Future Past: Now with some story.

[Centurion03]

November 19, 2010
Al Jazeera
Morning News

The young newscaster opens his folder, before adjusting his tie, and then looking into the camera:
"Breaking news, Egypt has suffered another terrorist attack. Gunmen entered the main market square in Cairo and opened fire with automatic weapons and grenades. Casualty estimates are high. The group known as يد السيد or The Hand of the Master have claimed responsibility. This would the eighth such attack in the last nine weeks..."

*

December 5, 2010
The Guardian
Front Page

The United Nations forced into action at last
After the sixth consecutive week of terrorist attacks by the group known as The Hand of the Master, the United Nations has announced the creation of Task Force 1. This will be a multinational force, with member nations contributing personnel, weaponry and logistics to this new combined initiative. The Task Force will be commanded by United States Navy Admiral Michael Mullen. Most notably the Task Force has been given a mandate to track down and eliminate the threat posed by The Hand of the Master across multinational borders. This cross-continental jurisdictional is the first of its kind given to a military task force...

*

March 19th, 2011
Bloomberg Technology
The Shifting Work Show

The young journalist looks stunned as replica of a human arm with a green-looking muscle structure lifts well over 100 kilograms in an arm curl.

An older scientist gestures excitedly towards the demonstration: "And this is Myomer! Think of it as an artificial musculature that just needs an electric current to expand and contract! No need for hydraulics or any other structures!"

The journalist turns to the scientist: "And the uses for this are wide-ranging?"

The scientists starts bouncing: "Indeed! Indeed! Imagine being able to replace bulk heavy lifting equipment with a mobile, agile and powerful bipedal construct! Or helping an amputee with a replacement for a lost limb that actually functions like the lost limb, not just an approximation! Endless possibilities!"

The journalist turns back to the demonstration: "And this was developed at the United Nations Scientific Bureau?"

The scientist finally manages to contain some of his excitement "Indeed! And this is just one of the multitude of wondrous things that we are working on at the Think Tank! The future is here!"

[Centurion03]

June 12, 2011
Task Force 1
Flight deck of USS Enterprise
Atlantic ocean, en-route to the Middle East

The early morning air was brisk, Mullen was thankful he'd decided to wear a parka. Even as high as the prow of the Enterprise was, the spray from the ocean still managed to douse Mullen in freezing, salt water.

He couldn't believe a year had passed since that night in Antarctica, the world had changed so much, and yet the world hadn't changed at all. The United Nations had stood together united like never before, Task Force 1 and the United Nations Scientific Bureau were a testament to the determination of humanity. And yet the wider world still didn't know that Earth was but one inhabited world of many hundreds of thousands. That the terrorist organisation that Mullen's task force was  tracking wasn't a new incarnation of Al-Qaeda, but a rather a network of sleeper cells created by a galaxy-spanning religious order that sought to keep humanity primitive and uneducated.

A tap on his shoulder drew him out of his thoughts, the now-recovered Soren Altman offered Mullen a hip flask, by the smell of it Soren hadn't stopped drinking the cheap Scandinavian spirits despite the multiple requests of his physician. Mullen took the flask from his closest friend and drank deeply, before handing it back. Soren drank deeply. And then poured the remainder into the ocean below.

"For those that cannot be here with us today."

Mullen nodded sadly. He still had nightmares of that night, and if it wasn't for his prescription of sleeping pills he probably wouldn't be functional right now. Soren bore more physical scars from that night, and still walked with a distinct limp.

Both men took one last look out over the grey ocean, before turning back for the warmth of the Enterprise's interior.

"I understand that there have been delays with your fusion reactor designs?" Mullen asked the scientist.

Soren scratched his newly grown beard with gusto "You could say that. The larger-sized reactors are going to be easier to mass produce, and it won't be affecting the timelines of Project Prometheus in the least. In fact we may even soon be able to ramp up production of the biggest units to allow us to begin using them for civilian power generation."

Mullen grunted and nodded his head.

"However, the miniaturisation of the fusion reactors, as well as armouring them to allow for use in smaller-scale military applications is proving to be especially problematic. At this point it is unlikely that we'll even come close to having prototypes ready for Project Minuteman by the end of the year."

