Garrison
Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth
17 November 3051 (Day 6 of the
Pen-y-Cat ran across the sands at speeds nearing 125 kph. Lisa brought her Fenris in close to the small village that lined a nearby oasis. Jestar Oasis, it was named. She wanted to study the area for signs of enemy activity.
Erik's attack on the Falcon dropships had been very successful. It did not, unfortunately, take away the Falcons will to fight. Although the 305th Assault cluster returned to the surface in Ithilien to lick their wounds, the 5th
That was why Lisa was out and about. Her command lance, suited for scouting operations, was hunting for them. She had no luck so far. Jestar Oasis was no different.
"Something's not right." she muttered out-loud to herself. "Lance, move up." she ordered.
The other three mechs of her lance pulled into formation behind her. "What is it, Kommandant?"
"Nothing." said Lisa exasperated. "Absolutely nothing. We know they're out here. But where?"
"Hard to hide anything in this land." said one of her lancemates. "Maybe they took off for other parts."
"I doubt it." said Lisa.
The rest of the battalion was moving up. "Any sign?" asked Joshua.
"None, General." said Lisa. "They could only have moved north into the hilly land between here and Gondor."
"Then let's get going. It's at least another two days march to the Rauros."
Lisa's computer, connected to its powerful Beagle sensor probe, intoned ominously. "Enemy power-up detected." Her radar came alive with enemy contacts. But from where?
"Look sharp everyone. Enemy forces detected. They're inside the town."
"The dezgra will die!" came a female voice across their radios. It was a wideband transmission, meant for the Falcon warriors mostly, but no doubt sent at the Swords as an intimidation attempt.
Omnimechs boiled out of the hollowed out buildings of the town. Some came running up out of the oasis itself. A full cluster, all bearing the gold-and-green markings of the 5th
"Found them!" said Lisa, making an attempt at humor. A Loki was closing with her rapidly. She dropped her PPC crosshairs to line up with the mech's right leg. She pressed the trigger and watched the blue-white ball of energized plasma slam into the mech's leg. The mech stumbled and fell.
"Nice shot, Lisa." complemented Joshua.
The two battle lines crashed into one another and the battle degenerated quickly into a chaotic melee. It reminded Joshua greatly of medieval era battles, where knight and foot soldier and peasant all mixed it up in one bloody mass.
That was, of course, the way Ryan Smith and his company liked to fight. The "Dirty Dozen," as Joshua had taken to calling them, were smashing their way through the Falcon mechs with brutal efficiency.
A Ryoken filled Ryan's viewport. Ryan reacted by dropping both PPC sights onto the mech's bulk and firing. At nearly point-blank range, there was a bright flash of light and the smoking Ryoken fell over backwards.
"Nowhere to run." commented Joshua. "This battle will be a slaughter no matter who wins." His autocannon clicked dry as he took down a Clan Vulture. Now he was left with his lasers alone.
"At maximum speed, we can make for the hills and reach them within 15 minutes." said Lisa. "It's our only chance. We're almost exchanging one-for-one here."
By that, she meant that for every Clan mech the Swords destroyed or crippled, a Swords mech also went down. Those odds would quickly win the day for the Clans, who numbered 45 mechs. The Swords numbered only 40, and they were still nursing wounds from their battle with the 305th.
"Do it. Full retreat at maximum speed. Make for the hills!" ordered Joshua.
"We'll hold them back as long as we can, General." returned Ryan Smith.
"You too, Ryan. Withdraw!"
"No!" responded Ryan. "They'll pick us apart like they did the 9th F-C on Twycross. You get away. My company'll give them a target."
Joshua peeled off and ran for the hills. The Swords mechs slowly untangled themselves from the mass and made their run. Ryan and the Dirty Dozen remained at the rear of the retreat, doing a fighting withdrawal to keep the Clans from turkey-shooting the Swords. It was working.
Joshua switched one of his monitors to aft camera, so that he could watch the Dirty Dozen. Their firepower managed to force the 5th
"This is going from bad to worse." he muttered to himself, and a sinking feeling came over him. "What have I done? Have I led us all into a slaughter?"
Behind him, the Dirty Dozen, battered and having lost three of their number, gave up the fight and fled full throttle after the others. Free to turkey-shoot, the 5th
Garrison
Donegal March,
17 November 3051 (Day 6 of the
Juan shook his head. "What's the word?" said Isaac.
"First Battalion was ambushed by the 5th
"That could be bad. Aerial reconnaissance puts the 305th Assault cluster 18 hours southeast of here. With no sightings of the 2nd Falcon Jaegers yet, we have no way of knowing where they are."
"Well, at least we know they didn't hit Daisaku's battalion." said Mike Koren. "Our dropships are still safe."
"Out of curiosity, Juan. What do think Joshua has in mind now?"
"I don't know. We're two for three right now, so we're not licked yet and we've not even brought our full force into the fight. So far, things seem to be working, except that 1st Battalion's a bit more licked than he'd hoped."
"The Clans have not yet committed entirely either. They came down with four clusters. Confirmed contact has been reported from three. Fortunately, one of those is in very bad shape, so we're really only facing about three clusters instead of four."
"Of which, one is still fresh, nor is the 1st Striker all that bad off. We have only 3rd Battalion unscathed."
"We're not hurting that badly." said Juan. "Let's move out. We've got the bulk of the Mordor province to pass around before we get back to the others. It's going to be a long couple of days."
Garrison
Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth
0645 Hours. 19 November 3051 (Day 8 of the
Garrison's sun rose blood red in the methane rich air that hovered over the
"Who was it that wanted to see dragons?" asked Juan, trying to pass the time cheerfully.
"That was Kou." said Mike. "He'll not get his chance, unless 3rd's going to come out and meet us."
"Too bad. There's one now." Juan triggered a laser at a nearby rock. The blast flushed the beast, which let out an indignant puff of flame and took to the sky.
"There have been several. They seem rather curious about us." said Mike. He watched as the beast landed on a perch high above them, looking down on them with scornful eyes. "They're bigger than I imagined them. Hard to believe they can fly like that."
"Hollow bones like birds, Mike. And a pouch of air at the base of their neck. They may be big, but they don't weigh much."
"Hauptmann Patterson to Kommandant Miranda" interrupted a desperate voice. It was Angela Patterson.
"Miranda here. What's wrong, Angie?"
"Contact with enemy. Full cluster. Closing rapidly."
