Hello! I was able to come to this event and had a blast! Thanks for hosting!
I have written a short story of my perspective of the battle. I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies in lore or names; I'm pretty new to the Battletech scene.
I'd like to thank Youngblood for inspiration, and letting me use his poem in my story. Hope you enjoy. :)
Edit: A few minor lore corrections.
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Rong-Ping Sariyah worked with his mechanics on the foot actuator of his HGN-740. He found working with his hands was conducive to thinking. His green & black Hiritsu Highlander loomed over him, casting a long shadow over the garage and into the grassy field beyond. Sariyah reflected on the recent briefing for tomorrow's mission.
It’s a trap. It’s so obviously a trap. How does Command not see that? Jade Falcons don’t just show up on New Earth to leave their mechs defenseless in open air mechbay gantries. It feels foolhardy to rush into battle when our recon is so limited. And what was with the part about “extra stipends and marks for those Mechwarriors who kill Bloodnamed Clanners”? They provided exactly zero intel on who the bloodnamed might be. How can I aim for an enemy when I don’t know who he is? This whole mission is completely borked and we’re not even on the field yet. This whole mission is far too risky just for the chance to destroy a few mechbay gantries.
The sound of arguing drew Sariya out of his introspection. He recognised the voice of Chang Li, the liaison to New Earth’s local defense force.
“The NEPD is willing to offer you 4 Battlemechs to assist in your raid against the Clans tomorrow. If the Clans are here, is it our sworn duty to-”
Chang Li was cut off by a gruff voice. Sariyah’s face soured at the sound of Sergeant Sang-wei Bo Transt.
“Sworn duty to get in the way, more like. Your Urbanmechs would be more hindrance than help. Stay home and play cops and robbers, and leave the real work to the Men of House Hiritzu.”
Chang Li fumed "Since the day you arrived, Sergeant Sang-wei, you have belittled us, and our profession. The officers of the New Earth Defence & Patrol are honor bound to defend not only New Earth, but the Capellan Confederation in whatever way it can. You may fight solely for pleasure, but we will live, fight and die with honor."
Sang-wei Bo Transt laughed "You? Honor? Ha! But you are right about one thing: if you fight tomorrow, you will certainly die. The Clanners will eat you for breakfast!"
Transt strode away, leaving Chang Li muttering to himself. Sariyah could have sworn he heard Li mutter "I'll show you the meaning of honor"
As Transt walked past Sariya, Sariyah kept his head down. Even though Transt was a fellow pilot in his Assault lance, any day where he didn’t interact with Transt was a good day. Transt continued on, not giving Sariya a second glance. Sariyah sighed in relief; today was a good day. He prayed tomorrow would be too.
— The following morning
Rong-Ping Sariyah sat in the cockpit of his Highlander HGN-740. Beside him was Transt's Atlas II AS7-DK-H. Their lance was filled out with Ko Chen in the Stalker STK-9F, and Hsin Tai in the Longbow LGB-14V. Sariyah knew Transt (though he wished he didn't), but had only done training exercises with Chen and Tai. This would be their first real mission together.
They were surrounded by three other lances, he glanced at some of the 'mechs around him. Marauder 2, Thunder, Hunchback, Centurion, Rifleman. Sariyah felt comforted by the presence of his fellow Mechwarriors. Even if this was a trap, they would have plenty of firepower to strike back.
The surrounding landscape belied the coming combat. Green hills rolled into shady vales. Wildflowers grew along the slopes, and a few clusters of trees dotted the landscapes. Sariya activated the external microphones of his 'mech and was pleased to hear the chirping of birds. It all seemed so serene.
The serenity was short lived though, as the birds gave way to static, and then to the voice of Transt. Sariya sighed.
"Hey Rong-Ping, you ready to punch some Clanners?"
"Hello, Transt, I-" started Sariya, but Transt cut him off.
"They won't know what hit them. Ha! When I heard there was intel about the Clan Mechbays, I pulled some strings to put high priority on this mission. You can thank ME that we're out here!"
Sariya sighed. He doubted that Transt was subtle enough to "pull strings", it probably had more to do with the fact that Transt's father was a General. Transt always seemed to get what he wanted.
"That's nice Transt, we really- " Sariya was cut off again, but not by Transt. His console beeped the go-sign. This was it. Sariya took a deep breath, and focused. His mech took a step.
—
The vale was still, the quiet pierced only by the occasional chirp of birds among the hills rising on each side. Without warning, deep thud interrupted the silence; then another, then another still until the resounding footsteps shook the earth with their impacts. The hills trembled, as the Battlemechs ran full bore down the shallow canyon. Birds abandoned their nests, and villagers of nearby towns steadied themselves against the vibrations.
