STEEL WOLF
Chapter 17: Behind Enemy Lines
Wilderness, Vargas Estate, Korla,
Lyran Alliance,
September 21, 3075
Not for the first time, Kyle found himself marching across the desolate dunes of the Vargas Estate with only the bright full moon to guide him, but this time he marched with Alvarez County forces. Along with Kyle's fully-repaired Shadow Cat marched Samantha's Marauder and two other Arctic Wolves piloting Marauders, and some distance away marched two more lances of Alvarez 'mechs. Already, Kyle and the others were several miles into enemy territory, managing to bypass Vargas Estate patrols and proceed toward the mission's objectives. Several Vargas Estate towns lay nearby but more importantly, a number of Estate communication facilities were around here, and the Alvarez brothers wanted those comm facilities shut down.
The voice of Colonel Ruiz popped into the comm. "Phantom team, report in."
"Phantom One, reporting in," Samantha responded.
"Phantom Two, reporting in," Kyle added. The others confirmed their readiness as well.
"Your objective is at way-point Charlie, and it is currently 1.7 kilometers to the north of your location," Ruiz explained. "We've sent out diversion teams to draw away the defending forces, so resistance should be light at the facility. Get in there, raze that building, and get out. The other two Phantom teams have already begun their assaults."
"Copy that," Samantha said crisply. With the Vargas Estate's largest airfield crippled, one lance was all that the Alvarez County needed in order to take out a facility. As long as the objective wasn't surrounded by heavy turrets, Kyle expected that he would be back at base within a few hours. The Hunter's Insight dropship sat a few kilometers to the south, waiting to pick the Phantom teams back up.
There was still no sign of enemy resistance as Kyle's team marched across the chilly dunes, and when way-point Charlie drew within one kilometer, Kyle activated his optical zoom and got a visual on the comm station. Standing five stories tall and surrounded by a wire fence, the comm station glowed with windows on its steel walls and a trio of large comm dishes rested on its roof. The dishes slowly rotated in place, green and red lights flashing on their frames.
"This is Phantom One," Samantha spoke in the comm. "I'm not picking up any enemy vehicles or 'mechs, and I'm guessing that they are waiting to ambush us. Phantom Two, scout ahead and find them."
"Roger that." Scampering ahead of his lancemates, Kyle slowly pushed his 'mech up to full throttle, then reached over and slapped his hand on a square red button. At once, his radar's range expanded and a number of red dots popped up on the screen. "I've got six enemy contacts! They're all shut down to avoid detection. They're 750 meters ahead of us."
"Regroup, Phantom Two. Everyone, activate optical zoom to find the enemy and open fire with PPCs and Gauss Rifles on sight. They might be hiding on the other side of some dunes."
His heart hammering with excitement, Kyle proceeded with the rest of his team, his finger tense on the firing button for his Clan Gauss Rifle. The comm facility drew closer and closer, but still the enemy contacts didn't strike.
"We'll just have to draw them out," Samantha stated. "Open fire on the facility!"
Glad to be actually doing something, Kyle squeezed his trigger and felt his whole 'mech shudder from the force of his Gauss Rifle spitting out a metal slug. The chilly night air glowed electric blue as PPC beams streaked from two of the Marauders, and the combined PPCs and Gauss slug tore into the comm facility's upper level. Blasts of fire glowed in the distance and huge chunks of infrastructure came raining down from the top story.
A few seconds later, a cluster of LRMs raced out of the darkness and collided with Samantha's Marauder, swallowing up the left half of her 'mech with explosions. A bulky Archer 'mech with the Vargas Estate's logo stood on a nearby dune to the north-east, and a pair of Centurions soon marched up from the dune's other side and flanked the Archer like bodyguards.
"Engage enemy contacts!" Samantha barked. Her 'mech's twin arm pods spat out Light Gauss Rifle slugs, one after the other. The first slug went wide, hissing through empty air. The other slug, however, smashed right into the Archer's left LRM launcher, caving the launcher inwards with a loud screech of warping metal. The hulking Archer reeled back from the momentum, but the two Centurions raced forward, opening fire. One Centurion's LRM 10 cluster pounded into the right leg of Samantha's Marauder, blasting off layers of armor. The other Centurion's LRMs blew off armor from a Marauder's right torso.
Just as Kyle prepared to open fire, however, the other three Vargas contacts came into view from the west: an Uziel along with two Manticore tanks. The Uziel's large pulse laser and LBX-2 peppered the right torso and arm of Kyle's Shadow Cat, while the two Manticore tanks unleashed hell. Both of them hammered the Marauders with their combined PPCs and LRM 10s, and then the Archer recovered and added its own LRM 20s to the barrage.
