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> REBOOT: Operation I: Broken Arrow, Theatre of Operations: Saffel, Draconis Combine
Celina Santos
post Nov 22 2009, 04:12 PM
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While Dash Rendar was busy making sexual advances and vomiting all over the inside of our Condor Light Tank, I was doing my best NOT to vomit. i didn't know what I did to be teamed up with this lunatic, but one thing was for sure, it was going to be a really long mission. I scooted over away from him as far as I could get and rolled down the window.
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Captain Adam Wolf
post Nov 22 2009, 11:54 PM
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Approximately 5km Southwest of Iwanji
Hammer LZ, Saffel
April 27, 3067
__________________________________________


As the drop cranes released their iron grip on the specially designed booster pods attached to my 'mech I felt the customary disorientation of vertigo, all semblance of gravity dissappeared from my 'mech as it began its semi-guided plummet towards Saffel's surface. About half way through the free fall the boosters automatically engaged, great jets of flame gouged the air in two large columns as the solid fuel rockets attempted to slow the 85 tonnes of pure battlefield dominance that was my BattleMaster. With the heavier 'mech came larger boosters, but all the same they had a hard time slowing it down. I had pre-programmed the boosters to burn out all their fuel before I actually touched down, it was a slight trick I had learned for heavier 'mechs a final hard blast a few feet up allowed them to generally fair better than steady decent. The resulting impact was just as if the 'mech taken a set of steep stairs, the actuators pistoning as the joints bent to absorb the relatively mild impact. As I straightened the 'mech back up the slight grinding of overlapping armour plates resounded through the cockpit. The hardened armour that was mounted on the BattleMaster gave it unparalled durability, essentially capable of doubling a 'mecs armour value at the cost of doubling the armour weight. The other downside was that the overlapping heavy plates of armour, while definately cool looking and effective, reduced the overall agility of the 'mech. My BattleMaster was still able to run at its top speed of 64.8km/h if needed, theoretically some tech researcher's thought it possible to make a 'mech sprint if certain mobility stabilizers were disengaged but there was no way I was going to try that. However, despite it still being capable of running at full speed, it was difficult enough to try and turn or anything at that speed without hardened armour, with it turning at flank speed was nearly guaranteed to topple you.

Keying the tight-beam comm channel currently set to Hammer detachment I announced my successful landing and location,
“Hammer lead to Hammer two. I’ve landed five-hundred metres to your south. Drop status?”

“Copy that Gunman, I have you on my display. I’m fine here.”

“Good to hear, Talus - Let’s get to it. Communicate only via tight-band laser, and refrain from broadwaving the other detachments unless necessary. Take up position one-point-five kilometres to my left and we’ll begin our search pattern North-by-Northwest. Go to active scanning.”

“Acknowledged sir. On my way.”

As I began to push my 'mech into a jog towards the edge clearing roughly to the North of our landing I switched my radar into active mode listened as the computer confirmed with a ping and pleasant vocal confirmation. As the radar sweep expanded out the maximum range of the my weapons, 550m, I adjusted the zoom on the map currently displayed on the lower right secondary monitor. Checking our location with the location of a current waypoint I toggled the comm unit again.

"Slight change Talus, adjust the search pattern to North-by-Northeast, Anvil detachment should have the western approach to the city covered and by the looks of the topography my sensor's are picking up it looks like we'll have better luck a little more towards the Southern edge of the city. A few minor hills and one sharp cliff edge looks like a decent place that Isis might have some unit waiting at.

"Yes sir. I think I see the cliff you mentioned on my map, could work well for some cover fire if we need it."

"That it would Leftenant, let me know if you get anything on the scope. Gunman out."

"Will do, Talus Out."

Radio silence was not by any means necessary for this portion of our OP, while we still wanted to keep a low profile, using an active radar sweep made a bright ping the sensors of anyone looking within range. However radio communications, even narrow-band, sometimes had a tendancy of travelling much farther than anticipated. As such for the next few minutes Talus and I silently plodded our 'mechs along through the relatively light trees and underbrush heading towards our designated waypoint approximately 4 kilometers away, standing at the southwestern corner of the city. Had one of us been looking to the Northwest just along the horizon line at the right moment we may have seen a small flash of light and rather dark plume before it dissappeared below the treeline, which may have caused us to contact the Thorin or Anvil detachement early, but as it was both Talus and myself were focused on our visual sensors and EM scanners in search of possible targets.

This post has been edited by Captain Adam Wolf: Nov 22 2009, 11:58 PM


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Position: Captain | Legionnaires
Callsign : Gunman
Current BattleMech : BattleMaster BLR-WL1 (Moradin) [85 tonnes Heavy]
Loadout : LB-10X AC, AC/5, ATM-3, 3x ER Medium Laser, 3x ER Small Laser (rear), Hardened Armour
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Lieutenant Commander Marcus Braddock
post Nov 23 2009, 12:12 AM
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Long minutes thrummed by as the Catapult thumped along at cruising speed, causing the cockpit to judder and shake heavily from side to side.
Not that I was paying attention to the view - I was running by instruments at the moment. The terrain Gunman had described unfolded gradually into my sensor display, and the constantly-updating lay-of-the-land grid in the bottom right of my HUD.
It looked to be a huge, gently hillocked valley that descended gently, over the length of many kilometres, to the relative flatlands of Iwanji City. One side of the valley sloped gently up into the surrounding jungle highlands, but the other, which Captain Wolf had specifically pointed out to me, cut upwards into a much more sheer cliff face.
The valley, so far as my scopes could range down it, weren't picking anything up. That didn't exclude the possibilty of enemy presence, though. There were many ways to hide from prying eyes, even when it concerns a full lance of Battlemechs. If I was the enemy commander, I'd have spread thin down the length of the slope, using the hills and intervening foliage for as much cover as possible. Powered down, to avoid traceable heat signatures (The sun was rising fast and as the heat built, active 'Mechs would compound heat like a furnace - providing a nice fat signal for anyone watching).
If I was the enemy commander, I'd have already taken and guarded that clifftop.

I eased up on the throttle a little, ranging further to Captain Wolf's left, around the upper mouth of the valley. The display remained stubbornly free of contacts, but the scopes' range was improving as I made my way onto the beginning of the bluff and the valley floor started dropping away to my right. At the same time, I opened another tight-beam link to the Captain.

"I'm approaching the start of the cliffside rise - still no contacts. From here, if you range further down that valley, I can keep and eye on things from the high ground."
After a brief pause, his visual identifier popped up in my HUD as he crackled a reply.
"That was the plan, Lieutenant. Proceed up the side. but keep it slow until I say otherwise. They could easily be hiding out here."
"Understood sir, and I agree - Something's up."

