Take it to the Mountains
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Time: Morning at Fetladral Cliff
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The News.
Fetladral Cliff makes preparations to retaliate against recent attacks on their base. Attacking bandits had succeeded in stealing supplies in the past few days. Their latest attack cost the base one Warrior, a Nova.
The Forces.
Its was decided that Whongus would lead one of his Stars into the mountains to seek out the marauding Mechs and eliminate them.
Star Commander Terrik Malthus would be allowed to enter the battle if things became out of hand. But for the most part she would serve as a recorder of the incident.
Star Captain Whongus Hazen stood before his gathered star. The assembled group was ready and seemed eager to fight, even though they faced only a dishonorable pack of bandits, and there was no honor to gain from battling them.
Now it was time to begin the counter attack. Whongus ordered his Star to turn toward the Ingar Range. The rugged rocks stood proudly against the clear sky. They began to march out to head up the mountains. The climb was rocky, the place littered with erratic boulders, a precarious place for a Mech's feet. For Whongus it was nothing much. What he dreaded most was being in battles with nothing to back up behind, and no hard hitters to take the main flak. It was not out of dishonor, it was the role of his type of Mech; Being a scantily armored support Mech, a Mad Dog Prime, it was only wise to stay in the back and make pot-shots while the main force is attacking ahead. It pleased Whongus that the landscape was blessed with many angles of hills, or outcrops to vanish behind, but it was also a disadvantage since the enemy could also hide behind these features.
They continued climbing, vegetation became less and less, more sparse, with shortening vegetation, and increasly open as they ascended in altitude, yet there was still plenty of projecting rocks and coniferlike trees. The mountain they climbed was not as high as many of the others. In this chilly summer morning the top of the mountain had little snow on it. Taller peaks held spots of snow, and even a few held a pocket with a small receded glacier or two. Whongus Hazen's Star of Mechs trotted alertly until they were near the upper part of the mountain. The mountain was quiet, and not a trace of enemies. Then, they detected a Mech engine power up from the direction of rock outcrops higher up the mountain than them.
From the behind the silhoette of the mountain a Warhawk peeked out and discharged PPCs at Dathon the Hellbringer, then began backing up and fired PPCs and LRMs at the Timber Wolf named Warstorm who also fired her PPCs back, and launched SRMs at the Warhawk. Whongus locked his LRMs fired on the Warhawk but some only hit rocks as the assault Mech stayed close to the mountain. It was obvious it was female, they being more common of Warhawks, and by the fact of the easily indentifiable external genitals that Warhawks are well-known for. Whongus noticed some problems about the Warhawk. She was a little lighter weight looking than normal, and had a weakly developed right arm most likely from a youth of poor resources. He fired the last volley he could before the retreating Mech disappeared behind the other side of the mountain. Warstorm was up there and closest to the Warhawk's position and she waited. The Hellbringer had not got many good shots from his position. The Fire Moth, Mikail was already trying to sneak around to get a closer view to harass the Warhawk. Lynn, a Shadow Cat, was behind Dathon, ready to attack.
Suddenly from behind Warstorm there was a Mech power-up, and a Storm Crow charged at her with lasers blazing. She turned to face the quickish Mech, and Dathon and Lynn began to fire on it because it was more in the open from their positions. Whongus with some studying identified it as a male. Two weeks ago this same Mech with a flaming dragon artwork and 21 under its shoulder had been spotted in some nearby hills mating with a Shadow Cat. Whongus fired his large pulse lasers on the running Mech, and began to turn as he saw the Warhawk begin to move forward from her hiding spot. She fired PPCs on him, and he began to back up while he fired his lasers, his LRMs failed to lock while he was being shot by PPCs. The Warhawk's LRM though did lock, and Whongus fled for a rock outcrop as they trailed his way, and most of the LRMs missed him and slammed into the projecting rock formation.
