfonso Vargas told me, the Alvarez guys like to use hit-and-run tactics and ambushes. What are they waiting for? For us to let down their guard?"
Fury's Atlas lumbered forward a few steps. "Like hell they'll catch us with our pants down," he said gruffly.
"Right," Nikolai agreed. "Wolves, we're going to make patrols around the depot's perimeter and rotate patrol duty every hour until the Vargas Estate reinforcements get here and take care of things."
"Same to us," Harry told his men. "Get patrolling. I don't want anyone else to go down. Jonson, go out there and retrieve the ejection pods."
"Roger that." The Griffin lumbered off, its fingers uncurling on its hands. Nikolai sent Fury to retrieve the ejected Wolves, since his Atlas was the only Wolf 'mech with hands. Samantha, meanwhile, was chosen for the first guard detail, and she trotted off toward the edge of the supply depot to get to work.
A rumbling shudder and pillar of fire was the first sign of attack.
"Fall back!" Nikolai bellowed as Samantha's Marauder was thrown back by the jet of fire that erupted from the ground close to her 'mech. Her Marauder stumbled awkwardly back, its armor creaking loudly as the 'mech fought to stay on its feet. Its wide feet scuffed against the ground, fighting to keep steady as the earth trembled.
Where did that come from? Was it a Long Tom? Kyle thought frantically, checking his expanded radar. Nothing except the Arctic Wolves and Screaming Skulls 'mechs appeared, but two more jets of fire burst from the ground, blasting a Skulls Bushwacker. The 'mech slipped and fell onto its rear, its front armor vaporized from the explosion. Right as the 'mech fell, yet another detonation sent it flying again, shattering into multiple flaming pieces.
"Wait... mines! This whole place is rigged!" Nikolai shouted. "Wolves, move out! Just run!"
More and more explosions rumbled the ground, pillars of fire erupting all over the place at an increasing rate. Even the three buildings bulged from explosions within, blasting chunks of concrete every which way. The very earth began to buckle and sink, the soft ground unable to withstand the pressure. Kyle shoved his throttle to maximum, his Shadow Cat scampering across the supply depot grounds. Harry Saxon's Bushwacker hurried past one of the three buildings, but then another explosion within the building broke the wall free. Huge chunks of concrete and steel framework collapsed on the Bushwacker, and the 55-ton 'mech staggered from the blows and then slumped to the ground, its legs straining against the rubble falling on the 'mech.
As the other Arctic Wolves hurried away from the kill zone, Kyle backed up and aimed crosshairs at a large chunk of concrete that weighed down the Bushwacker. His three medium lasers raked the concrete, melting off sections of the chunk and shrinking the chunk's size. Kyle squeezed his Gauss Rifle's trigger, and the metallic ball smashed into the remaining concrete, blasting it into pieces.
"Kyle Goyua! Where are you?" Nikolai's voice demanded.
"Just a second, sir!" Kyle shouted back, blood pounding in his ears as more mines rattled the earth. His Gauss Rifle recycled and he fired it again, knocking away a steel frame piece that was weighing down the Bushwacker's left leg. "Can you get up?" Kyle asked on the comm.
The Bushwacker groaned and trembled with strain, but the 'mech pushed itself upright with its arms' weapon pods and its four-toed feet secured a steady grip on the ground. Unsteadily, the 'mech rose to its feet and began to walk forward, gaining speed when it didn't trigger any further mines.
"You saved my ass, kid," Harry Saxon croaked as multiple Alvarez lances appeared on the far edges of Kyle's radar. "Those Alvarez assholes are coming back to mop any stragglers! If you hadn't freed me from this pit of hell..." As he spoke, billowing fires raged from the ruined building, bits of flaming debris raining all around his 'mech.
"Let's just go," Kyle encouraged him, pushing his throttle back to full. "We've only got a minute to escape."
"Kyle! Get over here!" Nikolai shouted as the Arctic Wolves and Screaming Skulls regrouped on top of a sand dune. The Alvarez forces approached from the opposite side of the supply depot but were closing in fast.
"Yes, sir!" Kyle scampered out of the minefield and up the sand dune, taking his place by Samantha's Marauder. Meanwhile, Harry's Bushwacker rejoined the other Skulls, and all of the mercenary Battlemechs fled the scene, leaving the Alvarez forces and the remains of the supply depot far behind. Kyle figured that the Wolves and Skulls would regroup with their two fellows at the road to regroup and retrieve the ejected warriors.
As soon as the Wolves were sure that no one was following them, Nikolai tapped into the comm. "I see what happened here. That supply depot connected to a lot more supply networks for the Vargas family than for the Alvarez forces, so instead of wasting men trying to reclaim it, the Alvarez commanders chose to blow it up and deny the Vargas family those assets. They probably hoped to take out Alfonso's mercenary aid at the same time. Also, Kyle, I want an explanation for what you did."
Kyle swallowed and responded, "I-impulse, I guess. I didn't want a valuable ally to die like that. Alfonso Vargas needs mercenary strike forces in order to take the fight to the Alvarez Country and Laurent Commonwealth troops, so I didn't want the Screaming Skulls losing their leadership so soon into this contract. Besides... I still got out of there, didn't I?"
"I suppose," Nikolai said slowly. "But I don't want any more stunts. We're a close-knit pack. We don't take self-sacrifice easily."
"Understood, sir," Kyle hung his head.
Samantha spoke up, "Kyle, that was a ridiculous and risky thing to do."
"I know, all right?" Kyle bit back impatiently.
"But..." Samantha added, "it was also a bit heroic, I guess. The Skulls also owe us a favor now, which might come in handy someday. So, overall... nice going."
"Thanks."