STEEL WOLF
A/N: This chapter features a custom weapon called the ER large electrolaser developed by Xandre. A full technical read-out will be listed at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 8: Spring the Trap
Guest Hall, Palais du Soleil, Laurent Commonwealth, Korla,
Lyran Alliance,
August 9, 3075
"Did you call for me, sirs?" asked the female officer who stood at attention in the quarters of Leonardo and Miguel Alvarez. Although she wore the uniform of the Laurent Commonwealth, she and several other Commonwealth officers had been assigned to the Alvarez brothers to help them manage the Alvarez County army stationed here in the Commonwealth.
"Yes, we did," Leonardo told her, adjusting his glasses as he handed her a file stuffed with papers. "We've been tracking the Vargas Estate's troop movements and they are making a few sweeps around the Estate-County border, mostly with the mercenary gangs Alfonso Vargas hired. My brother and I developed a plan to deal with that, and it's all here in the file. Get it to our commanders in the tactical room, all right?"
The officer accepted the file, saluting snappily. "At once, sirs."
Miguel, the younger brother, walked up to the officer, rubbing his hands together. "It's easy to predict what the mercenary scouts are looking for, and that makes it possible to determine where they will go and when, to put it simply. So, we use our fast-moving forces to herd the mercenary scouts into pre-determined positions and set up a trap to capture them. Those two gangs were there during the 3074 invasion, helping Alfonso Vargas brutally conquer the County. They won't get away this time."
A tangible sour note had entered Miguel's voice, and Leonardo winced slightly as the officer made an alarmed expression. "Listen, we've got everything under control," Leonardo assured the officer. "You must understand that my brother and I remember every day how our nation had been pillaged and ravaged by the Vargas Estate forces. Capturing these mercenaries... will be an asset in more ways than one."
The officer nodded a little nervously. "Very good, sirs. I will deliver this briefing at once." She whirled around and trotted out of the room, snapping the door tightly closed behind her.
Leonardo turned to his brother. "It will happen in just a few days, right?"
Miguel folded his arms. "It will."
*o*o*o*o*
Mech Bay 01, Vargas Estate, Korla,
Lyran Alliance,
August 11, 3075
Despite the towering Battlemechs that stood against the walls of the 'mech bay amid scaffolding and supply trucks, Alphonse felt more intimidated by the reprisal he would face from Cassandra as he strode through the spacious 'mech bay. He had not seen her since the party at the Vargas family mansion, and as he approached Cassandra, who was tinkering with an engine part at a workbench, he swallowed hard and tried not to clench his fists. She's still angry. Just speak gently and be mature. That's what she wants.
"Juan, I said to get me two of these," Cassandra reminded a tech who delivered to her a 'mech gyro part, and the tech whirled around and stomped off to get another one. Approaching Cassandra from the side, Al put his hands into his pockets and cleared his throat.
"I, uh... hello. Just reporting for work," Al began. "I'm not late, am I?"
Cassandra, who had been hunching over her work, stood up and turned to face Al with a small smile. "Oh. Morning. No, you're not late. Just in time, really."
"Great." Al mentally fought for his next words. "Hey, about the 200th anniversary party at the family mansion... I didn't mean..."
"Didn't mean what?" Cassandra's face fell from a smile to simple curiosity.
"Didn't mean to be, well, pushy. You know, how I was trying to act like a big shot."
Cassandra nodded. "Right, how you tried to make yourself look better than Carlos?"
Alphonse winced for a second, feeling his gut squirm. "That's it. I mean, I was a little drunk at the time and my friend Luis... well, he's not my friend anymore... he goaded me into saying those things, and I was feeling reckless and... well, I'm really sorry, and I shouldn't have -"
"That's enough, Al," Cassandra waved a hand, a small grin tugging at her lips. "That was three days ago. No serious harm done."
Feeling uncertain, Al plowed on, "I thought you were still furious at me. I came to say sorry."
"You did, and I'm glad," Cassandra told him, reaching up and clapping a hand to Al's shoulder. "Look, don't fret so much about it. I don't feel angry and I don't hate your or anything. Carlos is fine and so am I. What do you say we all forget about that silliness and get back to work?"
Apprehensive, Al started to smile. "Do you mean it? We're cool again?"
Cassandra laughed. "Yes, we're cool again! Like I said, it wasn't that big a deal. Lots of people make asses of themselves at parties..."
Al winced again. "That hurt..."
"I was only kidding." Cassandra sat back at her workbench, gesturing toward a nearby crate of spare parts and tools. "We're still friends, and more importantly, I am your mechanics teacher and you're my student! Buckle yourself up for another session today, Alphonse. You need to learn how to recalibrate missile-propulsion systems. LRM's don't repair themselves!"
With a slight spring in his step, Al wandered over to the indicated crate, pulling out mechanical odds and ends. "What do you want me to do?"
Picking up a screwdriver and twisting a few bolts into place on her project, Cassandra said, "Sort all those into piles according to function. I'll be done with this soon."
"Yes, ma'am." Al knelt by the crate and started making a pile of objects.