Mullen grunted again. Project Prometheus was important, but he was less concerned about space, they could still resort to the rather liberal use of nuclear warheads if need be. On the ground however, that was a different story. And that was where the difference in technology was causing Task Force 1 significant casualties. On more than one occasion fire teams had had to resort to multiple artillery strikes and air support to even come close to achieving their objectives. Collateral damage had been significant.

Mullen opened the hatch for Soren "What are your recommendations?"

Soren looked unhappy about what he was about to say: "Switch to alternative power sources, for now. Redesigns will be needed, but those won't take as long. We can have prototypes in the field for testing by November. Combat Walker System-1 can be with test teams by December."

Mullen mulled over this, that was still 6 months way, but he'd rather have some of this units start deploying BattleMechs in the field soon, even if they were not the intended designs, than much later. They had already been struggling to find enough willing volunteers that were compatible with the neurohelmets needed to keep the giant machines upright. "Alright, let's get to it. I'll cut the orders for the deployment of the CWS-1s as well for the formation of the test teams. We need these in the field as soon as possible."   

[Daryk]

The "larger systems" would also be quite useful for ships too... and in 2010, there's a CVN being "refueled"...

BTW, I've seen the real Admiral Mullen in action (I was sitting off screen on the VTC).  He's quite impressive.  Glad to see you picked him as a protagonist!  :thumbsup:

[mikecj]

This is developing nicely so far.  Thanks for sharing.

Always Antarctica.  I suppose the WoB is no worse than Anubis  ;D

[Centurion03]

This is developing nicely so far.  Thanks for sharing.

Always Antarctica.  I suppose the WoB is no worse than Anubis  ;D

Thank you so much for the feedback! It really means a great deal.

In hindsight there does seem to be startling similarities between Anubis and The Master! 😮

[Centurion03]

The "larger systems" would also be quite useful for ships too... and in 2010, there's a CVN being "refueled"...

BTW, I've seen the real Admiral Mullen in action (I was sitting off screen on the VTC).  He's quite impressive.  Glad to see you picked him as a protagonist!  :thumbsup:

That's so cool! I'm really jealous.

[mikecj]

Volcanoes are so 20th century.  Antarctica is much cooler  :thumbsup:

[Centurion03]

November 29th, 2011
Helmand, Afghanistan
Hill 576

Lieutenant Eugene Klopper carefully moved his CWS-1 through the rocky outcroppings dotted throughout Hill 576. The 25-ton 'mech was pretty stable even on the difficult terrain of Helmand, but he'd rather not fall over in front of the platoon of Marines that he was supporting. There was already enough teasing about riding around in a giant tin-can, no need to add clumsy to the laundry list of insults and jokes.

The claustrophobic cockpit and heavy neurohelmet only added to sense of confinement, the heat of the midday sun was quickly turning the air around Eugene into a sauna. The cooling vest gurgled and provided some relief, but it was easy to feel overwhelmed. Eugene instead directed his attention to his wingman for today, the young and inexperienced Second Lieutenant Gregory O'Brien. O'Brien was moving his CWS-1 a great more sure-footedly, his natural talent piloting 'mechs was clear, but he still needed a great of seasoning. Which is why their company commander had paired Eugene and O'Brien together. Eugene was already at the end of his second tour of duty with Task Force 1, and had been piloting 'mechs in the field for the last two months.

He'd seen scant action in that time, other than acting as overwatch for various Marine and Ranger teams, and occasionally chasing down tangos that had managed to slip out of the cordons.

The CWS-1 or Combat Walk System-1 was the first 'mech that Task Force 1 had actively deployed, and while the two machine guns - one mounted on each arm - were hardly considered heavy firepower, the CWS-1 itself was invulnerable to most infantry weapons and even some vehicle mounted weapons. And being able to scale the difficult terrain of Helmand alongside the Poor Bloody Infantry had quickly endeared the tin cans to those it gave fire support to.

Today the two CWS-1s and the platoon of Marines were performing a final sweep of Hill 576 before moving onto the next sector. The Second Lieutenant commanding the platoon of Marines signalled a stop to the column, before waving the hand signal that showed he wanted to talk directly with Eugene. Obliging, Eugene switched to the Marine frequency with a flick of his thumb on the right joystick on the CWS-1 control column.

"I read five-by-five Jenkins, what can I do you for?"

"My boys found an entrance to cave system around the next bend, we're pretty sure it wasn't there last week, I'm going to send in a squad, if you could offer overwatch, that would be greatly appreciated" the Marine officer inquired.

