Oddly enough, writing without text to speech is hard. At 9k words, this is still short, but it's more fiction than I've ever written in one place!
I have a list in my head of some specific scenes I want to hit, so there may be some time jumps. I feel guilty about that, even though Cannonshop does it all the time and it's fine. Just me learning.
The area for our training exercise is one that we've been working in for a couple of days. This is important because it means we’ve left plenty of fresh tracks through the canyons, up the hillsides, and in the mud. With near equal forces, and the Dragoons having more jump-jet equipped Mechs than mine, I'm very concerned that we won't be able to outmaneuver them... Thus controlling information is going to be the key to setting up a favorable engagement. Beyond that, I'm simply hoping that we can win or put in a good showing in a mid-range to short range brawl. Whoever can pick off an enemy or two first will probably win.
The entire area is surrounded by forest of light to moderate density, but with most of the trees shorter than a ‘Mech. At the western end is a midsize lake, lying hard against the western side of a small mountain. East of the mountain is a low area of what used to be a flat-topped mesa that has since been cracked and eroded away to form several canyons with small mesas on top. Paths have been beaten or blown in to get on top of some of the mesas, but not all. There are a couple of small streams running through there that run around the base of the mountain to feed the main lake. If we had an equipment advantage, I would look to exploit it, but couldn't come up with anything for this...
I split my forces into three groups. The jump-equipped group is composed of the Firestarter, The Vindicator, the Wyvern, and the Thunderbolt. I lead a smaller and much higher value target group composed of my TSM cataphract and the Raven. Together, we can outrun anything the Dragoon's are feeling except the Javelin & Jenner. The Raven’s ECM blankets the entire area in a massive static that makes non line-of-sight Communications nearly impossible. Copying from my sort of cousin, I am tapped into seismic sensors. The other non-jumpjet equipped portion of my lance is composed of the Orion and the Crab, both of which are best more at long range than close up.
My Orion & Crab head up onto one of the western mesas, with the east-facing part of the mountain in range. The jump-capable lance moves more to the middle, and my small, fast pair is close to the eastern edge. My assumption is that the Dragoons will make a play for commanding fire from the mountain.
Their Griffin jets up onto the mountain, and starts taking fire from the Orion & Crab, who collectively outgun it substantially. This is a long range exchange of fire. The Griffin takes several hits during its initial landing, but after that, stays moving and does a good job jinking and dodging. After about half a minute, the Dragoon Thunderbolt, Vindicator, and Crusader jump up to join it. On my end, the Thunderbolt, Wyvern, and Vindicator leap up to join the Orion & Crab, leaving the balance of firepower even. Armor is sanded off, and the Crab suffers a disabled large laser pretty quickly from an unlucky hit.
My Firestarter stays low, cautiously working its way closer, while I and the Raven sprint through the canyons, moving north and planning to circle west. Coming near to a junction, we pause and I check seismic... Paydirt. I send a signal; the Orion & Crab disengage down a ramp, while the T-Bolt, Wyvern, and Vindicator jump forwards but down into canyon, shielding them from direct fire from the mountain. The Firestarter joining them just in time for the four of them to meet the opfor Wolverine, Guillotine, Jenner, & Javelin. They start firing, while I come around a junction at the far end and alpha-strike the Guillotine’s rear. Trapped, it and the Wolverine don’t last long. The Jenner & Javelin jump up and away after searing off half the Raven’s armor.
We then retreat farther away through the canyons, being up 8-6. Monitoring seismics, I watch the 6 remaining foes cluster together, and cautiously advance across the mesas, using jumpjets to leap across the canyons...moving a bit south of us. The eight of us set up in a firing line down below, and, knowing where to look, turn the virtual left side of the Jenner to electronic slag when it leaps into view, disabling it. The odds are eight to five at that point. Lt. Colonel Chan and his two remaining pilots are flat-out better than I am, and better than most of my Command lance - I can tell by how they move and react - but the Raven degrades their automatic targeting aids enough that we are able to put shots on target about as much as they are. I'm able to use my Cataphract's extra speed to be "not where they are aiming" a few times when they practice "pop and shoot," and their Javelin is overheated by my Firestarter, then popped while disabled. Wearing them down over a tense half-hour, the two remaining Dragoon 'Mechs disengage, surrendering the field to us.
I smile inside my neurohelmet. I did it. I used ECM, seismics, and communication relays that they did not have, but I was able to pull out a victory. I suspect it'd break down against a large-scale Clan unit charging through incautiously, but in a battle of equals - I end up with one killed 'Mech, 3 half-disabled 'Mechs, and a lot of armor damage on my side for 6 downed foes.
We rendezvous at the main lake a couple of kilometers away for a post-battle assessment and discussion. Chan looks satisfied. His initial comments after greeting me are: "Good performance. If we'd been more aggressive initially, you would not have been able to pull off that trick, nor would it have worked if we had air or satellite cover to spot your location. I was surprised how well you kept track of our location, also." He raises an eyebrow.
"Lt. Colonel, I simply used all my available options to the best possible extent. CCAF has long had to make do with lighter forces and cunning on the battlefield versus, say, the weight of metal or high-tech weaponry. The Red Lancers are not trained to fight as our foes fight, though. I look forward to learning your experience and your exposure to a wider breadth of combat doctrines and tactics."
It's mid-afternoon, and my Javelin pilot who made the mistake of getting overheated gets dispatched to pick up the pallet of supplies and luggage dropped off with the Dragoon 'Mechs. By the time he returns, it's suppertime, and I mostly sit back and watch the Mechwarrior talk between the older mechjocks in my unit and the younger Dragoons. Chan's the only one over the age of 50.
After we're finished eating, I wash my own mess kit and motion for the Lt. Colonel to go for a walk with me along the beach...
Next time: I have enough self-control to not ask "How's the weather on Strana Mechty?"