AUTHOR'S NOTES: The Battle of Pascia Grove! Lots of 'Mech action in this chapter. Hope you like it. (And for those who have read the Snowbird stories before, a rather important first meeting takes place in this chapter as well. Actually, several of them!)
Note that both sides use the Inner Sphere's names for Clan 'Mechs-Mad Cat instead of Timber Wolf, Loki instead of Hellbringer. This is to cut down on confusion for the reader. The Sentinels also refer to Clan formations as lances and companies, as they're not yet familar with Clan organizational names.
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Pascia Grove (West of Horatius)
Planting, Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
13 November 3050
The only warning that Alpha Battalion got of the Clan attack was a hurricane barrage of LRMs, followed by two volleys of Arrow IV artillery missiles. Both attacks were unguided and fired blindly, but that wasn't much comfort to the Sentinels.
Max Canis-Vlata had the canopy of his Battlemaster open, taking in the fresh air when the first missiles hit. He hurriedly closed it as one Arrow IV landed behind him—luckily, well behind him, but he still felt the 85-ton 'Mech rock with the shockwave of detonation. He tightened the straps and checked the damage readout; the Battlemaster had taken some shrapnel damage, but there were no penetrations in the tough assault 'Mech's rear armor. The volley ended, and branches, dirt and leaves were still falling when Max got on the radio. "Highlander Six to Highlander elements, check in now." He had to make sure his lance was all right.
"Three," Juan Siembieda checked in.
"Four." That was Peter-James Mader.
Max was about to repeat the call for Highlander Two when Charles Badaxe's voice came up on the line. "Two here. Sorry, boss—I was taking a leak. Had to dog the hatch shut." Max smiled, remembering what had happened to him on Twycross. He looked around through the Battlemaster's bubble canopy and saw Badaxe's Atlas over to his right, right where his new lancemate was supposed to be. Badaxe was a new guy, one of those that had joined up since Persistence, and the deceased Micajah Ballew's replacement. If the Clans were coming, this would be his first engagement. Have to keep an eye on him. Max didn't know Badaxe, though he strongly suspected that was not the young blond-haired man's real name; the fact that he brought a pristine Atlas into the lance led Max to believe there was a noble somewhere missing an heir.
Max switched frequencies to the company net to check in with his mother, who would be some distance behind him. There was no response, and he heard no one else able to get through to her. Fear clawed at his throat until he heard the voice of his father, Todd. "All Alpha elements, this is Cuirrassier Six. Lancer Six is okay; she just lost her antennas. I'll be assuming command." Max blew out his breath in relief; Mira was okay, but without any way to communicate except tightbeam, she wouldn't be able to fight her company, leaving it up to Todd. Max felt confident: his father was a lot of things, but incompetent was not one of them. And since he stopped drinking…
"Alpha/1 elements, Inniskilling Six. Contact report. Two lances of enemy 'Mechs, crossing the river to our front. Looks to be ten 'Mechs, assaults and heavies. Falling back now." Pascia Grove was dense woods, but Max could see the four light 'Mechs of the Inniskillings lance, Alpha/1's scout lance, falling back. They would not survive long against Clan heavy OmniMechs, so Lance Commander Tom Fiordur was getting them out of there.
Unfortunately, that meant that Max's heavier 93rd Highlanders lance would need to move up, both to plug the line and meet the Clan attack. He took a deep breath now, willed his pounding heart to stop, and gave the order to advance. You'd think I'd be used to this, he thought to himself. He checked his flanks and switched a multifunction display to face behind. Everyone in his lance was where they were supposed to be: Badaxe to his right, Siembieda's Charger to his left, and Mader's Marauder covering the rear. Siembieda's Charger was luckily modified from the standard, almost useless CGR-1A; it was slower, but carried a large laser and some medium lasers instead of the usual five popgun small lasers. The forest began to thin, and Max knew he was getting near the river. He still could not see much, even as the weight of his Battlemaster knocked down smaller trees.
