Tamar March
Federated Commonwealth
4 March, 3050
"I am Mechwarrior Greer of the 8th Falcon Regulars. I pilot the Kit Fox that stands before our lines. I have won the bidding for the right to seize your rabble of a force in a trial of possession. Do not flee like the cowards we have seen so far, and I promise you a quick death in battle that will fulfill your obligations as a warrior. Our trial will commence as soon as you signal your readiness."
Fiona's palms were already sweating, only the fingerless gloves she wore kept her grip on the control sticks secure. She glanced down at her targeting monitor, which still struggled hopelessly to identify the enemy mech, whose pilot had referred to it as a Kit Fox. Sensors pegged it at about thirty tons. It's one arm ended in a barrel of some sort, which at that weight class must be a very small bore autocannon. Other than that, she was blind to its capabilities. At the very least, she outmassed it in her Wyvern.
She raised her mechs arm in a salute. "I stand ready to fight you, Greer. I assure you, you're in for a surprise."
With that, she kicked her mech up into a flank speed run. She didn't know what that little mech could do, but there had been reports of the enemy mechs having very long ranges. She wasnt going to risk it. Get in close, hit hard and fast, and put her weight advantage to good use.
The enemy mech advanced toward her, though not at what looked like a run. She was pondering triggering her jump jets to launch herself into range for her LRM rack, when suddenly a silvery flash twinkled into her vision just before a tremendous force smashed into her mechs torso. The impact of whatever the shell was nearly spun her around, having not been braced for the shot.
What the hell was that? I cant even get a lock on him with my LRMs, and he's hitting me with a cannon that hits at the range of a light AC but punches like the big cannon on a Hunchback.
She waited a few seconds, then triggered her jump jets, just in time to see another of the silver cannonball fly beneath her. She rode her jets to their maximum height and readied herself for landing. As soon as she hit the ground she flexed her Wyverns knees to absorb the landing. As soon as she was under control, she jerked to the right hard, avoiding yet another shot from the enemy cannon, although just narrowly. A sharp crack pierced the air after the supersonic slug passed her.
Greer was being free with his shots, seemingly firing as soon as his cannon recharged. She only had a handful of seconds between volleys, and she knew that her mech was not going to take many hits from whatever that gun was.
She didn't yet have a hard lock on the enemy mech for her missiles, but nonetheless she triggered a salvo that sent ten missiles streaking towards the small enemy mech. They impacted a short distance in front of him, but it must have been enough to throw off his aim, as his next shot drilled into the ground in front of her.
Another burst of her jump jets brought her to within range for her heavy laser. She crouched on landing, and snapped off a shot from the large laser. The beam scored a hit, scoring armor from the small mechs leg.
The enemy reply came in the form of yet another shot from his cannon, which struck her shoulder, but luckily at a glancing angle, lessening the damage. Two medium laser also clawed at her mech, one hitting her arm, and the other a leg.
She glanced down at her damage readout. Shit. Those medium lasers hit almost as hard as my heavy laser.
It was now clear that range wasnt going to be her friend. She continued her strategy of trying to get close. If she could bring her heavier weight and all of her firepower to bear, she might stand a chance.
Her heat was beginning to spike, and she knew with the strain she would soon be putting on her heat sinks, she dared not risk another jump just yet. Instead, she stood and charged yet again, her mental clock ticking the seconds by until she expected another volley from her foe, and just before she felt it would come, she juked her mech, this time to the left.
The enemy pilot had anticipated her move, but not the direction. A silver slug, followed by two lancing laser beams blasted wide of her as she realigned her charge on the enemy light mech. She pulled the trigger on her large laser, which scored yet another hit on the squat Jade Falcon mech. As the beam finished it's work on the Kit Fox's torso, a target lock tone sounded in her helmet, and instinctively she triggered a blast from her LRM's. Soon she would be inside their range, and they made this volley count, eight of the missiles pounding across her foe.
This time, his reply was true, his cannon striking her Wyvern squarely in the chest, nearly stopping her momentum. The enemy lasers followed up, tearing two gashes in her torso armor. Even though she was trading shots with a light mech, she knew she was getting much harder than she was giving, and her protection was growing terrifyingly thin. She was praying that she would make it close enough to count before that protection began to fail.
She waited until she hit the outside range on her short range missiles. As she stepped within range, she pulled into a salvo from the six-pack, simultaneously with her Nightwind large laser, coring more armor from the small enemy mech. She didn't have time to watch her handiwork to check for internal damage, as she slammed her booted feet down on the thrust pedals, sending her mech soaring into the air, and a wave of heat smashing into her.
The enemy pilot was good, tracking her leap. While the cannon slug missed low, the two lasers cored precious armor from her right leg, slightly unbalancing her mech in the air. Coughing for oxygen in the stifling heat, she managed to right her trajectory and inject the spin that she desperately wanted to the jump. Her mech pirouetted in the air, and by the time she found herself over the clan mech, the two war machines facing's matched. A second more and her momentum carried her behind her opponent as she dropped to the ground.
She didn't even wait for a lock, roughly aligning her crosshairs and snapping off a shot from all her weapons except her LRMs. The large laser, along with the pair of small lasers she had yet to use cored into the thin rear armor of the enemy mech. The six pack of missiles peppered the rear torso further, opening rents in the armor.
She paid the price in heat. Her reactor struggled to meet the demand of the jump as well as the volley of weapons fire, and the raw heat dumped into her mech's innards was simply too much for her heat sinks to handle. She tried to inhale, but the incredible ambient heat seared her throat and lungs, the lack of oxygen pulling at her consciousness. She no longer felt sweat running down her exposed flesh, and as her head bobbed down for a moment, she imagined she could almost see the few meager drops of moisture evaporating off her leggings.