"Concentrate your fire! Get the Manticores!" Samantha shouted over the din. Eager to pay the Vargas forces back, Kyle broke out into a full sprint, zig-zagging across the battlefield to present a slippery target to his foes. He locked his crosshairs onto a Manticore tank and released another Gauss slug. The Manticore's turret blew clean off from the slug's heavy impact, and the turret bounced uselessly across the dunes. Robbed of its PPC, the tank turned to open fire on Kyle, but a a pair of PPCs from the Marauders slashed the tank's LRM launcher into a molten mess. Finally, Samantha's Light Gauss Rifles tore into the wounded tank's hull, breaching its engines and delicate inner machinery. The tank erupted into flames, its charred body disintegrating.
Angered, the remaining Estate forces pushed closer, hoping to get too close for PPCs to be effective. The twin Centurions filled the air with their Autocannon 10s and medium lasers, slashing more armor off the brawny Marauders. The Uziel scampered up from behind, its SRM 6 chipping away at a Marauder's rear flank.
The two standard Marauders returned fire with their Autocannon 5s, and the ballistic rounds pounded into a Centurion's chest, nearly knocking the 'mech off its feet. Three PPC beams ravaged the Centurion's chest, and mingled flames and molten armor flew off the 'mech's chest. Smoke poured from the injured 'mech's chest, leaving it in no shape to fire back. Kyle carefully lined up his crosshairs and fired, feeding one Gauss slug right into the damaged torso of the Centurion. With another, fiercer blast, the Centurion slumped to the dunes and rolled down to the dune's bottom, chunks of armor and titanium bones breaking off.
Fully cooled down by now, the surviving Manticore rolled closer and flung another LRM 10 volley at Phantom team, then its PPC. The combined weapons sheared off the left arm from a standard Marauder, and the limb released a shower of sparks and torn myomer muscles as it broke off. Angered, the Marauder whirled around, punishing the Manticore with its remaining PPC and Autocannon 5. Both weapons blasted armor off the tank's nose, but the Manticore hung on, firing its SRM 6 from extreme range. This time, the Marauder managed to evade the tank's fire, and Samantha's Light Gauss Rifles punched deep into the wounded tank's innards. Just like the other tank, the Manticore erupted into flames and sparks, its hull falling apart.
The Archer, not content to just watch, took a few steps closer and unloaded its LRM batteries. The one-armed Marauder was rocked on its feet as forty LRMs ravaged it from head to toe, stripping away nearly all of its armor. Smoke and fire bled from the huge 'mech's ruined torso, then an Autocannon 10 blast from the surviving Centurion shattered the Marauder's exposed inner machinery. Releasing another wave of flames, the Marauder slumped onto its side in defeat, sliding down the dune toward the bottom where the ruined Centurion lay.
"Take out that Archer!" Samantha ordered. She hastily fired her Light Gauss Rifles, but her quick shots went wide. The other Marauder opened up with its PPCs, and both sizzling blue bolts tore into the Archer's damaged LRM launcher. The electric beams sliced into the LRM launcher like hot knives, setting off the LRM warheads stored inside. The Archer wobbled on its feet as its internal ammo went off like a box of firecrackers, its torso armor shattering from the trauma. Seeing his chance, Kyle brought his 'mech to a halt, lined up his crosshairs, and fired his Gauss Rifle. The slug pierced the wounded Archer and knocked the entire 'mech onto its back, blasting apart its inner machinery. The 'mech squirmed for a few seconds, then went limp as its myomer muscles tore apart from the strain.
Kyle felt distinctly relieved to see the Archer go down, but the surviving Uziel and Centurion launched their own assault. A combined LRM 10, Autocannon 10, and large pulse laser barrage tore into the standard Marauder's weakened chest armor, and sparks flew from the 'mech's damaged inner machinery. All three Arctic Wolves responded with their own fire, but the nimble Centurion and Uziel sprinted toward their three foes in a zig-zag pattern, letting the PPCs and Gauss slugs go wide. Another volley of fire blew the Marauder's torso apart, causing the huge 'mech to collapse into a flaming mess.
"Just you and me," Samantha told Kyle tightly on the comm as the two remaining foes closed in. He snarled and triggered his Gauss Rifle in frustration, but the two enemy 'mechs were within 300 meters and easily evaded the awkwardly-fired slug. The Centurion's combined lasers and Autocannon 10 scored heavy blows against the remaining chest armor on Samantha's Marauder, and the heavy 'mech wobbled from the loss of mass. Kyle felt himself get thrown around in his cockpit as the Uziel's SRM 6 and LBX-2 rounds shattered the thin armor on his Shadow Cat. The Uziel's medium and small lasers cut into the exposed machinery of Kyle's 'mech, causing alarms to go off in the cockpit.
Unwilling to go down, Kyle gave up on his Gauss Rifle and switched to his lasers. His three torso-mounted ER medium lasers carved into the Uziel's damaged torso armor, melting globs of metal off the Uziel's frame. While Kyle's lasers were cycling, however, the Uziel responded with another SRM 6, and Kyle winced as the explosions shook his Shadow Cat violently, damaging the inner framework. Smoke leaked into the cockpit as another warning light blinked on, and Kyle knew that he was running out of time. Once again he hurled his three lasers at his foe, enduring the rising heat in his cockpit. Two of the ER medium lasers scored hits on the Uziel's left torso while the last one went wide, flashing through empty desert air.
