BY: Punisher
“Where the hell is all that smoke coming from?” crackled a voice over the
commlink.
Hasegawa did not allow himself to be distracted. He continued to run-down the Commando and
the Jenner in front of him. They didn’t stand a chance. Two large laser volleys later
and the Commando was pin-wheeling to one side, hopelessly off balance. Hasegawa activated
his flamer and set the ground around the Commando on fire. The pilot would have a fighting
chance – if he was good enough to stand his mech up before his ammunition over-heated
then he might live. If he could not then he did not deserve life. Hasegawa quickly scanned
his enemy mech’s vitals. With the damage done to the Commando’s leg actuators he
would be surprised indeed if the Commando’s pilot managed to escape.
A bright glare distracted Hasegawa from his mark. He looked up and saw that the Jenner had
activated it’s jump-jets. It soared to the heavens. Hasegawa’s weapons tracked
skyward and he fire his Group 1 weapons. His left large laser and medium lasers went wide.
Slightly annoyed, Hasegawa corrected. Fired once...twice.
And was rewarded with the satisfaction of seeing the Jenner’s already damaged legs
fall to shreds. The Jenner’s jump-jets were body mounted and continued to carry the
torso section skyward. Hasegawa allowed himself a small smile. That Jenner pilot was going
to have a lot of trouble. He targeted his lasers on the remainder of the Jenner fully
intent to blast its Davion scum from the sky. Only his situational awareness saved his
life.
Out of the corner of his eye, reflected in the cockpit glass, Hasegawa glimpsed the
tell-tale death’s head which was the calling card of the 100 ton Atlas.
The smile faded from his face and his heart sank. He twisted the Ballista to the left.
Just in time to keep the AC-20 burst from smashing his cockpit. But not in time to avoid
it altogether. The Ballista, no slouch at 85 tons, nevertheless reeled under the massive
blow from the AC-20. Hasegawa struggled with the controls. Instinctively understanding
that if his mech lost its balance he was finished. The computer’s voice informed him
of the grave damage he had suffered.
“DEET…DEET…DEET. Large Laser destroyed. Medium laser destroyed. Medium
laser destroyed. SRM-6 destroyed. A.P.U. on fire.”
One the Ballista, small maneuvering jets were built into the frame and were normally used
to position the mech upright after construction and maintenance. Hasegawa fired those
thrusters now. The Ballista jerked sideways, it’s leg joints protesting against
physical forces they were not designed to endure. Hasegawa could almost feel the Myomer
fibers tearing.
The maneuver again saved his life. The AC-20 barked out its evil tongue of flachettes
again. This time they all went wide. The Atlas pilot failed to anticipate Hasegawa’s
unorthodox maneuver. The glare from the AC-20 momentarily blinded Hasegawa before his
cockpit’s reflexive circuitry activated a polarizing current which darkened his
cockpit windshield enough for him to see again. It gave him an idea.
The auto-darkening reflex cockpit was designed to keep the laser weaponry from blinding
the mech pilots should a laser blast hit the cockpit. Most pilots joked that if a blast
hit the cockpit the last thing you’d be worried about would be going blind, but they
were thankful for the system anyway.
Hasegawa maneuvered his Ballista and brought what was left of his group 1 energy weapons
to bear. He blasted them at the Atlas’s cockpit, causing significant damage and more
importantly activating the Atlas’ reflex cockpit system. The laser blasts Hasegawa
fired were thousands of time more intense than the glare from the AC-20. The Atlas cockpit
became nearly opaque, plunging the Atlas pilot into stygian darkness.
Hasegawa seized the opportunity, and smashed his damaged mech into the Atlas. He fought
for control of his mech and regained it. But he had anticipated the maneuver, the Atlas
pilot didn’t know it was coming. The Atlas faltered, lost control, and toppled,
allowing Hasegawa to see the phalanx of Warhammers marching toward him. He recognized
their painted insignia, those of the Wolf’s Dragoons. His heart sank again and he
knew he was going to die. It annoyed him that he was going to lose his life to mere
mercenaries.
He fired a NARC beacon into the ground in front of the advancing mechs. His comm-link
crackled to life.
“This is Hasegawa Oshita. All artillery units fire on these coordinates and repeat.
We need CAS at this location now. Wolf Dragoons have arrived. Victory to the Combine.
Honor to the Dragon!”
Hasegawa waded onwards. Hoping that his call was heard over the cacaphony of the other
pilot's cries on the comm-link. He was still firing when the PPCs vaporized his cockpit.
--------------------------------------
Excerpt from Commstar Communique:
30 May 3049
Unconfirmed reports from Tharkad claim that Archon Melissa Steiner of the Lyran
Commonwealth has been assassinated. Ryan Steiner, Duke of Porrima and a leading Steiner
separatist, immediately points the finger at House Davion. Duke Steiner claims he has
evidence placing a Davion Rabid Fox agent inside the Archon's private chambers at the time
of death. Naturally, Hanse Davion flatly denies such allegations, and refuses to comment
further on the matter until an appropriate period of mourning.
13 June 3049
Months of tension finally erupted in open conflict today in the Terran Corridor. The 10th
Skye Rangers assaulted the world of Caph in force, hitting the 2nd Davion Guards RCT by
surprise. Inside information surely helped the renegade unit, which set down the bulk of
their troops right on top of the Guards' hidden headquarters complex.
27 June 3049
Taking advantage of the fighting in the Sarna March between the splintered halves of the
Federated Commonwealth, forces of the Capellan Confederation have attacked the St. Ives
Compact.
4 July 3049
Draconis Combine forces have been massing along their border with the Federated
Commonwealth. Officially the extra troops are there to ensure the safety of the region.
However, reports indicate that several raids against Davion-held worlds have already been
undertaken by Combine forces.
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