Chino licked his lips nervously as he double and triple checked to make sure his cooling vest was plugged in properly to his command couch. Chino always got nervous before a drop, despite the fact that he’d done it a million times. A crackle came over Chino’s radio and caught his attention. “Look sharp people, ETA for the drop point is 2 and a half minutes”. “I want everyone locked, loaded, and ready for anything”. The focused voice belonged to Grave Lance Garrison Commander , Dancer. Chino reached forward and flicked a switch to open up a broadband channel to his fellow lance mates. “How far out is the compound boss”? “5Km give or take a few hundred yards”. “It’s not an incredibly long run, but we have confirmed some activity in the immediate area and last time I checked none of the Smoke Jags units were too fond of us, so keep your eyes peeled and watch each others backs.” “Get in, tag the communications tower, and get the hell out”. Chino thought momentarily before cutting back into the coms channel, “Are we to expect heavy resistance?” Dancer returned Chino’s question, “No. It’s a small Communications outpost. Minimally staffed, with little to no defensive support. I don’t expect any mech resistance, some land support, maybe a bit of air support, but you never know so keep sharp. After a moment of contemplative silence shared among the small Lance Dancer’s thick voice filled the broadband channel once again. “Ok folks were here, everyone line em up”! 

The five members of the Grave Lance going out for this drop, Dancer, Thunder, Chino, SCKITZ, and Mist, stood in an even straight line as the dropship reached their drop zone. The doors on the large dropship slid open slowly, letting the sunlight seep in shining onto the 3 story tall war machines, each fitted with temporary rockets used to soften the landing following a jump. One bye one each mech proceeded to pass through the drop ship doors in a straight line, one after the other collecting into a circle just below the steadily hovering dropship until everyone was grounded. Once Chino reached the rest of his Lance mates below the dropship, they each shed their temp rocket fittings. After gathering into a strategic formation, Dancer’s voice flickered in over the broadband channel. “Ok SCKITZ and Mist I want you to stay within range of the dropship in case we get flanked. That thing is our ride home so make sure it doesn't get banged up.” SCKITZ’s voice cut into the channel, “Call if you need us, we’ll be ready”. “Chino I want you on point since you’re the one planting the coms splicer, Thunder me and you will cover Chino’s left and right sides”. “Were going to have to really watch his ass, that little Raven won’t take much of a beating”. SCKITZ moved his Shadow Cat over to the drop ship and positioned himself for defensive action. Mist trotted her Bushwacker over to small cliff and used it's jump jets to perch herself atop it, like an eagle waiting for any prey that may pass below her. Chino’s Raven turned toward the suggested coordinates, picking up speed as it pivoted, but only enough for the two heavier mechs covering his ass to keep up. Dancer’s Uziel, and Thunder’s Thor followed behind Chino on his left and right sides. The three mechs charged through the large open valley flattening the tall light green grass, as they made their way toward their intended target. Thunder’s voice sparked to life over the channel. “I don’t like being in such an open field like this, other than the few rock formations near the drop zone there isn’t a damn thing out here”. Dancer chimed in, “Not the most comfortable feeling in the world, we just gotta keep tight”. “Ok guys I’ve got a visual on the coms tower”, Chino’s voice had an anxious sound to it. “We’ve got to cut their communication and you’ve only got one shot with that thing Chino so make it count”, Thunder’s words seeped into Chino’s head making him more tense. Chino’s replied with a sarcastic tone” Thanks Thunder”. 