Then all at once there was a torrent of fire as the Jade Falcons fired, beyond the range Max could respond to. Trees were cut in half or exploded as they were hit, but to Max's surprise, none of his lance seemed to take damage. He noticed explosions to his right, and saw that the two lances next to him—the 1st and 5th Dragoon Guards, of Alpha Battalion's 2nd Company—were taking the brunt of it. Okay, Max thought, we'll swing around and take the bastards in flank—
Then he saw them coming out of the river: there were only four instead of the normal five, and Max didn't know if the fifth had looked for another target or the Clan unit was understrength. Either way, as usual, the Jade Falcons picked their opponents: two Thors went after Siembieda and Mader, while a much larger, vaguely humanoid-looking 'Mech went after Badaxe. Max remembered the threat briefing they had gotten before the landing: this was a Gladiator, a 95-ton monster that could actually jump and chase down light 'Mechs. Then he had to concentrate on his opponent, another design that Max had never seen before: it looked similar to the Gladiator, but was slightly different—what the AFFC had codenamed the Man O'War. At 80 tons, it was faster than his Battlemaster, but not as well-armored. They would be evenly matched. Max hated to play the Clans' game, but he had to take care of the Man O'War before he could help his lancemates.
The Clan warrior closed in, bringing up both arms, which ended in slim barrels. Max tracked his PPC around, but the Man O'War fired first. To his surprise, the impact of the autocannon shells were not as bad as he thought it would be. Missiles followed, but while these cracked and smashed armor plate, the tough Battlemaster easily held. His damage monitor showed only minor damage to the 'Mech's chest and left arm. The Jade Falcon warrior seemed as surprised as Max was, and the 'Mech itself seemed to hesitate.
Max didn't. He pulled both triggers. Heat washed through the cockpit, raising sweat on his limbs, but the PPC, four medium lasers, and the SRM-6 did a lot more damage to the Man O'War. Armor buckled and sagged on the broad chest of the OmniMech, as the missiles spiraled in to hit the legs. The Clan warrior abruptly began to fall back, as both they and Max now knew that the Man O'War had the wrong configuration for this sort of fighting. Max pressed his advantage. Not so tough now that I'm in my actual 'Mech, huh? he thought with satisfaction.
They exchanged fire a few more times, Max keeping one eye on the heat scale as the Battlemaster began to overheat. The Man O'War peppered him with fire that Max didn't even bother to dodge: the Jade Falcon MechWarrior was hitting more than Max was, but Max was doing more damage, and 80 tons or not, the Man O'War was simply not built for this kind of close-in brawl. The Jade Falcon edged back towards the river, then stumbled when the 'Mech tripped backwards over a group of splintered stumps. Max saw his chance, pushed both pedals down and charged the Man O'War. He twisted the control sticks, making the Battlemaster twist slightly and put its shoulder into the Clan 'Mech. There was a loud sound of collision that rang through the forest, but the Man O'War, already unbalanced, fell backwards into the river. The Duranter was deep enough here to cover the 'Mech completely, and though Max waited a moment, the Man O'War remained submerged; Max figured that either the Clan warrior was playing dead, or the water had flooded through one of the many holes in the armor and short-circuited something important. Either way, it was at least temporarily out of the fight, so Max retreated back into the forest and looked for his lance. "Highlander Six to Highlanders, sitrep!"
"Highlander Two! I'm doing okay!" Badaxe sounded out of breath, but not afraid. Max looked over and saw the Atlas and the Gladiator duking it out at close range, with honors even: the Atlas was badly carved and scored with laser hits, but the Gladiator's armor was shattered in several places and it was limping, testament to Badaxe hitting it with the Atlas' AC/20.
"Highlander Four. Three's down, but he punched out. He's okay. I could use some help. Still engaged." Mader sounded calm, but Max headed in that direction. He was still fighting the Thor, but of the other one there was no sign; Max saw Siembieda's Charger down, smoking holes in its torso, but the cockpit hatch was gone. Somewhere above all this, Siembieda was floating down in a parachute, which was still a good way to get killed, as he was going to land in the middle of a 'Mech fight. He needs to get a better 'Mech, Max thought idly, and went to help Mader, putting Siembieda out of his mind for now. It was cruel, but it was war.