This post has been edited by Lieutenant Commander Marcus Braddock: Nov 23 2009, 03:26 AM


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Position: Lieutenant Commander | Legionnaires
Current Battlemech: Catapult - "Jackal."
Loadout: - 2x Holly LRM 15 launchers (shoulder mounted).
- 4x Martell Medium Lasers (torso mounted).
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Captain Adam Wolf
post Nov 23 2009, 12:35 AM
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Legionnaires' Dropship Thorin
Entering atmposhere, Saffel
April 27, 3067
_____________________________________


Chief Technical Engineer Scott MacRae was giving a few last minute checks on the limited support vehicles that were accompanying the Legionnaires on this particular OP. Despite already being well within the gravitational pull of the planet Scott had a set of engineering magnetic boots strapped to his feet, just as an added safety as he moved about within the confines of the Cargo Pod. As he finished checking the docking clamps on the recovery vehicle he looked towards the Condor Hover Tank and shook his head. Dash Rendar, the current tanker assigned to that particular vehicle was an adequate tanker, but personality wise he just grated against the Chief in almost every way. Somehow, through horrible luck he assumed, Celina Santos, one of the newer technicians employed by the Legionnaires as of late, had been accidentally assigned as the gunner for the tank.

Checking his watch, which he had synched with the dropship computer clock when the officially began atmospheric entry, and hence the beginning of Operation Broken Arrow, he saw that there was still some time before Anvil detachment deployed and then shortly after that the Thorin was scheduled to land and Rogue detachment, along with the Condor and recovery vehicle, would deploy. Deciding that he had time he made his way over to the tank, figuring he could at least check and make sure that Dash wasn't given Celina any undue difficulties and almost positive that he would be.

Arriving at the driver's side of the tank Scott saw a hand half-assed wipe a disgusting looking fluid from the vehicle's interior windshield, shaking his head he made his way around to the far side where the main cabin's windows was open by the gunner chair and Celina appeared to be on the verge of trying to crawl through the small opening in the ferro-glass viewport.


"I see you've met Dash, and I see he still hasnt managed to get his stomach under control."

Climbing onto the side of the tank Scott hollered through the open port past Celina, probably louder than he needed to, at Dash "I thought you were told to stop throwing up in these things, and for christ's sake stop watching the damn monitors, god knows you cant stand these hot drops, why the hell do put yourself through watching it?"

Lowering his voice slightly he turned back to Celina with a sympathetic smile "Not sure how the computer managed to mess up this badly and assigning you as a gunner, let alone to the same vehicle as this guy," He said with a jerk of his head indicating Dash, who was currently trying to burn holes in the side of MacRae with his glare, "I feel sorry for you though. Tell you what, we might be able to get a hold of Commodore Maxwell when we land, he's in Rogue detachment which should be deploying at the Thorin's LZ along with this here Condor once groundside he might ..."

The sudden rocking of the dropship from side to side signaled the release of Anvil as Sergeant Hobson no doubtedly fought with the controls to keep the aging ship level as it compensated for the sudden loss of 170 tonnes of cargo. The gravity boots that the Chief was wearing easily kept him on the tank, if slightly off balance.

A short moment later, before Scott got a chance to resume talking with Celina the dropship rumbled violently and listed to the side hard. A sudden sputtering sound gurgled its way through deck plating as the aft engines struggled to maintain altitude and speed. Once again the gravity boots were the only thing that kept Scott from being tossed around like a ragdoll, this time however he lost his footing with the left boot and nearly fell over. Regaining his footing easily enough, if not his composure, he quickly hollered to both Celina and Dash


"Sit tight, I'm going to go see what happened, the docking clamps are still fully enganged so you shouldn't have to worry about the tank going anywhere until we touchdown."

With that he jumped down off the Condor's hull and quickly made his way across the bay, running as fast the boots allowed him, heading towards the nearest comm unit. The deck dropping several feet beneath him, his gravity boots pulling him along, as wave of silence washed across the Cargo Pod before the struggling thrum of the engines returned. Come on ol' girl, don't give out on us now. I know you can hold it together at least til we get on the ground. He thought to himself as he reached the comm unit, toggling the bridge page function he waiting as he recieved the expected busy signal. Just about every unassigned or off duty crew member of the Thorin was probably trying to reach the bridge right now.

This post has been edited by Captain Adam Wolf: Nov 23 2009, 09:28 AM


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Position: Captain | Legionnaires
Callsign : Gunman
Current BattleMech : BattleMaster BLR-WL1 (Moradin) [85 tonnes Heavy]
Loadout : LB-10X AC, AC/5, ATM-3, 3x ER Medium Laser, 3x ER Small Laser (rear), Hardened Armour
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Corporal Nick Schuster
post Nov 23 2009, 01:57 AM
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I had to laugh to myself as my Kit Fox dropped through the morning sky, its jump packs slowing the war machine's descent into the treeline. As the Thorin disappeared over the horizon, hemorrhaging black smoke from one of its fusion drives, the blistering wound on the vessel's side was clearly that of a Thunderbolt missile, and not some wimpy, single-shot LRM as Hobson had postulated. His completely preposterous suggestion was a good indicator that the man hadn't flown in combat in a while. We were all shaking the rust off, myself included.

With the altimeter on my heads-up display clicking rapidly toward the zero mark, I gave my weapons a final once-over. We'd snagged the Kit Fox during a contract some time ago, and its Clan weapon systems were largely intact. The previous owner had swapped out the standard gyro for a lighter model in order to free up some pod space, and as a result, when we'd acquired the 'Mech, I was able to replace its Clan Streak SRM launcher with an Inner Sphere variant, and arm it with fifty acid SRMs and another fifty anti-personnel SRMs. While the latter served a practical purpose, the former were purely for entertainment. Another change I'd made in order to make the light 'Mech a more effective infantry and armor hunter was the installation of a FireScan II targeting system, equipped with Multi-Trac II & IndirecTrac. This meant that the Kit Fox could track multiple targets simultaneously with its missile system, and do so even if the immediate lines of sight to the targets were blocked. While the Kit Fox couldn't hold a candle to a Raven in terms of what it could do from an electronic warfare standpoint, it was the best we could afford. Buying a new Raven outright was far more expensive than just fixing up the Kit Fox every time it got smashed.

My 'Mech gave a lurch as its three-toed feet plowed into the ground, and was jostled slightly as the jump packs blew away. I immediately put the Kit Fox in a crouch, and performed a preliminary scan of our surroundings. I wasn't sure what Captain Garland's plan of attack was, and the Clanner and his protoge were just now making planetfall, but I for one was interested in finding the origins of the Thunderbolt that had just torn our DropShip a new ass.