Technically as the senior officer on the mission, Eugene should have been the one issuing the order, but he'd served in the Infantry, and left the job of soldiering the Marines to those experienced in the matters of the grunt.

"Copy-that Jenkins, I'll have O'Brien move up into overwatch, I'll stay with the rest of the Marines just in case..." Eugene had made sure to tie-in O'Brien into the conversation and the Second Lieutenant was moving into position before Eugene had finished the conversation with Jenkins. O'Brien had a lot of potential, if only he'd lose some of his eagerness to please absolutely everyone he met.

"Much appreciated Klopper, this shouldn't take too long, we're just going to have a peek and then we'll be collapsing this entrance with extreme prejudice!"

Eugene laughed to himself, Marines truly did enjoy the use of explosives in all shapes and sizes. Especially, especially large quantities. Eugene switched to the comm channel that he and O'Brien shared.

"Okay Greg, keep a close eye on the lads, they know what they're doing, and they'll let you know if they need help."

"Roger Roger Lieutenant!"

There were a few snickers and even outright laughter from the comm net, O'Brien hadn't switched away from the wider comm net before replying. Eugene was sure he could see the young Irishman blushing through the cockpit armour.

Eugene moved his CWS-1 to cover the rest of the Marine platoon as they spread out and setup firing position. By now they'd all learned it paid to be vigilant even if it meant a bit of sweat.

The time seem to crawl by, the heat in the cockpit only getting worse, the CWS-1 could easily handle temperatures well into 50 degrees Celsius, it's human pilot though would not enjoy it as much.

The squelch of an incoming transmission suddenly snapped Eugene's attention back to the cave entrance, a single Marine ran out, the HUD of the CWS-1 immediately pinged it at as one of the senior corporals - Henriques - and opened the transmission. Eugene could hear he was out of breath.

"Lieutenant Klopper, we've engaged heavily armed tangos in the cave system, the LT and three others have been wounded, we're pulling out as quickly as we can, but we're going to have the baddies right on our tails!"

O'Brien's CWS-1 immediately moved to allow it an unrestricted field of fire into the tunnel entrance. Good Lad, Eugene thought to himself while he switched to the Company Command Net.

"This is Patrol 2-1 to Company Command, we've engaged hostiles on Hill 576, we will hold positions and prepare to engage hostiles. We have Marine casualties and will need immediate casevac, repeat we have four casualties and will require casevac. We will mark landing zone with beacons. I am also requesting that artillery and air support be made available."

There was a moment of silence. Sweat was now running down Eugene's face, the controls of the CWS-1 were slick from moisture.

"This is Bravo-Actual" the company commander was replying "Understood, casevac inbound. Artillery and air assets are standing by. Fourth Platoon is 10 clicks away, I am ordering them to move to assist. Expect them from the south-west. Keep me in the loop Patrol 2-1."

Eugene now watched as the Marines started streaming out of the tunnel entrance, they were dragging Jenkins and the other wounded out first, the remaining Marines were doing their best to give cover fire. Another Marine dropped as rounds hammered into his chest. A Lance Corporal ran towards the downed Marine from his prepared position and dragged the wounded soldier into cover.

The Henriques came onto the comm net again "We're clear LT, we are clear. You are weapons free!"

O'Brien didn't need any further prompting and opened fire with his twin machine guns. The fire stitched the ground, before tracking into the mouth of the tunnel. The incoming fire slackened before dropping off entirely.

"That's it! We got them beat!" O'Brien shouted excitedly and before Eugene could chastise him and keep him focused a shadowy figure stepped out from the tunnel and lifted a tube to its shoulder.

Eugene barely had time to shout a warning as the tube sparked and fired. The rocket flew true and hit the cockpit of O'Brien's CWS-1. Eugene relaxed as  he saw the rocket impacting the cockpit and not causing any damage. And then suddenly the head of the CWS-1 was shrouded in flames as it started burning. The Marines started opening fire at the tunnel entrance, but the figure had already faded back into the darkness.

O'Brien starting panicking, Eugene could hear the stress levels increase in his voice. "I'm on fire! I'm on fire! I'm buuuurning!" O'Brien chocked.

Eugene took a steadying breathe, it wouldn't help O'Brien to hear the panic in his voice "Greg, its an Inferno rocket, you trained for this! Remember your training. Your cockpit is sealed and is NBC-safe. You are safe from the flames. Just sit tight. Let the Inferno gel burn out!"