As he fired the PPC at the Thor, he saw a Locust come out of nowhere and start taking potshots at the Thor's rear with its medium laser. Where did he come from—oh. Max saw the crest on the untouched Locust: it was one of the Inniskilling's 'Mechs. Fiordur was committing his lights to harrass the Clans. The Thor doggedly tried to ignore both the Locust and Max, as they ganged up on the Clan 'Mech in Inner Sphere style. Finally, as the Locust got a shot in that melted through some of the rear armor, the Thor jumped away, trying to put some distance between himself and his three opponents. Max turned to help Badaxe, but saw the Gladiator stumbling backwards as the Atlas planted a fist through the Clan 'Mech's right shoulder. This was the kind of wild brawl that the Sentinels trained for and preferred, and Max could tell that the Jade Falcons were having trouble with it. "Looks like we're winning," Max said aloud.
Then he heard the radio call that sent ice through every Sentinel's veins: "ENEMY 'MECHS TO OUR REAR!"
Star Captain Senefa was grinning widely as she jumped the river in her Thor. She always wore this expression in combat, though she was unaware of doing so; had someone told her, Senefa would have been deeply embarrassed, as she kept a very close rein on her emotions. Then again, Senefa had a good reason to smile: her attack had worked perfectly.
She had "borrowed" a Star from Roshak's two Trinaries, who were still reorganizing for their next attack, then sent that Star and her Assault Star across the river in a direct, frontal attack. It was a feint, though it had enough weight to break through if it could. She even called in an artillery strike to make the Sentinels think it was the real attack. Meanwhile, she took her other two Stars—her Command Star and Medium Star—and used a low ridge to conceal their movement. Once the Sentinels had engaged her other two Stars, she launched the actual attack, crossing the river, moving into the forest and crashing into the Sentinels' left flank.
Senefa landed at the river's opposite bank in a spray of water. The Sentinels reacted faster than she thought, and a Firestarter gamely attacked her, despite being vastly outgunned and outweighed. The light 'Mech melted armor with its medium lasers and then splashed flame across the Thor's middle. Senefa brought up one arm to protect the cockpit from the flamers, then lowered it and fired in one fluid motion. The Ultra AC/20 in that arm roared and cut the Firestarter in half at the waist, tearing the gyro and the upper legs to pieces. The upper half of the 'Mech fell backwards and landed upright, looking like it was standing in a deep trench, while the remains of the Firestarter's two legs collapsed to either side. Senefa moved past the half-wrecked 'Mech and looked for a new target, but then an alarm went off as she suffered rear armor damage. She turned the Thor and saw another red beam sizzle past, as the Firestarter continued to fight. Senefa raised her ER-Large Laser and carefully blew off one of the light 'Mech's arms. She then keyed her external speakers. "You are a brave warrior. Do not fire again. I do not want to kill you." The Inner Sphere warrior had been brave, taking a Firestarter against a Thor, and Senefa did not want to kill someone with that kind of courage. The Firestarter pilot got the message and did not fire again as Senefa once more turned her back and loped out of the woods and into the open, following her two Stars into the Sentinels' rear.
Duranter Ridge (South of Horatius)
Planting, Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
13 November 3050
"ENEMY 'MECHS TO OUR REAR!"
The sudden shout over the open frequency instantly took Calla's attention off the battle for Horatius. Someone shot back to shut up and identify themselves, but then the calls began to overlap each other, and Calla knew something was very wrong. The calls seemed to be mostly from Alpha Battalion, so he turned his Battlemaster and looked in that direction. Smoke was rising from Pascia Grove, both the white of burning trees and the black of burning 'Mechs. "Lancer Six, Sentinel Actual, come in." There was no response from Mira. He repeated it. The voices on the radio were getting frantic, and he could not break in; the radio messages were overriding each other, and though Calla thought he heard Todd Canis-Vlata trying to get control of the situation, Calla could see 'Mechs beginning to fall back out of Pascia Grove. His left flank was in danger of disintegrating—if it hadn't already.