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Position : Tech Specialist | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : MANTIS
Current BattleMech : LGN-01 Kit Fox [Light -35 Tons - 96.75 km/h max]
Loadout : [1x ER Large Laser] [1x Small Pulse Laser] [1x LB-X Autocannon/5 - Ammo: Slug (20 rounds)] [1x Streak SRM-2 (Improved OS) - Ammo: 50 Acid SRM-2 | 50 Anti-Personnel SRM-2] [CASE] [FireScan II with Multi-Trac II & IndirecTrac]
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Commodore Benjamin Maxwell
post Nov 23 2009, 03:22 AM
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Elsewhere...
_________________________________

The DropShip Thorin's quad landing gear collided forcefully with the earthy underbrush of Saffel's largest jungle, sending local wildlife scurrying in all directions as its fusion drives wound down. The rays of the morning sun cast a mosaic of shimmering shadows and light on the jungle floor, filtering down through the branches and leaves of centuries-old trees that towered higher than even a mighty Atlas. As I took in the absolute beauty of the scene, my train of thought was abruptly interrupted by the quadruple series of heavy metallic 'clangs' that heralded the deployment of boarding ramps from the Thorin's four cargo bays. As Kintaro and I were the last two BattleMech pilots awaiting deployment, and therefore represented the Thorin's first line of defense as it now sat vulnerable upon the surface of a hostile world, I quickly took up the lead in disembarking the vessel, my White Flame, dubbed 'Lothos' by its previous owner, easing into a lazy, catlike lope as it descended from the cargo bay and transitioned onto the soft, peaty jungle floor. Kintaro followed close behind in his Stinger, its gait appearing somewhat more mechanical and artificial in nature, yet no less effective. As the MechWarrior took up his position alongside my own, I could only imagine what a comical appearence the two of us presented - his humanoid BattleMech standing side by side with mine, its height a full torso's length taller than my four-legged, animial-like quadriped, presenting what, in all likelihood, amounted to an abstract master-and-pet scene.

After a cursory visual sweep of our surroundings revealed no hostiles in the immediate vicinity, I signaled an 'all clear' to the Thorin. Almost immediately, our Savior recovery vehicle trundled out of its cargo bay, escorted by five points of infantry and a Condor tank, which swerved drunkenly down the boarding ramp. The Savior made its way dutifully toward the blistering hole that had been torn in the Thorin's rear quarter, and deployed its repair gantry, setting about healing the vessel's wound as best as could be accomplished in the field.


"Omega to Sabre," I murmered into my voice-activated comm system, hailing Kintaro's Stinger. After a brief hiss of static, the MechWarrior replied.

"Go ahead, Omega."

"Passive scope looks clear. Switch to active and advise immediately of any unidentified Tangoes."

With that, I toggled Lothos' radar into 'active' mode, an obligatory pause following as the onboard computer brought the war machine's targeting and tracking system to full power and performed an initial sweep. At first, it seemed we were in the clear.

But then, everything changed.

A single, red blip, signifying a target broadcasting an identifier code that was foreign, and therefore classified as hostile by the White Flame's FireScan system, appeared on the scope, followed by a second, and then a third. The closest of the two targets registered at a mere 980 meters from our current position, while the other two just barely fell within the scanner's effective radius, at just over a kilometer out. Due to their great distence, the FireScan system was having difficulty identifying the further out of the three hits, although the closer target almost immediately resolved on my IFF readout as a Bushwaker. A moment later, the computer fed back additional situation data, tagging the remaining two machines as a pair of Havocs. And all three were closing in on us - fast.


"Omega to Sabre - break formation and attempt to intercept the first of the Havocs! Armor assets - see if you can rout the second one - I'll take care of the Bushwaker!"


--------------------
Position: Senior Captain | Legionnaires
Current BattleMech: WHF-3B White Flame (Lothos) [Heavy - Quad]
Loadout: 1x Large Pulse Laser, 1x Medium Pulse Laser, 2x ER Medium Lasers, 1x Anti-Missile System, Jump Jets
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Dash Rendar
post Nov 23 2009, 03:43 AM
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I smashed the gas pedal down on the floor of the battle tank so hard it actually snapped off. At this point I yelled at Celima Santos to get some repair lasers and weld it back on, and in the mean time I threw a tape of WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS in the tank's CD player. It was our clan's victory theme back on Archimedes and when the music started blasting out of the speakers I felt like I was back at home, but it was so loud that Santos yelled, "BALL DAMNIT DASH TURN THAT NOISE DOWN!! I CAN'T FIX THIS THING WITH YOU PLAYING YOUR MUSIC SO LOUD!" So I reached for the stereo knob and turned it angrily but it accidentally snapped off in my hand. I swore and banged my hands on the steering wheel. "ARRRRRGH!!!! NOTHING'S GOING RIGHT THIS MISSION!!!" My pounding on the steering wheel must have been enough to make the tank go into gear though, because the next thing I knew we were speeding out of the Thoring and into the middle of the jungle where a total war was going on. I screamed because we were going so fast that I couldn't make the hover tank turn in time and the gas pedal was stuck, and we slammed into a tree so hard that when the airbags went off I got punched in the gut and puked everywhere, and Selima went flying through the windshield due to the fact that she didn't have her seatbelt on and she was down on the floor between my legs trying to fix the tank. But I wasn't totally out of the fight yet, because the throttle was jammed full speed ahead, and so I rolled Santos off the hood and onto the ground to make sure she didn't get flung off the tank, which was still going full speed, and got it turned around and pointed at the Proteus and the two Chaoses. But then I realized I didn't have a gunner anymore, the only one I had had gone through the windshield and left a bunch of her ripped off hair on the windshield shards. It actually made it look like I had a voodoo doll hanging off the rearview mirror. I stared at it for too long though, and got distracted, and the next thing I knew another tree was coming at me and I was crashing into it. My head smashed into the steering wheel and I was out of the fight, puking blood out of my mouth and nose as I blacked out.
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Wedge Lourde
post Nov 23 2009, 03:59 AM
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"DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT! YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME!" I screamed as I watched Rendar crash into the tree and a huge fireball roll up into the sky. It lit the nearby trees on fire and in seconds the entire jungle was completely burning. The only vehicle left in the bay was some crappy VW Ranger, and since I was the closest I jumped in it and sped onto the battlefield, trying to get to Rendar before he got blown away by the missiles and bullets that were flying everywhere. I skidded to a stop next to the tank and jumped out and ran over to get Dash out of the tank. I was just about to cut him loose from his harness when a gigantic flaming branch broke off the tree and slammed down onto me, knocking me unconscious.


