Foresight (ATwT) Chpt 6

Strike Lance Deployment, West Sopron
Metter, Minette Operational Area
Crucis March, Federated Suns
3rd February 3101
Piloting his Shadow Hawk Eric still felt his hangover from the Chronicle of Battles three nights before. The reintroduction of the ceremony had helped bind the Devils together more than ever unlike a traditional Chronicle which told stories of Clan Nova Cat’s history and had the occasion of Nova Cats sacrificing their vineers over the ceremonial fire Anna Devalis had instructed that it be a party and that locals were invited in by the unit. She’d ordered that the only stories told were those that fit the Devils cover story of being a unit that had served in the periphery for years if Davion intelligence ever infiltrated one of these parties they’d be able to cross check the Devils information against those that would match a unit that served in Taurian service and had helped defend against Clan Nova Cat attacks, a unit of Battalion strength that was still serving in the region and had been implanted into the Taurian region years before. Why the Devils were now a separate outfit was up to anyone else to decide but it was an entirely plausible explanation. The Chronicles were also happening on a different scale and pace than traditional events with Anna Devails ordering the unit to hold one with each deployment bringing their unique party to each place they landed and alloying hundreds of civilians into each event.
Some of the unit had joked that the Devalis Devils should become a party tour operation bringing joy to the Inner Sphere one settlement at a time. Now however they were doing their regular job patrolling searching for the pirates who had arrived the day before and begun operations the Devils’ aerospace fighters had located their DropShips now it was down to Eric and his lance mates to locate the ground forces.
Glancing out of the ferroglass cockpit window he saw MechWarrior Kathryn Nova Cat’s Black Hawk move alongside his own the hunched over BattleMech showing none of the damage which had left it crippled on the battlefield and in the Devils’ hands. Kathryn had served as the Mech’s tech for several months and now was officially the pilot of the Mech in his lance. While they were all Nova Cats by birth due to the Devils cover story only Kathryn was allowed to keep her Nova Cat name the others, except for Anna Devails who still held her Bloodname, lived each day with a fake surname which had been picked out of a hat. Eric classed himself as a lucky man Storm was simple a couple of the others like Inokashira or Gunnarsdóttir were mouthfuls to get used to as Anna Devails’ XO Eric had to file fake pay records for each of them to show where the Devils were spending their pay checks should they ever be audited by their employers, it was a part of the job he hated but a necessary part of it and one the Nova Cat Watch had planned for and included in the unit’s extra training.
Crossing over a small fenced area the Shadow Hawk’s sensors suddenly pinged into life “Angel to Lucifer One, contact with eastern elements enemy forces.” he communicated seeing an Anubis light BattleMech run into range launching long range missiles at its maximum range one of the missiles striking his Shadow Hawk’s torso while the others slammed into the fence they’d just crossed through smashing it to pieces. Eric returned fire with his own long-range missiles which completely missed the fast moving enemy target he saw Kathryn was also in position to fire but had not fired. “Angel to Novacat, let him have it.” he commanded.
“Aff” Kathryn replied she was reluctant to engage multiple targets as willingly as other members of the unit were. Unlike them her training had been along Clan lines where combining fire was frowned on and seen as dishonorable, now in the Inner Sphere she needed to learn that it was all or nothing. The Black Hawk dropped its crosshairs over the Anubis and let rip with both torso mounted large lasers both of which hit the Anubis squarely in the chest Eric combined with her to hit the target with more long range missiles and this time adding in his ultra-autocannon. The excessive a damage was too much for the light Mech which staggered and fell to the ground just as Everardo Gout’s long-range missiles also slammed into and around the light Mech the pilot ejected from the stricken BattleMech and was out of the fight.
Next came a pair of heavier Mechs a Catapult and an Uziel “Angel to Novacat, take the Uziel, Tabbycat we take the Catapult!” He commanded smirking as he did he knew Evarardo hated the callsign even more than his fake surname.
“Confirmed” Gout responded triggering his paired long-range missile launchers at the target showering the Catapult with thirty missiles even as the Catapult targeted them with its own paired long-range missiles and paired autocannons the majority of the Catapult’s thirty missiles slammed into Eric’s Shadow Hawk quickly followed by the autocannons. Armour all across his Shadow Hawk was shredded by the assault while the autocannons pinked further away causing Eric to stumble and almost fall under the assault glancing at his systems, he saw his own long-range missile system was destroyed as was one of his medium lasers in the attack. Triggering the ammunition dump for the long-range missile launcher he glanced back at the Catapult again seeing that Everardo had hit the Catapult again with long range missile fire adding in his large laser causing the Catapult to re-evaluate targets and launch an attack against the heavier target.
“Tabbycat, keep him busy!” Eric ordered running his Mech around the targets avoiding the long-range slugging match between the Uziel and Kathryn’s Black Hawk he ran quickly towards the rear of the Catapult which was distracted by the assaults by the Argus. The two Mechs matched each other in size and speed with the autocannons of the Catapult bringing the Mech close to matching the Argus in raw firepower as well but Eric’s Shadow Hawk shout tip the balance even in its damaged state. Continuing his run, he got behind the larger Catapult and aligned his remaining weapons triggering the short-range missiles, autocannon and remaining laser into the back of the Catapult. “Should watch your back!” He called out triumphantly seeing the damage wrought on the heavy Mech’s internal systems only to feel the tap of a heavy strike on his Shadow Hawk’s back as the fourth Mech of the enemy lance revealed itself the stealth armored Snake BattleMech which had stayed out of sight until Eric’s attack on the Catapult. The assault on the thin rear armor of the Shadow Hawk was devastating penetrating the armor and ripping through the internal structure blowing through ammunition bins in the process. The Shadow Hawk’s CASE system activated saving the Mech but also catapulting Eric clear of his Mech as the BattleMech’s systems made it clear the Shadow Hawk was dead as he flew across the battlefield he left his two lance mates to the battle they were outnumbered but before they left his view Eric saw Kathryn defeat the Uziel which would even the odds significantly.
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Hours later Eric was in the medical bay of their DropShip when Everardo and Kathryn entered “my victorious lancemates, well done” he greeted them.
“How is the leg?” Everardo asked glancing at his encased leg.
“Broken from the landing, I was never very good at landing those damned things.” Eric answered “It will heal but the old-fashioned way no short cuts.” He said referring to Clan medical techniques which would have cut his healing time to only a few days instead of the weeks he’d now have to go through.
“Plenty time to do paperwork then” Everardo teased him “I am glad it will heal”
“Aff, it will give us time to repair your new Mech.”
“New Mech?” Eric asked looking at them confused he knew his Shadow Hawk had been destroyed even the CASE systems were not enough to stop the extra damage done by the Snake’s attack.
“Affirmative” Kathryn answered “it will take us weeks to repair it but we believe we should be able with the other salvage we took today.”
“What other Mech?” Eric asked frustrated by their non-answers.
“The Snake, combined with salvage taken from your Shadow Hawk and the Anubis we believe we can come up with something for you.” Everardo answered finally ending the game “What you did not think we would leave you dispossessed, Quineg?” Everardo asked in Clan speak Kathryn could get away with such at any time and in the confines of their own DropShip so could they “remember Eric we are not any other mercenary unit.”
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“Aff, thank you, Tabbycat” Eric said deciding to tease the other man equally a scowl played on his face for a moment and he faked a swing of a punch at Eric but stopped.
“Watch your mouth or once your healed we’ll have to sort it like old.” He joked Everardo and Eric had worked together for years the teasing and threats would never come to anything and they both knew it; Kathryn would learn their ways whether she liked it or not they were Nova Cats but they were also Devils.
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