SotU Chpt 31

=Chapter 31=
==State of the Union==
Avalon city, New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth
20 July 3063
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Under Clovis and Daniel Holstein, the technical crews had worked through the night and as a result Peter's Mackie was fit for service... more or less.
Mount Davion was rearing up in easy view as Peter marched his Mackie forwards, crosshairs tracking across a red-and-black Centurion that was trying to shelter behind a very expensive apartment building. He fired his ER PPC and the wave of heat reminded him not to follow up with his large laser - the heatsinks simply couldn't cope with two extended range weapons firing at the same time.
His shot missed anyway, but the ultra autocannon blew the crest off the Centurion's head, damaging the sensors there.
A moment later, John Parker's Warhammer IIC hit the building right at the central foyer and simply crashed straight through. The tenants of the building would probably be horrified but eighty tons of metal was barely slowed and the NAIS professor placed the muzzle of one of his PPCs against the Centurion's chestplate and fired the charged particle beam directly through the armor and into the ammo bins behind.
Fortunately for the Mechwarrior within, the Centurion must have been refitted with CASE because the secondary explosions didn't gut the entire reactor. However, losing it's entire ammunition load would have left it of limited tactical value, even if the reactor shielding had survived.
As it was, the Robinson Ranger's Centurion spun through a quarter circle and then fell - left arm first - into the apartment block, doing more no doubt very expensive damage.
"We're almost there," Peter exclaimed as he moved past it and saw the government buildings ahead.
Cat's Mackie concerns were about them both being on the battlefield were secondary to pressing their current advantage was right behind his. "Almost only counts with horseshoes and hand grenades." she told him tersely.
"Then let's get inside and be done with the 'almost'." he told her and scanned the area. "There should be an entrance to the 'Mech hangers near the front gates."
The wall around the exterior of the Royal Court only looked small compared the state buildings beyond it and the gatehouse was suitably fortified, but there were almost fifty 'Mechs from the Fifth Royal Guards, Davion Assault Guards, and Team Banzai which let them make light work of the turrets, the heavy metal doors and the pair of Lyran Guards Demolishers that had been waiting in ambush between the inner and outer doors.
Peter and Catherine yielded to Conner Sortek's caution and held their 'Mechs back from the gates as the allied 'Mechs broke through. Their first warning that the attack had gone awry was the explosion of light and fire from behind then wall as the first 'Mech through the gate was obliterated.
"Get away from the walls!"
The source of the warning would have to be identified from Battle ROM's later. It came too late for some.
Little more than a second after the cry of warning, the sections of wall to either side of the gate crashed outwards and the attackers suddenly found themselves on the defensive, under fire from an equal number of black-and-grey painted 'Mechs as battle armored troops swarmed closer.
Those 'Mechs caught under the wall had been battered and knocked from their feet, but few were entirely out of action. That mercy ended as they took the first brunt of the assault.
Peter shouted in fury as he saw a Marauder II crushing one of the Royal Guards' 'Mechs into the ground with one foot. The enemy 'Mech lowered its arm and deliberately fired into the cockpit with the PPC and laser in one arm.
Raising his own weapons, Peter forgot all about heat control and hammered the black-and-grey Marauder II with everything he had. Sweat sprang from his brow and warning lights turned amber, while the bird-like 'Mech seemed to shrug off his fire.
Catherine added her own fire to the attack, but the rest of the attack force were caught up now in their own struggle - 'Mechs battling in twos and threes at most while battle armor scurried around their feet. Lyran made suits of quadrupedal armored Fenris suits, firing pulse lasers or machine guns into vulnerable ankles.
One pack of the suits charged towards the siblings but PPC bolts lashed out from one side, executing the first pair and forcing the rest to move more cautiously. Flicking his eyes to one side, Peter saw the fire had come from John Parker's Warhammer IIC.
That distraction cost the Mechwarrior, for a lumbering assault 'Mech - something the warbook called a Hauptmann - ripped into Parker's armor with lasers and a heavy autocannon, causing the Warhammer IIC fall.
Peter released the trigger of his left joystick. leaving his ER PPC out of the next salvo rather than risk shutting down his 'Mech. With the hand free he jabbed the command channel active. "Axe-Actual, we're heavily engaged at the gates. Looks like the Fox's Den security battalions!"
He had time for no more because the Marauder II had its own weapons up and aimed for him now. A gauss rifle shot blew the searchlight from his shoulder. Had the shot been further two meters left and it would have decapitated his Mackie. As armor blew away from his right arm and all across the Mackie's chest as its lasers and PPCs hit true.
Peter had to focus entirely on keeping his 'Mech steady under that barrage. As it was it staggered back, knocking into the shoulder of Cat's Mackie, and throwing her next shot from the autocannon astray.
The Marauder II still stood tall, despite the pounding they were delivering. Assault 'Mechs were simply not that fragile, and a second bird-like 'Mech joined it - a lighter but equally deadly Maelstrom. 
Gritting his teeth, Peter pushed his 'Mech forwards, this time dropping the large laser out of the circuit. His ER PPC bit into the shoulder of the Marauder II and he adjusted his aim to let his autocannon fire at the same joint. The limb was left half-severed and Cat took his hint and peppered the heavier 'Mech with her autocannon. One of the cluster rounds intersected with the shoulder actuator and the Marauder II's right arm dropped away from it.
Fox's Den is buried deep beneath Mount Davion, it was the AFFC's most secure command center. A sprawling administrative complex was located on the northern edge of Avalon City that handled most of the running of the Armed Forces on a day to day basis, but major strategic command took place there.