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Position : MechWarrior | LEGIONNAIRES
Callsign : Sabre Lead
Current BattleMech : Masakari
Loadout : ERPPC x4, LRM 10 x1
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MechWarrior Kazuki Kintaro
post Nov 23 2009, 08:02 AM
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“Acknowledged Omega – Engaging the two Havocs.” I replied, throttling up the Stinger. The two Havocs separated themselves from formation and began a quarter circle to Maxwell’s right.

“Oh no you don’t…” I murmured to myself, firing two streams of light from my medium lasers. The first beam missed and scorched the dirt in front of them. The second one, however, collided into one of the light mechs, scaring its armour and causing the two Havocs to face my Stinger. “That’s right, this way!”

I began to back peddle away from Maxwell and the Thorin, allowing the Havocs to follow me into the more dense part of the forest. A flurry of small laser fire was thrown my way, with all but one of the shots missing. Their final round nicked my Stinger’s shoulder, causing me to pivot ever so slightly off balance. I soon caught my footing and took note of my surroundings.

“Odd…” I quickly thought to myself. Amongst the masses of century old trees, seemingly aged closed to petrifaction, was a tiny, inexplicably placed jungle. Complete with it’s own, tiny oasis, the jungle was home to about seven palm trees and was completely out of place in this forest. “That’s possibly the most random thing I have ever seen…” I muttered again to myself. I was about to be proven wrong.

"Gogogogogogogogogogogog!!! Its time for the war to start!!” Someone screamed over the comms as I continued to return fire with the two Havocs. At first, I thought Maxwell was battling a fit of over enthusiasm, but I was quickly proven wrong as I saw the Legionnaire’s only Condor stampede out of the Thorin like a bull infected with mad bovine disease. The Condor flew off the loading ramp with its engine’s thundering audibly. Even through the thick feroglass and armour, I could clearly hear it screaming past the conflict and straight into a palm tree. The body of new recruit Celina Santos was flung through the windscreen before the Condor miraculously lurched back to life, only to crash into another palm tree. It exploded into flames, setting alight the nearby palm trees.

The Havocs and I had paused our engagement to watch the entire show. Little did we know, a second act was about to begin.

"DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT! YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME!" A second, unconfirmed voice screamed. Like the Condor before it, an ancient vehicle exploded off the loading ramp and headed towards the chaotic jungle. Archaic in design, it thundered across the leaf covered terrain and came to a skidding halt next to the burning Condor, narrowly missing Celina (who was just regaining consciousness).

The driver of the old jeep flung open the door and threw himself into harm’s way. It was none other than Wedge Lourde, whose unpredictability in combat and ANY situation in general was matched only by that of Dash Rendar. Needless to say, Mr Lourde seemed to be on a roll today. Earlier, before touchdown, I had witnessed the man failing to drink a cup of water. Instead of drinking from the bottom of the rim, he drank from the top, spilling half a litre of water down his shirt before he realised his mistake. Now, that very same person was battling flames and scorching metal, trying to save his fat brother in idiocy. His mission ended in failure as a flaming tree branch fell on top of him.

“DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT! THIS WASN’T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! I AM THE MASTER OF MY OWN DESTINY!!!” He screamed over the comms. By this time, Dash had arisen from his concussion, only to find himself set alight by the burning branch. He ran around, flapping his arms in a vain attempt to put the flames out. This carried on for another 20 seconds before the tanker finally vomited on himself and Wedge, dousing the flames that coated them. Dash, succumbing to the trauma he had caused himself and others, passed out. Again.

Myself and the two Havoc pilots had seen enough and quickly resumed our fire fight. Taking partial cover behind a large oak tree, I flipped open the loud speakers on my Stinger.

“Santos, if you are still alive – run back to the ship! Don’t put yourself in harms way by being a hero! Leave those two behind while I give you covering fire. They’ll have to make it on their own!” I called out as another volley of small laser fire was sent my way. I returned fire and landed a successful hit, melting several layers of armour from the mech.

I could only hope and pray that everyone on the ground was okay.


--------------------
Position: Mechwarrior | Legionnaires
Callsign: Sabre
Current BattleMech: STG-6L Stinger
Loadout: 2x Medium Lasers, Jump Jets
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Commodore Benjamin Maxwell
post Nov 23 2009, 08:36 AM
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*dies laughing*


--------------------
Position: Senior Captain | Legionnaires
Current BattleMech: WHF-3B White Flame (Lothos) [Heavy - Quad]
Loadout: 1x Large Pulse Laser, 1x Medium Pulse Laser, 2x ER Medium Lasers, 1x Anti-Missile System, Jump Jets
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Captain Adam Wolf
post Nov 23 2009, 09:26 AM
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As Leftenant Braddock's Catapult began its steady ascent up the considerably steeper side leading to the top of the bluff that travelled down the left side of the valley, I began my slow descent down the valley itself. Keeping my BattleMaster along the right hand side of the natural formation the 'mech rolled up and down in a long slow wave as it walked up and down the hills that began to form the right bank of the valley. I had slowed down to the leisurely pace of 40km/h as I intently watched all the sensor data that I could. My eyes flicking from a full sweep of cockpit view, HUD overlays provided by my neurohelmet indicating elevations as well as a brief system overview in the standard HTAL display. This overlay would also alert me if the targeting system spotted anything visually that could be a 'mech. From the scanning the cockpit view my glanced down to the three submonitors set into the instrumentation panels in front of me. The center screen was currently rotating between a topographic map of the region and a seismic sensor sweep. The one to the left was showing a thermographic view from an external camera as it rotated 360 degrees from atop the sensor suite in my 'mechs head. After every complete rotation a top down, radar style, view was given of the immediate area displaying heat levels, and theoretically displaying any 'mechs as well. The one of the right was my personal favourite other than the straight visual sensor however, it was the EM (electromagnetic) sensor. It constantly displayed a top down view and would register any unit with an electronics system or fusion generator, or weapons discharges. It currently only showed Talus and myself on the scope but at least there wasn't any apparent interference with it so there wasnt any ECM in the area either. That was the EM sensors one drawback, it was extremely susceptible to even just basic ECM, but in the abscence of it, and with a properly trained person monitoring it, the EM sensor could be rivalled to be close to as strong as the BAP, with no IFF capability. The only thing it wasnt able to detect was a fully powered down unit with a "cold" engine, or infantry though sometimes it got lucky with them.

Before I was more than 500m down the path I brought the BattleMaster to a full stop. Halfway down one of the hills my 'mech stood with only the top half of its torso clearing the next hill but I had a perfect view down into one of the denser areas of cover just over 900m away. Moving among the foilage, just outside my sensors maximum range, I had spotted movement. I thought it might have just been the trees or my imagination until I saw a glint of silvery steel pass through a break in the trees as I slowly began to move again, on my 'mechs next step I got a view of diluted red light as though the sunlight was filtered through a lens and then it was gone. Signalling Talus I advised him of a possible contact.


