I'm having a day where this idea was in my head and I wanted to give it a go. It's a fiction piece but I'm posting here as it's intended as a one-shot (unless anyone fancies more then I'll post in Fan Fiction) from my corner of Foxhaven. (if you guys are going another direction feel free I just felt like it)
Foxhaven – Calm before the storm
The settlement was a hive of activity as pallets of equipment were moved from one part of the factory to another by members of staff with pallet movers, onto delivery vehicles by the factories two LoaderMechs and onto the waiting cargo ship, the MV Aleksandr Petrov, which had been brought into fill orders. Middleton Manufacturing had never been so busy than it had become in the last few months as the various Barons of Foxhaven had increased their weapon orders as more mercenary forces appeared on the planet; there was something in the air and many people were worried.
With the profits the company had made in the last few months they had bought two brand-new Crosscut ForestryMechs from North Point which had been used to clear the ground around their new secondary manufacturing plant which was deep in Obskaya Forest. They’d also helped complete a new line of the Foxhaven Railway Line linking the towns of Jamestown and Redpath to the route which Harold Middleton had agreed to support, and defend, in exchange for the additional supplies being brough in to support the increased weapons manufacturing and the construction of a second weapons plant. They had also invested in more than a dozen vehicles from Trent in the last few months to help defend the plant here, the two towns and the new plant. This had all kept Harold’s son Lucas extra busy, not piloting a BattleMech but helping run the company. His father and head of the family Harold Middleton was 75 years old; he was passed retirement but still clinging to the reins of leadership while Lucas sister Elle ran the company but with the increased operations and defence agreements with Jamestown and Redpath Lucas was being more and more brought in.
“No, No, No!” Lucas shouted from the factory floor at the set of workers. Unlike his forest camouflage coloured battle dress uniform he wore a blue set of overalls, a hi-viz vest and yellow hat at he stood on the factory floor. “The SRMs are going to Okro that means they go on the lorries not with the lasers to Port Royale!” He shouted pointing at two different shipments. “If we want to keep these contracts then we need to get things right.” He said walking off as the workers began to rearrange the weapons shipments his earpiece beeped “go ahead!” He shouted over the noise of the passing LoaderMech which was laden with boxes bound for North Point.
“Lucas, the Dracs are an hour out” Margaret Foster his operations officer reported “John and Sarah are deployed as agreed.”
“Great, we’re about three hours from completing the shipment.” He grumbled “fine we’ll play nice with Fuchida. Mags, have the others get to their Mechs and begin prep, and inform my father and my sister.”
“About that, Camilla and Elle are not back from MP-2 yet” she said naming his sister and one of his MechWarriors. The two of them had become involved in a relationship a few months ago and they currently seemed inseparable where one went the other normally wasn’t far away. It was good for both of them Camilla, she still struggled with what had happened in the Inner Sphere, and Elle needed more than work in her life.
“Fine, I’ll play nice with Nanako” he grumbled “have Ismail take Agatha and remind him that he doesn’t fire unless I say so.” He said naming Camilla's Witworth.
“He’ll be ready and informed”
An hour passed and the five BattleMechs of Lucas’ extended lance were waiting outside the plant with several armed vehicles waiting for House Fuchida. As they waited two Mechs approached a Quickdraw and a Panther both painted along the same lines as the others employed by Fuchida. “Mags, go encrypted to John, I have two of Fuchida’s four Mechs approaching, tell him to keep his eyes and ears open.”
“I’m sure he is watching and listening” Margret replied dryly but he knew she’d pass the message. As the two Mechs approached he sized them up the Quickdraw was heavier than anything he had but it was massively out massed by his Mechs and the defences around the plant. The Panther had a nasty particle cannon on one arm which made it dangerous but it was too slow to be a real threat. He quietly designated the Quickdraw as primary and the Panther as secondary he knew his own Enforcer would be Fuchida’s primary target if things went south. He swapped his communications to a general channel “Welcome to Middleton Manufacturing forces of House Fuchida” he said.
“Domo arigatou, I am Chu-i Fuchida Nanako of House Fuchida. We are here for our weapons shipment.” The Quickdraw said Lucas had not spoken to the pilot before but appreciated her straight to the point approach.