"Fuck! An ambush!" cried Mike Koren.
"Isaac, swing your company around to flank the enemy. Mike, bring yours up behind me. We'll reinforce Patterson's company."
"Yes, sir." said Mike and Isaac at the same time. Isaac's company split off towards the north.
Juan kicked his mech into a run, Mike's company and Juan's own command lance following close behind. Patterson's company was roughly 15 kilometers ahead of the rest of the battalion.
"Got to hurry." said Juan. "Or Angie's a goner."
Dal Pryde laughed with glee. Now was the time to come out in the open. A Star Sword battalion was moving right past his position, unaware of his presence. It was too good to pass up. Now, he'd managed to position himself between the battle-weary Star Sword battalion and their reinforcements.
Dal targeted a Grendel with his Masakari's targeting computer and blasted its leg off with a twin burst of PPC fire. He giggled in delight. It was like target practice to him. "Pitiful Inner Sphere barbarians. Just because they have Omnimechs does not mean they know how to fight in them."
"Star Captain, are you in position?"
"Yes, Colonel Pryde." came Robert's voice. "We have them."
"You know your orders. I want prisoners as often as possible. Begin the attack!"
Isaac marched his Masakari onto a ridge overlooking the battlefield. "All mechs prepare to attack. Angela's in trouble."
"You'll have to deal with me first, Star Sword commander." interrupted a voice. A huge black and emerald Behemoth jetted out from behind a nearby outcropping. The rest of a Clan trinary emerged soon thereafter.
"They reinforced the flank." said Lt. Bill Carson. "We've been had."
"Then let's make these guys realize the error of their ways." said Isaac. He twisted and fired two PPCs into the Behemoth.
"You're mine, whelp!" swore the Behemoth pilot. His accent was thick and not too unlike Lisa's. This was no Clansman by birth.
Hearing his own name spoken against him unsettled Isaac. He stepped back and the Behemoth opened fire with everything. A pulse laser blast tore across the Masakari's flank, while two gauss slugs smashed the armor from his left leg and torso.
Isaac watched as his armor vanished. In rage, he fired all four of his PPCs, sending his heat spiking into the red zone. The Behemoth pilot twisted his mech in a clever maneuver that made Isaac's overkill attack futile. All four PPCs made furrows of glass in the sandy soil.
"Now, you die!" said the Behemoth pilot, closing in.
Juan fired his jump jets and landed squarely in the middle of the main battlefield. Around him lay battered and beaten mechs of Patterson's company.
"Angela? Where are you?" said Juan. "For that matter, where are the Clan mechs?" Above him on the ridge, Juan saw the flashes of PPC and laser fire that told him that at least Isaac had found some targets.
"I'm to your right." said Angela. "Damned Masakari just took off my left arm and leg. I can't move."
Juan turned his mech to the right. Through the smoke and dust, he could make out the outline of a mech. Juan marched towards it. As he got closer, he saw an evil-looking grey-white Masakari standing over the crippled form of Angela's Uller. She was at the mercy of the Clan pilot.
"You value her, freebirth?" taunted the Clanner, his voice cold as ice.
"She's defeated. Deal with me."
"In due time. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Star Colonel Dal Pryde of the Second Falcon Jaegers cluster. And you are?
"Kommandant Juan Miranda of Second Battalion, what of it?"
"You are not one of the Not-Named, quineg? But you are in league with them."
"What does it matter?”
"You have among your number exiles of my people, hated and wanted criminals. I seek them in the name of Kerensky. But you are not one of them. I can see that. Very well, it is best that warriors should meet one another face to face before doing battle, quiaff?"
"Let Angela go."
"There is a simpler solution." Dal's Masakari raised its massive foot and brought it down on the head of the Uller. Angela's scream pierced Juan's ears as she was crushed under the 85 ton monstrosity, followed soon thereafter by Dal's maniacal laughter.
"She was not of the exiled either." said Pryde with a sinister tone.
"You bastard!" Juan pressed down the firing studs of all his weapons at once. PPC and autocannon fire danced across the skin of the Masakari, marring its pristine camouflage scheme. Dal, his attack devoid of emotion, opened fire with his PPCs, all three hitting home on Juan's mech and stripping it of armor.
"This is a good day. Soon the Jade Falcons will be rid of the Star Swords and their Not-Named founders forever. I begin with your pitiful battalion." Dal activated his targeting computer and fired again. Two PPCs missed Juan's left leg by mere inches.
"He's toying with
"No more games, freebirth. Make prayers to your gods so that they might save your pathetic soul after I rip it from your fragile form." Dal fired a single PPC, boiling armor off of Juan's leg.
"Pull back, sir. This one's mine." said Mike Koren's voice. The tiny Black Hawk moved between the damaged Thor and Dal's huge Masakari.
"Mike, what are you doing?"
"So, the mosquito cometh. Come on, Star Sword, prick me with your pitiful stinger." taunted Dal.
Mike activated his targeting computer. Six medium lasers streaked towards the Masakari, hitting it dead center. Dal staggered back, stunned at the accuracy of the attack. Mike followed up the attack with his Streak SRM-6 pack. Six missiles peppered across the 85 ton mech.
"Center torso armor breached." warned Dal's command computer. "Engine damage detected. Gyro damage detected."
"Savashri!" said Dal, backing his heavy mech away from his tenacious new adversary. "You will pay for that, little one. Jaegers, attack!"
The rest of Dal's cluster came out of hiding, firing into Juan's mechs. Outnumbered, Juan and Mike pulled back to the rest of their forces.
"All mechs withdraw northward. We'll rendezvous with Isaac's unit and head for the dropships via the back way." That was through the lava fields.
"You'll get no argument from
Isaac turned around a outcropping to see Carol Aidan's Ryoken take a barrage from a Man O'War's Class 20 autocannon. The mech blew apart and Isaac saw no ejection pod.
"Damn you!" swore Isaac. He unloaded his four PPCs into the unsuspecting Man O'War. The surprised mech made no attempt to avoid the attack and was vaporized from the waist up. Isaac slammed his fist against his control panel in joy.
"Now, we start winning this battle. Mizar’s company withdraw and regroup."