As the three Mechwarriors drew closer to their target, Dancer’s Uziel cut to the left of Chino, and Thunder’s Thor to the right, giving the birdlike Raven room to pick up speed and close on it’s target. After a few moments, the three mechs arrived at the outpost ready to fire at anything that moved, but surprisingly found no activity at all. “SCKITZ you guys got anything over there”? Dancer asked impatiently. “Negative, not a sound over here”, SCKITZ’s voice returned the question with a puzzled tone. After a quiet pause Dancer slapped the coms button on his console and spoke “No ground patrols, troops, employees, not even a damned raid siren, something isn’t right here people, Chino plant that splicer and lets get out of here before”… cutting Dancer off mid sentence Mist punched into the channel, panic flushing her voice, “Two targets just appeared on my mag scan Radar, no three…” SCKITZ cut her off mid sentence “Holy shit I’m showing 7 targets, 5 Elementals and two Peregrine Choppers” Dancer’s obviously irritated voice rang through his troops neuro helmets. “SCKITZ and Mist switch to passive radar and try to see if you can meet us half way”. SCKITZ’s voice rang in “I don’t think were going to be able to outrun those Elementals Dancer, were going to be held up here”. “DAMMIT”, Dancer’s voice flushed with irritation," Chino, forget the damn splicer.They know were here, and they’ll just tear the damn thing off before it does any good anyways,we’ve been ratted out folks”. Just as Chino was about to respond two bright red dots appeared on his radar. “Uhhh boss, I’m showing two targets, both RIGHT on top of us” Just as Chino finished his sentence a nearby hangar door began to open. An Avatar and a Cougar came spilling out, darting into two different directions . “Ok Thunder, I want you to head right and try to see if we cant take out the Cougar first, we’ll be able to outrun the Avatar, but that Cougar will be able to catch up to us and pick us apart from behind”. “Chino I want you to head over to SCITZ and Mist and help them finish off those little gnats”. “Aff boss man, I’m on it” Chino engaged his MASC and set off to meet up with his besieged lance mates, cutting into both their channels. “SCKITZ, Mist what’s your status”? SCKITZ chimed in, his voice filled with the sort of focus only another mechwarrior would be able recognize, “Two of the toads are down, and Mist just took out one of the choppers”. After a few quick keyboard strokes, Chino pulled up a readout of both his lance mate's Mechs vital signs, just then Mist’s voice rang throughout Chino’s Neurohelmet, tinged with adrenaline, “One more Elemental down”. “Ok, keep em at bay for just a sec more, I’m closing on your position now, I’ve got a visual on one of the Elementals now, SCKITZ get ready to bear to your right, I’m going to let a salvo of Streaks loose”. Chino flipped a few switches on the overhead console and placed his thumb over the bright red button on his joystick. After gaining lock on his target Chino slapped his other hand over the coms channel button. “Ok SCKITZ bank to your right NOW” Chino pressed the trigger and watched as the missile volley arched from his left side and spiraled toward it’s small target. The small armor clad infantryman struggled to evade the explosive smoke trail headed toward him using his jump jets, but wasn’t quick enough, exploding into nothing more than a hail storm of Ferro-fibrous chunks raining down onto the Grave Lance war machines. 

Mist’s Bushwacker doubled back to her initial perch spot, waiting for the second Peregrine Chopper to peek from behind one of the sparsely located rock formations, that was easily ten times larger than any mech. She smiled to herself as she brought the targeting reticle into line with the sluggishly slow aircraft. She confidently applied pressure to the trigger, sending the tail end of the chopper flying into the air. Mist watched as the chopper spiraled downwards at an angle, slamming into the rocky cliff that it had just seconds ago hovered above. She jumped her mech from the small cliff, throttle full in the direction of her fellow lance mates to help reinforce their firepower. “We’ve got to hurry up and finish these little bastards off so we can help get Dancer and Thunder the hell out of there” Just as he finished his sentence one of the two elementals left standing sent a single scarlet beam into the already damaged leg of SCKITZ’s Shadow cat, mangling the gyro in the inverted crease of it’s knee, causing the two story tall WarMachine to topple backwards, crushing the second Elemental that had been picking at his rear armor. Chino fired a wild shot at the last Elemental, garnering it’s attention. Involuntarily the armor clad infantry troop spun around to return fire, just in time for Mist’s arrival. Quickly she fired sending two bright green medium lasers blazing straight through the helpless Elementals waist line, splitting the it into two parts. SCKITZ’s voice seeped into the open radio channel, irritation ringing throughout his voice as shuffled his Shadow Cat about trying to raise it to it’s feet, “You two head toward Dancer and Thunder, the gyro on my left leg is torn all to hell, I’ll just lag you guys down” Thunder’s voice cut into the conversation, “Negative on that SCKITZ we have the situation under control we’ll be heading that way momentarily!” Chino replied as he re fixed his coordinates and set off toward his friends, with Mist on his wing, “Me and Mist are on our way Thunder were not just going to leave you there.”