"Oh," Cassandra added, "the arena tournament is about to enter its second stage! The four-way matches are all done and the eight winners will start facing off in duels starting on the 20th. Care to watch the first game with me? Carlos provided tickets for us and Lyla."
Al tossed a spare part up and down in his hand a few times before setting it into a new pile. "Great. Should be fun."
*o*o*o*o*
Patrol route, Alvarez County, Korla,
Lyran Alliance,
August 12, 3075
Thankfully, the Arctic Wolves' next patrol mission took place late at night, and as Kyle sat in the cockpit of his Shadow Cat, he marveled that he could perform a mission out in the open desert without melting himself. He had heard that because deserts had little cloud cover, the day's heat could easily escape into space, and the comfortable 54 degree Fahrenheit temperature reading on his HUD confirmed that science tidbit. Kyle first adjusted his 'mech's course to keep in formation with his lance, trotting across the sandy dunes and rocky soil. The inky black sky shone with countless stars like chips of diamonds, and two huge, ashy gray moons floated over the rocky crags and mesas. Moonlight frosted the rippling dunes and jagged rock formations, lending a harsh but somehow graceful beauty to the environment.
I definitely like Korla after sundown, Kyle thought warmly. That, and the fact that he and the other Wolves had found no trouble so far on this patrol, set his mind at a drowsy ease. Shaking his head, Kyle silently reprimanded himself and focused on his 'mech's course. Now isn't the time to get careless. This is enemy territory, and Alfonso and General Abby need us Wolves to get this area ready for a Vargas offensive later on.
"Reaching checkpoint four," Nikolai announced on the battle comm a few minutes later as the twelve Wolves reached a point labeled "4" on each 'mech's radar. "Just two more checkpoints to go, guys. Checkpoint 5 is three kilometers to the northeast, past those large mesas."
"Oh, I'm sleepy," Samantha yawned on Kyle's private comm.
An amused grin tugged at Kyle's lips. "Glad I'm not the only one."
"Are you a big sleepyhead, too?" Samantha teased him sweetly.
"N-no! Just... listless. Marching around in an empty, chilly desert doesn't really get the blood moving."
"I hear that," Samantha responded. "Mmmmmm... if we were back at base, I know a few ways to get our blood moving, darling..."
"I'll keep that in mind for later," Kyle laughed warmly. He knew that if anyone else hacked into this private channel, Samantha would turn that person into a lump of apologetic ooze. Still, Kyle glanced at Samantha's Marauder marching to his right, and remembered the day in 3068 when he had first met her. Still the same tough gal she was back then, he thought. But hell, I love her.
Fury's gruff voice popped into the comm. "Anyone else see that?"
A wary tone tinged Nikolai's voice. "I see them. Sixteen contacts, 900 meters out, approaching from the west."
Kyle's stomach tightened as he stared at the multiple moving red dots on his scanners. "Alvarez raiders?"
"Most likely," Nikolai responded. "Let me see..." the comm let out a hiss of static as Nikolai expanded his comm channels. "This is Arctic One to Skull One, come in. Do you read eight tangos to the west?"
A few seconds later, Harry Saxon's sneering voice entered the comm. "Uh-huh, I read them. Why? Scared, Arctic Mutts?"
Nikolai ignored the casual jab from the Screaming Skulls CO. "No, bonehead. If we trap the Alvarez guys from both sides, we can take them out. What do you say? This patrol mission can become a seek-and-destroy."
"Fine," Harry grunted. "I'm 700 meters north of the tangos. I'm moving south to engage them. Just do your part."
Shutting off the channel, Nikolai steered his lumbering Marauder to the west, and the other eleven Arctic Wolves tagged along in formation. The sixteen red dots drew rapidly closer, and the distance tracker on Kyle's HUD soon read 550 meters. "Light 'em up, people!" Nikolai ordered.
Before anyone opened fire, however, a sudden shout on the comm froze the Wolves. "Taking fire! Repeat, taking fire from a second Alvarez group! Sorry, Wolves, suggest you break off the first group," came Harry Saxon's voice. "I can't back you up."
"Damn it," Nikolai cursed. Seconds later, clusters of explosions suddenly erupted all over the Arctic Wolves' 'mechs, lighting up the dark desert with orange and yellow light. Kyle winced as his 'mech was rattled by the kinetic force, and he realized that LRM's had been fired at the Wolves... lots of LRM's. Kyle moved out of the smoke cloud and saw four Alvarez Trebuchets and four Bushwackers on the approach, and large lasers from the Bushwackers stabbed through the air. Slabs of armor melted off the Arctic Wolves' 'mechs, and more LRM's from the Trebuchets pounded even more damage into the Wolves. At the feet of the Alvarez 'mechs rolled eight Glaive tanks, all armed with LRM 15's and large lasers that fired continuously.
