BY: Deathstrike
Hasegawa plowed on through the melee and engaged a Davion Hunchback. Though the enemy
mech wielded an AC-20, the space taken up by that massive weapon denied the Hunchback any
other real weapons. That lack of versatility would spell doom for the AFFC mech.
Moving sideways at nearly full speed, the Hunchback tried to track the Ballista. Edgy from
combat and defeat after defeat, the Davion mech fired its auto-cannon too early, and the
supersonic cone of flachettes dispersed into the forest, shredding trees and shrubs. From
a few clouds of red mist and furry limbs, Hasegawa saw that some of the indigenous
tropical tree monkeys of this planet had not fared so well as his battlemech.
The Combine mech rotated as it moved, and released an SRM volley and 2 medium lasers into
the Hunchback. The missiles arced up and then back down, peppering the Head and Shoulders
of the Hunchback with warheads. Armor flakes puffed away from the mech like dandruff. One
laser missed, but the other drilled into the left shoulder of the Hunchback, adding to the
damage done by the missiles. Most of the enemy mech's head-mounted sensors had been
destroyed by the barrage, and Hasegawa had no intention of allowing this warrior to regain
his composure.
Locking a laser designator onto the Hunchback, Hasegawa keyed into his company's tactical
frequency and called in a priority artillery barrage. Within seconds an LRM-20 pack from a
distant Archer came homing in on the reeling Hunchback and coated it with destruction.
Several napalm-tipped missiles caused the mech to become a Towering Inferno, while
fragmentation warheads shredded more surface armor. High-explosive detonations tore deep
into the mauled surface of the Hunchback, and armor-piercing missiles burrowed further into
the mech, exploding with vicious effects. The AFFC mech's left arm and torso blew outward,
and secondary explosions continued to glow inside and the mech toppled over into the dank
ground.
Consulting his sensors, he saw that the Davion attack was taking its toll on his men, but
no matter. Hasegawa knew full well that as he fought, the Combine was springing its own
surprise on the Federated Suns.
The Davion's center of command and control for its defense of the planet was the Regional
Capital building, located about 25 miles to the south at the city of Wendigo. Even now,
Kurita aerospace fighters were concentrating their firepower in the single largest ground
attack since the siege of the planet began. Ground skirmishes like the one Hasegawa was
now involved in were occurring all across the area, distracting the Davion forces from the
real threat. They would soon feel the breath of the Dragon.
Hasegawa's computer alerted him that the attack run was beginning, and he chuckled to
himself. "In a few moments, the comlinks will be alive with the confused pleas for
help or guidance for the Davion mechs, who were about to be stripped of their command and
control capabilities".
He saw contrails overhead, and knew it would only be a few more seconds. There! Over the
trees, far off in the distance, he saw the sky light up, then again...then again. Over 250
fighters were taking part in the attack, which calculated out to an obscene amount of
firepower. The bombardment lasted over 5 minutes, and Hasegawa savored each radio report
by the fighter pilots of successful runs. The Davion mechs were already acting confused,
having lost all contact with their superiors. The Dragon's mechs began to rout their
would-be ambushers. The same thing was happening across the region. A radio message from
the last aerospace fighter run confirmed it beyond a shadow of a doubt:
"This is fighter Alpha 116...breaking off attack, I say again, breaking off
attack...I am not deploying my munitions."
Aerospace command issued a reply. "Alpha 116, explain yourself. Why are you
aborting?"
"Roger command. Aborting mission because there is nothing left of the city of
Wendigo. Its a flaming crater, sir. Copy?"
"Understood, Alpha 116. Command orders you to deploy your payload anyway. Say again,
continue your attack. Let them learn what it is to face the Dragon."
|
 |
Go Back to Story Base 7 Table of Contents