"Hammer 2, looks like I might have a contact down here, dont have a positive ID yet, but I'm proceeding with caution, will advise if I get positive. Over."

"Copy that Hammer lead, I'm nearing the top of ridge, I'll be in position for fire support when your ready."

"Affirmative, be careful though, I doubt there's only going to be one of 'em."

As I cleared the 900m mark a bright yellow contact lit up on the EM sensor, the size and intensity of it indicated that it was definately a Battlemech and probably a Heavy or Assault class one at that. The next sweep showed that it wasnt moving, but it was definately powered up. Bringing my 85 tonne war machine up to 50km/h I began to close distance with it quickly, I figured that if I could see him, he could see me, and I wanted to get an IFF reading as soon as possible. As I crossed the 650m range, just 50m short of my IFF system, a flight LRMs burst through from the foilage, clearly giving an IFF without the need for the targetting system to do so. Toggling the comm unit as only 4 of the 10 missiles struck home along the heavily armoured left torso my 'mech I called out to Talus.

"Talus I have enemy contact, you are weapons free, repeat, weapons free."

"Looks like its a Cyclops CP-10-Z"
I added as my targetting computer ID'd the unit.

Circling around to the right to get a few more hills between the Cyclops and my BattleMaster until I could get within range to return fire, I looked out the left side of the cockpit towards the ridge that Talus' Catapult was located. A sudden ploom of blackish grey exhaust smoke billowed up from the ridgeline as Talus came over the comm.


"Copy that Gunman, unfortunately fire support is going to have to wait a bit, found an little friend of my own up here. An Uziel UZL-3S according to the targetting computer."

"No worries, I should be able to handle this guy if can keep him at range. Watch that large pulse laser and keep me informed."

As I neared the 540m range, the utmost 'accurate' range of my two primary weapons, the LB 10-X AC and the AC/5, I slipped my fingers around their respective triggers on the right and left controls drew a bead on where the Cyclops was hiding. Another salvo of LRMs issued forth, these ones actually managing to land home unlike the previous two, and main was automatically adjusted by the onboard targetting computer for the slight jarring my 'mech experienced. As soon as the reticules turned green, indicating they were in weapons range, I squeezed off a round from each. Both firing standard slug rounds, the smaller AC/5 round actually being caseless, which allowed more ammuntion in the same bin, the heavy metal 'mech sized bullets pierced through the foilage and, if I had had the external pickups online, produced a solid thunk of metal impacting metal. Sensors showed that the AC/10 round scored a direct hit into the right thigh of the humanoid war machine, causing considerable damage to the relatively light armour this version of the Cyclops sported. The AC/5 round went a little wider just clipping the upper left edge of the 'mechs shoulder causing only minimal damage to the heavier torso armour.

As the two round impacted the 'mech, the pilot of the Cyclops lurched the machine forward as it burst from cover, sending branches and foilage flying everwhere around it, as the great machine tried to closed the distance to bring its much much heavier weapons to bear. I continued to circle towards my right as the autocannons finished cycling, pulling down both triggers again I smiled as the first real battle, to my knowledge, of Operation Broken Arrow got underway.


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Position: Captain | Legionnaires
Callsign : Gunman
Current BattleMech : BattleMaster BLR-WL1 (Moradin) [85 tonnes Heavy]
Loadout : LB-10X AC, AC/5, ATM-3, 3x ER Medium Laser, 3x ER Small Laser (rear), Hardened Armour
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Lieutenant Commander Marcus Braddock
post Nov 24 2009, 03:32 AM
Post #42



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The Catapults’ choppy gait increased in pace as I made for the ridge. Gunman had made contact with something, and first and foremost I needed to be in a position to back him up if it turned out to be our quarry. One eye was at the weapons console, arming my primary loadout of LRM’s, while the other kept watch on the terrain display, ready to pull up short of the sheer drop.

Captain Wolf’s voice crackled to life in my comms again, and I heard the roar of missiles in the background.

“Talus I have enemy contact, you are weapons free! Repeat – weapons free!”
His voice paused, but the link remained open and I heard the ringing report of impacts on his armour plating. “Looks like it’s a Cyclops CP-10-Z.”

Now I needed to be up there all the sooner. A heavier-gauge ‘Mech like a Cyclops could prove a challenge. I nudged the throttle further forward and uncaged my targeting computer, ready to rain fire down on the hopefully unsuspecting target.
I opened full battle-comms with Wolf, and was about to give him an ETA on my support when a single-syllable alarm toned , barely preceding a loud clang as some sort of solid round slammed into the long upper slope of my torso, just above my cockpit.
I was under fire.

I didn’t pull to a sharp stop and quickly reassess, as some would – Instead I yanked my leg controls to the left, the sharp change in direction causing the old ‘Mechs bird-like legs to wobble and stumble for a few steps. I hoped this had bought me a few seconds, and frantically snapped my head down to look at the sensor display. A fat new red contact had shown up, freshly tagged by my IFF system as a hostile. I swung the torso to bear, just in time to see a patch of jungle erupt in smoke and flame as this new target burst out of hiding in the most unsubtle fashion possible; flight.
With my reticule over him and directing an active scan, the IFF system had time to identify it officially as an Uziel before its’ thrusters garnered it enough momentum to lift clear of the treeline. The autocannon-type weapon that had hit me before cycled and fired again, although clearly the pilot had failed to compensate for his own movement as the slug buried itself off somewhere behind me.
Multitasking time.
As I tried to anticipate his trajectory and move myself accordingly, I quickly appraised the Captain of these developments.

“Copy that Gunman, unfortunately fire support is going to have to wait a bit – I’ve found a friend of my own up here. Uziel.”
Wolf replied immediately, the sounds of battle on his end beginning to intensify.
“No worries, I should be able to handle this guy if I can keep him at range. Watch that large pulse laser and keep me informed.”
He was confident. That was good.
“Good luck – No mercy.”

