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Rise and Break
Chapter 20 - Aurigan Dreams (BattleTech CYOA)[]
Keeping the Princess in Line[]
"Damn it," I curse once I've finished receiving the update.
"What's wrong, Knight?" asks Kamea over the radio and I instinctively glance at her Atlas.
"Just got a report from your father," I answer, "Apparently that is a third mercenary outfit involved in this raid. They snuck in as a regular merchant traffic some time before the others showed up and now they've revealed themselves shortly ago by attacking one of the defensive positions."
"How bad was it?" asks Kamea.
"Three Light 'Mechs and two companies of armor were lost," I reply, "Reinforcements eventually drove them off, but they weren't able to take out any of the mercenaries. Not even any armor breaches."
"Drat," mutters Kamea, "I wish Father hadn't assigned us to the backline. I bet we could have fought them off if we had been there where the action was."
"I doubt they would have engaged if a lance of Atlases had been there." I reply dryly, "They would have just hit somewhere else and the point would be moot."
"You know what I mean." retorts Kamea.
"Hey Princess," cuts in Vanessa, "remember why we chose that for your callsign? You're the heir to the Aurigan Coalition and we all know the importance of that."
"That is special treatment!" protests Kamea.
"You are important enough to warrant it." Vanessa shoots back, "The strategic risks of losing you aren't worth the tactical benefits of sticking you on the frontlines."
"You Fedrats stick your heirs on the frontline all the time." counters Kamea.
"And you're no Davion," retorts Vanessa, "Your culture isn't set up to support the heir getting themselves killed and frankly, there are a lot less Aranos than there are Davions should the worst happen."
"It doesn't matter, we have our orders and it isn't like we aren't doing something important." I say before Kamea can make her response, "The spaceport needs protecting and we have been chosen to do that. Complaining that we aren't on the frontlines isn't helpful."
"Eh, bitching about orders you don't like is a time honored tradition amongst soldiers." says Vance.
"Princess is liable to do something stupid if we don't keep her in check." Vanessa tells her brother.
"I am not!" protests Kamea.
"Yes, you are." replies Vanessa, "You want glory and you'll jump at the first chance to get some, no matter how slim or foolish said chance is."
"Princess, Lady, stop sniping at each other," I order, "We have enough enemies out there without making enemies of each other."
"Yet if everything goes according to plan, we won't be facing the enemy at all." argues Kamea.
"No battle plan survives contact with the enemy." I quote, "That third group of mercenaries has already messed up the defensive line and there is still more that could go wrong."
"Colonel Nora is right, Lieutenant Arano," adds Vance, "I understand that you are frustrated at being left out of the action and the social dynamics between you make things more lax than they usually are, but this amount of arguing back could be considered insubordination. Just try to pack in a little, please?"
"Alright, alright." says Kamea.
And just like that, there is silence as none of us know what to say in light of how that argument ended.
"So how long are we going to be waiting here?" asks Vanessa, "Because we'll need to sleep, eat and drink at some point. Also, you know."
"Your cockpit has a toilet if you need to relieve yourself in the field and it has a supply of rations and water in the cooler." answers Vance, "If you need to sleep, then you've got a nice comfy chair."
"Seriously?" asks Kamea.
"Yes, seriously," replies Vance, "A soldier needs to learn to sleep anywhere since we don't always get the luxury of having a bed or even bedroll. Be thankful that you have a nice roomy Atlas and not the cramped cockpit of a Stinger or Locust."
"Since you're the veteran here, Lord?" I say, "How long do you expect us to be in the field?"
"Given this is the raid and how things have gone so far, I don't expect us to be returning to and from base." answers Vance, "The raiders seem to be going for a quick win though I'm not sure what their game plan is. They seem to be trying to overwhelm us, that is the defenders, but they're doing a bad job of it?"
"In what way?" I inquire.
"They're either being stupid or ignorant about this," replies Vance, "They've been throwing themselves at our forces, but they don't have a numbers or quality advantage to get the upper hand. They're inflicting losses, but they're taking some as well. Apart from those Amazons and their hit and run attacks, the fighting so far has been indecisive even if we are yielding ground to the invaders."
"I see what you mean," says Vanessa, "I've been reading the reports and I noticed that they weren't doing enough damage to break us. I had wondered what was up with that."
"My bet is that they underestimated the resistance they would find," says Vance before pausing for a moment, "Can't say that I blame them for that. I would have done the same before getting to know the place."
