The ‘loyalist’ invading forces are Aidan Pryde’s Turkina Irregulars, and Persis Anu’s 20th Talon Cluster, both from Marthe Pryde‘s Sigma Galaxy.
I figured many of the warriors who were in the canon Falcon Guards under Aidan would have ended up in his Turkina Irregulars here.
The defending forces are the Jade Falcon Galaxy under Vandervahn Chistu. Mar Helmer’s Falcon Guard, Gran Newclay’s 3rd Falcon Talon Cluster, Devlin Hazen’s 7th Falcon Regulars, Dev Iler’s 9th Talon Cluster, Dana Gorga’s 12th Falcon Regulars, and Eyrie and Solahma cluster.
AJB
Chapter 3
Vanguard City, Kaus Media
Jade Falcon Territory, Clan Domains
16 October 3054
Aidan Pryde couldn’t help the grin that creased his face. After more than a year he was finally getting back into real combat. He and his troops were about to perform a combat drop, as stipulated in the hasty batchall with Vandervahn Chistu. Chistu was coming after him with all elements of the Jade Falcon Galaxy on world. But Aidan, true to form, had a couple of surprises up his sleeves. One was Persis Anu’s 20th Talon and her strike at the spaceport. The other he was about to spring.
Toggling over to broadband communications he began to speak. “Warriors of the Jade Falcon Galaxy, I am Star Colonel Aidan Pryde, commander of Turkina’s Irregulars. It is my hope that many of you do not understand the repercussions of the mission you about to embark upon. Elias Crichell, Vandervahn Chistu and others plan to take war to Terra. They plan to overthrow the ilKhan and install themselves as masters of the Star League… a coup on the scale of Stefan Amaris. I represent Timur Malthus and all those loyal to the true path of Turkina. Join us in maintaining the honour and integrity of the Jade Falcons. Stand by these traitors and you will be culled.”
“A fine speech, Star Colonel, but will it do any good?” opined Star Captain Alejandro.
“Only time will tell. Now Irregulars, prepare to drop.”
Skimming above the city, the Overlord-C dropship opened its doors and began disgorging the Mechs within. Once the 45 Mechs had debarked, the dropship peeled off and made to interdict the spaceport.
Aidan kicked in his jumpjets to prevent his Summoner from slamming into the ground. While far from a gentle landing, little damage resulted. A quick scan showed that his cluster had hit its mark. A brief march through the city would place his forces at Chistu’s headquarters which, if he was lucky, would limit the fighting. Aidan throttled up to a slow walk, linking up with his unit as they began to surround the gamma galaxy headquarters. Only blocks away, the Irregulars found their way blocked by the Falcon Guards. Aidan quailed at having to fight this premier unit, but quickly damped those feelings. The die had been cast, and the fate of his Clan was at stake.
Another Summoner stepped forward, displaying a grotesquely enlarged version of the Falcon Guard insignia. Aidan’s radio crackled to life. “This is Star Colonel Adler Malthus, commander of the Falcon Guards. You have clearly lost your mind Pryde. You are disobeying the lawful orders of our Khan. Submit and your punishment will be less severe.”
Aidan couldn’t help it, he laughed. “You clearly know very little about me, Star Colonel. Surrender has never been part of my vocabulary. What has become of Mar Helmer?”
“Mar Helmer was not fit to command this unit and was removed.”
“A shame. I would have preferred fighting an honourable opponent, but you will have to do.”
An inarticulate cry of rage came over the com before the line went dead. Adler Malthus’ Summoner lumbered forward, a long blast from his auto cannon ripping across three of Aidan’s Mechs. There would be no zellbrigen in this fight. Aidan activated his jump jets and backed up, giving himself enough range to trigger his PPC. Malthus ignored the damage and continued closing range. Aidan fired both his own auto cannon and shoulder mounted SRM’s. The damage continued to build and become overwhelming when an Irregular Kit Fox and Mad Dog loosed their own volleys. Malthus’ Mech stumbled and fell to one knee. As the Mech tried to regain its feet Aidan targeted the cockpit and fired his auto cannon again. The high velocity shells ripped through the armour like butter and shredded the delicate human being inside. The Mech toppled to the ground, useless.