She willed herself to retain consciousness, pulling her head back and slamming forward on the control sticks by instinct. Only muscle memory allowed her to complete the maneuver she had envisioned at the start of this particular attack. Her mech took two stumbling steps forward, then she drove her fist into the back of her shocked enemy, punching through the already savaged rear armor, her mech's right hand flexing open and then closed on some internals or another. She could almost feel the enemy mech die in her clutches as it went limp, then fell forward.
She had no idea how much time had passed. She had simply leaned back in her command chair and tried desperately to breathe. Finally she blinked herself back to awareness, an unfamiliar voice sounding in her ears.
"Leftenant Fiona....are you conscious?"
She shook her head, trying to shake off the fatigue weighing her down.
"Leftenant Fiona. Can you respond? This is Star Captain Terrence Mattlov."
She tried to steady her pulse and took a deep breath. "Yes, Star Captain. I am here, I hear you, and I am the victor."
She could hear an almost light tone to the Star Captain's voice. "Indeed, Leftenant, you won the trial, and your fight showed some skill. But do not gloat too openly, for your victory is a hollow one."
She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? You better not renege on our deal, Star Captain, or I will have your hide myself."
"Relax, little Inner Sphere warrior. I will not violate the terms of our rede. You are the winner of the trial, and you shall have your prize. You, your lance, and those lesser forces that you protect may withdraw from the field of battle. But you cannot run far. As we speak, your cowardly comrades are lifting offworld. Look to the skies in front of you, and you can see them fleeing now like rats from a sinking ship. You are stranded here." She cut off his laughter with a slap of the comm switch, and tried desperately to fight back the tears as the clan forces withdrew, leaving her small band abandoned and alone.
The enemy pilot had anticipated her move, but not the direction. A silver slug, followed by two lancing laser beams blasted wide of her as she realigned her charge on the enemy light mech. She pulled the trigger on her large laser, which scored yet another hit on the squat Jade Falcon mech. As the beam finished it's work on the Kit Fox's torso, a target lock tone sounded in her helmet, and instinctively she triggered a blast from her LRM's. Soon she would be inside their range, and they made this volley count, eight of the missiles pounding across her foe.
This time, his reply was true, his cannon striking her Wyvern squarely in the chest, nearly stopping her momentum. The enemy lasers followed up, tearing two gashes in her torso armor. Even though she was trading shots with a light mech, she knew she was getting much harder than she was giving, and her protection was growing terrifyingly thin. She was praying that she would make it close enough to count before that protection began to fail.
She waited until she hit the outside range on her short range missiles. As she stepped within range, she pulled into a salvo from the six-pack, simultaneously with her Nightwind large laser, coring more armor from the small enemy mech. She didn't have time to watch her handiwork to check for internal damage, as she slammed her booted feet down on the thrust pedals, sending her mech soaring into the air, and a wave of heat smashing into her.
The enemy pilot was good, tracking her leap. While the cannon slug missed low, the two lasers cored precious armor from her right leg, slightly unbalancing her mech in the air. Coughing for oxygen in the stifling heat, she managed to right her trajectory and inject the spin that she desperately wanted to the jump. Her mech pirouetted in the air, and by the time she found herself over the clan mech, the two war machines facing's matched. A second more and her momentum carried her behind her opponent as she dropped to the ground.
She didn't even wait for a lock, roughly aligning her crosshairs and snapping off a shot from all her weapons except her LRMs. The large laser, along with the pair of small lasers she had yet to use cored into the thin rear armor of the enemy mech. The six pack of missiles peppered the rear torso further, opening rents in the armor.
She paid the price in heat. Her reactor struggled to meet the demand of the jump as well as the volley of weapons fire, and the raw heat dumped into her mech's innards was simply too much for her heat sinks to handle. She tried to inhale, but the incredible ambient heat seared her throat and lungs, the lack of oxygen pulling at her consciousness. She no longer felt sweat running down her exposed flesh, and as her head bobbed down for a moment, she imagined she could almost see the few meager drops of moisture evaporating off her leggings.
She willed herself to retain consciousness, pulling her head back and slamming forward on the control sticks by instinct. Only muscle memory allowed her to complete the maneuver she had envisioned at the start of this particular attack. Her mech took two stumbling steps forward, then she drove her fist into the back of her shocked enemy, punching through the already savaged rear armor, her mech's right hand flexing open and then closed on some internals or another. She could almost feel the enemy mech die in her clutches as it went limp, then fell forward.
She had no idea how much time had passed. She had simply leaned back in her command chair and tried desperately to breathe. Finally she blinked herself back to awareness, an unfamiliar voice sounding in her ears.
"Leftenant Fiona....are you conscious?"
She shook her head, trying to shake off the fatigue weighing her down.
"Leftenant Fiona. Can you respond? This is Star Captain Terrence Mattlov."
She tried to steady her pulse and took a deep breath. "Yes, Star Captain. I am here, I hear you, and I am the victor."
She could hear an almost light tone to the Star Captain's voice. "Indeed, Leftenant, you won the trial, and your fight showed some skill. But do not gloat too openly, for your victory is a hollow one."
She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? You better not renege on our deal, Star Captain, or I will have your hide myself."
"Relax, little Inner Sphere warrior. I will not violate the terms of our rede. You are the winner of the trial, and you shall have your prize. You, your lance, and those lesser forces that you protect may withdraw from the field of battle. But you cannot run far. As we speak, your cowardly comrades are lifting offworld. Look to the skies in front of you, and you can see them fleeing now like rats from a sinking ship. You are stranded here." She cut off his laughter with a slap of the comm switch, and tried desperately to fight back the tears as the clan forces withdrew, leaving her small band abandoned and alone.
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