Finally Todd broke through the din of voice. "Sentinel Actual, Cuirrassier Six! We're being hit by a reinforced company—I think! Lancer Six is nordo!" Calla translated that: no radio. Mira had lost communications. Todd tried to transmit again, only to be overridden by jamming again. Shit, Calla thought. Whoever the Jade Falcon commander was, Cavell Malthus or not, Calla had underestimated him. One of his battalions was fighting at Horatius, pinned by the Clan attack there, while another was swinging around to flank him. Smart move, Calla thought. And I walked right into that. I forgot how damn fast they are. He knew that, with the Clans' superior firepower, a reinforced company was a match for Alpha Battalion. He still had Ceta Battalion in reserve, but Calla had sent that unit towards Horatius to exploit Beta's breakthrough when it happened. It would take a few minutes to shift the battalion ninety degrees to the west, minutes Calla didn't have.
Then things got even worse. Calla saw the 'Mechs of Alpha Battalion not just retreating from Pascia Grove, but running from it, turning around and pushing their 'Mechs to full speed to get away from the Clans, who Calla could see now, already among the Sentinels. There was still a fight going on within the forest, but the Jade Falcons had turned a retreat into a rout.
Still, he had one card to play. "Alpha Charlie Six, Sentinel Actual. Take your company and form a hasty defense along the road. Try to rally anyone retreating from the Grove. Buy me some time to get Ceta turned around. Go!"
"Sentinel Actual, Alpha Charlie, on our way!" Sheila called back, and Calla watched her go, suddenly realizing with a mixture of fear and self-loathing that he had just used his own daughter like a pawn.
Sheila ran the Shruiken up to full speed, mouting obscenities with an acid tongue inherited from her father. The Sentinels were losing, again, and that infuriated her. She was tired of losing. Even more aggravating was that the Sentinels were just running away, not even trying to turn and fight an enemy they probably outnumbered. Some of the Sentinel 'Mechs coming towards her weren't even damaged. Worst of all, they were abandoning Max, who was still somewhere in Pascia Grove.
A Wolverine was out in front, far ahead of the main group, at full speed. There was no damage on it that she could see. Sheila put the Shruiken in front of it, and saw the crest and tactical marking on the chest of the 'Mech. "Brunswick Four, Alpha Charlie Six! Hold up!" Luckily, the Clans' jamming didn't extend this far. She pointed with the Shruiken's weapon arm towards the road behind her. "Head for the road and rally there!"
The Wolverine just moved around her. "Fuck you!" the MechWarrior shouted. "I'm not getting paid enough to die!"
Sheila's temper blew. She swung the Shruiken's fist and hit the Wolverine in the shoulder. The surprised the pilot, and the other 'Mech almost fell, stumbling comically until the MechWarrior regained control. The sudden violence and the appearance of a company of fresh Sentinel 'Mechs temporarily arrested the rout, and Sheila knew she had to do something, quick. What would Dad do? Inspiration struck. "Where the hell do you think you're going, Sentinels?" she shouted over the open channel. "Did someone give a fucking order to retreat? Did they?" No one responded. "You fucking assholes! You call yourselves Sentinels?" She half-expected one of them to shoot her, but even the Wolverine had stopped. She pointed towards Pascia Grove. "There are Sentinels in there that are fucking dying! And you're running off like a bunch of fucking pussies! You miserable motherfuckers!" She moved the Shruiken forward. "My company and I are going in there. You can follow like warriors or run away like gutless fucking cowards. Out of my way. Alpha Charlies, follow me."
The Sentinel 'Mechs parted, moving aside to let Sheila and her lance through. Suddenly there was a Wasp beside her; it wore Ceta Battalion markings and the name Tasunke-Ciqala on the right arm, just short of the medium laser. Sheila recognized the name: it was Tessya Blackthorn's 'Mech, and behind her was her lance of other lights. "Alpha Charlie, Buffalo Six! We're with you!" Blackthorn motioned her lance forward. "Hoka hey!"
The other Sentinels wavered for a second, then in ones and twos, began turning around, forming back into lances, and following Sheila into the counterattack.