"Yes, sir." came the response from a handful of pilots. Far too few to make Isaac feel very good. Isaac was already carrying a dose of guilt. Corporal Terrence Paldrin had pushed his Mad Cat between that Behemoth and Isaac's Masakari. Terrence had told Isaac to pull out and that he'd follow soon after. Isaac did so, providing a small amount of assistance. However, a pretentious Thor had attacked Isaac's now disengaged Masakari. Once Isaac had dispatched the upstart, he saw no sign of either Terrence or the Behemoth. There had been no answer on the radio.
"Who's left?"
"Bill Carson here. I got Quan Chin with me. His radio's been taken out."
"
"Corporal Williams here. I think we're it. We got slammed."
"Don't remind
"We're in full retreat, Hauptmann. We'll rendezvous with you in five minutes."
"Belay that, Major. This area isn't secure yet."
"We don't have much choice. Patterson's company was annihilated. All hands lost. No survivors."
"My God." said Isaac. Franklin Brown's Ryoken moved up beside Isaac's Masakari. "We'll hold here until you arrive. We're down to five here."
"Dear Lord." said Juan.
"Sir, I'm getting a magnetic anomaly 500 meters to my left." said
"What is it?"
"Looks like a.....arrgh!" There was a flash of light and
"Juan, we're under attack. We cannot hold this position any longer." said Isaac, firing into the enemy force at random.
"Pull out, we'll try to catch up."
Corporate Janice Williams pulled her Thor up beside Isaac's Masakari.
"Janice, pull out. I'll hold them."
"Alone? Like hell! Bill, you and Quan, get out now. We'll keep them off your tail and we'll follow behind when we can."
"We won't abandon you!"
"It's an order, damnit!" swore Isaac. "Get the hell out of here."
"How touching. Trying to play hero and heroine?" said the Behemoth pilot. He hit his jump jets and landed less than two meters in front of Janice's Thor. It was too close. The impact of the 100 ton monster knocked the Thor backwards. It stumbled backwards and the ground beneath its feet cracked and crumbled apart. Isaac saw a red glow.
"Lava!" he exclaimed. But it was too late. The Thor fell in up to its waist and began to sink. Without hands, it could not pull itself out. Neither could Isaac help, as his mech also lacked hands.
"Eject!" he ordered.
She did so, but the air temperature near the lava flow was too hot. As the head of her mech exploded outward, Isaac heard a scream. Janice shot skyward in her ejection pod, but without the protection of the mech's airtight cockpit, she was boiled alive within seconds.
Fear took hold of Isaac. Then he heard the Behemoth pilot swear.
"I wanted prisoners." The Behemoth's guns moved into line with Isaac's Masakari.
"You'll not take me, Falcon!" said Isaac, swinging his PPCs in line with the Behemoth.
PPC blasts rocked the Behemoth, but the assault mech stood firm. Robert returned fire with his lasers, cutting a jagged hole in the left torso of the mech. Flashes erupted from within the mech as the ammunition for the small LRM rack on the mech's shoulder detonated. The bulk of the blast blew out the CASE panels in the back, but the left arm of the mech spiraled away.
"You are beaten! Surrender and I'll spare your life."
Isaac looked at his status panels. His heat was near shutdown level, a combination of the intense fighting and the hostile environment. His LRM launcher and two PPCs were gone. His armor was stripped bare. Behind the Behemoth, Isaac could see the rest of the Clan cluster approaching.
"There is no escape."
"Wrong." said Isaac. "God forgive me. They must not find out." He pushed off with his legs and fell onto his back. The thin rock gave way under the mass of his mech and it quickly sank beneath the glowing red liquid.
"ETA to Garrison Spaceport."
"Three hours."
"We can't wait any longer. The Clanners have probably reorganized by now and are preparing to pursue."
"Seismic readings to the east. Two mechs."
"Ours or theirs?"
"I'm not sure.....Wait, they're ours. It's Bill Carson and Quan Chin."
"Corporal Carson, where are the others?"
"We thought Isaac and Janice made it already. You mean they didn't come back?"
"No."
"Are we the only ones?" said Bill, his voice getting desperate.
"Calm down, Corporal. Isaac may have found another route out of here." said Juan with false confidence. "We won't know until we get back."
"Let's move out." said Mike. The remnants of 2nd Battalion complied whole-heartedly.
"Twenty-two mechs and mechwarriors lost." thought Juan. "Joshua, we're starting to run out of miracles."
Garrison
Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth
0822 Hours. 19 November 3051 (Day 8 of the
"My magnetometer just went nuts, Joshua." said Lisa. "There are a shitload of mechs ahead of us."
"Ours or their's?" said Joshua, glancing nervously at his weapon status monitor. His cannons were still empty. They had never bothered to reload with two enemy clusters at their tail. His armor status was only 45%.
"I have no clue. They've made no motions towards us, so my guess is they've not yet seen us."
"Approach with caution. Let's have a look ourselves."
The mechs of Lisa's battalion followed up behind Joshua's command lance. The dense fog of the early morning obscured even the best anti-darkness measures. As they closed, the fog thinned to where they could see their opponents.
"Dear God." said Joshua.
Lisa's sensors had not picked up enemy forces or even operational mechs. What they found was a field littered with mech carcasses, tossed about like the dead after a medieval battle.
"Joshua, those are Star Sword mechs." said Ryan Smith.
"I know. Any clue who's?"
"Second Battalion is my guess. Looks like Patterson company."
"There's a handful of Falcon-emblemed mechs present too. We didn't go down without a fight." said Lisa. The number of Clan mechs was hardly a fair comparison to the destroyed Star Sword forces, making Lisa's attempt to boost morale futile at best.
"ID confirmed. It's the 2nd Jaegers." said Ryan Smith, his Mad Cat hovering over one of the fallen Clan mechs.
"Hopefully some ejected." said Amanda.
"Yeah." said Joshua, looking over and seeing a pair of vultures hovering about the cockpit of one Star Sword mech.
"Hopefully. Let's keep going."
The heavy fog returned. Joshua kept wiping his eyes, trying to stay awake. It had been a long march and the 305th Assault and the 5th
"Enemy contact. Dead ahead." cried out Ryan Smith.
"Identify." barked Joshua.
"Enemy Masakari dead in our path. It's the Jaegers, sir."
“Pryde.” Said Joshua grimly.
"Greetings, General Joshua Messer of the 1st Star Swords." said a familiar voice over Joshua's radio.
"Well met, Star Colonel." responded Joshua, anger in his voice. "We were beginning to wonder if you'd come at all to Garrison."