Samantha's Marauder had lost most of its armor by now, but its torso sported an impressive array of eight medium lasers that Samantha was dying to use. Five laser beams filled the air, and four of them hit the target, slashing chunks of armor from the Centurion's chest to expose its inner machinery. One of the beams struck a heat sink, blowing the heat sink apart in a detonation that shook the Centurion. Grinning to herself, Samantha fired up her last three medium lasers at the Centurion, but she gasped from the heat that stifled her. Still, the three new beams cut deep into the Centurion, gouging out its inner machinery. Fire leaked from the humanoid 'mech's inner components, signaling its impending doom.
The Centurion's pilot had grit, however, and proved it when he recovered his 'mech's balance and returned fire. His expertly-aimed Autocannon 10 salvo tore right into the Marauder's chest, and Samantha hung on tightly as internal explosions rocked her 'mech. Two vicious medium lasers from the Centurion's chest only worsened the Marauder's plight, and judging by the warning lights going off in her cockpit, Samantha knew that she'd get one last chance to take down her opponent before she was killed.
Slapping her hand impatiently on her coolant button, Samantha checked that her Marauder's heat level was down to 0, then opened fire. All eight of her lasers stabbed the Centurion one after another, spiking the heat back up to a rather high level. Sweating and muttering desperate curses under her breath, Samantha stared hard at the Centurion, praying that it would go down. She felt a thrill of elation as her lasers ravaged the Centurion, slicing apart its inner bones and busting its gyro. Losing its balance and falling into pieces, the Centurion burst into even more flames. Despite the trauma, the Centurion's pilot squeezed off one last shot, pounding the Marauder with a final Autocannon 10 volley before the Centurion collapsed into pieces.
"Integrity compromised," stated the Marauder's computer. "Unsafe! Eject!"
Aware that her machine was collapsing from the new internal explosions that were rocking it, Samantha pulled the eject lever and felt herself thrust toward the cockpit ceiling. However, fire and twisted metal filled the cockpit, impending the ejection seat's progress. Samantha grimaced as her ejection system struggled to get her out of her dying 'mech, praying that she didn't meet an early end.
Meanwhile, Kyle flooded his Shadow Cat with some coolant and fired up his lasers again, aware that one more good salvo would take down his 'mech. The Uziel wobbled as the lasers melted off more of its torso armor, nearly breaching its SRM launcher. Stopping and facing the Shadow Cat directly, the Uziel let loose with an alpha strike. The LBX-2 shells and SRMs blasted into the Shadow Cat's lower torso, while the combined lasers slashed into the 'mech's exposed innards. Even more alarms went off in Kyle's cockpit, but he bared his teeth and muted them, too aggravated to be afraid. Even with one of his ER medium lasers now broken from the Uziel's barrage, Kyle fired back. His remaining two lasers stabbed into the Uziel's SRM launcher, breaching it and setting off the internal ammo. The Uziel vanished in a fireball of exploding SRM rounds, lighting up the night with a fantastic display. When the fires died down, only the charred, metallic husk of the Uziel remained.
"So close," Kyle breathed, aware that his body was sore and sticky with sweat. He turned on his torso and saw Samantha's ejector seat settle onto the dunes, its parachute ensuring a a smooth landing. Still, the badly-damaged condition of the ejector seat sent a thrill of alarm through Kyle. Turning a little farther, Kyle fired his Gauss Rifle at the comm array, the slug tearing through one of the satellite dishes on the damaged building. Twice more Kyle fired his Rifle, nearly depleting its ammo but completing his mission all the same.
Removing his neuro-helmet from his head, opened the cockpit, relieved at the cool night air that seeped in. After he rolled down his 'mech's ladder, Kyle grabbed a first-aid kit and climbed down as fast as he could, landing heavily on the sandy dunes. He sprinted across the sands toward the ejector seat, panting and gasping for breath. "Samantha!"
Samantha groaned and dragged herself off the ejector seat, mild burns and cuts all over her body. Kyle knelt by her side, gently laying her onto her back and removing her neuro-helmet. "Sam, can you hear me? Can you talk?"
"Y-yeah," Samantha muttered. "You don't have to babysit me..."
Kyle fumbled with the first aid kit's latch, getting out bandages and anti-burn medicine. "Don't be like that. You're hurt, and help could be hours away. I'll signal Colonel Ruiz from my 'mech, but I have to fix you up first. I can get you back to the Hunter's Insight in my 'mech."
"I guess," Samantha conceded, her voice feeble. "But the other guys with us..."
Kyle glanced at the ruins of the other Marauders. "Doesn't look like they made it. They were Arctic Wolves, and it was my honor to fight with them. But now, I have to tend to the living, you know? We've got a war to fight." He gingerly began to apply the bandages and medicine to his lancemate and girlfriend, fervently hoping that the both of them would be able to eventually leave Korla reasonably intact.