Not sparing another thought to his vanquished foe, Aidan advanced, intend on taking the fight to Chistu. He targeted an Adder next, the light mech no match for his Summoner. A half dozen well placed shots and the Adder collapsed, its right leg but a memory. The fighting was brutal, Falcon against Falcon, each side sure they represented what was best for the Clan.
“Star Colonel,” came the oddly dispassionate voice of Jula Huddock. “Opposing forces to the rear.”
“Stravag!” Being caught between two clusters was not a good place to be. “Do your duty Star Commander.”
“Your will be done.”
Putting the new forces out of his mind, Aidan continued his relentless advance. More Falcon Guard Mechs fell before his onslaught, but the damage began to take its toll. Armour was scoured from his trusty Summoner and his shoulder mounted SRM detonated in an explosion that rattled him about his cockpit. Several displays shorted out and numerous systems were damaged. And yet there was a battle to be waged.
Aidan and a reinforced star waded forward, slashing their way through the Guards defences. At last they reached the headquarters. At once Aidan’s heart sank. Confronting him was Chistu’s command star and the bulk of another cluster of troops… the 7th Falcon Regulars. Daunting odds, but a true warrior ignored the odds. Aidan stepped his battered Summoner forward, until he was opposite a Gargoyle. “Galaxy Commander Chistu, I am here at your headquarters as we agreed. Face me in personal combat and let us end this pointless destruction.”
A laugh came over the com. “How very honourable of you, Pryde. However, you have underestimated me. Hussar’s, destroy this blight!”
Moments passed before another officer answered. “Neg, Galaxy Commander. You agreed to a batchall of personal combat during Star Colonel Pryde’s approach. I will not allow you to dishonour myself or my troops with such flagrant disregard for our customs. We will form a circle and allow none to pass until one of you falls.”
Rage filled Chistu’s response. “Hazen! Once done with Pryde, I will deal with you!”
“Bargained well and done,” was Hazen’s reply.
Aidan couldn’t help another grin. “Now then Chistu, let us finish this.” With those words, a fierce battle began. Chistu’s Gargoyle got off a devastating opening shot with its AC20. The long burst chewed through the armour on Aidan’s left torso, opening a rent that exposed his internal structures. With so few weapons, a damaged mech and being outclassed by ten tons, Aidan was at a severe disadvantage. But he was a Jade Falcon warrior. He would never surrender, not even in death.
He charged forward, firing first with his PPC then with his auto cannon. The PPC melted armour from the Gargoyle’s leg while the auto cannon scoured away chest armour. Chistu returned fire with four medium lasers. The lasers burned furrows into Aidan’s already battered armour. Chistu followed with another auto cannon blast. Warning klaxons sounded in the Summoner, alerting Aidan to the loss of his small laser and a heat sink. Gritting his teeth, Aidan lunged his mech forward, blasting at Chistu with his PPC again, doing minimal damage. A carefully targeted burst from Chistu’s auto cannon and Aidan’s PPC was severed at the elbow, the ruined weapon crashing to the ground. Another blast from the lasers cracked the engine shielding of Aidan’s mech.
Aidan knew his options were running out. He saw but one possibility, but it had a chance. Forcing his brutalized machine forward, he triggered a long burst from his auto cannon. With the range so close, Chistu did exactly what Aidan expected. Aidan walked right into the quartet of medium lasers. The beams of high intensity light pierced the shredded torso and struck the engine once more. Aidan slapped the override switch and charged directly at Chistu.
With the grinning skull of the Gargoyle looming ahead, a brilliant light overwhelmed Star Colonel Aidan Pryde, and then there was nothing.
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Persis Anu was being shaken about the interior of her cockpit, enduring the discomfort of an orbital insertion. The ablative shell blew off her Warhawk, allowing her to at least see her destination… the Vanguard City spaceport. She activated her attached jump jets in order to slow her descent. Her scanners showed that the Irregulars dropship was already on scene, strafing the fighters of Gamma before they could be launched. This had the added advantage of granting her cluster a virtually uncontested landing.