"Before we begin the day's bloody work, I wish to parlay with you in the old fashion. You do know the tradition, quiaff?" He was mocking Joshua. As a Wolverine, the ancient tradition of parlay before battle was well known to him. Obsolete for centuries, only a student of history would understand it. "One of my associates would like to speak with you."
Joshua looked puzzled. "Bring on your associate, Star Colonel." said Joshua to Dal. "I grow weary of talk."
"Oh, really, Joshua, talk seems to be your forte. You talked Lisa away from me. You talked my unit into total defeat at New Belfast. Words are all you know, boy." A battered Behemoth walked out from the mists to stand beside Dal's Masakari.
“Shut up, O’Malley. You have less honor than a dog to call this one an associate, Pryde.”
“He has his uses.” Replied Pryde. “He was very useful in destroying your battalion.”
"Yes, one of your friend saw fit to challenge me. Much to his undoing."
"What?" said Joshua puzzled.
One of Joshua's monitors flicked as a camera transmission came across. It showed Isaac's battered Masakari, pressed sorely with a lava river at its back. A laser cut across his torso, igniting his LRM ammo. A few seconds passed, and the giant mech threw itself back into the lava. The transmission ended.
"He killed himself by fire to prevent the Falcons from getting our genetic code and proving our survival." The thought came unbidden to his mind, the only coherent thing Joshua knew as emotion tore through him.
"You're next, Messer." said O'Malley coldly. "I wasted too much effort trying to have others do it for me. Of the times I've tried to have you killed, I only got one shot to do it myself." His face appeared in the monitor, replacing the last still frame of Isaac's suicide. "And I got this for my trouble." He ran a finger down the scar on his face. "This time, there will be no interruptions." said O'Malley, raising his lasers to fire on the Galileo II.
"Joshua, move!" screamed Lisa.
Her voice snapped Joshua out of his stupor. He wrenched his control sticks to the left, jerking the Galileo II aside at the last minute. The lasers pulsed past him, barely missing his right arm.
"Damn you, Messer." Swore O’Malley.
“So it begins.” Said Joshua grimly.
Laser and autocannon fire erupted from within the fog. The rest of the 2nd Jaegers now saw fit to reveal themselves. Lisa and her battalion returned fire. The battle was joined.
Joshua pulled Galileo II back away from O'Malley's monster, the heat of battle placing his grief on the back-burner. Joshua noticed both of them were staying back from the fight. For someone who wanted to kill him, O'Malley was certainly taking his time, especially for someone piloting a mech nearly twice the size of Joshua's Ryoken.
"Wait a second....." said Joshua. He punched up his sensor read on both mechs. He smiled briefly. Dal's center torso armor had been breached and his engine was reading white-hot. O'Malley's mech was in much better condition, but his armor was low in several locations. Isaac had not gone down without a fight.
"Star Swords, we can't stand up to the enemy here. Try to breach the pass." said Joshua. He brought his mech up to a run. He set his sights on O'Malley's right leg, which was weak on armor.
Dal fired a single PPC at Joshua, a warning shot really, peeling armor back on the running Ryoken. Joshua had to little to fear from a follow-up by Dal, his engine damage making his mech a walking oven. O'Malley was surprised by Joshua's audacity and failed to fire in time.
Joshua fired his trio of lasers, boiling away at the armor on the Behemoth's leg. He burned through and saw the foot join melt away. O'Malley tried to move forward to avoid Joshua's attack, but he was too slow and the motion only came after Joshua's lasers clicked off. With a damaged leg, the Behemoth stumbled and fell.
Joshua spun his torso towards Pryde and saw the barrels of his PPCs begin to glow. He swung the arm around and fired a snap shot with it. Only the two medium lasers had cooled sufficiently to fire again, safeties kept the large silent. The crimson beams ribboned up the Masakari from its crotch to its shoulder. The PPCs fired. Two struck home and unbalanced Joshua. The others slammed harmlessly into a nearby boulder.
Flames erupted out of the center of the Masakari. The head of the mech exploded, rocketing an ejection pod skyward. The Masakari erupted in flames as its engine released all of its plasma in one huge explosion.
“That’s twice I get to claim you as a kill, Pryde.” Taunted Joshua.
"Why you....." said O'Malley, opening fire on Joshua. The gauss rifle missed, flying skyward past the head of the Ryoken. Joshua kept running past the crippled Behemoth.
"Damn you. This isn't over."
"You killed one of my closest friends, raped the woman I love, and set me up to die. Damn right, it isn't over." said Joshua, hatred burning in his voice, as he charged up the pass with the Star Swords right behind.
Dal Pryde picked himself up from the dust. "Jaegers, do not pursue. They are not going anywhere. We will take up positions here and wait for the other clusters to arrive. Then we will pick the Star Swords apart as a unified army."
Garrison
Donegal March,
1200 hours. 19 November 3051 (Day 8 of
Joshua's Ryoken came to a stop on the small flood-plain beneath the walls of the Castle Brian. The pristine mechs of Third Battalion were marching about. Joshua dismounted and climbed down his mech. He collapsed in shock and exhaustion at the foot of the Galileo II.
Erik Iolair came running over, thinking Joshua was facing some physical injury. Lisa intercepted him.
"Joshua's hurt." said Erik, trying to push past her.
"Not in the way you're thinking."
Erik looked into Lisa's eyes and read the seriousness of her face. He decided not to inquire further, knowing he would probably find out later anyway.
"The Clan forces are on the other side of the Canyon. There's at least one cluster, probably more on the way." Lisa reported.
Erik nodded, knowing what Lisa was wanting him to do. He spun on his heel and ran back towards the city.
"Deploy Third Battalion at once to defend the canyon." said Erik to Daisaku Hayakusora. "Looks like the time has come for us to spring Joshua's ambush." He paused. "I just wonder where Juan's off to now." Erik glanced over his shoulder to see Lisa kneeling down beside Joshua, embracing him.
"What happened?" he thought to himself.
"Incoming mechs." cried a voice.
Erik spun and looked westward. Cresting the ridge above the canyon was a battered Thor and several other Omnimechs. They were sporting the colors of Second Battalion.
"Hold your fire. It's Juan and Second Battalion."
It didn't take long for Erik to realize that the handful of mechs coming over the ridge were the only ones that would be coming.