Lynn charged into a circular path around the Storm Crow while she dodged between trees and rocks. The Warhawk began firing on Dathon and he began backing against the mountains to decrease his profile and merge it to the features of the mountain from the Warhawk's view, but he did not escape the guns of the attacking Shadow Cat.
Whongus moved forward just enough to lock onto the Warhawk again. He fired on her as she tried to harass Warstorm and the Dathon the Hellgringer. She fired over and over again on Warstorm who became backed into a corner between rocks. Warstorm broke off from the Storm Crow battle which became at a bad angle to her and switched interest into the Warhawk who also was dealing with a pesty Fire Moth attacking her hind quarters. Warstorm fired a volley of SRMs and also her PPCs. The Warhawk took heavy damage to the front, but fired retaliating PPCs while turning away and heading to the other side of the mountain. Warstorm took no time and immediately followed. Whongus fired his Large pulse lasers but could not get a good angle for LRMs.
Mikail the Fire Moth fired his lasers and missiles at the Warhawk, being ever wary to stay behind her, but that became difficult with the terrain she backed up to. The Fire Moth altered direction, and ran around to the front, allowing him to fire at more enemies if possible but the angle to the Warhawk becomes bad. He changed course again and while Warstorm was battle-dancing close up the the Warhawk, he charged and fired on the Warhawk.
Suddenly he felt a sting in his back. From behind, a Shadow Cat managed to glance him in the back. Lucky for him the shot was not complete, or he could be dead. This Shadow Cat fired two lasers again but did not bother with streaks for they would not hit such a speedy Mech, instead the Shadow Cat fired the missiles on the Hellbringer who was having the upper hand on the Storm Crow. The Shadow Cat switched to Lynn and fired 2 large lasers on her. Lynn separated from the Storm Crow, and headed for the new combatant to the fray. Not long ago in this battle the Storm Crow had led her to a mine field. She had stepped on one, taking a good amount of damage to a leg. But she had managed to jump over the rest. She and Dathon by now had to be cautious where to step, and also had less maneuvering options. Dathon had not stepped on anything. Since being made aware that mines where in the area when Lynn took damage, he had become cautious of each step he took, prefering to take steps on more rocky areas.
Mikail shot at the Storm Crow several more times but did not get close since he did not want to step on unfamiliar areas. He began to help Lynn fight the other Shadow Cat as he intended to head back to the Warhawk. He suceeded in ruining the Cat's missile lock which was already difficult enough to get. He fired missiles and lasers, then headed for the Warhawk who was obviously heated up. As he did so he saw Warstorm following the Warhawk up the mountain grade, and higher up, from behind the hill he saw a form rising just after he detected a new power-up on his sensors.
Whongus was startled. He knew he smelled something odd, but he did not think it could be that close. Then he saw the new Mech introduce itself with guns blazing. He was disappointed he had not smelled it correctly. During this fight, most scents of Mechs did not come his way because of the prevailing winds from the opposite direction.
He watched in horror as this Mech fired its twin Ultra AC 20's at Warstorm who was charging on the Warhawk. He watched her upper body reel back as vast amounts of material was ripped from her front and side torsos, then her right side missile launchers exploded after being torn open. He saw Warstorm turn and maneuver frantically, blinded and startled. This new Mech was different. He identified now that it was a sexless nonliving Mech piloted by a human.
Whongus tried with difficulty to get a lock on the HunchbackIIC. He watched as Warstorm raised a leg and kicked out before the Hunckback fired again. It was a smart move. Her thrusting kick succeeded in damaging its leg some while at the same time offbalancing the Mech and deflecting its aim, wasting to the air the lastest shots it fired and intended for her. The Warhawk, had now cooled from her heating and turned to take aim at Warstorm. Whongus began to move seeking to a new position.
Lynn glanced from her running dance with the other Shadow Cat that she was trying to keep from attacking Dathon who took a lot of damage but was winning over the fierce and skilled but often outnumbered Storm Crow. The Warhawk fired on Warstorm, and Lynn saw the Hunchback2C begin to take aim again. She switched her aim from the other Shadow Cat, and turned it to the Hunchback2c. She fired the gauss rifle. But before it hit she saw the Hunchback fire again. The shots demolished Warstorm's left arm as she was trying to maneuver away from the attacking Mech.