"It's getting hotter Eugene! It's so hot in here! I'm going to eject!"

Eugene screamed back "No! Wait!"

But before he could scream anything further the explosive bolts around O'Brien's cockpit fired and sent the armoured canopy flying. For a moment the flames abated, but then surged into the cockpit, coating every surface inside the head of the CWS-1. Including O'Brien.

It took Eugene a horrified moment to realise O'Brien was still alive as the ejection seat fired, the Inferno-gel coated MechWarrior was catapulted into the air. The screaming didn't stop until the ejection seat reached its zenith, and tried to deploy the parachutes. The Inferno-gel had damaged the chute and it barely slowed the fall as the seat impacted the ground less than 20 meters from Eugene's CWS-1.

[mikecj]

Ouch.  So WoB handed tech over to the Taliban types?  That'll get uglier.

[Daryk]

Clearly they're going to need to do more training with Infernos... Something like the gas chamber for the infantry.

[ThePW]

Will we see stats for this 'mech?

[Centurion03]

Will we see stats for this 'mech?

I'll upload the stats tonight along with the next part of the story. :)

[Centurion03]

Clearly they're going to need to do more training with Infernos... Something like the gas chamber for the infantry.

I suspect that there will be gaps in Task Force 1's field training for some time yet.

Out of curiosity, do you know how effective that part of training is for soldiers subjected to it? Is it something that helps those that went through it to cope with those additional stresses?

[Daryk]

I don't know the stats, but if it was ineffectual, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't keep doing it.

[EAGLE 7]

 I see mech warriors like tankers, unwilling to leave their ride.
I like the story, but the pilot would have likely received training in at least simulation for a fire attacks.

Depending on stress levels , fatigue, length and intensity of deployments, a response can happen but it is not much different than a RPG attack.

[Centurion03]

I see mech warriors like tankers, unwilling to leave their ride.
I like the story, but the pilot would have likely received training in at least simulation for a fire attacks.

Depending on stress levels , fatigue, length and intensity of deployments, a response can happen but it is not much different than a RPG attack.

I am glad that you like the story! Any and all feedback really helps me.

When your force of 'mechs is only a few months old, and you're making most of it up as you go along, some corners may be cut. :)

[Centurion03]

Code: [Select]

Combat Walker System CWS-1

Mass: 20 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere (Primitive)
Chassis Config: Biped IndustrialMech
Rules Level: Era Specific
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/X-X-F-A
Production Year: 2750
Cost: 568,785 C-Bills
Battle Value: 122

Chassis: CWS-1a Primitive Industrial
Power Plant: Caterpillar C7 350 hp 75 Primitive I.C.E. Engine
Walking Speed: 32.4 km/h
Maximum Speed: 54.0 km/h
Jump Jets: None
    Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: High-hardness steel Commercial
Armament:
    1 .50 6-Barrel-version GAU-19
    1 .50 3-Barrel-version GAU-19
    1 General Dynamics Power and Data Management Architecture Communications Equipment (1.0 tons)
Manufacturer: UNSB Test Facility #2
    Primary Factory: Munich, Germany
Communications System: Motorloa Military Commnet
Targeting and Tracking System: Motorola FCS

Overview:
The failure of the prototype Defender Mk. 0 almost spelled the end of Project
Minuteman. It was only the direct, personal intervention by Dr Soren Altman
that kept the Project from being shuttered entirely and its resources diverted
to Project Prometheus.

The Combat Walker System was a more conservative design, weighing 25 tons, and
eventually only being armed modestly. The CWS-1 would allow Task Force 1 to
start deploying 'mechs in the field months earlier than expected and gain
valuable experience in the logistics and doctrine that would be needed to
deploy 'mechs successfully.

Capabilities:
The CWS-1 would only ever be armed with a machine gun in each arm, but its
expanded communications equipment would prove to be its greatest strength and
ensure it would continue to see active deployment long after it was intended to
be phased out for newer designs.

The CWS-1 was neither a very sophisticated nor advanced design. The scientists
and engineers working on Project Minuteman designed the 'mech with only the
most easily and quickly replicateable components. The armour, weapons, engine,
and other sub-systems used made the design obsolete before it was even fielded.

It would be replaced within months by the Defender Mk.1 and the even more
advanced Guardian Mk.1 as the primary 'mech of Task Force 1.

