Blood on the Horizon
- Chapter 84 -[]
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Shoot Out[]
Date: June 17th, 3008
Location: New Aragon, Contested
<<"Colonel Hull, you killed my son, prepare to die!">>
I immediately rotated my shoulders and watched a second PPC bolt strip armor off my left side. My dodge only just managing to keep my PPC intact. Then I retaliated, squeezing the trigger on both PPCs and feeling the heat jump inside the cockpit.
One of my bolts found purchase into a shoulder, and the other arced into a leg. But that was all I had time for as he closed into the engagement range that favored his 'Mech.
We both opened fire with lasers, missiles, and machine guns at the same time, filling the air with projectiles and light. His lasers carved away at my legs and the arm he'd already hit, and then a green beam struck my cockpit, blinding me for a minute as the heat grew in my cockpit.
But I wasn't out of the fight, and I watched as two of my four missiles struck his cockpit, rocking the Battlemaster back for a minute before it charged in.
I cycled my missiles again and triggered them and my lasers. I watched a third missile curve into his cockpit as he opened fire again, dropping two lasers from his firing loop.
He moved close enough to kick at my leg, and I retaliated by driving both PPCs into his shoulders, staggering him, and then giving me an opportunity.
I backed up, throwing a PPC back into my loop while he savaged my left side again, my left arm PPC sparking and going dark in my wireframe.
I don't know why he decided this was the time to continue retreating to his dropship, but he turned, presenting the least damaged side as he fell back, his torso twisting to spread any weapons fire from me.
Then, as if a signal had been given, he turned and opened fire with his PPC and lasers. A lucky penetrating hit from a laser hit my gyro and seized it, nearly throwing me to the ground as I dropped to one knee. But as I fell, I reached out with manmade lightning of my own, the beam of particle energy striking the machine gun ammunition bins and causing his Battlemaster to go up in a smoke cloud of explosive power.
But his last shots had also damaged some of my actuators, and I was limping along.
"Wayne Waco is down," I broadcast on the open channel. "All Waco Rangers, stand down and surrender."
I switched frequencies and spoke to a hovercraft from my vehicle unit.
"Rifle 2-Alpha, I'm tracking Colonel Waco's 'chute. Relaying data now, please being recovery efforts."
(("Yes, sir!")) the hovercraft peeled away from our formation and headed to the projected landing area.
Unfortunately for them, the Waco Rangers chose not to surrender, and without Wayne's leadership, they quickly found themselves surrounded and cut off from their dropships.
"Colonel Wolf, the Rangers and Fusiliers are cut off from their dropships. If you can free up some extra mass, we might be able to capture them," I limped my 'Mech forward, closing the rest of the circle.
(["Fusiliers, stand down,"]) A female voice broke in on the open channel. (["I've negotiated a withdrawal of our forces with the Federated Suns. I'm transmitting the details to all relevant forces."])
My battlecomputer chirped, and I glanced over to see the authorization from the Deneb Light Cavalry coming across with the transmission from Colonel McCormack.
Our circle loosened as the Fusiliers stopped fighting and began to limp, rumble, or crawl slowly back to their dropships, leaving the rest of the Waco Rangers behind.
<("This is Major Paulus Noble, acting commanding officer of the Waco Rangers. We surrender.")>
Meeting Man behind the Grudge[]
"That was a good fight!" Kerensky slapped me on the back after I'd climbed down the ladder from my cockpit and dropped the last few feet to the ground. "We'll have to share a drink later to celebrate!"
"If I'm not busy fixing everything damaged on her, then sure," I jerked my thumb at the missing PPC above me. "Battle ain't over yet."
I brushed my hands off on my shorts and double-checked my carbine and sidearm. "Now, I've got someone to speak to," I glanced at the medical tent. "It seems Wayne Waco here holds a grudge, and given I've now shot the legs out from under him, I figure it's time we had a talk."
"He isn't awake yet," Natasha shrugged. "I'm not sure how you'll talk to a nearly dead man, but that's not my problem."
"I'll have the medics give him something to wake him up," I replied.
I walked to the medic tent, and the usual odor of blood, urine, and feces mixed with disinfectant greeted me.
"Doc," I greeted the lead field medic.
"Colonel," he sighed. "Waco's not conscious yet, and in his condition, I'm not sure how lucid he'd be if I woke him up."
"At least let me see what shape he's in," I glanced around. "Then I'll see who I can free up to get you extra hands."
"He's behind that curtain," Doc pointed in the general area.
"I'll leave you to it," I headed for the curtain and peeled it back.
"Damn," I whistled, looking at the enemy colonel. "Ammo detonation really jacked you up, didn't it."
Waco's left leg had been amputated just below the knee, and his clothes and skin were blackened and covered in burns.
Reaching for the clipboard at the foot of the bed, I flipped through his charts and winced at some of the damage done to him.
Setting the clipboard down again, I turned and let the curtain close behind me.
"He's not in good shape," Doc was leaning on a pole. "Without the Phoenix, we're not going to be able to do more than patch the burns and let the concussion heal."
"That's fine with me," I replied. "We're not going to sabotage his healing, but we're not going to give him any extra aid."
"Understood, Colonel," he glanced at me. "You should probably get some rest. We've got it well handled here. We had fewer casualties than projected."
"Just let me know if you need anything else, doc," I yawned. "I'll be in the repair bay or my bunk."