“The shipment will be ready in a couple of hours…” Lucas began but was cut off as suddenly the Panther leapt into the air jumping backwards avoiding several shoulder launched missiles. The Quickdraw and Lucas Mechs all turned their guns on the forest floor from there the missiles had come from.
“You ambush us! What the hell is this?” Fuchida demanded the Quickdraw’s guns quickly turning back onto Lucas’ BattleMech "we came here for trade."
“If I wanted you dead you would be, I have a lot more guns than you do calm the hell down!" Lucas shouted back “We are ready to deal with you; dead customers don’t pay bills!” Lucas said angrily looking back at the Quickdraw “that was not us!” He said “I have two BattleMechs out there on patrol, all of my other forces are defending this plant!” He said holding his fire.
“Then we have a collective problem!” She responded after several minutes of silence the Panther had re-joined the Quickdraw but was watching the tree line instead of Lucas forces. The two former Draconis Combine warriors must have recognized that his forces while significantly outgunning them hadn’t acted immediately against the two Fuchida Mechs.”
“Agreed joint operation you and me, your Panther stays here and helps defend the people who are preparing your weapons.” Lucas said swapping communications to his alternate channel “John, get back here now, we’ve got pirates in the bush I’m going hunting with Fuchida, you’ve got one Fuchida Panther at the base it’s a friendly I think.” He said swapping back to the main channel. “Ready when you are.”
For nearly thirty minutes the two Mechs had marched through the undergrowth chasing down the infantry squads’ occasional short-range missiles or even small arms fire hit the chasing Enforcer and Quickdraw. But neither could get a clean shot their tenacity was beginning to pay off though as the trees were beginning to thin ahead Lucas saw a group of infantry and struck out with his autocannon scattering them. His Mech wasn’t entirely built for this fight but he wasn’t going to let them get away with almost ruining a profitable deal for his company.
“I got the APC!” Fuchida called out seeing a vehicle waiting for the infantry her long range missiles flew through the air but didn’t hit an APC instead they flew into a wall of metal which had stepped in the way of the hit, this wall of metal swung its arms up and two particle cannons spat out fire one fired at each of the approaching Mechs. One slammed into Fuchida’s Quickdraw staggering it back slightly.
“What the hell is that!” Lucas exclaimed immediately firing his autocannon and laser into the huge Mech “Battle computer can’t decide if it’s a BattleMaster or an Archer or something else!” He called out as the huge Mech fired paired long-range missile launchers at them peppering both Mechs with fire.
“Someone’s tried to mash the two together, you know what that means?” she asked running her Mech forwards firing her own long-range missile launcher at the new target as more particle cannon fire flew towards them one slamming into the chest of Lucas’ Enforcer.
“Minimum Range!” Lucas shouted realizing why she was charging forwards, both particle cannons and long range missiles were designed for long range fire and were inaccurate at close range, he then started doing the same matching the Quickdraw stride for stride he launched the Enforcer airborne to avoid another flight of long range missiles which Fuchida soaked up ignoring them as she fired her LRMs and four Medium Lasers into the target. Lucas added his autocannon and laser to the mix as he landed and continued running closing on the target. The large enemy Mech targeted Lucas Enforcer with another attack this time targeting him with both particle cannons only one hit slamming into the Enforcer’s right arm melting the barrel of the autocannon just as Lucas pulled the trigger on the weapon the muzzle of the weapon exploded outwards as the rounds hit a hard target before even leaving the weapon. “Ahhh!” Lucas screamed as his Mech lurched to the left fighting the fall that was coming “you son of a…!” He shouted as the Enforcer fell slamming into the ground small arms fire from the infantry that were still in the area hit his Mech but thankfully there were no short-range missiles or swarming attacks.
Fuchida must have seen his plight and was in the right position for her plan now she launched her Quickdraw into the air firing the lasers as the Mech raised burning away at armour on the FrankenMech that was against them. In mid-air she turned her Mech coming down behind the enemy Mech lashing out with her BattleMech’s right leg as she fell towards a landing knocking the enemy Mech forwards with the physical attack. She saw a destroyed jump jet register as the Mech came down heavily but ignored it as she pumped an entire flight of short-range missiles and another set of laser blasts into its back.