Whongus stopped, finally the HunchbackIIC was in the open and Warstorm away from it. He launched a volley of LRMs. They streamed toward the HunchbackIIC. He next fired his pulse lasers at its shoulder-mounted gun pods.
Meanwhile Mikail had been at his best trying to keep to the Warhawk's rear, and distracting her from Warstorm. The Warhawk had been hesitant to disengage from the desperate Timber Wolf, but she was getting sick of the damage she was taking to the knees and other joints. She began to back up as if ready to move to a better position to fire on Warstorm. Instead she turned in a direction that Mikail was not expecting, and he had not been maneuvered to counter. The Warhawk expected it and took advantage of it and fired her left arm PPCs. One hit and tripped the fast moving Fire Moth. The Warhawk became suddenly uninterested in the others battling as she now had the opportunity to kill the Fire Moth. She aimed and waited for her left arm PPC barrels to recharge. Then she suddenly flinched as two pulse lasers unexpectedly cut into her gun pods. She peered left, and saw the Mad Dog who was now firing a volley of LRMs at her companion HunchbackIIC.
The Hunchback was trying to head behind terrain for cover against Whongus's missiles. The missiles pummeled its back but it twisted its torso in time before its rear armor could take critical damage. The Warhawk aimed and fired her now recharged left arm PPCs. She was most likely angered as the Fire Moth rose before it could take the full blow of the shots and die. Instead, its left arm and shoulder was incinerated to slag, as it began to accelerate in an ungainly fashion uncharacteristic of a Fire Moth in control.
By now Dathon's opponent was getting quite weak. His legs were slowed from many glances by Dathon's PPCs. He also had taken lots of blows to the upper torso from Dathon and Warstorm's PPCs and from Lynn's SRMs. His legs became slow and less responsive, and his arms were critical. He had managed his heat well during the fight, and had concentrated most of his fire on Dathon. He had succeeded in taking out the PPC in Dathon's left arm, and heavily damaging the other, but flak from Dathon and the other Mechs attacking him had taken a great toll on his physical well being. Lucky for him his companion Shadow Cat was now circling and assaulting the Hellringer. The two exchanged Streak SRMs, and the Shadow Cat eagerly attacked the Hellbringer's torso mounted lasers. She then careened around behind him and jumped into the air. On her descent she flew right toward him. He ducked but the Shadow Cat still approached, and impacted his right arm with her landing feet. She bounced off, and turned her torso to look back at him, and saw the damage to his arm, it was now nearly useless.
The Storm Crow had meanwhile maneuvered to a more guarded spot where he waited for an opportunity to fire from safety.
Whongus had been trying to move his position to a better place when he saw the Storm Crow retreat, and the Shadow Cat take his place in fighting Dathon. He saw the Storm Crow sitting alone and separated firing its medium lasers at the armless Hellbringer. Whongus fired his large pulse lasers on one of its badly damaged arms. It did not take long for the weapon to be destroyed and melt off and separate from the sparking elbow. He concentrated his aim on the other arm and did similar but the Mech turned and headed away before he could finish it. Instead he finished his fire on its retreating rear end. Whongus began to move to find a better position to engage the battle.
Mikail retreated to a safe place. His gyros were badly damaged and he had difficulty with coordination because he had to concentrate to remain balanced. He requested Whogus permission to leave the battle. He was near useless with his impaired running, one laser, and he had expended his missiles, and he did not want to waste his life at the hands of bandits. Whongus granted it, and the Fire Moth headed for a group of projecting rocks. He huddled behind them as close as possible, and crouched, then powered down.
Whongus returned his aim to the Shadow Cat as she continued to strafe at the Hellbringer, intermittemtly using her jump jets to dodge his missiles or get better angles to shoot on him. Whongus fired all his lasers on her as she jumped and he watched the missile launcher on her back open up from his concentrated fire on it. He saw the Shadow Cat return to the ground with its back smoking and flaming.
