BY: Gladiator
The
Majority of Kurita mechs had been routed from this sector of the planet.
The armor factory was easily retaken, and as it 
turns out did not fare
much better than the city of Wendigo. Almost
all of the armor production lines were crushed beneath tons of rubble.
The exposed portions of the plant were completely blown away.
When the Dracs knew they were going to lose the facility to the Davions
with the help of the Dragoons...they demolished anything left functional.
The prized armor facility each side fought so valiantly to conquer was
now no more than an ash heap of ruins, and a graveyard of wasted mecha.
1800
Hours
Wolf’s
Dragoons lead dropship: The Vanguard.
The
meeting was called to order in the legion's command room.
Edwards and the closest men of his team faced the legendary Jamie Wolf.
“House Davion thanks you and all of the Dragoons greatly for coming to
our aid. Hanse will assuredly
reward you kindly, even in the absence of the destroyed armor facility.”
Jamie
Wolf clasped his hands behind is back and took in a breath before he spoke.
“I’m
afraid there was never a chance of holding out at the facility or retaking it
intact. We intercepted high
priority transmissions from Luthian with the expressed consent of either taking
the facility or laying waste to it. Either
way, House Davion could not protect its inevitable capture or destruction.”
Wolf
continued. “Contrary to the
reports you might have gotten from the Davion high command, Hanse had written
off this planet months ago. When I
last spoke with him, he informed me to make it clear to the remaining units left
on Arture 4 that the only reason he didn’t warn the planet's defenders sooner
of the Dragon's true numbers was fear of his transmission's detection.
If the Combine knew there was to be no reinforcements coming they would
have unleashed ALL their units in a savage blitzkrieg months ago.
Hanse Davion wanted to avoid a massacre.
"Our
orders were to extract what was left of your units. Frankly commander Edwards, I
did not expect to find even this many of your pilots and mechs left.
We intercepted schematics and Kurita battleplans.
House Davion's forces never had a chance."
"You
and your men are great warriors. But
we all know the true price of losing ones mech in battle.
The regional Davion command facility at Wendigo no longer exists thanks
to Brian, I mean the Dracs. All of
the regiments left on the planet will be reassigned.
The story is always the same. Your
unit will be split apart and most likely never again see the light of combat in
a battlemech. For your heroic
efforts here on Arture however, I will make you an offer.
Warrior to Warrior."
Edwards,
Wallart, Victor, Farrow, Jason and Maverick all listened intently at the
pretense of Wolf’s next words.
"I
can offer you and your unit safe passage to the Solaris system.
I have already arranged quarters, and a contact for you there.
On Solaris, you and your crew will duel in mech combat like you have
never before seen."
"Secretly,
you will have the backing of Wolf's Dragoons, and our techs to keep your lance
operating in peak condition. When
you have earned sufficient credits and achieved enough wins, the mechs we give
you will be your own, and you are free to depart your separate way.
You will be equipped with the latest in battletechnology.
Advanced designs that are faster, more maneuverable...and new weapons
arrays you can’t even conceive of. Your
team will be on the cutting edge of innersphere combat strategy and tactics.
"
Edwards
thought quietly to himself of the offer before him.
It
was always rumored that the Dragoons had a hidden stockyard of mechs, spare
parts, ammo, and technology. This
must be one way in which they supply their regiments’ needs...by supporting
freelancers on the game world of Solaris.
Edwards
thought of his damaged Battlemaster, and Wallart’s crippled Atlas.
They were of the few that still had an operational mech.
Victor’s Phoenix Hawk’s leg myomers and jumpjet system were stressed
beyond repair. They would need to
be completely overhauled. Farrow’s
Archer had almost no armor left. The
Warhammer was missing both upper extremities, and Storm’s Locust and the
Hunchback were a complete loss. All
of them had burned out heat sinks and the gyros would have to be recalibrated by
a skilled tech crew....let alone all the ammo they would need to have
replaced....their repair list seemed to be never-ending....
there was a lot of truth in Wolf’s words. His unit would be reassigned, and their dreams of piloting
another mech for House Davion was merely a delusion.
One
look at the rest of his crew and the answer was clear.
“We
accept your offer.”
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