Sweat stinging his eyes, Dancer shifted his concentration to the hardly damaged, Avatar, as he stepped onto and over the flaming remains of the once lethal Cougar. Thunder’s Thor danced around the oddly shaped Avatar, tearing away at it’s right arm with his LBX20’s. Trying desperately to avoid his attackers UAC20 shots, Thunder used his mech’s jump jets to lift him from harm of the shining auto cannon barrels. The Avatar pilot anticipating this move, swung the cannon muzzles into line with the Thor’s right torso. At the instant the Avatar’s pilot fired his weapons a bright blue stream of lighting hammered into it’s back throwing it off balance, causing the first line of auto cannon shots to fire wildly past their intended target into the air. The second, still missing their mark, grazed the shoulder of the airborne Thor tearing it’s arm clean from it’s torso, myomer muscle fibers exposed and sparking, the Thor came crashing down on top of the Mech hangar that had previously housed the Avatar and now demolished Cougar. The Avatar pilot turned face Dancer’s outgunned Uziel, firing three ERLarge lasers at the smaller mech. The ruby red lasers seared into the mech’s right thigh, arm and torso, stripping, and liquidating armor plates as they struck. Thunder’s Thor though trapped in the hangar debris was still operable. He dropped his mech’s arm to the right lining it up with the unsuspecting Avatar. The Thor’s auto cannon muzzle belched a black cloud of LBX rounds from it’s remaining right arm slamming into the Avatar’s right leg, crippling it’s movement. Dancer quickly spliced into Thunder’s coms channel. “Thunder are you ok in there” Thunder’s voice came in, a mix of pain and irritation “Yeah I’m ok, but there’s no way I’m going to be able to get this thing up out from under this rubble and the ejection canopy isn’t responding.” Just then Chino cut into Thunder’s words “Ok boss were here”. “Both Mist and I have our reticles placed over the bastard, just say the word”. Dancer replied to the lance leader, “Stand down Chino, I have everything under control” At the site of the two new Grave Lance fighters the Avatar pilot stopped dead in his tracks. Dancer fiddled with a few switches just to the left of his command couch, and the loud wine of a speaker pierced the wide open land for miles around. Dancer’s voice flooded the echoing loud speaker equipped in every mech’s standard configuration. “I am Dancer, Commander for the Grave Lance, you are out gunned, out numbered, and out matched, surrender yourself or my soldiers will be forced to crush your broken mech where it stands.” 

The four members of the Grave Lance waited in anticipation for a response from their crippled foe. The once explosive battleground surrounding the tiny communications outpost settled to a quiet anticipation. Without a moments notice the Avatar’s torso swung quickly into line with two fuel tanks beside Chino and Mist’s mechs,the pilots sarcastic voice filled the loudspeaker atop his mech’s head. “I would rather die a thousand deaths than fall captive to periphery trash like you”. As the Ava  pilot completed his sentence he sent a round of auto cannon shells sailing into the two fuel tanks, causing a volcanic explosion. Caught off guard, the Grave Lance pilots winced in reaction to the sudden burst, causing their mechs to mimic their shudder. The force of the explosion sent Mist’s Bushwacker careening into Chino’s helpless Raven. Both mechs slammed into the communications building, easily toppling the petite structure, finally coming to rest, lifeless, atop the rubble of the demolished building. The Avatar pilot, in a desperate last attempt to take his last standing enemy down, twisted his weapons back into line with Dancer’s dwarfed Uziel with the intent to unleash an alpha strike. Just as the pilot fired his entire payload, a bright green Gauss slug gored into the Avatar’s right arm, making the Avatar pilot’s botched alpha strike sail wide of her enemy. An overly enthusiastic voice filled the coms frequency “AAAARRRR, take that ya' Smoke Jag bastard”. SCKITZ’s crippled Shadow Cat hobbled ever close to his Commander’s Uziel. Grossly overheated the Avatar slumped into a metallic heap as it’s lack of heat sinks forced it to shutdown. With nowhere to run the Avatar pilot watched in horror as the Uziel raised it’s two ER Large lasers into line with the her cockpit. Dancer’s voice rang out over the loud speaker again. “I assure you that will be the last time you miss your mark”, his voice filled with a spiteful sting, “a very admirable attempt on your part, but try as you may, you can’t take me apart you son of a bitch”. With the closing of that sentence Dancer’s Uziel sent the two red hot energy daggers slicing into the Avatar’s cockpit burning the Smoke Jaguar Mechwarrior alive where she sat. After collecting his thoughts, Dancer closed the loudspeaker channel on his Uziel and switched back to the broadband frequency he shared with the rest of his troops. “Chino, Mist, report in are you two ok”, concern drenched his words as his stomach turned at the thought of what may have become of his friends. Chino was the first to ring in, “Aff I’m ok, might have broken something, but I’ll live.” “Mist…..report in…..are you ok”? Dancer tried to suppress the concerned tone in his voice. After a few silent moments Mist rang in over the channel, her voice groggy and disoriented “I wish I could say the same for our mechs Chino” “Are you ok though Mist”, Dancer asked impatiently. “Yes I think so.” “I hit my head pretty hard, cracked my neuro helmet and I busted my lip, but other than this splitting headache I’m fine. Dancer turned his attention toward SCKITZ. “SCKITZ, see if you can’t help Thunder get his mech up from that debris, and then we’ll try to get Chino and Mist out of their mechs, and SCKITZ……good shot bro, good shot”. SCKITZ replied with his signature response“AAARRR”

 Relived that everyone was ok, Dancer called for retrieval from their dropship. “Ok everyone dropship will be here in about 5 minutes, once we get on board we’ll tend to everyone's wounds, refit and repair our mechs, get some rest and then find out what the hell went wrong here, who set us up, and when we find the bastard he’ll have hell to pay. Collect any salvage we can, we'll have our techs strip what’s still good from that Avatar and Cougar. I have a feeling were going to need all the resources we can get once we get to the bottom of this…

To Be Continued…