"Fuck
It took several minutes for Juan's mechs to reach the staging area. Juan walked his Thor up to where Erik was standing and dismounted. He was visibly upset.
"What happened?"
Juan shook his head. "We were ambushed on the east side of the ridge."
"Is this all that's left?"
"Unfortunately....." said Juan, falling to his knees in physical and emotional exhaustion.
"We don't have much time." said a voice. Erik turned to face Joshua, being almost held up by Lisa.
"What are your orders, Joshua?"
"Alert the militia to get their tanks into positions. I want every gun we have trained on that pass." He pointed to the narrow point in the canyon. "It's time to spring our trap." He paused. "Place our dropships on stand-by. I want a quick exit if this goes sour too."
"Aye, General."
"Daisaku will make them pay for every inch they take. You can count on that."
"I left Third out of the fight this long for a reason." muttered Joshua, straightening up. He shook Lisa off abruptly. She backed away, looking hurt and rejected.
"What are you going to do?" asked Erik. Behind him, the mechs of 3rd Battalion were marching into position.
"Get some rest." he said quietly. His voice was heavy with weariness.
"We've lost one of our own, haven't we?" said Erik sadly.
Joshua nodded weakly. He and Lisa walked towards the Castle. She tried to move close to him again, but he shook her off.
Lisa responded with "Come on, Joshua, don't fight with me." He voice had a pained whine to it, like she was as much seeking support as giving it.
"You didn't have one of your best friends brutally killed less than an hour ago." snarled Joshua bitterly.
"Don't give me that shit!" swore Lisa, tears starting to run down her face. "He was my friend too. You are all a part of my family. I just lost a brother out there. How do you think I feel?"
Lisa broke down at that point. Joshua felt his face burn with shame, shame for being so heartless, shame for thinking this dangerous plan would work without cost. Tears welled up in his eyes and pulled her into his arms.
“Lisa, what have I done?”
“Don’t think about that now. Just rest. We’ll need our strength…for what is coming.”
Garrison
Donegal March, Federated Commonwealth
2200 Hours. 19 November 3051 (Day 8 of the battle of Garrison)
"Here they come!" said Daisaku. It had been ten hours since the remnants of Juan's battalion had arrived in Minas Tirith. In that time, the trap had been set.
Daisaku nursed his hefty LB-X Class 20 autocannon in one hand. Third battalion had been outfitted with the majority of the Star Swords "overkill" weaponry, no doubt to make sure no Clan mechs made it through in any condition to take the Castle Brian. Above Daisaku's head were the long barrels of two Long Tom artillery cannon. Their massive shells would make short work of anything that tried to breech the narrow gap in the canyon. What did make it through would face a dozen Rommel heavy tanks and Daisaku's battalion. If by some chance, a mech breached those defenses, the battered remnants of 1st and 2nd battalions awaited it further back.
The incoming Clan Omnis bore the markings of the 5th Battle Cluster, largely still a fresh unit. A few slipped through the pass before the defenders were ready. Daisaku sighted up an enemy Uller and fired. Hundreds of depleted uranium slugs ripped into the 30 ton mech, blowing it apart.
Then the Long Toms began their work. The tight confines of the canyon prevented the Falcons from getting out of the way of the brutal firepower of the 3rd Battalion. Dust clouds from shattered stone and smoke from burning mechs soon mixed to obscure everyone's view of the battlefield. Daisaku ordered a charge, hoping to drive the confused and wounded Falcons back by such a bold move. Matthew Jiwe's assault company led the way, diving into the cloud of dust and smoke. Targeting by IFF signal alone, the battle was joined. Matthew sometimes destroyed mechs two to three at a time in that confused array. Some Clan mechs fired on their own men in the chaos, but the Swords fought well; better organized and coordinated. No friendly fire took down a Swords mech in that mess.
Within five minutes it was over. Nursing 60%-70% losses, the 5th
"Commander Third, this is Regiment command. Report." It was Joshua's voice. He sounded rested and refreshed, but his voice was cold and emotionless.
"Enemy repelled. We've lost five mechs to battle damage. No fatalities among our pilots. Enemy losses total roughly 30 to 35 mechs."
“It’s working.” That was Lisa’s voice in the background.
"Good work.” Said Joshua. “Reload and prepare for reinforcements. I'm bringing up First to support you."
"What about Second?" asked Daisaku.
"I've ordered them to the dropships. The 18 or so mechwarriors left of that unit are too exhausted and beat up to fight well. Morale is a big issue with them. I don't want to put them out there again. They’ve done more than their part. The rest is up to us."
"Diane Anu is a fool." spat the Galaxy Commander. "She ran into an area where the enemy had superior position without trying to weaken them first. Idiots. With casualty rates like this, Garrison will be our burial ground.” He spun on his heel towards the commander of the 305th. "Star Colonel Buhallin?"
"Yes, Galaxy Commander."
"Prepare your men. Yours is the next force to attack, as you placed second in the bid to destroy the Star Swords. We attack within the hour."
"Yes, Galaxy Commander."
As Buhallin left, Pryde looked at Hoyt. "One would think that after the nature of this conquest, Star Colonel Anu would have known better than to bid away her aerospace support for the final assault."
"She was impatient. Her pursuit of the Swords from Jestar Oasis went sour and it frustrated her. Her desire to redeem her failure there forced her into a fatal error." He paused. "What are your intentions, Star Colonel? Once more, you bid nothing away."
"Neither did you, Star Colonel." reminded Pryde. "And neither did Buhallin."
"She had very little to bid." said Hoyt with disdain. "Her forces have received the greatest losses of us all thus far."
"A reassessment of the 5th
"I have no aerospace support, Pryde." said Hoyt. "If I attack, even with my greater numbers, I will face the same fate as Diane."
"Neither does Evelyn."
"I want a joint attack. No more bids.” Said Hoyt, clearly changing his mind. “These Swords are dezgra. No more rules. We will slaughter them. Contact Buhallin and order her to wait. We attack together with all our remaining forces, including the remains of 5th
"Aff, Galaxy Commander Hoyt. It shall be done."
Joshua marched out onto the tarmac where Erik Iolair had his squadron sitting. They were several kilometers north of the Castle, but not so far as to make the burning mechs and spotlight dim. Here the land was wide and flat between the canyon walls, large enough for a makeshift airstrip. Erik walked up to him. "Good afternoon, sir. Get any rest?"