Runaway Princess[]
Our lack of action continues for the next half an hour as my Sentinels and the other Aurigan defenders skirmish indecisively with the invading mercenaries. Neither side has the upper hand, but at the same time, neither can afford the attrition. The raiders don't have the numerical reserves to accept the losses and still emerge victorious.
Meanwhile each loss that the ACM suffers is another one that it will struggle to replace, especially when it comes to the 'Mechs. As much as it pains me to say it, it is rather easy to train up new infantry and tankers while the vehicles themselves can be easily if expensively replaced so long as they aren't of assault weight or have a fusion engine. But with the 'Mechs? Well, the Aurigan can't make those domestically and acquiring new ones externally is difficult prospects.
Even with the map of all those SLDF locations, we still have to reach the sites that remain undiscovered and get their goodies back to the Reach safe and sound. Not to mention that it is a finite source. The Star League Department of Making Holes In The Ground And Putting Stuff In Them might have been very active before the Star League fell, but there is only so much stuff for us or anyone else to uncover.
So as I listen to the reports with increasing trepidation as the losses mount. None of my 'Mechs have been lost yet for they are too heavy in tonnage at this level of skirmishing. They're too tough to bring down before they can withdraw and it is only the Light 'Mechs that are too fragile to take more than a few hits that have been lost so far on the Aurigan side.
Unfortunately, Light 'Mechs make up the majority of the Royal Guard and the House Arano Guard so even just losing only Light 'Mech isn't particularly reassuring.
Then it changes as a portion of the Royal Guard infantry captures both DropShips belonging to the Grey Bulls. The enemy is left cut-off from their supplies aboard the Mule and the raiders finally get their act together to launch a breakout.
One that Vance and Vanessa get called away to reinforce the frontlines while Kamea and I remain guarding the spaceport. Much to my companion's frustration.
"I can't believe it," grumbles Kamea, "We're still being left out of the action."
"Somebody still needs to protect the spaceport." I point out.
"And that is being used as an excuse to deliberately keep us out of the way of the fighting." bemoans Kamea.
"You're the heir to the Aurigan Coalition," I remind, "Your life is more valuable than having another MechWarrior on the frontlines. Even one in an Atlas."
"That is exactly why I should be on the frontlines!" exclaims Kamea, "I am the heir to House Arano and the Aurigan Coalition. I should be fighting on the frontlines when Coromodir, the capital, my home, is being attacked. Not cowering at the rear!"
"Then badger your parents to get you some younger siblings once this is over so you are expendable." I retort, "The gain of you fighting on the front in defense of the capital is not worth the fallout of you getting killed."
"That's-" starts Kamea, but I cut her off.
"Who will replace you if you die, Kamea?!" I shout over her words, "Who will be the new heir to House Arano? To the Aurigan Coalition? You're an only-damn it, someone is calling over the radio."
}<"-under attack and need reinforcements,"}< says a young man's voice over the radio, }<"I repeat, this is Cornet Goran of the Royal Guard. We are under attack and need immediate reinforcements.">{
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Atlas Assault 'Mech
"They're close by," says Kamea excitedly, "We can go and help!"
"Wait, we need to-" I start, but the Arano heiress isn't waiting and her Atlas is already lumbering away, "Damn it, Kamea! Sword of Restoration, my arse!"
I begin to chase after her, bringing my own Atlas into much of a run as I can feel comfortable doing without tripping over my own feet and falling flat on my face. As I do so, it occurs to me that I ought to let someone know about what we are doing.
"Lord, this is Knight," I say as I call Vance, "Princess has decided to respond to a call for reinforcements and abandoned our post. I'm going with her to keep her from getting herself killed. Spaceport is undefended apart from the infantry, their APCs and the turrets."
"What-that stupid girl!" replies Vance with a hiss, "Thanks for letting me know, but I can't do anything about that, we're just reached the frontline. I'll pass it up the chain of command and you do what you can to keep Kamea alive."
"Already on that." I reply and the call ends.
Vanessa is going to tell both of us 'told you so' once this is all over.
Author's Chapter Notes[]
- Word from the Author
- No real action in this update because I'm trying to set it up for the next. Elizabeth and co have been relegated to backline duty because Kamea is the heir with no immediate replacements while Elizabeth is both the colonel and a terrible MechWarrior. Alas, no battle plan survives contact with the enemy so things are going to get interesting.