Its guardians were selected just as carefully than the members of the Davion Guards in fact, on paper, they served as part of that brigade. But where the Guards drew from decorated heroes, top-ranking cadets on a basis of honor, ability and loyalty to House Davion; the security were chosen on loyalty above other moral issues, particularly recruiting from DMI veterans who had carried out deniable operations on foreign soil. It was said of the security battalions that they would have held their ground and defended the Den even if their own families were used as human shields against them. No one had ever put it to the test, of course.
The Maelstrom fired on Catherine, side-stepping to keep line of sight on her as Peter shielded his sister from the Marauder II's return fire. Cat ignored the smaller 'Mech, continuing to pound the Marauder II alongside Peter, although he saw armor shattering across her flanks.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Peter saw Michael Searcy's Mackie, coolant pouring from cracked and broken armor rammed itself up against a JagerMech III. The cockpit cover exploded and the Mechwarrior hurtled skywards. A second later the reactor overheated and superheated air erupted from its damaged torso. The explosion smashed the JagerMech thirty meters backwards, missing much of its frontal armor, but it remained upright until an Assault Guards' Victor eviscerated it with a shot from the arm-mounted heavy autocannon.
Cat's Mackie fell suddenly, its pilot crying out in alarm. Peter unleashed a full alpha strike into the Marauder II, accepting the heat burden, and glanced back. One leg had been severed just above the ankle and he realized the Fenris battle armor was back. He lashed out and kicked one, the armor no match for the impact of his Mackie's foot.
With brutal force, a PPC shot penetrated the side of his Mackie and he realized the Maelstrom had taken advantage of Cat being on the ground to get behind him. The shot had smashed a heatsink, hampering his ability to bleed off the heat of his alpha strike.
I should have forced Cat to stay at HQ, he thought, swiveling and trying to keep both the enemies in his gun arcs. The Mackie rocked again as the Marauder II's own PPC lashed against it with ferocious force.
On the ground, Cat didn't bother trying to stand, just rolling to point her remaining guns at the thus far undamaged Maelstrom.
It was like spitting into the wind and the heavy 'Mech returned fire, shots visibly punching into the prone Mackie's inner systems.
Then a shot slammed into the Maelstrom's own rear armor. The pilot spun to deal with the new arrival but was only halfway around when a Victor body-blocked it to the ground.
An elephantine Goliath followed, PPC and LRMs plastering the Marauder II from the right side. More LRMs came down - long range shots as Peter saw a pair of Atlas far behind the new arrivals, running flat out to catch up as best they could. 
Even more welcome were four Blizzard hover transports, doors open as they roared down the avenue at high speed, Cavalier battle armor leaping recklessly out with weapons already firing on their Fenris counterparts.
Through the Marauder's broken armor, Peter could see the structural framework and the myomer bundles... and what he thought might be the outline of the fusion reactor at its core.
His autocannon came up almost without his realizing it and he centered the crosshairs over that shape and closed his index finger on the trigger.
There was no hail of shells though - with a sharp bleep the battle computer reported a jam.
"Sonuva-"
A scarred and battered Mackie, almost unrecognizable with no arms and little armor remaining, fired the 8cm laser in its chest, skewering the reactor. For a moment the Marauder stood stock still and then the tension bled out of its myomers as the reactor safeties shut it down. The assault 'Mech fell to the ground in an undignified heap.
Peter tried to make out the markings of the Mackie, only to see what little protection it retained ripped away as another 'Mech crashed into the skirmish.
Black and grey armor, a skull-face, pulse lasers in each forearm that ripped away the guts of the Mackie. It didn't need the massive, multi-barrel autocannon above its hip to finish the kill but it fired anyway, tracking shots up through the barrel chest of the Royal Guards 'Mech.
Some sort of custom Atlas, Peter realized. He fired his PPC into it, tearing away a swathe of armor across one of its upper arm, and the assault 'Mech turned smoothly towards him, autocannon still cycling. 
The shots crashed against his Mackie with brutal force, ripping open armor. The gyro strained to compensate and failed. Peter saw the sky, blue where it wasn't stained by smoke, as he felt the ninety-ton machine topple backwards, crashing down on Catherine's.
If I roll either way, he thought, looking up at the Atlas looming above them, I'll be exposing Catherine.
The Atlas brought its arms around and Peter could practically see the focusing lenses within the large pulse laser mounts...
With flared jump-jets the Assault Guards' Victor leapt between them. The eighty ton 'Mechs rocked violently as the Atlas unleashed a murderous barrage into it, and then that in turn fell back on top of Peter's Mackie, pinning it.
There was a sudden pause in the fighting and then the Atlas lit up as every 'Mech remaining on the battlefield seemed to concentrate their fire upon it at once.
Few 'Mechs could boast the durability of an Atlas, but not even it could remain standing under such a ferocious close-range barrage. armored panels blew out, venting autocannon rounds and SRMs before they could detonate inside the 'Mech, but the assault 'Mech was reduced to a smoking wreck in mere seconds.
Realizing he couldn't free his Mackie, Peter started unstrapping himself. He'd have to get out and hope he could make it to one of the Blizzards.
Popping the hatch he clambered out and saw - as he could not have from within his cockpit - that the Victor's head had been shot through by the Atlas' autocannon. Light was streaming through the ruptured faceplate and out through the back of the helmet-like armor plating.
The MechWarrior must have been killed instantly, he realized. I should at least find out their name - they died saving my life Peter thought.
It only took a few steps before he had a clean line of sight on the stenciled letters below the Victor's cockpit hatch.
A. SORTEK.
Peter's knees went out from under him.
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