BoTH Chpt 81

Blood on the Horizon
- Chapter 81 -

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You treat her like a lady, and she'll always bring you home.

Date: April 19th, 3008
Location: Jumpship King Henry V, en route to New Aragon

"What do you need me to do?" I asked Kaylee, the toolbag floating beside her as she looked over the L-F battery.

"Shine the light over here," She replied. "I'm checking over the maintenance on the battery before we start hot-charging the drive and the battery. Regardless of how things go, we're going to need a partial overhaul after this."

"I thought everything was in good shape," I replied, shifting the light where she asked me to.

"It is," she checked a seal, her tools showing a green light before she pushed off and floated to another part of the L-F battery and K-F Drive. "But we're going to be putting a level of strain on it that's not the normal wear and tear of use."

"But it can be done?" I asked.

"You're asking for us to get to New Aragon from here by the middle of May," she sighed. "It can be done, but we're going to be working around the clock to make sure that nothing critical breaks in the process."

"I'll make sure y'all get bonuses, rest, and that the King Henry gets yard time if we can afford it."

"It's our job to get y'all from point A to point B," Kaylee shook her head. "We don't need bonuses to do what we love doing. Just make sure that the old girl's taken care of and we'll keep doing our job."

She looked up at me.

"Now, I need the light, you're still holding onto it and I can't see over here."

---

Seeing battlefield to come

I watched the holographic representation of the simulated drop, Captain Alice Johnson's Toro leading the 'mechs of the battalion in the drop in conjunction with the modified DroSTs.

The simulated forces of the 1st Kearny Highlanders and Waco Rangers began to open fire, their fixed defenses having issues turning to compensate for the new threat as the Dragoons began to push through the other side of the mountain pass.

The rest of the forces were dropped off and the tanks and Mithril began to advance, the DroSTs taking fire from Capellan aerospace assets before fleeing back to friendly airspace.

Even knowing it was just a simulation, my hands tightened on the holotable until it creaked as losses were simulated.

I watched as my forces were whittled away at until the Dragoons broke through and the Highlanders began to retreat, the Waco Rangers and assisting Capellan forces falling as well, the fighting retreat back to their dropships concluding with the salvage left behind.

As the simulation resolved, the pods began to gradually open, the 'mech pilots pulling themselves out, covered in sweat, and exhaustion evident on their faces.

"Go get cleaned up," I locked eyes with Captain Johnson as she caught her breath, her once neat hair and uniform now showing the stresses of combat. "We'll hold the debrief in an hour."

---

Dropping into the Fire

Date: May 21th, 3008
Location: New Aragon, Capellan Confederation

"Follow your training!" Captain Alice Johnson's Toro rattled around her as she fell through the atmosphere. "Deploy the jets when prompted, no one needs to be paste across the mountainside!"

Alice's battlecomputer lit up with the surrounding sky and ground below as they broke through the cloud cover of the mountains, her comms device lighting up on the open bands as the Colonel began to transmit.

<<"This is Colonel Mark Hull of the Marksman Mercenary company, we are currently subcontracted by the Wolf's Dragoons. Surrender, and you will be treated as prisoners of war in accordance with the laws of war.">>

(("Or don't,")) the cocky voice of the Zeta Battalion CO laughed. (("It will be more fun that way."))

The Capellans didn't respond, and so both forces continued on towards the battlefield.

Warhammer Heavy 'Mech in combat

Hull's Warhammer shone brilliantly as its external jump pods ignited and slowed the drop from lethal to survivable. The flash of manmade lightning illuminating crackling as a PPC impacted a Waco Ranger Wasp, the 'Mech falling limp after the impact as the 'Hammer dropped to a knee and began to clear out a space for the rest of the 'Mech company.

Wasp Light recon 'Mech

Then Alice's focus shifted to the more pressing matter of making it to the ground intact.

Smashing the controls, the external pods deployed, upward thrust seizing her momentum and driving the straps of her command couch into her shoulders.

"Always hated drops," she grit out as she watched the altimeter begin to slow, hitting the controls to detonate the explosive bolts as her 'mech dropped the rest of the way, her knees bracing and absorbing the shock. "Rifle Company, sound off!"

(<"Mostly green, ma'am,">) her XO replied, his voice a bit shaken at the battlefield around them. (<"A bit of actuator damage, but we're intact.">)

"Rifle, we have their attention," the Colonel's voice broke through on the command line. "Let's hold it while the Dragoons do their work."

<{"Captain,"}> the S-2 officer broke through on a private channel. (<"I'm picking up a Dragoon distress beacon two clicks into the mountains to the north. Message reads as follows. 'This is Colonel Travis King to any friendly forces; I am in need of assistance!'">)

"Fuck," She breathed as she dodged a handful of LRMs. "Wait one, I'll see what the Colonel wants to do."

"Colonel," she returned with a volley of her own missiles, cratering the armor of the enemy Phoenix Hawk. "Dragoon distress call, it's in our AO, Zeta won't be anywhere near it in time if the Capellans realize that he's there."

<<"Copy that,">> Hull replied, his Warhammer almost dancing through the enemy's fire. <<"Direct one of our fireteams to assist, I'll fill in where I'm needed.">>

"Mason, what's left of your fireteam is with me," Alice changed frequencies, wincing as she glanced at her wireframe. "We're going to pull a Dragoons' ass out of the fire."

Thunderbolt Heavy 'Mech

"Understood, ma'am," the man's gruff voice belied the lethality of his Thunderbolt. "I'll provide covering fire as we advance."

DroST Class Transport DropShip

They pulled back into the mountains as the twin DroSTs descended, clearing out space while tanks and Mithril-clad infantry began to disembark.

<<"Get clear!">> the Colonel barked, his searchlight being shattered by a burst of autocannon fire. <<"Go!">>

The dropships left, their weapons firing in arcs as they left, shattering defensive emplacements even as Capellan ASF began to give chase.

//"Colonel Hull,"\\ Jaime Wolf's voice came across the channel as an Archer led the way through the pass, its missile racks blossoming smoke as a swarm of missiles began to strike. //"Thank you for the assist."\\

<<"You're signing my paycheck right now,">> Hull's Warhammer seemed to shrug. <<"Not like there's a lot of other opportunities around here.">>

Alice watched the readouts as Woods's Griffin knelt, picking up the stranded Dragoon Mechwarrior and loading them into his cockpit.

"Colonel, asset is secured," she sent a text message over as her fireteam moved to rejoin the rest of the battalion.

BattleMaster Assault 'Mech

As the rest of the Wolf's Dragoons poured through the gaps in the defenses, the Highlanders and their assets began to retreat, leaving a lone Battlemaster painted in Waco Ranger colors standing at the rear of the formation.

It paused, and for a moment Alice feared the mercenary would charge their lines, but a pair of Vindicators physically wrestled the command Battlemech into the lines as they fell back to their dropships.

"Activate salvage and recovery teams," Alice ordered. "And get the Messenger landed, we're going to need her medbay."

---

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