Samantha shifted in the blind to get the circulation to her leg going again. She was poised high of the bluff overlooking the Word of Blake outpost. She knew the sudden activity was due to the allied strike force inbound on her intel right now. WoB personnel rushed around the grounds hurrying a welcome for them. Sam sent a tight beam transmission to the rear relay. WoB forces as follows:
~Hatchetman
~Venom
~Hermies
~Spider
~Demolisher Hv. Tank
~3 x Hunter Strike Tank
~Drillson Hover Tank
~Purifier BA
She settled in to watch the coming show. Sam relayed the transponder signal locations of the WoB units as she could find them. Someone here had a twisted sense of humor as 4 of the contacts seemed to be being broadcast from 4 large inflatable snowmen set up on the sand dunes in front of the hanger. Just enough to give up a signal hit on a mech sensor.
As luck would have it her signal tap decided that now was the time to crack the local WoB encryption. She listed as the WoB commander issued orders to his troops to select areas of concealment. Precentor Tibbets was a cunning foe. Sam checked to make doubly sure the data pack was recording and listened.
The strike force cleared the outer marker and formed an assault line in a rapid advance. The Ghost Bears took the right flank with the mercenary Black 5 on the opposite side.
The Ghost Berar lead mech took a shot at the armored command tower and missing wide to mark the first shot of the day. The WoB tanks took the field across from advancing mechs catching them by surprise as guass rounds whiped past the mechs instead of the out of range autocannon loadout that was expected.
As the Bears adavance a concealed Venom & Spider supported by Purifier battle armor jump the line and engage the Bears from behind. The exchange is brief and half the WoB mechs fall. Sam wondered what they were up to.
The Bears also catch one of the Hunter's unsupported and end it's day in a hail of fire. The first WoB artillery rounds fall along the attackers line and a Ghost Bear Assassin falls to combined WoB fire. Sam hears someone named Lynch berating Tibbets, what is going on?
The WoB spider continues to jump about the field as the Ghost Bear mechs try and lead it unsuccessfully. It touches down between two mechs and lets off another shot before bounding away untouched again.
A GB Koshi jumps to the top of the armored tower and blast another Hunter into oblivion. Tibbets directs fire to clear his tower. Lynch signals for the mines hidden under the advancing mechs to be blown but nothing happens, Sam guess's she cut the right wire.
The WoB commander runs out of luck and the attackers finish the Demolisher, Hatchetman, and Spider in rapid succession. The Hermies and Drillson retreat leaving the field to the attackers.
Knowing other troops are inbound the Strike Force gathers the target crates in between falling artillery rounds and hightail it back to the LZ. They take along the Hatchetman pilot who was directing the mech forces to question later for intel. All in all a good mission even though the search for Tibbets & Lynch turned up nothing....