Whongus continued on and let them battle because Warstorm was up there hidden from view as were the Hunchback2C and the Warhawk. He lost all communication contact with Warstorm, and he did not know where Lynn was though he did recently hear echoes from her Gauss Rifle several times.
After Warstorm had disappeared from view she had kicked the Hunchback again and was surprised to see it lose balance and fall over. She took that opportunity to stomp on its shoulder. It had gotten back up and tried to jump and turn to face her and fire its deadly guns, but she fired her remaining PPC and the pilot ejected probably fearing that his Mech's engine would explode. Luckily for Warstorm it did not, or she would have taken a lot of damage from the blast. Lynn had helped to fight the Hunchback and had succeeded in ruining its shots on Warstorm, but by now she was already circling around the Warhawk and pestering it. She watched the Hunchback pilot's chute descending down in the distance, and saw a particle bolt race upward and looked in that direction. There was a second that she saw a glimpse of a flying Shadow Cat.
The Warhawk and Shadow Cat were engaged in a dance of death. Warstorm could tell that the Warhawk had hit Lynn. Her left arm Medium Laser was blackened and useless, and her torso was also damaged. Warstorm fired her PPC at the Warhawk. Surprisingly the Warhawk had seen Warstorm coming an amazingly dodged the particle beam by ducking while in mid step. But that was not the end. Warstorm still had some missiles left. She locked and fired at the Warhawk. The Mech seemed almost fearful and began to move away from Warstorm and toward a rock formation. Some of the missiles hit the Rocks. Warstorm detected something from behind. She felt the sting of medium lasers as the Storm Crow, on an outcrop, peeked from behind a rock wall. Using her remaining rear launcher the young Timber Wolf locked the missiles without turning around. She then turned and fired and locked the forward firing missiles. She fired the forward missiles while watching the previous volley from the rear launcher hitting the Storm Crow in front. The next volley impacted him, and he lost balance and fell from his high spot and landed on his side. He was not giving up yet. While still lying down he fired the lasers in the higher arm and shot Warstorm as she continued toward the Warhawk and fired her PPC. The Warhawk's arm was smoking, and all her missiles were expired. Warstorm locked her forward missiles again and unloaded them on the Warhawk. The Warhawk turned but was too late. Her left arm was badly damaged. She fired her weak arm into the damaged areas of Warstorm's torso. Warstorm uncontrollably bent forward, like a person kicked hard in the guts, bowing to the shock of the damage and pain. Another blow came to her back from the Storm Crow but she was too overwelmed by the previous torso damage to do anything.
Lynn took this Victory on the Warhawk's part to use the large Mech's distraction of joy, to mount a DFA attack. Warstorm was barely getting over the rain of confusion and sensor damage that the Warhawk had done to her. She heard a big thump to her right from Lynn landing on the Warhawk's shoulder and the remaining good arm. She heard Lynn's laser cutting at the Warhawk and she raised her view that was now clearing slightly and saw in the distance a familiar shape. A stream of missiles originated from it and headed for the Warhawk. The Mad Dog quickly marched forward and fired its pulse lasers into the Mech behind Warstorm. There was a snap of severed cables with electric current running through them. Whongus had cut the Storm Crow's good arm from its body.
Whongus looked at the Storm Crow in its pitiful state. He figured that on its better skill and judgements that it was possibly the leader of this bandit group. Whongus stopped. He spoke, "I am Star Captain Whongus Hazen of the 91st Wolf Guards of Clan Storm Wolf. Your band of theives is beaten. Do you wish to fight on and die, or do you decide to become my prisoners and subject to Clan Storm Wolf? I will treat you well, even being the stravags that you are. You fought with surprising skill and honor, considering your vile freeborn backgrounds." Lynn jumped to a higher rock to get a better view of what was going on. She then stepped one foot forward, and looked and at the same time aiming her now expended gauss rifle and remaining laser at the wounded Warhawk, and relaxing slightly for the first time since the fight.