"Some this afternoon." said Joshua with a slight grin. Garrison's moonless sky was pitch-black. "We've had a few hours of reprieve, but I want bombing operations to commence again. How soon can you get your ships up?"
"Twenty minutes tops." said Erik. "I've kept us at Ready-5 status since Juan got back, but we're not rigged for bombing, only fighter intercept. But should only be a few minutes for us to get refitted."
"Do it, and launch at the first possible opportunity."
Erik spun and barked to a nearby pilot. "You heard him. Prepare to launch immediately. Refit for bombing operations."
Joshua turned and headed back to Galileo II.
"Stand down, Star Colonel." came a voice: Pryde.
"What! You will not rob me of the glory of this battle, Dal."
"I have orders from..."
Buhallin cut him off. "All mechs, prepare to attack."
"Colonel, enemy aerospace closing at high speeds."
The twelve fighters of Skull and Gold squadrons roared over the battle field, lasers burning scarlet in the midnight darkness. Mechs exploded under the barrage as bombs and laser combined to ravage the 305th 's lines.
"Open fire, you fools." screamed Evelyn. "Destroy those Star Sword fighters."
Four anti-aircraft configured Ryoken flipped their guns skyward and opened fire. Two autocannon bursts nicked the wing of one of Gold's fighters, a 100 ton
"Pull away!" ordered Erik. "Don't let her take one of us down with her." Erik silently swore as he saw the 100 ton fighter roar towards the ground.
Suddenly the ship's nose came up and its thrusters roared to life. Not much more than 10 meters above the ground, it rocketed towards the mechs of the 305th Assault Cluster.
A 12 meter tall Kingfisher hit the bottom of the fighter as it tried to climb away. The Kingfisher's head was literally ripped off of the mech and the fighter cartwheeled into the ground, erupting into flame as its fuel ignited. Momentum carried the 100 ton fireball into the largest mass of OmniMechs. Four medium mechs were crushed by the fighter before it exploded, disintegrating two more and severely damaging half a dozen others.
Erik stared with disbelief at the ruin below him. Then something caught his eye. It was an opening parachute. The pilot had ejected.
"I'll be damned. She turned her fighter into a kamikaze bomb and still made it out alive. Hot damn!"
"Request permission to kick the can." said Michelle.
"Once more into the breach, dear friends.....Attack!"
Erik pulled Helios into a full loop and roared downward at the group of four Ryoken. Erik loosed his bomb racks, sending four retarded-fall bombs onto the heads of the mechs. The Ryokens tried to get away, but the four heavy bombs enveloped them in the yellow-white fire.
Three of the anti-aircraft Omnimechs survived the blasts, but they had certainly seen better days. Erik pulled away before the stunned Ryoken pilots could return fire.
A trinary of aerospace fighters roared towards Erik's squadron. "What!?" exclaimed Erik. "I thought the 305th had no fighters."
"Those are fighters from another cluster. By the white and green markings, I'd say it was the 2nd Jaegers."
"Break off the ground attack and prepare to engage."
"It's suicide!" came the response from one pilot. “There’s too many!”
"That's an order, mister!" snapped Erik, firing his afterburners and heading into the midst of the enemy ships.
"Seven mechs destroyed by aerospace attack. Two enemy fighters shot down." Replied Buhallin.
"Your disobedience and insubordination have been noted by Dal Pryde. He attempted to convey a message to you, and you cut him off. I am acting Galaxy Commander. You will follow my orders." He paused. "I am disappointed however that this Sword attack was not prompted by your rash actions. It had been my hope that they would punish you rather than I."
"What are your orders, Galaxy Commander?" said Buhallin, trying to sound humble.
"Await the arrival of my forces and those of Star Colonel Pryde. We attack together with all our might. The Swords are dezgra foes. Our Rules of Engagement no longer apply to them."
"Incoming mechs." said Daisaku Hayakusora.
"Come and get
A Thor was next, its right leg nursing bomb damage from the fighter attack. Matthew fired his LRM-20, dumping a minefield right in front of the mech. It hit the minefield, detonating the mines and blowing its damaged leg off. The mech fell forward, detonating more mines. The mech blew apart like a toy stuffed with a firecracker.
"This is a turkey shoot." said Daisaku, finishing off the first Loki.
A Masakari was next. The massive mech stomped through the mangled Thor. Matthew leveled his heavy guns at the mech and fired away. The Masakari, however, could handle the barrage better than most mechs. Daisaku spun and added his own LB-20-X to Matthew's damage. The Masakari staggered.
"Fuck you!" screamed Daisaku. “This is for Isaac, you son-of-a-bitch!” He followed up with a pair of ER medium lasers, which ripped into the Masakari's heavily damaged left leg. The mech began to fall. Matthew triggered his LRM again, landing a minefield exactly where the Masakari came down. The minefield exploded beneath the 85 ton monster, detonating the Masakari's autocannon ammunition. The mech lay on its side, minor explosions detonating within it, but it was little more than an empty shell now.
"Buhallin is down." came a voice over the Falcon tactical channel, which Daisaku was monitoring. "The Star Colonel is defeated."
“Oh, that is good news. Another Clan commander has gone on to the great beyond.” Said Daisaku with glee.
Demoralized by the destruction of their command star and the probable death of their commander, the 305th Assault Cluster began the retreat.
"The 305th is on the retreat." reported Star Captain Robert. His Stone Rhino was fully repaired and ready for the fight. To his left was Dal Pryde in a Summoner. And to Pryde's left was the acting Galaxy Commander, piloting his Summoner.
"We move now," said Dal Pryde, "Before the Star Swords can regroup and reload."
"Begin
your flanking action, Pryde." said Hoyt. "The 1st Striker
will advance in the wake of the 305th."
Joshua's command lance and the force he'd designated as relief forces for Daisaku's battalion moved up into position. Third battalion was exhausted. Ahead in the canyon, the ground was littered with dozens of mech carcasses, all Jade Falcon.
"That's what I like to see." said Joshua with an almost bloodthirsty satisfaction. "What are our losses?"
"One Uller got its leg blasted off by a lucky gauss shot from a Vulture." reported Daisaku. "Other than that, we've had some minor armor damage. Fatigue has been a greater enemy than the Jade Falcons today."
"It's almost dawn. At sun-up, you're relieved to return and get some rest. You've done well."
"What's the next move?" said Daisaku.