I had guessed correctly. The Uziel was making for the high ground of the cliff edge before me, possibly under orders to tighten formation with his buddy in the valley. I’d circled wide left of the bluff, preparing to approach from the opposite side. My torso and sights remained trained on the rise, though.
Right on cue, the ‘Mech crashed down, splintering the earth around it.
I’d uncaged ten LRM’s in preparation for his landing. A good tone blared and I pulled the trigger. As they hissed out of the shoulder-mounted launchers, rattling everything in the cockpit not bolted down, the Uziel sprayed return fire. The large pulse laser Captain Wolf had warned me about spat a bright stream of ephemeral light that sheared just to my right – my smaller profile afforded by the lack of arms was proving useful. The same long-range AC weapon that the enemy pilot had opened with fired in tandem with its’ co-axial mount (another laser weapon, smaller than the last), and this salvo hit home on my upper and lower torso respectively. The clang of the hyper-velocity slugs now seemed far less intimidating compared with the rest of its’ armament.
The ten LRM’s I’d launched swooped and swirled in erratic patterns towards the opposing ‘Mech, silhouetted against the steep drop behind it. Still recovering from his landing, he didn’t have time to take proper evasive action and seven of the volley slammed into him, shattering whole plates of ferrosteel armour and staggering it several lumbering steps backwards. One missile detonated neatly against the convergence of its’ left arm actuators, the blast nearly severing the joint and causing the now dead-weight of the large pulse laser to hang limply by its side.

Normally I’d taunt an opponent by now with one witty repartee or another, but I held back. The last thing we needed was some concerned Draconi citizen picking up an open-channel broadcast of me whooping out insults during a battle on their territory.
Instead I settled for changing directions again, strafing to the right, up the bluff on a course that would take me right past him. The Catapults’ secondary armament was already warmed up, and the medium lasers’ LTI reticule was squared up neatly on his upper torso.
If I could force him back a little further...

Laser bolts belted back and forth across the decreasing distance between us, punctuated by the heavy crack of his autocannon. Over the mid-range my four medium lasers were proving superior to his single medium and smaller-class laser weapons. While I lost armour plates here and there around my torso, and a single AC slug nearly cracked the edge of my large canopy, the other pilot fared much worse. My fusillade of energy stabbed and cracked into his abundantly round torso and cockpit, slagging whole layers of armour that ran off tiny molten rivulets and fusing exposed electronics and sensors. The cockpit would give soon.
The ‘Mech staggered another few immense steps backwards...

...And it seemed like he spotted my plan, for his torso did a quick half-whirl towards the edge, absorbing my next few laser bursts on fresh shoulder-armour, before snapping his legs around to make a run for clear ground. I immediately moved to cut him off, keeping my sights squarely on him and the barrage of lasers coming, but it seemed like the Uziel had other plans. It sashayed back towards me, and for a brief moment I wondered if he was going to charge me down. Then the missile-lock alert blared and thick puffs of smoke and fire issued from above the Uziels’ cockpit.

I’d forced his hand. With a swiftness that belied the hammering it had taken, the pilot hauled his ‘Mech around and hit the jets again, quickly reaching the cliffs’ edge and soaring over it.
Meanwhile, I was yanking my leg controls desperately to the right, trying to evade what I could of the close range salvo. Two of them flew wide, to detonate harmlessly in the jungle beyond, but the remaining four connected with blasts that deafened and shuddered through my cockpit. The status display immediately wailed for attention and increased in size on the right display bank, a smaller version winking up in my HUD. Two had exploded against the torso under my cockpit, gouging through layers of ferrosteel to nearly expose the axle actuator that my legs connected to. One flew high to detonate against the side of my left LRM launcher, leaving it a little askew but otherwise functional, the casing having been fortified against internal ammunition detonations as well. The last missile performed an extra half-loop before punching neatly into the left knee actuator and nearly severing one of the myomer bundles.

After the rocking back on its heels in the face of the explosive onslaught, the Catapult righted itself and I quickly sought to give chase to the regrouping Uziel. The weakened myomer in the damaged leg caused it to limp a little, dragging behind as I tried to coax the ‘Mech back to cruising speed.
On the pro side, the bluff was now mine, and I planned to take full advantage of it against the Uziel and his pal in the valley below.

“Gunman, I’ve taken a few hits, but I’ll be fine. Be advised that the Uziel pilot is high-tailing it back to his lancemate with you, although it’s in a lot worse shape now. I am in position to provide LRM support and sensor lookout, by your designation. You paste them, I’ll waste them sir.”

This post has been edited by Lieutenant Commander Marcus Braddock: Nov 24 2009, 10:14 AM


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Position: Lieutenant Commander | Legionnaires
Current Battlemech: Catapult - "Jackal."
Loadout: - 2x Holly LRM 15 launchers (shoulder mounted).
- 4x Martell Medium Lasers (torso mounted).
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Captain Adam Wolf
post Nov 24 2009, 02:34 PM
Post #43



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Spikes on the EM sensor showed the ensuing combat for the ridge going on between Talus and the Uziel which was still displaying on the lower right monitor inside the confines of my cockpit. The left hand monitor I had switched over to show a detailed display of my opponent's Cyclops, granted it was a computer generated assumption based on the unit I was facing actually being an unmodified CP-10-Z, but it gave me a good idea of what state his 'mech was in. Combined with the fact that I could clearly see the grevious wounds now scorched along its left torso, I was pretty sure the readout was accurate.

So far I was lucking out pretty well, in the few short moments that I had been directly engaged with the enemy unit I had only suffered 2 direct hits, both of which the Hardened armour was able to shrug off with ease, but the Cyclops pilot was good and despite my maneouvering he was steadily getting closer to that 270m range where his heavy AC/20 could really tear into me. Ever since we passed the 400m range though he'd been throwing medium lasers at me, technically past their maximum range he still was able to get a few glancing hits on me that did minimal damage. Clearly the range I was managing to keep was frustrating the hell out of the Cyclops pilot.

A warning beep chirped harshely into the cockpit as the targeting reticule for my ATM system turned yellow. We just crossed the 300m range and while the extra firepower my ATM-3 could provide was nice, it didnt match the ferocity that my opponent's AC/20 had. Frustration again getting the best of the Cylcops a resounding crash thundered through the valley as the AC/20 in its right torso let loose its deadly payload. Being beyond maximum range for the weapon, even if just barely, turned out to be damn lucky as the round sped past the right shoulder of my [/i]BattleMaster[/i] burying itself into the hillside several meters beyond. While the weapon itself was capable of firing the heavy slug with enough force to travel beyond its limited range, the targetting system made it extremely inaccurate beyond it, and there was a noticeable drop in kinetic impact beyond that range as well.

Cycling my AC/5 from its caseless ammunition bin over to the 2 tonnes of armour piercing rounds currently stored in the secondary ammunition bin in my right torso I brought the weapon to bear on the 90 tonne monster in front me. Squeezing down the firing trigger I let fired the full metal jacketed slug into the Cylcops' left torso, my aim was a little off as the near miss of the heavy artillery had shaken me slightly, its always disconcerting to see a projectile that large come that close to your cockpit regardless of how many battles you've been in. I had meant to punch the round straight through the center torso hoping for an engine hit, as it was the round penetrated the left torso and must have damaged the loading mechanism of the LRM 10 as the next salvo from it only contained 6 missiles. The six missiles rang home all along the left arm of my 'mech, the hardened armour only begining to show wear. A second concussive blast richoted off the surrounding hills as the AC/20 roared to life again. This time I wasn't lucky, the round slammed home directly into the left leg of my BattleMaster the force of the impact twisting the myomer muscles and straining the actuators. A warning bell went off as the LL portion of the HTAL display turned yellow.