Furious, Kyle slipped his crosshairs onto an enemy Trebuchet, praying that he didn't get hit by LRM's. As soon as his targeting dot blinked gold to confirm a lock, Kyle mashed his left joystick's firing button. The right arm of his 'mech jerked back, releasing a fast bolt of silver. The Trebuchet flinched and recoiled as though punched, and Kyle watched the 'mech's armored chest violently cave in from the slug impact. The Trebuchet took a few steps back to recuperate, but its fellows kept up the LRM fire, easily withstanding the PPC's that the Wolves started to launch. Samantha's twin Light Gauss Rifles fired two metallic slugs, snapping off a Bushwacker's left arm. Some and sparks poured from the wound.
"It's getting too hot. Pull back! Get back to the patrol route!" Nikolai barked. "We'll call for reinforcements. Just get moving as fast as possible."
More than happy to escape the deadly LRM zone, Kyle whirled his 45-ton 'mech around and pushed his throttle to full, scampering across the dunes with missiles and lasers flying all around him. The slower Marauders stomped down the other side of a tall dune, blocking off the Alvarez weapons. Nikolai guided the Wolves back to the patrol route, scouring the Vargas battle comm network for reinforcements. However, the nearest Vargas patrol was at least forty minutes away, and Kyle got the sinking feeling that he would be reaching for his eject lever well before then.
"More!" Thomas "Blitz" Jones blurted. Kyle checked his radar and found another eight hostile 'mechs moving in fast from the south, moving in a direction relative to the Wolves and first eight Alvarez 'mechs to force the Wolves toward the east in order to escape.
"Move northeast, between those two wide dunes," Nikolai ordered. "It's the best way to escape enemy fire and we can set up an ambush there."
Unsure what exactly was going to happen, Kyle hurried his Shadow Cat with the other Wolves toward the designated area, aware that the eight new 'mechs were all Razorbacks with large lasers. The sixteen Alvarez 'mechs and eight tanks pushed the Wolves farther to the east, using their LRM's to harass the Wolves without fear of retaliation. As soon as Nikolai and the other Arctic Wolves got within the safety of the dunes, Nikolai ordered, "Now, spread out to cover all approaches. They'll have to come in either from between the dunes or over them. This way, they can't fire at us until they get in close, around 200 meters' distance, taking away their damned long-range advantage. Even if they get on the high ground, they'll have to get close to get a clear shot at us, taking away their ranged advantage."
"Confirmed," Kyle responded, aware that he'd have to use his ER medium lasers in the coming battle. His heart hammered with anxiety as he gripped his joysticks tightly, wishing that his palms wouldn't sweat so much.
Then, hundreds of red dots flared to life on the radar within a 200 meter radius.
"Mines!" Nikolai hissed. "No one move! We're right on top of a minefield."
"Those Alvarez bastards herded us right into this minefield," Samantha realized. "What do we do, boss?"
"We hold still and wait for the Alvarez forces to come to us," Nikolai told her. "If they don't, we just wait until the reinforcements come. Maybe the Screaming Skulls can pull us out somehow."
The Alvarez forces didn't waste any time: all of them crept up over the towering dunes, raining large lasers over the Arctic Wolves. Kyle gritted his teeth as lasers raked his 'mech, and he prepared to return fire with his medium lasers.
His 'mech moved sluggishly, and its HUD flickered and fizzled.
"What?" Kyle worked the controls frantically, ignoring the large lasers slicing into his 'mech's limbs. However, neither his 'mech nor the other Arctic Wolves' 'mechs could return fire.
"Surrender, Arctic Wolves," the pilot of a Trebuchet demanded on the open comm. "You cannot open fire or escape. Each and every one of those mines can be remotely detonated at will by me or any of my men."
"I don't surrender, bastard," Nikolai growled back. "Don't you know not to corner a wolf? You become the path of least resistance."
"Don't play games," the Alvarez pilot barked. "You Wolves will not be able to move for at least another thirty seconds. You were hit by ER large electrolasers, developed by the Alvarez County a few years ago. They have less range than regular ER large lasers, but they have a very powerful stun effect woven into the laser. Expensive tech, but it works. Surrender at once!"
Aware that the combined stun lasers and mines could overwhelm his company, Nikolai responded heavily, "Very well. I know better than to throw away the life of my men. This is one hell of a trap."
Kyle could hear the simmering resentment in his boss' voice and knew that once Nikolai found a chance, sooner or later, the Wolves would tear apart the Alvarez forces and make an escape attempt. The Vargas Estate forces would certainly help out if Nikolai could send out a distress call.
"The Screaming Skulls have also been captured by similar means," the Alvarez pilot added. "You mercenaries have haunted the Alvarez Estate long enough. Leonardo and Miguel will decide what to do with you."
"The sons of the old Alvarez count and countess?" Nikolai commented. "They're running the show now?"
"They are," the Trebuchet pilot confirmed. "I will call in a dropship to take you away. Do not fire any weapons, or we will trigger the mines and you will be buried under the collapsing dunes. That is, if my men don't liquidate your badly-damaged 'mechs with lasers first."
Nikolai sighed on the comm. "Just get it over with."
*o*o*o*o*
A/N: Here are the stats of the ER large electrolaser.
Weight: 5 tons
Critical slots: 2
Range: 450 meters
Damage per shot: 4
Heat per shot: 12
Recycle delay: 12 seconds