FRS Chpt 21

==Falcon Rising - Chapter 21 -==
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===The road to Humptulips===
Date: 3052Location: Tukayyid, Free Rasalhague Republic
"I'm pretty sure I told you that I was going to do this alone," I sighed as Darya's Adder fell in behind me. "You know that we're both going to die out here, right?"
"Death comes for all at some point. I might as well spend my life as I desire. Not wasting it away on something not of my choosing."
 
"I won't take away your decision,. I maintained my speed in the darkness as I used the night-vision mode that was built into my cockpit. "But if you make it out and I don't… I want you to take care of Gray."
 
"We will fall or rise together," Darya laughed. "I have tied my fate to yours, and they shall either curse our names or sing our praises, but we will not be forgotten!" 
 
After that, silence overtook the comms as we continued towards the city of Humptulips, the second objective that the Jade Falcons were supposed to take in order to win this Trial that Focht had laid before us.
 
Darya's Adder gradually overtook my 'Hammer, and I got a solid look at the light 'Mech's condition as I established a connection with the Omnimech.
 
Her armor was still mostly in the green, and her weapons loadout was intact, with minimal pod damage. Whereas, my 'Mech, was armor state Orange, with the wireframe diagram showing only a few patches of green and yellow to mix in with the red of my two lasers that were out of commission. 
 
Then the buildings of the city began to rise in the darkness of the horizon. 
 
"Go active sensors," I told Darya as I went from passive to active, my 'Mech lighting up to whoever was still present in the city. 
 
"ComGuard forces, this is Star Commander Mark of the Jade Falcon Clan, what forces do you bid for the defense of the city?"
 
You could almost feel the sense of panic as the radio silence stretched out for the first thirty seconds, and then into five minutes as Darya fell back into step with my 'Hammer. 
 
<("This is Acolyte Admiral Henderson, we bid one Level I in defense of Humptulips.")>
 
"I would avoid damage to the city. Shall we do battle here in the fields surrounding it? I will not fire until your forces are ready, quiaff?'
 
<("That's acceptable. Give us five minutes.")>
 
"Bargained well, and done." 
 
"You are granting them time to call for reinforcements," Darya commented on our private line. 
 
"Better that they come to us," I sighed. "That way we do not have to root them out the hard way."
 
"Agreed," she replied. "I suppose that should we eliminate them, that we will then fall back to the LZ?"
 
"Yes. If we take them out then we will need to fall back as our objectives will have been completed."
 
In the darkness, a 'Mech, tank, and a small group of infantry appeared at the outskirts of the city, the Archer flanked by a Manticore and a platoon of jump infantry. 
 
"I hope you came prepared to die," the Acolyte muttered over the open channel. 
 
"No, we came prepared to win," Darya ignited her jump jets as she fired her jump jets and a pair of lasers carved away the armor on the Manticore, her flamer attempting to ignite the infantry as I began dodging the missiles from the Archer.
 
Spinning on my legs, I shifted to a knee and fired both PPCs, one going wide while the other arced in and closed one of the four missile racks that were spitting fire in my direction. 
 
Swearing as Betty informed me of a missile lock, I ignited my jets while kneeling, the foot pointed at my rear sending me under the missile's initial lock while the one mounted in my torso brought me up and onto my feet again.
 
And now, I was within range to use the missiles of my own, and I fired my two remaining lasers and my six-pack, along with a PPC.
The Archer staggered as the PPC, lasers, and missiles all hit the same spot I'd hammered earlier, the shoulder of the 'Mech sparking when the missile doors ceased working.
 
But the other Heavy wasn't defenseless, and it lunged forward with its fists proudly on display while lasers struck my left arm, rendering my PPC there useless as the linkage failed. 
 
But I wasn't defenseless yet, and I lunged forward, my missiles arcing towards the cockpit and glancing off before I kicked the Archer's knees out from underneath the other heavy, the impact of my foot and the missiles sending the other 'Mech crashing to the ground as the ammunition in the legs exploded. 
 
"Humptulip is ours, Star Commander," Darya reported, her foot still planted on the Manticore that she had kicked over, the burning corpses of the infantry littering the ground behind her. 
 
"To any remaining ComGuard forces in Humptulips, we have taken out your defenders, speak now, or consider the city to have fallen to the Jade Falcons."
 
There was no response, and I waited until I saw the dim light of fusion torches in the skies before I signaled to Darya that it was time to leave. 
 
"Will we not hold?" Darya asked.
 
"We have taken the city," I replied. "I do not believe that we can hold it for long. ]]Neg]], we retreat to the LZ, and if the Falcons remain, we will leave with them."
 
"And if they are not?"
 
"Then we fight."
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===Single drop of change, ripples down the river===
Meanwhile
At Robyn's Crossing, something unusual was happening.
 
In one universe, Alpha Heavy perished in Olalla. But in this one, three 'Mechs of the Star survived. 
 
And while that might not seem like much, it made all the difference in the flight back to the Raptor. Aidan Pryde rallied the survivors and they temporarily pushed back ComGuard, inflicting severe losses before the remnants of the cluster boarded the Raptor, their CO still alive despite the fate that should have happened. 
 
 And down below, the final two Jade Falcon Warriors remained. 
 
"Star Colonel Aidan Pryde, we succeeded," the sound of distant explosions happened in the background of the audio log that had reached them. "Humptulips was ours. The Jade Falcons completed both objectives."
 
 The man coughed, and a wolf howled in the background as his pet wolf climbed into his lap. 
 
<<"Reactor's going critical! I have to punch out!">> 
 
The audio vanished as static took over the line.
 
"The last remnants of the Star League," Marthe muttered. "And with him, one of my best warriors."
 
"This is Star Captain Pryde of the Jade Falcon Clan," a voice announced on open coms. "I request Hegira." 
 
"Why should we grant it to you? Who has ignored Zellbrigan?"
 
"Because I and the Star Commander have dealt honorably with your forces at Humptulips. We challenged them properly, and we won the day despite your opposition."
 
"I will allow it. There will be no more deaths on this day. Collect your fallen and leave with him, one dropship may land, but no further."
"Well bargained and done!"
 
"Seyla," the remnants of the Falcon Guard and 2nd Falcon Jaegers responded as the Raptor once again began to descend under orders from the Star Colonel. 
 
A lone Adder limped aboard, two figures on one of the shoulders as it boarded and the dropship once again began to lift off, the Jade Falcons had fought hard this day. And fate had been changed.
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