At last her mech touched down, a reverberating clang passing through its superstructure. Detaching the jump pack, Anu immediately began marching forward. Her weapons charged, she waded into battle. She picked out an Adder at extreme ranged and targeted it, firing both PPC’s. Though striking off centre, the paired shot managed to divest the Adder of one arm. The Adder, which had been running forward, stumbled and crashed to the ground as the warrior failed to maintain their balance after losing sever tons of armour and superstructure. Sparks spewed from the mech as it slid across the ferrocrete of the runway. The pilot attempted to right their mech, but Anu was having none of that. Once her PPC’s cycled, she targeted the knee joint and fired. The Adder was effectively out of the fight.
Swiveling her torso, Anu quickly took stock of the situation. Her clusters lightning strike had caught the spaceport garrison off guard. Many of the opposing Falcon warriors were standing down, unwilling to fight fellow Falcons after hearing Aidan Pryde’s broadcast. Those who refused to stand down were fighting to the death.. Persis watched as several points of elementals swarmed over the Hellbringer piloted by Star Captain Tarsus Redmond. The elementals were desperately trying to shred Tarsus’ mech, to the point the was forced to eject. Seconds later the Hellbringer exploded, its reactor having overloaded. Only a few of the elementals managed to limp away.
At last the spaceport was secure, completing the first phase of the operation. Leaving two of her trinaries to guard the port, Anu gathered the remaining elements of her cluster and a few of the surrendered warriors and began a high speed march towards Chistu’s command centre. Phase two of the operation called for her to rendezvous with the Irregulars and force Chistu to submit.
It was a good plan, but like all good plans did not survive contact with the enemy. Once in the city proper, she found several trinaries blocking her path. Clearly these were warriors committed to Crichell’s plan and as such deserved no mercy. Not that mercy was a concept that Anu, as a Jade Falcon warrior, was overly familiar with. She keyed a quick set of orders to her subordinates. “Charge past the enemy machines and make for the headquarters. Destroy any and all opposition in your path.”
Anu found herself facing off against one of the rare Jade Falcon Timberwolves. The bird legged machine had been outfitted with SRM’s, autocannons and medium lasers… all deadly in a close range fight such as the one she was facing now. Yet Persis had equipped her Warhawk with an LB10X autocannon, having anticipated the close quarters battles. Said autocannon ripped into the boxy shoulders of the Timberwolf, detonating the missiles contained in one. The CASE system saved the mech from total destruction, but the force of the explosion threw it to the ground. A pair of her MechWarrior’s blasted the fallen mech, crippling both legs and an arm. It was out of the fight but salvageable.
She pressed on, a reinforced trinary accompanying her while the rest of her force spread out to assist the Irregulars secure Vanguard City. Anu and her scratch force arrived at the garrison headquarters just in time to witness the fiery conclusion of the duel between Aidan Pryde and Vandervahn Chistu. Once the golden fire of the reactor faded, Anu could see only the blackened remains of two mechs. There did not appear to be any survivors.
Anu, having monitored communications as she closed in, knew exactly what was happening. She immediately opened a channel to Hazen. “Star Colonel Hazen, by trial of combat Star Colonel Pryde has proved the right of his position. Signal to your compatriots in your galaxy. For all who abide by Aidan Pryde’s victory there shall be no penalty. Any who ignore it shall be declared dezgra and hunted down like the filthy surats they are.”
Hazen replied quickly, as if hoping for just such a declaration. “I shall abide by the result Star Colonel Anu. It shall be my clusters surkai to aid you in hunting down any you deem dezgra.”
“You honour Turkina and the Clan, Devlin Hazen. I shall ensure it is not forgotten.” Persis knew the battle for Kaus Media was nearly complete. The loss of Aidan Pryde was a loss for the Clan at large, and would be keenly felt. What remained was to be seen was how well the rest of the Culling was progressing.