The concept of the CWS-1 would be refined and upgraded into the more successful
Hound. 

Battle History:
The CWS-1 was only ever intended as a stop-gap design, and would see less than
a year of active deployment.

As Task Force 1's first 'mech to be deployed it would participate in a number
of small skirmishes and holding actions against The Hand of the Master.
Supporting infantry forces the CWS-1 would most often act as a strong point
from which infantry could engage defensive positions. Moving forward with the
infantry to provide suppression and cover fire. And when needed, pinpoint
artillery fire and air support.

The SeeWhiz and the MechWarriors piloting them would become beloved by the infantry
they supported. During the Battle of Geneva the CWS-1s attached to the 59th
Infantry Division charged Word of Blake forces to buy time for the surviving
infantry to withdraw. Not a single CWS-1 survived.

Variants:
A number of field-deployed CWS-1s had their 3-Barrel GAU-19 replaced with a 6-Barrel GAU-19. The additional weight meant less ammunition could be
carried but the additional firepower was considered a worthwhile trade-off,
especially agains the especially hardy Hand of the Master infantry.

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Primitive Industrial          33 points                4.00
Engine:             Primitive I.C.E. Engine       75                       4.00
    Walking MP: 3
    Running MP: 5
    Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             0                         0.00
Gyro:               Standard                                               1.00
Cockpit:            Primitive Industrial                                   5.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor:              Commercial (BAR: 5)          AV -  60                  2.50

                                                      Internal       Armor     
                                                      Structure      Factor     
                                                Head     3            8         
                                        Center Torso     6            8         
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  2         
                                           L/R Torso     5            8         
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  1         
                                             L/R Arm     3            5         
                                             L/R Leg     4            7         

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Communications Equipment (1.0 tons) (1.0 tons) HD        0         1         1.00
Light Machine Gun                            RA        0         1         0.50
Machine Gun                                  LA        0         1         0.50
@LMG (200)                                   RA        -         1         1.00
@MG (1/2) (100)                              LA        -         1         0.50
                                            Free Critical Slots: 42

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      1    Points: 1
3          1       1       0       0      1     0   Structure:  2
Special Abilities: SRCH, EE


[Daryk]

Hmm... I've thought of the 'mech scale machine gun more as the GAU-19 than the M2 HB.  I have a bit of discussion on that here: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=55497.0

[Centurion03]

Hmm... I've thought of the 'mech scale machine gun more as the GAU-19 than the M2 HB.  I have a bit of discussion on that here: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=55497.0

Ah! That makes a great deal more sense to me! Thank you for sharing!

[Daryk]

No problem!  By switching to a GAU-19/M2 HB combination, you also simplify logistics by only having one kind of ammunition.

[Centurion03]

November 29th, 2011
Helmand, Afghanistan
Forward Operating Base Victor-4


Eugene sat on the foot of his CWS-1, one leg hanging off the CWS-1, his neurohelmet on his lap, his right hand drumming a nameless rhythm on the helmet. A prime hauler slowly drove by, on it O'Brien's CWS, with its scorched head. Eugene turned his head slowly to follow the massive truck as it trundled past.

A Sergeant walked up to Eugene: "Lieutenant, they are ready for you in the debrief."

Eugene turned to look at the Sergeant. A few seconds passed as the stare continued. The Sergeant started to fidget. "Guess I better not keep the waiting eh Sergeant?" The question was entirely rhetorical. The Lieutenant had hopped off the foot and headed towards the debriefing room before the Sergeant could answer.

*

A few hours later Eugene was sitting in the canteen, listlessly moving his dinner around the plate. Eugene was pretty sure by now his food was cold, but he couldn't really be bothered to check.

A voice invaded Eugene's solitude: "Mind if I join you Lieutenant?"

Eugene looked up and saw an officer in the desert digital BDU he himself wore. On his collars were the silver bars of First Lieutenant, a rolled red beret was tucked into the shoulder strap, and his name tag read Ortega.

"You are more than welcome Lieutenant." Eugene indicated the open seat across from him. "I'm afraid I may not be the best company at the moment." Ortega nodded his head in thanks.

"I was sorry to hear about O'Brien, its never easy losing a comrade."

A flash of anger ran through Eugene: "What do you know of losing a comrade?"

Ortega just smiled sadly: "Too much I'm afraid, I was at Antarctica."

Eugene's anger was replaced with embarrassment: "I'm deeply sorry, please accept my apologies!"