As the gyro righted the leaning battlemech I couldn't help but smile at the thought of the Cyclops pilot freaking out as my 'mech seemed to weather an AC/20 round with ease, the Hardened armor definately made it able to withstand much greater fire, but it still put a toll on it and I had no intention of letting the enemy hit me with another round from that great beast.


“Gunman, I’ve taken a few hits, but I’ll be fine. Be advised that the Uziel pilot is high-tailing it back to his lancemate with you, although it’s in a lot worse shape now. I am in position to provide LRM support and sensor lookout, by your designation. You paste them, I’ll waste them sir.”

"Thanks for the heads up Talus," After a quick check on the range to the ridge, which read about 600m, I continued talking with Talus,"Any fire you want to put on this Cyclops would be greatly appreciated."

"With pleasure," Was Talus' quick reply, shortly afterward a swarm of 30 missiles streaked across the blue sky bearing down on the back of the poor Cyclops, around the same time the Uziel decided to make itself none as it started throwing AC/2 slugs in my general direction.

Either the pilot of the Uziel didnt know how to use his targetting system, or fight with Talus' Catapult had managed to misalign the autocannon considerably since very few rounds found their mark despite being well within the maximum range of the diminutive weapon. The few rounds that did impact my armour glanced and richoted off the now battle worn hardened armour doing little more than carve superficial divits into the metal. The Cyclops on the other hand let loose another blast from its twin medium lasers and this time added the SRM 4 to the mix, being within the lasers maximum range meant that actual were able to carve fairly deep lines into the armour as the SRMs blew open one of the plates along my right torso. Thankfully the BattleMaster's overlapping design due to the hardened armour still provided some protection in that area.

The missile flight from Talus' Catapult struck home at the same time that I unleashed by three ER medium lasers and ATM-3 loaded with HE rounds. The LRMs exploded across the rear of the 'mech, being near their maximum range not all of the missiles struck home but enough to do the job did. Armour blew off in deadly shrapnel as several of the last missiles found purchase between the cracks and exploded into the interior of the left torso. I figured an ammunition explosion would have followed but the pilot lucked out, there was various fluids and what appeared to be AC rounds leaking from the grevious wounds however. The lasers I had fired cored through vast portions of the armour remaining in the left and centre torsos and cut deeply into the thigh of the Cyclops left leg as well. The ATMs, loaded with their deadly HE payloads pounded through what remained and completely severed the left arm from the skeletal structure of the left torso. Taking full advantage of the exposed internals I fired the LB-10X attached to my 'mech's left arm in cluster mode, sending 10 individual pellets in a tight shotgun like spread slamming into the Cyclops. A sudden spasm in the 'mech's stride indicated that at least one of the pellets had struck something vital, most likely the gyro, and the pilot was probably fighting to keep the 90 tonne 'mech in its plodding circle of death with my BattleMaster.

Unleashing its remaining weapons another spasm racked the machine and caused its aim to drift right, the AC/20 round blasted by the right arm of my machine just barely grazing the outer armour, the 4 SRM missiles and single medium laser struck home across the right arm though. The repeated impacts throwing my own aim off as I fired an AP AC/5 slug causing it to sink into the Cyclops' upper left thigh. The round punctured the actuator causing the leg to stiffen and lock at half stride, as it came down it a sharp shearing metal sound of the screaching actuator breaking its hydraulics and twisting badly would have been heard if I had my external pickups turned on. Continueing with the strafing maneouver around the now crippled Cyclops I had momentarily ignored/forgotten about the approaching Uziel. A lucky round striking home on the side of my 'mech's head quickly reminded me of him and I worked quickly to turn my 'mech so that the damaged 90 tonner was to my right side while the Uziel was to my left, instead of circling to my back from the right as it currently was doing. The one drawback of my hardened armour was clearly shown here though as it severely limited the speed at which I was able to perform fast, agile maneouvers. As I made the turn as sharp as I could the Uziel planted two solid blow with its AC/2 on the right rear torso before I could turn far enough to bring it to my left side.

Designating the Uziel as a secondary target for my weapons system I brought the AC/5, still loaded with AP rounds, in my right arm to bear on the general bulk of the Cyclops while at the same time aiming the LB-10X AC with cluster rounds in the general advancement of the smaller 'mech. Firing both weapons I was greeted with a solid confirmation against the 90 tonne machine, the medium calibre round punching through the armour in the rear centre torso and scoring another critical hit against the gyro. The shotgun blast of AC rounds pelted the Uziel as it closed to within range of its SRM 6, only six of the 10 pellets striking the damaged 'mech. While none of them managed to penetrate anything vital, they did chip off close a tonne of armour from the already wounded war machine.

Waiting for the autocannon's to cycle I was glad to see another stream of LRMs cutting a path through the sky from the Catapult as the gimped 90 tonne Cyclops made its agonizingly slow turn towards me trying to bring the AC/20, which apparently was still operational. to bear on my BattleMaster which was beginning to show signs of heavy fighting, despite the hardened armour.


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Position: Captain | Legionnaires
Callsign : Gunman
Current BattleMech : BattleMaster BLR-WL1 (Moradin) [85 tonnes Heavy]
Loadout : LB-10X AC, AC/5, ATM-3, 3x ER Medium Laser, 3x ER Small Laser (rear), Hardened Armour
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Commodore Benjamin Maxwell
post Nov 24 2009, 03:24 PM
Post #44



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Member No.: 1





With Rendar, Celina Santos, and Lourde out of the game, there was no way that Kintaro's Stinger was going to be able to hold off a pair of Havocs, let alone a Bushwaker as well. Fortunately, my White Flame had the edge when it came to speed and maneuverability over the latter, and I put the sum total of those capabilities into full force, pushing the White Flame to its maximum rated speed of 86 km/h, which easily matched my smaller target's capabilities. The Bushwaker didn't pose much of a threat, but its integrated AC/10 was something to be avoided. Apart from that, the machine guns and energy suite it carried, coupled with its LRM launcher, posed, for the most part, negligible threats in the heavily wooded environment in which the two of us now faced off.

