"White Reach: Landfall" (Part 5)
- 16:01 Local Time
- Location: DropShip 'Aquila', 'Mech Deck
"Two is all green. Ready for deployment." Reginald had his Orion ready to go, wary of what they were getting into. Even Aubrey wanted to really be cautious here, with two Assault-class BattleMechs on the opposing field. Priam Company didn't have that sort of firepower, not yet anyway. When he'd been consulting the rest of the Lance over it, Reginald had simply offered a different option to Aubrey; just forget about the weight classes and focus on the mission.
"This is Three. Everything is working today." Olivia had been a lot less pleased, but she quickly had settled into her usual battlefield demeanor. Methodical, focused, and ready to make the Warhammer a problem for the other side to worry about.
"Four. Glad to be back." Simone sounded gleeful as the Griffin started moving. "Ahh, armor! Actual, glorious armor!"
"Do I go by Five then? Five 'Mechs isn't a Lance, it's like, wrong." Kelly was sounding chipper, Aubrey supposed she was probably on the combat high still, but then who could tell? He never quite understood her, or why the Commander trusted her.
"She does have a point." Olivia said lightly, as she could be heard to grumble at the computer under her breath.
"We are going to do it this time, we'll figure out another designation later. Right now I want to get underway before they can dig in too much or get reinforcements. We're slower but it shouldn't be a problem to make it back before there's significant changes." Aubrey breathed in. "If we're all good, let's get under way."
- 16:14 Local Time
- Location: Grendich Downs
She nodded, and frowned as she noticed these were not quite as numerous as she had hoped. Regardless, at least the message had been understood about having been spotted. She made a quick adjustment, changing the channel to the ground forces. "Good, Sergeant Albain, have the repair crews managed to arrange some form of defenses?"
"Best we could do in two hours, Lieutenant, to try to limit access. We pulled some rubble and broken rocks into position, and dug trenches to make the soil unstable. It's not high enough to block weapons so if they come you can line up behind it if you like. Assuming they come from the same direction."
"If not, it still keeps them from readily flanking us. Just hope they didn't invest in a lot of jump-capable forces." She looked back at the reinforcement Lance arriving and took a look. A Griffin, Shadow Hawk, Centurion, and Rifleman. The Centurion was a fair 'Mech to bring, fifty tons, well-armored, and with a decently strong autocannon and long-range missile compliment. The Rifleman was another story, though. Sixty tons, and armed with a Large Laser and Class Five Autocannon in either arm, along with two Medium Lasers in the torso for short-range punch. The problem with these two was the Centurion being relatively slow and the Rifleman being unable to fire its complement of weapons at a constant pace thanks to how badly it managed heat.
Lieutenant Siegbold frowned, but after a moment shrugged it off. If they came from the same direction, having the Rifleman to add to the firing would be fine. The Centurion could bodyguard them, and tie down something heavier if need be. The long range capability of the Shadow Hawk and Griffin also would let them support the plan for long-range fire. If it came down to it, the Quickdraw could join them on top of the secondary base building for fighting, while the others maneuvered.
Steadily, the battle plan started to form in her mind. This could work fine, if the enemy cooperated and responded as expected. "Okay, if you have hands, get to work helping move some blockages into position. I want to have something ready before they get here."
"Lieutenant, we're picking up five BattleMechs on approach from the south. The interference the transmitter is putting out makes it hard-"
"How far?" South?! She'd been reinforcing the east approach.
A pause. "Somewhere between one and one-point-five kilometers. I can't get more precise than that."
Lieutenant Siegbold swallowed, glancing around. "Everyone encircle the transmitter, in case they have another force." She began to put the Awesome into motion, knowing quick action was outside of her domain. But that wasn't important, what was important was fighting back.
- Sagittarius Two
"Two, take Three and Four and head right. Use the high building for cover." Aubrey's voice was quick, as the BattleMaster and Wolfhound began veering towards the mesa to cut around it. "Focus targets down as you get them. Don't get flanked."
"We read you, One." Olivia started moving forward and the group kept pace. The Warhammer's left arm shifted to fire a burst from its PPC at a Centurion which was headed to intercept them.
Reginald paused, then began to back up as he watched the expected Awesome arrive and begin firing. The Centurion also moved forward towards the trio, as Olivia pulled back to put some distance between herself and the targets. "Four, cover-" He noticed a Shadow Hawk hurry around the corner, and emptied his weapons into it; most of those landed, causing the 'Mech to stumble. Olivia was firing at something else, though from the swearing in the comms channel it was- no, wait that wasn't Olivia swearing.
Aubrey's voice broke in. "Five, take cover!" Simone's Griffin paused after firing off her missiles into the Centurion. Then a private message as Reginald backed away from the advancing Centurion, feeling the impact of autocannon fire against his 'Mech. "Two, I got a problem here, Banshee and Rifleman. Five took a nasty hit, she's going to lead a chase."
"You can't take them, One." The BattleMaster was a fine machine, but going two against one was bad odds for anyone.
"You've got a better view of the situation. Take over there. I'll try to lead them off."
- Sagittarius Five
She was going to have to get away from the big one though. She put the Wolfhound into a run, hearing the comm start up again. Ignore it, focus on doing what she has in front of her, which turned out to be a Griffin not belonging to Simone which crashed down out of a jump to her right. "Out of the way." She slammed her left arm into it, but she was forgetting something.
"Five, answer please." Aubrey's voice in her ear. "Work on the target building."
Oh, right, the building. She turned and fired off her lasers into the side of the building, watching concrete and metal warp, glass melting down the side of it. The Griffin seemed confused, expecting to have been the target. "You're not worth it." She sneered, giggled, and kept moving. Had to keep moving. Had to keep firing. To stop is to die. Stopping is for when you meet Death.
