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5. Outside Intervention
OCS Odin, “Skipper, Coms. We’re receiving flash traffic over the secure circuit”. The voice shook Captain Elisabeth Gideon from her daydream, “It’s from Commodore Ross on the Idun”. “Very well”. Gideon looked round the bridge to see if any of her subordinates had responded, “Bring it up”. “That’s a negative, Captain. this is a Code Ultraviolet message”. Gideon felt her blood turn into the same liquid helium that cooled her ship's hyperdrive. Code Ultraviolet meant significant danger to her command. Swallowing, she tabbed the com unit built into her command chair, “I’m on my way down. Contact the XO and have him meet me there. Gideon out”. “Something up, skipper?” The Bosun asked, noticing the change in his captain’s demeanour. “Maybe...maybe”. Gideon stood, the magnetic plates on the bottom of her deck shoes clicking as she slowly made her way across the bridge to the hatch. “You have the conn. Call the Master At Arms to the bridge and have her wait here for me”. “Aye-aye Captain”. The Combat Information Centre, or CIC, was a constant hive of activity, even when the ship was docked at a friendly port. Gideon brushed away the few stray hairs that were drifting in front of her eyes as she returned the salute from the two armed Marines on guard duty. “I’ve decoded it twice and triple checked the authenticity”. The duty communications officer, a young Leading Rate, was seated at her station, talking to the Odin’s Executive Officer. “The message is definitely genuine. After all...who else has access to our encryption protocols and an Enigma transmitter?" “Good point”. Lieutenant Commander William ‘Wild Bill’ Maddox nodded, “Keep an ear open for anything you might pick up from in-system”. “Aye-aye, Sir”. “What is it?” Gideon asked. “The All-Seeing Eye intercepted a secure communication originating from within the Royalist Alliance High Command”. Maddox handed over a print-off, “It looks like a Coalition unit hit a PenderCorp factory on Black Isle. What’s worrying is that the attackers are supposedly a unit that’s meant to be on The Rack right now on an anti-pirate mission”. “Orders from Commodore Ross?” “Only that we should...and I quote, ‘take any and all necessary measures to ensure the security of the ship and ultimately the Colonies themselves’. I’ve taken the liberty of ordering the chief engineer to arm to explosives attached to the NavCom. The rest of the Squadron is heading for Hunter's Paradise to provide cover for the Brunel”. “Good idea. Can we contact the Pathfinders?” “No - they went dark as soon as the DropShip burnt from Pain. They’ll observe strict radio silence for the next ten days". “Unless the shit hits the fan...” Gideon reached across to the intercom built into the bulkhead, “Bridge, Captain”. “Bosun here”. “Sound General Quarters. Have the Master At Arms issue side arms to all crew members and have the CAG begin a CSP immediately”. Gideon cut the link without waiting for a response, “And may God help us...” |
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6. Moment of Truth
Dead Sea Plains, The leading lances of the Second Extractors emerged from Devil’s Canyon. Macready blinked in surprise as he caught his first sighting of the invaders. Two rather ragged lines of mechs were arrayed across the centre of the plain, one behind the other, directly ahead of him. Scanning the plain he noted two other smaller groups, several hundred metres on either side of the centre formation. Macready snorted in derision at his opponent's pathetically obvious attempt at a flanking manoeuvre. He checked his sensor readouts again. 'There can’t be more than a battalion', he thought. He gave a malicious grin. Whoever they were, they’d just made their biggest and last mistake. He activated his neurohelmet radio. “There they are guys and gals, lets chew ‘em up and spit ‘em out! 'They need to learn what happens when strangers mosey onto our turf, uninvited', he thought as he pushed the Black Rhino’s throttle to the stops and floated his targeting reticule over the leading enemy mechs. After being bottled up in the canyon, the pirate regiment exited in a rather disorganised fashion, the faster mechs pulling away from the main formation, while the slower ones got left behind in the rush to engage the enemy. Macready could hear his unit commanders yelling at their troops to try and maintain formation. He thought about issuing a command over the regimental channel to keep a tight formation, but with three-to-one numerical superiority, he decided to let his men have a little fun. He lined up a shot on an unfamiliar enemy machine with his Pillager’s twin gauss rifles and waited for the light to flash up on his HUD, telling him he was within weapons range. Demi-Precentor Osborne watched the undisciplined pirate charge, struggling to control his rising fear. 'Who needs discipline when you've got sheer numbers on your side?' he thought. “Easy…hold your fire”, Osborne commanded, using III Alpha's general frequency, knowing his troops had to be feeling as nervous as he was. He took deep breaths and tried to summon the willpower to relax and stop fidgeting in his Fusillade’s command couch. The sight of the pirate regiment spilling out of the canyon towards them was a truly unnerving sight. This was by far the biggest action they had taken part in since the unit was formed, a little over 5 years ago and there was no telling how they’d react, once battle was joined. He consoled himself with the knowledge that the Extractors had probably never fought a large-scale battle against trained forces either. As he watched, the pirates’ advance became a headlong charge, with many individual mechs becoming separated from the main force. The nearest ones would be in range any moment now. Osborne used the command frequency to radio Adept Josh Pennant, commander of the fire support Level II units, whose mechs were lined up some 200 metres behind his. “Adept Pennant, fire when ready!” “Aye, sir”, came the crisp reply. Behind them, plumes of smoke billowed from the missile racks of II Delta's ageing Catapults. Over 200 long-range missiles sped towards the oncoming pirates on trails of fire. These were supplemented by the pale blue gauss rifle discharges and the harsher lightning-bolt PPC fire from II Epsilon's newer Valiant, Razer and Nemesis assault mechs. Although the fire support company was formed up in a staggered line behind his troops, allowing them to fire into the ten-metre gaps between each mech, Osborne still cringed at the sheer volume of fire coming from behind them. He was gratified however, to see four pirate mechs go down under the first volley - clobbered by numerous missile, gauss and PPC hits. Two others showed extensive damage, though they were still operational. This prompted an immediate response and suddenly the Guards found themselves under attack as the following enemy mechs returned fire. They’d been rattled by the savagery of the Guards’ opening salvo though and their aim was poor. Swarms of missiles peppered their ranks, along with autocannon slugs and laser fire, but did only superficial damage. Osborne heard cries of alarm over the radio net, from some of his greener pilots, as they faced the decidedly unpleasant experience of enemy fire for the first time. He checked his range indicator. Distance to the lead enemy mech was now less than 500 metres. 'Time for Phase 2'. He selected the Level II command frequency. “Alpha, Bravo and Gamma…charge!” At that signal, twenty-four of the thirty-six mechs under his direct command throttled up and headed directly at the advancing pirates in a heavyweight game of chicken. The faster ones, including the new Reaver and Southpaw designs, produced by Coldstream Technologies, blazed away with their autocannon and lasers. The slower ones including Kfirs, Funnelwebs and a number of recently acquired Pendermechs, opened up with their long-range missiles and gauss rifles. The effect was devastating and between them, they dispatched another half dozen pirate mechs before the enemy’s sheer numbers bogged the charge down and forced them to engage in melee fighting. Out on the flanks, II Theta's battle armour squads, who had essentially been given a free role, were harrying the Extractors, using hit and run tactics, drawing the pirates out from the centre and dispersing their forces. Running through his list of friendly contacts, Osborne saw that Precentor Bainbridge and his Command Level II were charging into the thick of the fray, right behind his troops, in their slower assault mechs. He sighed and made a mental note to keep an eye on his CO. The last thing they needed in their first major engagement was to lose their commander. |
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