"Hopefully, we can hammer them down some more before they give up the siege. Then we give chase. I want no Jade Falcon to escape this planet alive!"
“You actually think we can still win this?” asked Daisaku incredulously.
“The ambush has worked flawlessly.” Said Joshua. “Our losses were heavy in the early stages of the battle, but we’ve more than made up for that now.”
“Made up for Isaac?” asked Daisaku. Joshua gave him no answer.
"Enemy contacts, closing fast down the canyon. It's the 1st Striker, sir." interrupted a young corporal.
"Look sharp, people." Said Joshua. “Here they come.”
"My men are drained of ammunition. We cannot hold with you." said Daisaku, a tone of desperation on his voice. He must have expected Joshua to demand they fight with the 1st Battalion.
"Pull out, Daisaku. You've done your part. Now it’s our turn."
Gunfire roared as the first of the Clan mechs poured through the passage. The light mechs of the 1st Striker used their speed and agility to ford the narrow point before their enemies could blast them. Within minutes, a fray had formed within the flood-plain, as the 1st Striker clashed head-on with the Swords.
The confused battlefield prevented the Swords for concentrating their firepower on the kill zone of the trough. Joshua fired laser after laser into enemy mechs, but soon lost track of his lance or of any other Sword mechs. All around him were Clan mechs.
Suddenly out of nowhere came a huge Gladiator. It crashed down into the center of the fray. Joshua looked skyward. Mechs were jumping over the sharp edges of the canyon, using their jets to break their fall. It was the 2nd Jaegers.
"Son of a bitch!" swore Joshua.
A Fenris rocketed over the ridge and landed beside a Star Sword Black Hawk. Before its pilot could turn to face his threat, the Fenris stabbed its large laser forward and fired. The blast enveloped the head of the Black Hawk, killing the surprised pilot instantly.
Joshua spun on the camouflaged Fenris when nearly a dozen mechs swarmed over the canyon wall behind 1st Battalion. They were cut off!
"The Second Jaegers!" exclaimed Mechlanthon. "This is Dal Pryde's doing."
"Joshua, get your men out of there. Your position is compromised!" That was Daisaku Hayakusora.
"All personnel abandon the Castle and withdraw northward. Daisaku, we're cut off!"
"I know. I'm working on it." Came Daisaku's reply. Joshua could see on his radar scope the retreating 3rd Battalion mechs turn about to carve the Swords a path.
"Lisa!" cried Joshua, fear choking his voice. "Where are you?"
"I'm here!" she replied. Joshua glanced down at his monitors to note the location of her machine. She was at the rear of the Swords lines, trying to cut her way out to Minas Tirith.
A Thor came over next, gunning for Joshua's Ryoken. Joshua knew it had to be either Dal Pryde or Robert O'Malley. It fired its gauss rifle, crushing armor off of the Galileo II's right arm. A spray of Streak guided missiles splattered across his mech, peppering his armor. A light autocannon roared to add the final injury to Joshua's Ryoken.
"How is that, General Messer?" It was Pryde. "Do you wish to face me now, this time with your mech injured and mine intact?"
"Where's O'Malley?" said Joshua, backing off from Pryde.
"Do you even need to ask?" said Robert, roaring over the hill to land behind Lisa.
"Lisa, look out!" screamed Joshua.
The twin lasers on Robert's Behemoth sprayed azure beams which danced across the light armor of Lisa's Fenris. Her mech stumbled and fell as Robert closed with her.
"Get away from her!" demanded a voice. Rushing through 3rd Battalion's lines was a Daishi: Matthew Jiwe. It crushed a Falcon Uller underfoot as it barreled towards Lisa and Robert.
Joshua unloaded all his weapons into Dal's Loki. Dal's mech staggered back and returned fire. Matthew smashed his lumbering Daishi into O'Malley, knocking him away from Lisa.
"Lisa, go! I’ll handle this one." said Matthew.
Joshua noticed the Swords mechs of 1st Battalion flooding through the gap Jiwe's charge had made. 3rd Battalion's energy weapon fire kept the Clan mechs at bay, but it would not hold for long.
"Joshua, get your ass in gear." snapped Daisaku. Joshua tried to move forward, but found himself cut off by Dal.
"You are not going anywhere, Not-Named. You are not escaping me again."
Matthew fired his twin autocannon, tearing into Robert's freshly repaired armor. Robert hit his jump jets again and rocketed behind Matthew's mech. Alex Pritchard, a Mad Cat pilot and one of Smith's Dirty Dozen, tried to interfere to save Matthew, but a Jade Falcon Vulture intervened.
Joshua, meanwhile, had his hands full with Dal. The heavier Thor had shredded Joshua's Ryoken. His gauss rifle had been destroyed and his targeting computer knocked out, leaving him only with his skill and a handful of light lasers.
Beside Joshua, a Star Swords Vulture came crashing down into the soil beside him. Alex Pritchard's Mad Cat took a lethal hit in its SRM ammo, blowing it apart.
"You are next, General." said Dal.
"We'll see about that." said Joshua firmly. He shoved his throttle forward to maximum. The Ryoken sped up to 90 kph and headed straight at Pryde. Dal sidestepped and opened fire. Joshua felt his mech shake from the weapon impacts, and prayed it would hold together.
It did. He tore past Pryde and into the rapidly closing gulf. "Where's Matthew?" Joshua demanded.
"He's trapped!" said Lisa. "Do something, Joshua."
"I can't." said Joshua, looking over his control panels in dismay. All of his remaining weapons were disabled, save one laser. He was almost completely unarmed. No match for Robert or any of the other Clan mechs on that field.
Robert was relentless. The Daishi was almost stripped bare of armor, although Matthew had given almost as much as he taken. Robert's Behemoth was far from intact, his lethal gauss rifles lying on the ground near the mech's feet.
Robert was obviously losing his temper. He did not want to fight Matthew at all, but wanted to get at Lisa and Joshua, who stood by and watched only a few hundred meters away.
A frustrated cry came from Robert, who slammed one of his lasers into Matthew's mech with a vicious punch. He fired the laser. A bright flash could be seen through the gaps and holes in Matthew's armor. Black smoke belched out of the Daishi and it pitched forward into the plain.
"Matthew, eject!" said Joshua, bringing Galileo II to a run towards his friend, heedless of his own danger. Ryan, Amanda, and Lisa also began to close. The Falcons pressed their assault, pushing the Swords back.