Warstorm watched Whongus through the mist of her damaged optics and screaming damage warnings. For the first time Whongus got a good view of Warstorm's damage. He saw the huge tears in her gutted torsos, the exploded missile launchers, and the missing arm sheared off from the shoulder.
The Storm Crow lay silent for passing moments. The Warhawk turned to look at him, barely able to see him from her spot. Whongus spoke, "Your band is defeated. Your mating companion lies pinned beneath a Hellbringer's knee, your human piloted Mech lies on the mountaintop with its hatch open, and your larger friend is disarmed as you are.
The Storm Crow was quiet, then he spoke in a quiet and soft voice, "I am Kumah the Fire Dragon of the Mountain Tribe. I have no better choice. I surrender my forces to your arrogant Clan." The Warhawk stiffened on hearing the words but did not try anything rash.
Minutes later Star Commander Terrik Malthus approached with the bandit Shadow Cat walking before her. The armless Dathon followed them. He could also see Mikail's one arm rising from below the edge of the mountain. Mikail continued into view until he reached the others, and stopped awkwardly, almost falling forward. Upon seeing the damage to her comrades, the Shadow Cat seemed to want turn and run, but she held back the urges. Lynn looked down at the tiny human being held delicately in Shadow Cat's hand.
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Whongus looked on as Warstorm, Mikail, and Dathon headed together toward the aerodropship, the bandits were also taken. All would be repaired. He moved his gaze to the Storm Crow who had been unable to get up on his own. He was aided by a Clan Mech and was limping. The Shadow Cat continued to carry the human Mechwarrior until she boarded the ship. He was lowered from her hand and boarded after he was taken my some human Elementals. Two Mechs awkwardly carried the Hunchback2C into the dropship, while several vehicles sped by, hauling detatched Mech limbs that were recovered following the battle. The Warhawk proceeded on needing no help, but looked miserable anyway. Whongus knew she did not like being a captive, but he figured that her life might become more healthy in now being a part of the Clan.
Whongus had not taken nearly as much damage as Warstorm, Mikail, and Dathon. Whongus twisted his torso anround, and the turned his legs in the direction and recentered his torso as he stepped forward and stood. He looked at Lynn. Terrik stood further in the distance behind her. The Shadow Cat alertly twisted her torso in his direction, and began to run his way. She activated her jump jets and lunged into the air. The quick Mech aimed her trajectory toward a tall spiring rock, and in an act of skill, she landed nimbly on it with not much room for both feet. She looked at him with a look that reminisced of a raptor settled on a vertical tree stump ready to take off and stoop prey. She stood there looking his way with her damaged laser, and ammo depleted gauss rifle projecting like semi unfolded wings.
Whongus took another look at the dropship, and at the landscape. The others would be brought on the dropship that was headed for Chuuen's moon where it would wait for a jumpship bringing in supplies for the base. The Mechs would be repaired on board the dropship, and Whongus would have a break from Warstorm's irritating personality.
Whongus Hazen looked again toward the remaining MechWarrior of his Star. He began to slowly walk toward her. She straightened her legs to the torso and gripped the rock tighter. The birdlike Mech then let go and leaped lightly from the rock, landed, and headed for Whongus. He continued forward and expressed through his walk and posture what he could of a Mech aproximation of a grin. Lynn aproached faster and looked like a killing machine as she did so.
The two closed in, and Whongus was already more than ready to mate, his now exposed genitals proved the point. Whongus had no problem mating with a Shadow Cat if it was not an immature one, though he did have a preferance for other Mad Dogs. After coupling the three Mechs would return to the base, and those who needed it would be repaired.
Wind began to pick up, as did the blast from the dropship lauching into space. Whongus Hazen and Lynn enjoyed each other, and the big Star Commander Terrik Malthus would soon have her turn, as the clouds began to increase, indicating incoming storms on their way.
by CSH_WarhawkFire
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