Ortega made a calming gesture with his hands "There's nothing to forgive Lieutenant, and please call me Miles" and he offered his hand to Eugene across the table. Eugene took the offered handshake.

"Thank you Miles. Eugene. Pleased to meet you."

"And you too Eugene." Miles then proceeded to assault his food with great gusto and determination. Miles looked up embarrassed "I've been in the field for a few weeks, and this is the first hot food I've had in awhile!"

Eugene smiled: "No please, don't let my poor mood keep you for your dinner."

In a surprisingly short span of time Miles had demolished the contents of his tray of food and leaned back contentedly in his chair. "You know, none of what happened to O'Brien is your responsibility"

A frown returned to Eugene's face "So they keep telling, not entirely sure I believe the higher-ups, or you. No offence meant of course."

Miles shook his head sadly "That feeling won't go away for some time. We keep reliving those moments over and over again. And it can drive us mad if we let it." Miles paused for a moment and looked away into the distance "But it doesn't change the fact that if O'Brien had followed his training he probably wouldn't have done what he had done. And he would probably have survived. Some of us just aren't meant to be soldiers. All the training in the world can't instil in us the temperament to be killers. To face our enemy head on and emerge as the survivors. Of course they don't tell you that when they recruit us. And they try to train and drill into each of us the skills we need to survive. But sometimes we don't cut it. And sometimes even the best of us just get unlucky."

Miles stood up from the table and picked up his empty tray. "And I know you will continue to beat yourself up about this for a long time. Just as I did after Antarctica. If any of what happened was your fault the higher-ups wouldn't be shipping you to Munich with me and a bunch us mudslingers." Miles gestured to the building around them: "This is all a side-show, trust me. There is a much bigger, more important game afoot. And if you were as bad at what you did as you think you are, they wouldn't be entrusting you with what is to come."

Mile's cryptic response was puzzling to Eugene, how was what was happening in Afghanistan the side-show? Before he could ask the Lieutenant what he was talking about he was already marching off with nothing but a jaunty wave over his shoulder as a good-bye. 

[Daryk]

You got that one right... it's very easy to get lost in the tactical details and not see the big picture.  Sometimes that happens to senior officers too...  :-\

[Centurion03]

November 30th, 2011
Munich, Germany
Task Force 1 HQ

12-hours ago Eugene had basically been in the middle-of-nowhere at a remote Forward Operating Base, now he stood on the tarmac of a runway in Germany. Wearing the Service Uniform that Task Force 1 had adopted from the USMC, Eugene felt out of place amongst the other officers and enlisted personnel wearing their BDUs. From the bags each of them carried, Eugene assumed that they were also being transferred to the HQ.

Eugene had flown from Helmand to Berlin on-board a massive C-5 transport, before switching to a smaller Osprey for the flight to Munich. The Osprey had landed, and disembarked the personnel it carried onto the tarmac, the crew chief seemed particularly excited about offloading the soldiers. Almost a tad too excited for simply ferrying personnel around Eugene thought to himself. Eugene could feel the ground start to rumble beneath his feet, and looking around he saw similar confused looks on everyone's faces. The crew chief's s**t-eating grin even bigger. And the way he wagged his eyebrows at Eugene was decidedly insubordinate.

And that's when the ground started to lower.

Eugene stood agape as a 20 meter by 20 meter platform lowered into the ground, it started to grow darker as a pair of blast doors started to slide closed above their heads. As the last of the light faded, floodlights came on one by one, replacing the outside sunlight.

The platform finally stopped moving. The wall to the front of the Osprey started to rise.  A Colonel stepped through onto the platform and smiled: "Welcome to Task Force 1's new Headquarters facility." Behind the Colonel, Eugene saw a vast facility stretch into the distance. Personnel moving around conducting maintenance and inspections, vehicles ferrying armaments and cargo. The smiling Colonel continued "My apologies for the theatrics. A small prank to welcome those new to the HQ. I am Colonel Frederick Mayweather, and I command the 85th Striker Regiment, to which you have been assigned. We are to be the tip of the spear for Task Force 1. We will find those that mean to do us harm, and we will eliminate them. And these..." the Colonel turned around and lifted his arms "will be our armoured fist." Two massive armoured shapes stepped from either side of the wide door onto the platform. Eugene felt his jaw drop.