Robert lowered his lasers to cover the cockpit as Matthew stepped out and raised his hands in surrender.
"God, no, Matthew, don't make me do this." thought Joshua. He saw Matthew look towards him.
Joshua dropped his crosshairs to his only remaining weapon onto Matthew's stationary form. "Reveal not your true heritage to those not of our Clan." He quoted through tears. He squeezed the trigger.
There was a scream as the crimson laser sliced through Matthew, or at least Joshua imagined one. His body evaporated less than a second later as megajoules of energy pumped into his fragile form.
"All mechs withdraw!" ordered Daisaku, “Joshua, you too!” Joshua did not move. Daisaku ran his Uller and gave Galileo II a less than gentle bump. “NOW!”
Joshua shook out of his stupor as Robert and Pryde both moved in for the kill. He slammed his feet into the accelerator pedals and felt the mech’s engine roar to life. It quickly accelerated to top speed. Joshua yanked the control sticks and began a mad dash towards safety, Daisaku close behind.
Joshua loaded onto the dropship early; his mech was far too battered for effective use. He stepped out of his machine and walked down the ladder slowly. At the foot of his mech, he dropped to his knees and burst into tears. Behind him, a piece of his mech's armor fell off and struck the deck with a load clank.
He sat there for the entire battle, weeping. Other mechs loaded aboard around him, and the dropship roared into the air to escape the marauding Clan forces, but he did not move. Lisa dropped out of her mech and marched towards him, furious and confused.
She struck him, knocking him out of his supplicant position and stupor. He looked up at her.
"Why?"
Joshua had no answer for her, too grieved to voice his reasons and suspecting that she would not understand even if he could. She reached back to strike again, not knowing any other way to vent her anger. A strong arm stopped her.
"Enough." said Mechlanthon. "He is grieved, quiaff?"
"He killed him, he killed Matthew."
"He is Not-named. You do not understand. I am Clan. I do. Yes, he killed him, he killed one of his closest friends. But he saved us all."
Garrison
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
23 November 3051
"I must admit, I never thought I'd be up here this day, or any day for that matter. I hoped, I prayed that of all the many victims of war that members of the Star Swords would not number among them. I guess that shows my naivetรฉ, my own short-sightedness."
It surprised Joshua to hear Lisa speak so eloquently. He understood now how truly she was her father's daughter. Seeing her give the eulogy at their memorial, he saw not his lover and friend, but a noble of House MacLeod.
The cargo bay of the Star Sword was filled with nearly the entire complement of the unit, at least those left. Over two dozen mechwarriors and aerospace pilots had died on Garrison, many more mechs and fighters were lost, most never to be replaced. Joshua stood at the back of the cargo hold. Between the costliness of his entire plan on Garrison and the well-witnessed assassination of Matthew, he was now a pariah in the unit he commanded. It should have been him on that pedestal. But no one in the unit would respect him there, honoring the dead many blamed him for creating.
"Over the last week, we have seen tragedy on a scale that we've not seen since this horrible war began. There is not one among us who has not lost friends. I know I have, soulmates whom I have known longer than I can remember."
Many shot glances back at Joshua, bitter angry looks, blaming their commander for the slaughter. Joshua ignored them and looked to his fellow Wolverines. Did they understood why he had done what he'd done? They should, but still none of them thought well of him for it. No one among his former Wolverines looked back at him.
He knew what was coming next. The inevitable challenge to his leadership. But from who? Daisaku, Erik?
He would
soon find out.
Joshua sat calmly on the floor of the gymnasium of the Star Sword. Located on the warship’s rotating gravity decks, it was the place where the crew of the ship, as well as the soldiers of the Star Swords themselves, came to exercise and keep fit. Joshua had withdrawn to there after the memorial, knowing the others would seek him out.
He pulled out Anduril and laid it across his lap. And there he waited. He did not wait long.
Erik entered first, followed by Ryan and then Daisaku. Each of them bore their own swords. Erik walked over to Joshua first.
“One at a time, or all together?” asked Joshua coldly.
“Khan Joshua Messer, you stand accused of gross violations of our law.” Said Daisaku. “The Falcon Pryde knows of our origins. Two bloodnamed warriors of the Clan lie dead because of your negligence. I call for a Trial of Grievance against you. Who stands with me?”
“I do.” Said Erik.
“I do.” Said Ryan.
“So this is how it is to be?”
“It is our way.” Said Erik, drawing his sword.
“Bullshit!” said a new voice. Lisa marched in and immediately moved between Joshua and the others.
“This is not your affair, Lisa.” Warned Daisaku.
“You threaten my husband. You accuse him of breaking your laws and demand his blood as repayment.” She spat at them, rage in her voice. “As if not enough Wolverine blood was shed on Garrison!”
“Step aside, Lisa.” Said Erik.
“Over my dead body.” She said, drawing her own sword.
“They are right.” Said Joshua meekly. “This must be done.”
“This is ridiculous.” Said Lisa fiercely. “You are brothers! You care more about your stupid fucking laws than you do about one another.” She turned on Joshua. “All of you. If not for your goddamned laws, Matthew would still be alive.” She spun back to the others. “And now you want another dead to appease those same laws. This is madness.”
“This is our way.” Protested Daisaku.
“Ways change!” snarled Lisa. “New Vision is no more. The Wolverines are no more. Your way died there three years ago. Your Clan is dead. Wake up and realize it, before you bury its only legacy along with it. There are only four of you left and the Jade Falcons are still out there.” Her eyes pierced through each of the Wolverines in turn.
“Be that as it may,” said Erik, “but he has lost the trust of those under his command.” He sheathed his sword.
“Not if you stand with him. We’re in this together. If we stand firm, the troops will fall into line. You are brothers. Act like it.”
Joshua stood up. His demeanor had changed dramatically. “So be it. The Falcons have been bloodied, but they’ve not been stopped. That trumps all else. We will stand against them again. I failed you. I let my ego and my arrogance blind me to the risks. But will you give me another chance?”
“I will.” Said Erik. He walked over to stand beside Joshua.
“So will
Daisaku looked at Lisa. “You call our Clan dead? Neg, its spirit is very much alive. Kerensky labeled us Wolverines because a wolverine is most fierce in the defense of its own. You are right. Whatever happens, we should stand together as one. You have another chance, Joshua.”
“This time, we will win.” Said Joshua confidently.
End
of Part II