Senefa had stopped firing her weapons for the most part, contenting herself with a large laser shot now and then, not aimed at any particular enemy 'Mech, but just keeping the rout going. She let her warriors hunt down and kill anything that was too slow to get away. Senefa's two Stars would sweep forward to the road, and then probably move into Pascia Grove to finish off the resistance there. The Sentinels might rally by then, or they might not.
Senefa was still mulling this over when the decision was made for her.
Her leading Star of mediums, who had already killed three 'Mechs and was hungry for more, had itself gotten disorganized as the Jade Falcons cut off the slower 'Mechs, and none of them noticed the Sentinel counterattack until it was right on top of them. The first line of four lances opened fire: it wasn't a particularly effective volley, but it got the Jade Falcons' attention. Senefa saw more 'Mechs behind those and knew it was her turn to retreat, before the weight of numbers overran her. Oh, freebirth, Senefa sighed to herself.
Sheila knew she had to keep the momentum of her sudden charge going, so she didn't bother slowing down to engage a particular target. She saw a Fenris, fired both PPCs at it, and kept moving forward at full speed. The Sentinels behind her were now running as well, propelled by anger and embarassment for being so easily routed. They fired very little, and simply crashed into the Jade Falcons. The radio net was once more jammed, but this time it was with bloodcurdling war cries, shouts, screams, and curses in several languages. The Sentinels were no longer lances and companies, but an armed mob out for blood.
Sheila saw snippets of the battle as she tried to make sure the charge didn't go too far and get overextended, as the Jade Falcons' had. The Fenris she had fired at unwisely tried to countercharge, ran into the middle of two lances, and was blown apart by concentrated fire from eight 'Mechs. A Loki pulled back and fired a cloud of LRMs at Drax's Phoenix Hawk, staggering it, only to be engaged by a Victor, who blew the Loki's arm off with a shot from its AC/20. A Mad Cat shot down an Ostroc which foolishly got too close. Sheila was bracketed by lasers from another Fenris, jumped to get room as she returned fire with the PPCs, and landed squarely next to a Mad Cat. Both MechWarriors visibly jumped as they were surprised by the other's sudden appearance, but as both turned to engage, the Mad Cat was hit by three PPCs from an Awesome and went down. It was not mortally damaged and tried to rise, only for an Axeman to land next to it, rip into the fallen Clan 'Mech's armor with lasers and missiles, and then the hatchet fell, smashing through one of the missile launchers as the Axeman's MechWarrior screamed unintelligibly with bloodlust. Sheila saw another Loki drop an onrushing Quickdraw, only to be smashed into by a Phoenix Hawk. The Loki fell, and an entire lance of Sentinel 'Mechs surrounded it, kicking the Jade Falcon in what MechWarriors referred to as a gang initiation.
Senefa blasted a Stinger that had very unwisely tried to jump behind her, tearing the little 'Mech apart with her last Ultra AC/20 shot. "Freebirth," she mused aloud. "This is worse than a Grand Melee." Those engagements were fought at close range, but with weapons; the Spherians were fighting with a savagery that was not to be believed. The Jade Falcons were not trained for this, and it was unnerving. All Clan MechWarriors prided themselves on being fearless, but being beaten to death inside their own 'Mechs was terrifying.
Senefa knew it was time to admit defeat, as much as it grated on her. "Goddess Bravo One to all Bravo elements. Fall back to the river immediately. Rally there." Her warriors began to pull back, using their superior speed to break contact. She saw the Sentinels surge forward, only for a design she didn't recognize start moving its arms, clearly trying to get control. An officer, Senefa thought. I should kill them…that could turn the tide back to our advantage.
"Goddess Bravo, this is Bravo Four One." Sheila saw that next to her was the battered Thor of her oldest warrior, Star Commander Kazumi. "Look beyond the melee."
She did, and saw what looked to be almost a full battalion. These 'Mechs were not in the mobs of the first Sentinel line, but organized into companies. As she watched, they swung out of marching column into line. Stravag. Too many. She hit the radio button. "Goddess Bravo One to all Goddess elements. Fall back behind the river. Expedite."
A new voice crackled in her helmet. "Goddess Bravo One, Falcon One." It was Cavell Malthus. "Sitrep."