The 'mechs that stood before them were considerably taller, and more imposing that the CWS-1s that he was used to. If Eugene had to guess it was at least twice as heavy as the CWS-1 and was considerably better armed and armoured. A long-barrelled weapon was mounted over its right shoulder, the left chest had what appeared to be some sort of missile system and a familiar GAU-19 peaked out from a housing mounted on the left forearm.

The Colonel turned back to the personnel on the platform: "This is the Guardian. The latest design to come out of the United Nations Scientific Bureau. 50-tons, top-speed of 64km/h, armed with a 120 mm Rheinmetall L/55 smoothbore gun mounted in a gyro-stablised mount over the right shoulder. In the left-hand side of the chest is a 15-pack of Zuni rockets with a GAU-19 rounding out the armament."

Where the CWS-1 was almost scarecrow like in its visage, barely enough armour covering vital components; the Guardian looked sleek and advanced, even deadly.

"The egg-heads have made some impressive advances in the last few months, and I'm told we may even be getting upgraded power plants soon. For now it uses the same MB 873 Ka-501 liquid-cooled V12 twin-turbo diesel engine as the Leopard 2. Anyway, let's get all of you settled in, we have much to do!"

[Intermittent_Coherence]

Nice. Has the primary armament graduated to AutoCannon 5/10 classes? Or is it still considered a Rifle Cannon?

I figured the really heavy AutoCannon classes would be comparable to what we currently mount on naval warships such as Oto Melaras.

[Centurion03]

In my head-canon I've got the 105mm to 120mm cannons being roughly equivalent to a medium rifle with the larger 125mm and up cannons being Heavy Rifles. I'm not going to pretend know enough about modern projectiles to draw direct parallels.

As the in-universe Earth-tech starts to catch up the Guardian and similar designs will probably be switching to AC5 / LAC5, since its a 1-to-1 swap. 

[Centurion03]

December 18th, 2011
Munich, Germany
Task Force 1 Proving Grounds
Day 3 of Exercise Red vs Blue I

Eugene walked his Guardian, careful to avoid the ancient trees that dwarfed his 'mech, in formation with the rest of his platoon of three Guardians. This was the first battalion-sized exercise that he'd ever participated in, and it was slightly daunting. The first two operational Battalions of the 85th Striker Regiment were being pitted against each. The 100 km proving ground swallowed the two battalions whole and ensured that there was enough space for some manoeuvring. The two battalions were pitted against the each other in a massive game of King of the Hill. Whoever could hold most of a chain of hillocks by the end of the 3-day exercise would win.

The first day had largely been uneventful with First Battalion - led personally by Colonel Mayweather - and Second Battalion - commanded by Major Hugh Humphries - carefully probing each other's lines, looking for any weak spots. The few skirmishes that had taken place had been inconclusive and the damage to the 'mech forces involved had been light.

Early afternoon on Day 2 had brought the first major engagement as Major Humphries had thought he'd managed to pin down the Colonel in a vulnerable position and had led his Command Platoon and most of Delta Company on a head-hunting mission. Colonel Mayweather had sprung his trap and caught Major Humphries in a massive artillery barrage wiping out his entire Command Platoon along with Dog Platoon. David and Damascus Platoons had managed an orderly withdrawal and fallen back to Easy Company's position. Easy Company's commander - Captain Ronald Spiers, the Battalion XO and now de-facto Battalion CO - had taken command and was steadily moving to flank the chain of hillocks. Trying to find an opening that could be leveraged instead of engaging First Battalion head-on.

Eugene - on account of having been selected as Company XO - was now commanding the rump of Easy Company, after Captain Spiers had combined his Echo Platoon with the remaining Delta Company platoons and the Scout Platoon to form a mobile reserve.

Easy Company was screening the reserve with Fox Company pushing along the edge of the military reserve to find the limit of First Battalion's lines.

Each Battalion had been allocated a number of support resources, and Spiers was carefully hoarding his remaining artillery strikes and air support for a vital moment.

Eugene was thankful that the Guardian's cockpit was more spacious than the tiny CWS-1's, at times it had been a struggle to keep his 6' 4" frame limber and comfortable for an extended period. While there were commonalities in the design, the Guardian's controls were more refined and intuitive with a great deal of the sensor and targeting data now being displayed directly on the neurohelments visor, with ancillary data available on the cockpit's multitude of multi-functional displays. Eugene had overlaid the radar and infrared data onto a topographical map on the display to his right, with all of the comm-channels configured on the display on the left.