—
Sariya's Highlander ran among the pack. Transt's Atlas was just in front of him, and Tai's Longbow just behind. Chen's Stalker was the slowest 'mech in the lance, and brought up the rear.
As they ran through the valley, Sariyah’s console pinged. A target was in sight. Just over a small rise in the hill, beyond a copse of distant trees, he could see the target. A Clan Nova Cat, completely immobilized in its gantry. Sariyah couldn't believe it. The intel was right! There wasn't a trap after all. Clan Jade Falcon would never leave a mech defenseless if they knew we were coming. He let off a volley from his LRM 20. As he watched, they joined a cloud of other LRMs and laser fire from his fellow mechwarriors. By the time they reached the target, it was hidden from his sight by a rise in the hill. Surely the Nova Cat couldn’t have survived such a strike. He ran on.
Sariya followed as Transt was the first through the trees at the end of the Vale. A live feed of Transt's perspective played on the console monitor. Sariya gasped. Not one, but 3 full Clan Stars, plus the Jade Falcons, who were now pulling free from their gantries. Sariya could see the gray Smoke Jaguars, the blue Snow Ravens, and the orange Wolf. Even though House Hiritzu had the numbers advantage, they were surly outgunned.
Sariyah’s mind raced. Time seemed to slow down. He was vindicated; it was a trap, but that no longer mattered. He watched a dozen events unfold as if in slow motion.
Ko Chen’s Stalker never made it through the vale. Looking behind him, Sariyah could see the Stalker, halfway up a hill, unable to climb further. Its pulse lasers were blasting full bore at whatever came close enough to target. Sariya could see the Stalker’s hardened armor turning red from heat. He worried for Chen, and prayed that he stay conscious in that oven.
Across the field, he saw the NEPD Urbanmechs engaging with the Nova Cat; which had not only survived, but freed itself from the scaffold and was proceeding to core one of the NEPD mechs. The rest would soon suffer the same fate. Sariyah commended their devotion to duty, and couldn’t help but be reminded of a story he heard about an ancient Earth assassin who gladly accepted a mission from which he would not return. There was a poem about him; Sariyah wished he could remember it.
Overhead the rear gunnery team fired barrage after barrage. The backline Archer filled the skies overhead with LRMs while the Warhammer split the smoke with autocannon fire.
A Phoenix Hawk, barely visible with its active stealth armor, fired its jump jets to scale a cliff and disable a Caldron-born from the rear.
As Transt emerged from the trees, the Clan 'mechs fired simultaneously. Sariya watched in horror as Transt's Atlas II evaporated. Transt's ejection system just began to launch as the assault mech was consumed in a fiery ball of plasma. The shockwave almost knocked his Highlander off his feet.
The world stopped, Sariya knew what he had to do.
Stepping onto the smoldering wreck of Transt’s Atlas II, he took the foremost position. A Smoke Jaguar Crossbow rushed him as he came out of the trees.
Perfect.
Launching a barrage of Streak SRMs, Medium Lasers, and MPods at the Crossbow, with the support of Ko Chen's Stalker and Hsin Tai's Longbow, the Clan Crossbow couldn’t survive. But Sariya knew, neither could he. The Clan ambush launched a second volley directly at him. If it could take down an Atlas II, it could take down his Highlander. Sariya closed his eyes. As klaxons filled his ears and his cockpit warmed, Sariyah remembered the poem.
The wind hows a mortal judgment,
its talons arrest the river as frigid down.
The stalwart fords the furious pale
as poisoned arrow loosed without rebound!
— Epilogue
Capellan Command Battle Report
Targets Destroyed
-6 Clan Mechs
-1 Clan Mechbay Gantry (of 3)
Losses
-4 House Hiritzu Mechs & pilots
-4 New Earth Patrol & Defence Urbanmechs & pilots
Mission Status
Tactical Loss - Rout
Analysis
The results of this battle are completely unacceptable. The mission criteria were left unfulfilled, as two mechbay gantries were left standing, and the loss of 4 skilled Hiritzu mechwarriors is beyond inadmissible. Additionally, the secret establishment of a Clan base on New Earth illuminates an amount of incompetence in the Capellan intelligence agency that cannot begin to be described. We are better than this. Taking such bait is beneath us. Furthermore, the loss of the entire NEPD mech force adds insult to injury. I recommend dishonorable discharge for the commander who approved this mission, and immediate plans drawn up to expel the Clans from New Earth. They must not be allowed to remain.
Glory to House Hiritzu,
From the office of General Li Si, Capellan Battlemech Command