"Falcon One, I am retreating back behind the river; I am facing at least four companies to my front and have suffered approximately ten percent casualties. I can hold them at the river long enough for Goddess Alpha One to attack."
"Goddess Bravo One, Goddess Alpha One's attack has failed." She could hear the anger in Malthus' voice. "Fall back to Fairfields when across the river. Out."
Damn that Roshak. Senefa obeyed, using her jumpjets to get clear. So did several other of her warriors. They left behind eight of their comrades. As she made the final jump back to the river, she spotted the strange 'Mech again. It had stopped the sudden counterattack, wisely not pursuing Senefa and risking losing the victory they had gained. Senefa raised a weapon arm in salute, though she doubted the Spherian saw her. "Enjoy this," she whispered. "You will not get many more."
"They're retreating!" someone yelled over the open net.
"Well, hell, let's go after them!" someone else exclaimed.
"Alpha Charlie to all Sentinel elements!" Sheila snapped. "Hold formation! That's an order!" She saw Tessya's Wasp, somehow undamaged. "Buffalo Six, Alpha Charlie, put forward a skirmish line and trail the Clans to the river. Don't engage, just shadow."
"Roger that."
Sheila saw that Tessya was short a 'Mech, so she ordered Drax to follow her. A Warhammer walked up to Sheila, who recognized it as Dan Ormiston's 'Mech, the new commander of Ceta Battalion. "Boxer Six to Alpha Charlie Six. Your orders were to rally at the road, not lead a counterattack!" Ormiston's voice was filled with amusement.
"Yes, sir. Sorry, Boxer Six."
"What for, Alpha Charlie? Go into the Grove and try to find Lancer Six or Curiassier Six. I'll take over here. Bravo Zulu, Alpha Charlie." Sheila couldn't help but break into a grin at that. Bravo Zulu was radio shorthand for Well Done.
"Thanks, Boxer." Sheila turned, saw Kaatha and looked for Drax, then remembered she had sent him with Blackthorn. Her command lance was still short someone after Max had returned to his unit. Oh shit, Max. Sheila couldn't believe she had forgotten him in the melee. She spotted Tooriu Kku, his Awesome standing over the fallen Mad Cat, and radioed for him to join her.
Pascia Grove had been torn apart, but that made it even tougher to navigate, because now there were blown down trees and pieces of 'Mechs everywhere. There didn't seem to be any firing, which meant the Clan warriors here had retreated as well, but there were always stragglers. Armor plates glittered like glass shards in the sunlight, and she stepped over arms, legs, and myomer bundles. They passed two wrecked Sentinel 'Mechs, but both were missing canopies or egress hatches, so their MechWarriors had bailed out. Finally, they came upon other Sentinel 'Mechs, all of them in various states of damage, and Sheila spotted a group of Sentinel MechWarriors, hudded behind a huge fallen tree—the pilots who had ejected.
She didn't see Max, even as she spotted Todd's Crusader and reported in. He hadn't seen his son either.
"Alpha Charlie Six, Gray Four," Tooriu radioed. "Contact front. One 'Mech, slow. Negative IFF."
Uh oh, Sheila thought. "Stand by to engage." She raised the Shruiken's PPC arm. Tooriu stood next to her, while Kaatha, without being ordered, swung out to flank the new target. There was an intact line of trees between her and the contact, along with smoke from a burning Thor, the upper torso and head of which were gone.
"Sentinel 'Mechs at Pascia Grove, this is Highlander Six." Sheila's heart leapt at the sound of Max's voice. "Lost comms, trying tightbeam. Hold fire. Please."
"Highlander Six, Alpha Charlie Six. Advance and be recognized." It could be a Clan warrior trying radio games, though Sheila doubted it.
Sure enough, a Battlemaster shouldered its way through the trees. It had seen better days. No part of the 'Mech had not been hit, except for the head, and even the canopy had been starred by something. The PPC was wreckage, but Max held the arm of a Clan Omni in the other hand, clearly having used it for bludgeoning. He drew close as the others lowered their weapons, and Sheila could see him wave through the canopy. "Hi, honey, I'm home."