And she brought Death with her.
- Sagittarius Three
She watched Reginald, steadily dismantling the Centurion and backpedaling to get distance from the approaching Awesome. Simone took fire from the Awesome, planting her feet until the Quickdraw's missiles slammed into her hard and the leg crumpled in a way which made Olivia wince. But she was still able to stand, rising back to a knee. "Four, are you all right?"
"Do I look all right?!"
"Not in the least. Power down, stay down."
"No. I got an idea. I need covering fire."
Olivia was about to retort, then swore under her breath and rounded the mesa to give covering fire. "Two is firing PPCs." She gave warning, Simone stumbling out of the line of fire as the bolts landed into the Awesome and one of the arms hung limply before falling off. One down, but two left. Simone landed her jump jets behind the Catapult, and tried to kick; the damage to the leg meant this not only failed but dropped her on her rear.
"Two is advancing." She said, pushing forward as she heard the BattleMaster behind her. She wasn't even sure if anyone could hear her, with the static getting worse. More PPC fire into the Catapult, adding her lasers. She watched them tear through parts of the target, and then through the middle of the torso, before the remains dropped to the ground.
"Warning, Heat-" She slapped the console briefly, and snorted out in aggravation.
The comms crackled and Reginald's voice came across with heavy distortion. "Three, Two. Centurion is down. Where's Four?"
"Four's down. One is moving sluggish, I don't know what happened. Get this Awesome will you?" She began moving. "I'm going for the jammer."
"Five here." Kelly's voice sounded annoyed. "I'll trade, you take the building, I'll take the Awesome."
'She's crazy, we all knew she's crazy, this just proves it.' "It's a plan."
- Sagittarius Two
Now he turned his attention towards Aubrey, who was trying to fire into the Banshee as much as he could, just not with the PPC. The two Assault BattleMechs were trading a kick for a punch, lighter weaponry being used. Then he watched as something just exploded violently past the Awesome. "Three!"
There was a crackle over the comms, and some silence before Olivia's voice came back, quiet. "I don't know what just happened, but I might have to rethink believing in God. The Rifleman just missed with everything and then exploded." A cough. "Moving on to the building and that Griffin, let's see if he can tangle with something heavier than a Wolfhound."
Reginald glanced at the brawl between the Banshee and BattleMaster, then gasped as he watched two hands slam to either side of the BattleMaster's head. A brief moment before contact, the ejection fired off. "Aubrey!" He breathed, then checked, seeing his channel closed; he hadn't transmitted. "One, report!"
"Badly damaged. Gonna . . . can't keep it-" Then the static followed. Alive, but for how long? Reginald swallowed, and noticed the Quickdraw seemed distracted following the Warhammer. Three on one was really bad odds, even with the Awesome being decidedly close to no longer being active.
"Two, this is Five. Miss me?" Kelly's voice cut through the interference. "Three, give me a hand here."
Reginald turned to face the Banshee standing over the BattleMaster, and opened his comms. "Don't know if you can hear me, but if you want a fight I'm game." He taunted, and pointed one of his Orion's arms at the Assasult 'Mech. 'Have to buy them time ..'
- Sagittarius Three
"Five, your dance partner is looking for you." Olivia saw the Griffin and again slapped the console to shut up the heat warnings. "I'll take care of him for you."
"I got a new one now!"
The Warhammer walked forward, firing a short burst of lasers at the Griffin to get its attention and let the cooling systems get to work. The Griffin fired its jump jets, landing back some distance; Olivia simply closed that distance and kept up the fire. The leg of her prey snapped at the hip, falling one direction as the rest of the 'Mech fell the other.
Satisfied, Olivia looked down at it before realizing the building was still intact and the jamming was still going on. She maneuvered around the fallen Griffin, watching it try to shift to face her, and began spraying her weapons into the structure. A lazy walk started to take her around the building, and she paused long enough to lance her lasers down into the fallen 'Mech to put it out of her misery.
Then the building began to collapse, and the abrupt static on the channels fell. "This is Three. Building down. I say again, building down."
"Five is down. Banshee cored her out." Reginald grunted. "I can't get up, they're going to get me. Get out of here, you're the only one left standing... maybe they'll just capture me."
Olivia closed her comms, licking her lips. "Damnit, Reginald." She was in no shape to keep pushing the attack, but the Quickdraw dropped down off the building to pursue her. Missiles slammed into the Warhammer, and her leg started to crumple. "No no no."
Then as she started to struggle to move, a voice came over the comms. Strangely, no video. "Congratulations, strangers." The woman sounded pained. "We cede the field to you. Let us pick up our fallen comrades and we'll be on our way."
"Any funny business, missy, and I'll start blasting heads." Olivia promised.
"You know what, I trust you to leave the 'Mechs alone." The voice moved between annoyed and amused. "You get to live, so arrange for your pickup. If anything goes missing which isn't yours, we'll find you and make sure to come get it back." The Awesome and Banshee began to back out of the area with the Quickdraw covering them.
Olivia quietly let out a breath, then slapped at the control for her comms. "Aquila, this is Sagittarius Three. We need immediate evacuation and medical attention at my coordinates. I say again, we need immediate evacuation and medical attention at my coordinates. Everyone else is down, we've got wounded."
Elly's voice was calmer than it should have been, but then she was speaking from the DropShip. She didn't have any clue the carnage which was spread out in the dirt. "We copy, Three. ETA twenty minutes. Mission successful?"
"Shut up and get here."
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