Lucas forced his Mech back onto its feet swiping at the infantry with his now destroyed autocannon. As the Enforcer rose to its feet, he fired his laser into the face of the enemy Mech. The combined fire from behind and in front staggered the Mech but it wasn’t done yet. As Fuchida fired a salvo of LRMs into the ground scattering the infantry troopers there the big enemy Mech fired a particle cannon shot into her Mech at near point-blank range burning away armour from her torso section smashing the long-range missile launcher in the process.
“Fuchida, keep him in position for another couple of seconds!” Lucas called out moving around the big enemy Mechs so she wouldn’t be in the firing line. As he moved another particle cannon shot slammed into the Quickdraw.
“What do you think I’m doing!” She called back punching the big Mech as it was more effective at this range, she hated physical attacks but sometimes they were needed.
Which was exactly what Lucas was thinking after moving around the big enemy Mech he was clear of Fuchida and saw the enemy Mech in front of him. Accelerating rapidly Lucas charged “let him go!” He shouted using the ruined autocannon as a battering ram his Enforcer slammed into the bigger Mech slamming both of them to the ground. Metal tore and myomers snapped and Lucas fell unconscious as the two Mechs crumpled to the ground.
He didn’t know how long he was out but Lucas only came to when the door of his Enforcer was opened by someone other than him. Fortunately, John Petrie had ignored him about staying at the factory and it turned out to be friendly infantry who tended to Lucas wounds and helped him get the Mech back up onto its feet. Now standing on the burnt, torn up ground beside the ruined enemy Mech Lucas stood with the Quickdraw’s pilot inside the cockpit of the enemy Mech the infantry had found the pilot dead crushed when the front of the cockpit caved in onto him. “Nice teamwork there” he said to her “we can replace the guns on your Quickdraw if you want?”
“For a price?” Fuchida Nanako replied with a smile. He liked her smile, as a Draconis Combine native she had an oriental look about her, she was young and athletic like most MechWarriors exactly Lucas type and exactly the type that got him into trouble in the Federated Suns.
“As always” Lucas responded “my family are in it for the money as well as our own safety, that doesn’t mean we cannot be allies.” He said looking up at the two battered Mechs and the ruin that lay between them “we proved we can be friends today.” He said smiling back at her.
“Yes we did” she said smiling back as her other MechWarrior approached.
“Chu-i, our weapons shipment is ready” Gunsho Kondo Tamadake said approaching.
“Domo arigatou” she said in Japanese turning back towards Lucas “what will you do with your Mech?” She asked indicating to the half-destroyed Enforcer.
“Well the Mech’s sound but we don’t manufacture the autocannon here, and it’ll cost too much to get it imported, so I think we’ll be using something else there.” He said eyeing one of the downed enemy Mech’s arms its particle cannon appeared in good condition. “I’ll get you your share of that thing if you want it.”
“A discount on our next shipment of weapons should suffice?” She asked him Lucas nodded his agreement “until next time.” She said saluting him in the traditional Draconis Combine way before she turned and left.
“Until next time” he said watching her leave the other MechWarrior stood firm for a moment “what’s up Bob?” He asked the man.
“She’s not for you” he said looking visibly upset before saluting and leaving. Lucas stood his ground for a minute then turned to face the downed enemy Mech and his own Enforcer.
“Alright, let’s get a salvage crew in here drag that wreck back into the complex see what we can take off her, and rig something up in the warehouse we’re going to need to take that cannon off my Enforcer.” He said turning to face the troopers and techs around him. Today had been his first Mech action in months and it had almost killed him, but Lucas Middleton didn’t think that was the last fight he’d be having on Foxhaven.
The Mech comes from here
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=57803.msg1330175#msg1330175I haven't worked it out yet but I think the Enforcer is going to get a particle cannon in place of the autocannon, two Rocket Launcher 10s (manufactured by Middleton Manufacturing and mounted one over each shoulder - I'd rather build them into the arm with the PPC but don't have the facilities) and the rest of the tonnage spent on additional heat sinks.
Hope you enjoy
