Just a little standalone.
Cowboys and Davions
The brave Stinger pilot climbed into his cockpit and began the start up sequence for his Stinger STR-3R. He paid only cursory attention to the weapon system readiness indicators. This wasn't going to be a combat mission. Any attempt to engage the enemy in combat would undoubtedly end with the total destruction of his beloved Stinger.
That couldn't be allowed to happen. There was no way he could allow the accursed Davions to destroy HIS Stinger they way they had his fathers during the 4th Succession War. This time he'd make them pay. If he couldn't inherit his father's Stinger the way his father had always said he would, then he'd just pilot this one, and he'd use it to get his revenge. The Davions would live to regret the day they had simultaneously destroyed his birthright, and his family.
The mission was simple. The Davion sympathizers had a cache of valuable consumables, just the kind he needed to fuel his one man revolt against the invader scum. He was going to get them.
The defenses were scarce, but formidable. Two mechs, a Scorpion medium class quad mech, and an older Banshee assault mech. Considering the value of the supplies, the defense was minimal, but compared to his own 20 ton Stinger, lightest of the lights, even just one of the defenders had an overwhelming advantage.
The solution was obvious. Stealth would be the key. He would creep his Stinger along a narrow ridge line that led right up to the compound. Then he'd slip in and grab the supplies. If he was good, then the Scorpion that guarded the approach would never be alerted to his presence, and if he was fast he'd be in and out before the Banshee knew what was going on.
The mission started off well. He took the secret paths known only to him. Paths learned in a lifetime of resistance against the Davion oppressors. In no time at all he was at the ridge line, ready to make his advance.
The ridge was a complicated maneuver. While the top of the ridge was wide enough to attempt walking on, it was narrow enough to make such an attempt dangerous. Simply walking along the top would also expose his to easy detection by the Scorpion guarding the approach. Instead he'd creep along, using his mech's arms to grasp the top of the ridge, while he shuffled his mech's feet along another ridge just below the top on.
Almost immediately he encountered trouble. The Davions, curse them and all their kind, had placed a container of some sort of biological rubbish on the top of the ridge. Was this a deliberate attempt to block his route? Had they finally learned how he was conducting his raids? Or was it just a coincidence? Either way, the container would be difficult to bypass. Turning back was not an option. The supplies were simply too important to the resistance.
Difficult turned out to be impossible. The container was simply too large, he couldn't get past it . He'd have to try to push it a little in order to make room for his Stinger to get by. Then disaster stuck. The container proved easier to move than he expected. Instead of a slight nudge he bumped it clear off the opposite side of the ridge, sending it tumbling down towards the Scorpion waiting below.
Miraculously the container remained intact. There was surprisingly little noise as it hit the grassy plain below. The brave Stinger pilot had no choice, he would have to pull his mech up higher, until it's head was exposed over the ridge to try to see if the Scorpion had detected his blunder.
Luck was a faithful lady after all. The Scorpion appeared to still be powered down in it's field enclosure. His mistake had gone unnoticed. The objective was still within his reach.
The ridge led the brave Stinger pilot to a side entrance into the compounds food processing wing. Right where the supplies were laid out. Using all the agility available to him in his light mech, the pilot crept in through the gap in the defenses, climbing gingerly over a storage unit before dropping lightly to the roadway below. Now it was just a short dash to the supplies, then he could grab them and bolt, escaping through sheer speed past the Scorpion before it was able to power up...
“BILLY!!! What are you doing in my kitchen? Get away from those cookies! How did you get in here anyway? Are you the one who knocked my plant off the fence?”
Disaster! The Banshee spotted him before he could reach the supplies. The impressive salvo of fire upon detection was a clear indicator that the Banshee was one of the newer “S” variants. It was a miracle his little Stinger was still operational. Retreat was the only option. Using every bit of speed his Stinger possessed, the brave pilot bolted straight for the compound's rear gate. He'd blast across the grassy plain outside the compound at full speed, and use his jump jets to clear the ridge.
“Don't let me catch you in here again Billy!”
The Banshee-S took one final shot at his Stinger on the way out, but it was pointless. He was too fast. None of the shots landed. A quick glance showed him that the Scorpion quad mech wasn't even bothering to power up all the way, instead choosing to only bring it's sensors online as it watched the Stinger speed past.
“And mind the dog on the way out!”
The Davions might have won this round, but the resistance will live on!
