FRS Chpt 12

==Falcon Rising - Chapter 12 -==
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===Asserting Command===
One week later…Federated Commonwealth Space
The Trial of Position for command of Darya's old star was much smaller than the one that She had participated in a week prior.
 
But all the same, I had chosen augmented combat, and Roshak had shown up with a knife.
 
The man still had bruises from the previous Trial, and it was clear that he wasn't fully recovered.
 
But all the same, he had fifty years on me, and as I had learned a long time ago, it only takes a few seconds for a grown man, even one who was beat up to cross thirty yards.
 
So I blinked and he was about to stab me, the knife headed for my stomach before I shifted out of the way and snapped a fist into his face.
 
Roshak grunted as he shifted with the blow before bringing the knife around and into my arm, the blade carving a bloody furrow through my right bicep before I snapped my arm down around the hand that held the knife.
 
Driving my left palm into his wrist, I forced him to drop the knife onto the ground below. Then he withdrew his hand and drove his elbow into my ribs and I felt something give before I snapped a kick into his leg, the already weakened ligament giving way as I wrapped an arm around his throat and pulled tight, weathering his blows until he finally stilled.
 
"Damn," I glanced at my bicep, a wince forming as I looked at the wide line running through the tattoo.
 
The worst part was, I wouldn't be able to get it fixed. Tattoos weren't a common thing in the Clans, and those few that existed were normally small things.
 
"Roshak," I said after the Trueborn finally woke up. "You are a good warrior, but you have much to learn. If you are willing to learn from my instruction, you will find yourself more capable, quiaff?" 
 
"Aff," he blinked rapidly, his brain catching up to what was happening. "I have been found wanting and will submit to your authority."
 
"Come on," I extended a hand. "I will introduce you to the rest of the Star. And then we will work on the rest."
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===Preparing for Operations!===
"There will be limited support from orbit and aerospace wings on this op. " Darya informed us as she moved her rebuilt Adder out of the Overlord C that had recently set down, the escorting fighters still fighting off the enemy ASF overhead. "The defenders have fallen back and we aren't aware of there position at the moment. But regardless, we are to avoid damaging the mines as much as possible. Their contents will assist the Clan in maintaining our Touman. Now, sound off."
"Beta Star, ready status?," I queried.
 
"Elemental point, Ready op.", Point Commander Eustace reported.
 
"This is Roshak, Ready op.", The Mad Dog was kitted out in Alternate Configuration S, as we wanted to prevent logistical strains.
 
"Liliana, Ready op.", Her Hellbringer was slightly modified from the Prime Configuration, the machine guns having been stripped along with the ammunition for extra armor after the events on Leskovic.
 
"James, Ready op.", the last Mechwarrior reported.
 
"Star Captain, this is Beta Star, we are Ready Op." reported, my 'Hammer moving forward at a steady pace, my point of Elementals clinging onto handholds that had been welded on.
 
"Trinary is ready op." Darya reported. "Be advised, the warriors of this world have refused our batchall. They may attempt to ambush us."
 
"Keep your heads on a swivel and your sensors on," I informed my Star. "No one wants a repeat of the gas explosion, quiaff?"
 
"Aff," the Star repeated.
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===New Directive===
"Contact!" I reported. "I have fast movers on sensors, looks like they are heading for us."
 
"No ID on what kind of hovercraft they are, the Warbooks are coming up blank" Roshak reported. "They appear to be of shoddy manufacture."
"We got an ID on the weapons they're packing?" I asked.
"Neg," was the last response before the hovercraft were on top of us.
 
Twisting my torso around, I watched the massive tracer rounds of an AC/20 pass over my shoulder when the hovercraft passed by, the Elementals holding on seemed frozen before one jumped onto the hovercraft as it passed, the laser on its wrist eating away at the craft.
 
At the same time, Liliana's Hellbringer nearly fell to the ground as a burst from two autocannon stripped the armor from the legs, her only saving grace that some of the fire missed.
 
As the last of the craft passed, James, Roshak, and I fired our long range weapons, my PPCs swatting one out of the sky as the other two each targeting others, their targets spinning out of control before hitting the ground.
 
Then, the fourth of the eight hovercraft began smoking, and an Elemental leapt from the wreckage as the craft spun out, his jump jets carrying him back to the handhold on my 'Hammer.
 
"Liliana, status!" I barked.
 
"Armor state red," she reported. "I can see daylight through parts of my armor."
 
"Pull back for a rearmor" I ordered. "And try to doge next time, you are not in an Atlas and able to rank hits like that, quiaff?"
 
"Aff," she responded. "Pulling back now."
 
"What about the rest of the fast movers?" Roshak asked. "Should we not pursue?"
 
"They are being handled," I replied as distant explosions sounded. "The Star Captain assigned us to our position for a reason.
 
A flurry of LRMs erupted from over the horizon, and distant explosions erupted as the other four hovercraft we dealt with.
 
"Good kills, quiaff?" I asked Darya.
 
"Aff, Beta, we have solid kills. Gamma Trinary, begin sweep for more sensor contacts. We have yet to fully eradicate the rats that have overrun the mines."
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===Taking the Initiative===
Star Colonel Pryde considered the information before her and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to stave off a headache.
 
The mines were a thorn in her side, the local defenders had moved all of their gear deep inside and could not be detected until they popped out to fight. Her galaxy was whittling them down over time, but they had stalled out here over the last several weeks.
 
"We cannot afford to remain here for long," Marthe muttered as she considered the Wave 5 plans. "But we also cannot have such an enemy remain to attack us."
 
"I will take to the field, perhaps we can lure them out with the appropriate bait…" Marthe muttered, standing from her desk and heading for the 'mech bay. "After all, pests are always caught with the right trap."
 
Stepping out of her office, she headed for the 'Mech bay, Theseus hungered for a solid battle.
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