The Bushwaker fired first, twin salvos of ten long-range missiles belching from their racks, corkscrewing through the forest, the majority of them slamming headlong into trees and other underbrush, their explosions setting a number of small fires and ravaging ancient tree trunks. The few missiles which did manage to negotiate their way through the veritable obstacle course of flora found themselves encountering a wall of lead, as my White Flame's anti-missile system triggered and launched a sphere of flak skyward, catching the rockets in their flight and causing them to detonate prematurely. The concussion delivered by the explosions threw my BattleMech off-balance slightly, causing one of its shoulders to plow into a nearby deadfall. Fortunately, the damage incurred, other than the loss of a chunk of armor, was fairly minor.

Because the White Flame carried only energy weapons, all of which were forward-facing and fixed in their positions, I needed to overshoot the Bushwaker's position, and then bring my war machine about in order to get a shooting solution on the hostile. I still hadn't figured out who these guys were - they carried no identifying insignia on their BattleMechs, and the machines were unpainted, leaving their hulls a dull gray. I doubted the Kuritans would pass up an opportunity to advertise their military might to anyone foolish enough to get between their sights, and the only other fanatics I could think of that might be tromping around on Saffel at this time of the morning would be those loyal to Isis.

A hail of tracer rounds lanced past my cockpit, followed by an emerald-green column of coherent light. The Bushwaker was dialing in its aim, and a hit in my rear armor wouldn't be very favorable, especially in light of the fact that I hadn't yet gotten off a single shot. I pushed my quad 'Mech's throttle down to a relatively slow 43 km/h, and yanked hard over on the control yokes, sending the White Flame into a tight turn. As the forest rolled past through the cockpit canopy's narrow view, threat markers splashed across its HUD, flagging the Bushwaker, whose grotesque form was beginning to come into view a good 700 meters out, along with two targets that were further out, identified by my battle computer as the twin Havocs with which Kintaro was now contending. As my target retcule landed squarely on the Bushwaker's torso, I wasted no time in firing off a devastating alpha strike, all five of my 'Mech's lasers coring directly into the medium 'Mech's torso. Molten slag and sickly green coolant vomited from the gaping wound that resulted, causing me to revel in the fact that I had, quite accidentally, breached the Bushwaker's coolant pod. I managed to squeeze off a second shot that glanced along the war machine's cockpit before I found myself dangerously close to the business end of its ballistic weapons. Fortunately, I had another ace in the hole that permitted me to avert disaster; with a quick press of a button, the White Flame's jumpjets fired, sending seventy tons of man and machine sailing over the hostile 'Mech, and landing with a jolt on the forest floor behind it. The Bushwaker's pilot wasted no time in wheeling his machine around, and I followed suit, executing a quick turn with the White Flame that put me within striking range at almost the exact instant that the Bushwaker found its own shooting solution. As I squeezed off a third round of group fire, a loud crack, followed near-simultaneously with a jarring impact and the sickening sound of crushing metal, heralded a successful strike on the foward quarter of my 'Mech. The White Flame staggered and lost its footing momentarily, before I was able to once again drag the machine back on-target, making note of the fact that I had managed to amputate the Bushwaker's shoulder-mounted LRM launcher with my previous strike.

I had no intention of stopping at that.

Firing off a staggered succession of shots which scored multiple impacts across the Bushwaker's frame, I once again blazed past the biped, cutting my course sharply to the left, and vectoring toward the area where Kintaro was singularly engaging two BattleMechs that had him outclassed and outgunned. A single Havoc weighed 35 tons, fifteen more than the Stinger, and carried a suite of four ER Medium Lasers, backed by four SRM-4 launchers. Capable of moving at a blistering 128 km/h, they were a force to be reckoned with. I silently cursed Rendar's idiocy for wrecking the Condor before it could even enter combat - it would've certainly helped deal with the tenacious Bushwaker which now fell in behind me, pursuing my White Flame with a barrage of laser, autocannon, and machine gun fire.

I toggled open a comm channel to Kintaro, hoping his radio system was still intact.


"Omega to Sabre - how're you holding up? I'm coming toward you - and bringing a friend who wants to join the party. Do you think you could get one of those Havocs behind you? If so, when I get to you, I want you to throttle up and cut immediately behind me. If we time this right, we may be able to kill two 'Mechs with one Havoc."


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Position: Senior Captain | Legionnaires
Current BattleMech: WHF-3B White Flame (Lothos) [Heavy - Quad]
Loadout: 1x Large Pulse Laser, 1x Medium Pulse Laser, 2x ER Medium Lasers, 1x Anti-Missile System, Jump Jets
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MechWarrior Kazuki Kintaro
post Nov 24 2009, 05:21 PM
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Rockets scattered and collided into trees and undergrowth, sending deadly shrapnel and debris in every direction. Laser fire scarred and singed the battle zone, causing smoke to dance lazily from the freshly created craters. At this point, I could only hope and assume Celina Santos had managed to escape the brawl.

Things weren't looking good. The large oak tree I was using as tactical cover was slowly becoming ripped apart, beam after beam carving into it. Though they had only scored one hit on my Stinger's right shoulder, I was quickly overheating. The flurry of laser fire from my end had taken it's toll on the Stinger, and I soon found the heat meter inching ever closer to the danger level. My mech had only managed to score two solid hits on one of the Havocs. What was more, the pair had decided to split up and were advancing on my left and right. If I wasn't careful, I was going to get stuck between these bastards and get taken down.

"Omega to Sabre - how're you holding up? I'm coming toward you - and bringing a friend who wants to join the party. Do you think you could get one of those Havocs behind you? If so, when I get to you, I want you to throttle up and cut immediately behind me. If we time this right, we may be able to kill two 'Mechs with one Havoc." Perfect timing.

“Sabre to Omega – Getting at least one of these bastards behind me wont be an issue. The problem is I'm dangerously close to overheating!”

“Rodger Sabre – on my way!”

Without a moments hesitation, I manoeuvred my mech around the tree and throttled up.

“Here goes!” I grunted, pushing the Stringer up to 70km/h. Rushing between the Havocs caught them off guard. One of them blindly fired a salvo of SRM's. The missiles flew around the forest randomly, exploding in the distance and into the surrounding foliage. The smoke and dust they kicked added to my advantage. The second one fired his lasers, narrowly missing me as I pushed up to 90km/p. Either the pilot was waiting for his targeting systems to re-adjust or he, like myself, was close to overheating. Whatever the reason was, he didn't fire a second time, allowing for an easier escape.

“Omega – I hope you're close by!” I shouted, feeling like a kid who had just knocked down a beehive. Out gunned, and out classed, it was all down to Maxwell's plan. Maybe, just maybe, we would come out of this alive!


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Position: Mechwarrior | Legionnaires
Callsign: Sabre
Current BattleMech: STG-6L Stinger
Loadout: 2x Medium Lasers, Jump Jets
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