Location - Chainelane Isles
Date - October 3058
Major Henderson grunted as his Stalker shook as another laser beam cut across his Mech’s torso, the 85-ton Mech rocking back on its heels slightly. ‘This raid’s gone to shit’ He thought, and he wasn’t wrong.
Under the guise of a raid by ‘Mercenaries’, elements of the 2nd Crucis Lancers were hitting deep behind the lines, striking at the Diamond Shark’s OZ in the Chainelane Isles. On Rondane there was a factory that was a prime target, but they’d not counted on there being two Clan’s forces on world. The Sharks were a known factor, but the Ice Hellions? Intel about them was limited and even as the 2nd’s DropShips had landed the Hellions were advancing on them in force and at very high speed.
Recon had marked their Mech’s down as mostly light and medium weight but there was a few that the War book refused to ID and a handful of larger Mechs, again most were known, Loki’s, Thor’s and the odd Man-o-War as well as a pair of unknowns that the War book tagged as an unknown assault weight Mech.
Expecting the Clanners to engage them in a head on clash the 2nd was still offloading its tanks and had deployed two Company’s forward to take the shock of the attack and let the 2nd fully deploy.
“Major! They’re swarming all over us! They’re not fighting like Clanners, they’re teaming up and ripping us apart! Sara on your right!!” The signal had been cut off by the sound of weapons fire then a scream followed by static, and that was the last transmission from the vanguard force.
The Hellions were sure as hell NOT fighting like Clanners, yes their Mechs were small and landing a heavy hit on one could be fatal, but they refused to close the range, dancing around at extreme range, using their longer ranged weapons to gnaw the 2nd’s Mech’s and tanks to bits. Often a single Mech or tank would be engaged by anywhere up to four Mech’s, breaking off from the darting pack of Hellion Mechs, zipping into range before dancing out again, beyond any realistic fire. Only LRM’s and light autocannons were able to effectively reach them, and the few Mech’s equipped with weapons that had been rediscovered by the Helm Memory Core.
“LRM Ammunition supply at 10%”
Major Henderson’s ‘Bitching Betty’ politely reminded him as he volleyed of another twenty missiles at a white and blue striped Mech that fired back with its ER Large Laser, moving faster than a Medium Mech had any right to do.
“Major! Hostile air approaching from 044, heading towards the DropShips!”
“Keep firing! Bring the bastards down!”
“Got one!”
“Captain, armour’s wearing thin!”
The comm’s channel was a confused babble of voices, and then there was swearing and shouts of alarm as the Hellion force wheeled about almost as one and charged, closing the distance shockingly fast.
Major Henderson didn’t have time to give orders, with the Hellions flowing around his Battalion, cutting them off from the DropShips and swarming his command, each Mech was fighting its own battle, cut off from its comrades by the swarming Hellion’s. Yelling commands into his mic, Major Henderson didn’t even see Star Colonel Zara Drake’s Apex storming towards him at over 130kph, the Stalker was starting to swing around but it was far too late as the Clan Mech’s weapons tore into the Stalker’s already battered rear armour and detonated its SRM ammo, shattering the Mech in a tooth rattling explosion.
The raid had come at the worst possible time, the Diamond Sharks were trading Mech’s from their facilities on Rondane to other Clans, and the Ice Hellions had deployed elements of Alpha Galaxy to secure their trade and bring them back to the Homeworlds. When the ‘Mercenaries’ had landed the Hellions had demanded the right to defend their equipment and had moved out to engage what they saw as little more than Dezgra Pirates. The losses for the 2nd Crucis Lancer’s Reinforced 3rd Battalion were total, three DropShips were also captured and the rest destroyed by the furious and eager Ice Hellions.
Frenzy OmniMech
Apex Totem Mech
Bobcat OmniMech
One more should be added soon when Matt finishes it, thoughts and comments are always welcome and yes, the Apex's speed IS correct.