Now glancing at the right MFD, Eugene noticed that the four Guardians of Ecuador Platoon had become spread out and were falling further and further behind his own Edison Platoon. Eugene switched to the channel reserved for platoon leaders "Lieutenant Simons, tighten it up, your platoon is getting too spread out. You can't have overlapping fields of fire if you can't see each other."

Eugene heard Simons swearing to himself, not loud enough to make out what he's said, but still loud enough for the voice-activated microphone to pick him up. "Understood Lieutenant, we'll tighten it up urgently."

"Uhm... Lieutenant Klopper..."

Eugene switched back to the company-wide comm-channel "Speak up Ecuador-1, your transmission was interrupted."

There was a moment of awkward silence before: "Edison-1, this is Ecuador-1, I'm picking up contacts on my extreme right-flank. At least 4 contacts, looks like they are moving parallel to my platoon."

"Roger that Ecuador-1, we're screening Delta Company, so move your platoon towards the tangos, and we'll follow-up behind to reinforce your position if need me."

"Understood Edison-1, we're moving forward now. Ecuador-1 out."

Eugene change his comms to the battalion net: "This is Edison-1 to Echo-1, we've located at least four tangos on the extreme flank of Ecuador Platoon, we're moving to investigate. I will keep you appraised."

Unexpectedly Captain Spiers replied: "Edison-1, if they've managed to get that far onto our flank they may have figure out what Fox Company is up to, they're position may be compromised. If the tangos engage you, push hard at them. And draw them in. We'll be standing by."

"Orders received and understood Echo-1. Edison-1 out."

[Daryk]

Nice Band of Brothers reference there...  ^-^

[Centurion03]

Nice Band of Brothers reference there...  ^-^

A bit on the nose?  :-\

[Daryk]

Nah... Humphries appears to be too competent for that.

[Centurion03]

December 18th, 2011
Munich, Germany
Task Force 1 Proving Grounds
Closing hours of Exercise Red vs Blue I

Staff Sergeant Becky Matthis threw her Guardian abruptly to her right, a volley of rockets barely missing her 'mech's shoulder. It took Matthis a few second steps to stabilize her stumbling Guardian. She twisted her torso to guide the targeting reticle onto a closing BlueFor Guardian, and fired the Guardian's 120mm Rheinmetall, the shell plowing into the enemy's already damaged chest. Matthis waited a second, and then fired her last Zuni rockets. The rockets flew true and hit the BlueFor's remaining ammunition. As the opposing Guardian froze where it stood the targeting computer updated to show the unit destroyed by ammo detonation.

A glance down at her sensors showed that there were no more enemy units in the immediate vicinity, and of the remaining Easy and Fox company's forces there were just five 'mechs standing. Her 'mech's control interface started updating to include the remaining unit's designations and status. Lieutenant Klopper's Guardian stood frozen nearby, the victim of a destroyed gyroscope. The Lieutenant stopped his clamber from the cockpit to give the Sergeant a jaunty wave. Matthis replied with a jaunty two-fingered salute of her own.

Matthis was the highest ranking soldier left. "Edison-3 to Echo-1, we've neutralized the BlueFor's push, but we're down to just five remaining 'mechs, all damaged moderately to severely."

"Copy-that Edison-3. You've got additional BlueFor units heading towards you. I need you push up and engage them as quickly as possible. How-copy?"

"I read you Echo-1. We don't have much ammo left, and I doubt we'll be able to keep them busy for too long."

"Roger-that, do your best. Buy me some time."
 
Matthis thought of a wicked idea, and mad grin spread across her face. "Copy that Captain. You've got the right gal for this job. Edison-3 out."

Matthis switched to her company comm net: "Hey McGinty, you still have that bag-pipe music on you?"

McGinty snorted before replying in his heavy Scottish brogue "Aye Sarge, you want'ta wake the dead?"

"You bet McGinty. Play it loud as you can!"

Mournful Scottish pipe music started filling the comm net, and Matthis piped it through her Guardian's external speakers, which strictly speaking were only to be used for communication with infantry. The rest of her small force followed suit. Matthis suspected this small piece of German forest would never be the same, ever again.

Matthis raised the left arm of her Guardian and pointed in the direction of the distantly approaching enemy units: "Forward the Light Bridge!" and with a whoop sent her 'mech charging forward.