Chapter Sixty: To Change Fate
In Orbit around Mallory's World, March 4th, 3013
"Mark, I need you to serve as Ian's bodyguard for this campaign." Field Marshal Felsner told me. "I know you've got your own forces coming as reinforcements, but until they get here, I'm going to need you to make sure that Ian doesn't do anything stupidly heroic."
"Understood." I told Felsner. "I've got something to use as backup if some of the forces don't listen to me."
"Yvonne still hasn't revoked that?" He asked me, being one of the few people let in on what Yvonne Davion had given me before we had left for Versailles.
"Nope, I think she's counting on me using it if I need to." I told him with a shrug. "See you on the ground." I used the gantry to climb into the Bobby B. "And now we wait."
March 5th, 3013
"At least he's staying in the HQ." I said to myself as I stood guard in my Warhammer while Felsner and Ian coordinated with the other units on the planet. The Fourth Guards had been getting hammered by the Second Sword of Light, and the Hussar's were barely holding back the supporting elements. When we had shown up with the Heavy Guards, the tides had turned, at least slightly.
The Heavy Guards had taken the front lines over for the Fourth Davion, allowing them to pull back for some rest and repair in order to rotate the forces back through. I hadn't seen anyone so far, and while this bothered me a bit, I knew my job and wasn't going to grumble about being left out of the fighting for now.
"Colonel Hull," I got a message from the people in the HQ. "We need some input, come down here."
"I've got a tactical computer here." I told them. "I'm not leaving my 'Mech when there's a chance of break through by the SOL at any time." I made my 'Mech shrug it's shoulders. "Send it to my TACOMP and I'll advise from here."
There was some debate before I received a handshake protocol for my TACOMP and it showed a close to real time map of the current battlefields.
"You should pull back the forces on grid G-6 and move H-9 forward, allow some infantry to dig in around that area, and you'll be able to deny the enemy armor access to that point unless they dig out enough Arty to kill the entire area, including their precious mechs." I told them. "Now, I need to get back to bodyguard duty."
March 10th, 3013
"Ian, the plan is working. If we're going to collapse on them, we need to do it now." I told them while watching the tactical readouts generated by my computer.
"Copy that Colonel, the center is close to falling back and needs some temporary reinforcements, you're the only one free to assist." Ian told me. "The second Battalion of the SOL is pushing hard, and we need something to stall them while the hammer drops."
"Understood." I told them in response. "Marksman Actual moving to assist."
I moved my Warhammer up to just under its maximum flank speed, setting my cruise at a solid 72 KM/H and readying myself for combat once more. "Estimated ten Mikes out." I told HQ, "Can they hold that long?"
"They'll hold." HQ responded, "Just get there ASAP to assist."
"Copy." I responded, and kept moving towards the battlefield.
After about five minutes of moving, my sensors started picking up limited chatter from the 2nd SOL and the 4th Davion that were a part of the trap.
"This is Marksman, where do you need me?" I asked the commander on the field.
"Marksman, we need you to move to Nav Point Gamma and assist the lances there. We don't have anyone heavier than forty-five tons over there, and they're close to breaking."
"Moving to Nav Point Gamma." I replied and shifted my speed a touch higher, cresting a hill, I saw a double lance of light 'Mechs led by a heavy. The Davion's were doing their best, but the two Blackjacks and two Vindicators were being ripped to shreds over time by the lighter mechs.
"Hammer Lance this is Marksman, stand by for assistance." I told the lance of mediums before reaching out with my ERPPC's and taking the leg clean off of a Locust.
"Marksman we see you on sensors." the Lance commander responded. "Thanks for the assist."
I kept moving into closer range, stripping armor and weapons off of the lighter mechs from long range with my PPC's and causing them to slowly back away and let the heavy mech take the lead.
"This is Chu-i Nakamura, I challenge you to single combat." a message from the Kuritan Dragon came through on an open channel.
"This is Colonel Hull, I accept your challenge." I said, and moved closer, watching as the lighter battlemechs turned to face me.
Making sure to move at regular Warhammer speed, I got into ERPPC range, and gently squeezed the triggers in my hands. The PPC's struck on either side of his Cockpit, and I saw the slight panic in the way that the Dragon moved at first. But this was a Second Sword of Light Mechwarrior, and they weren't cowards. Pushing his Dragon up to its maximum speed, he decided to try and outmaneuver me. That didn't work though, and I rotated and kept peppering him with PPC's, signaling to the Medium Lance to start attacking the light mechs now that I had the heavy distracted.
The Blackjacks and Vindicators had moved back to long range, and were now starting to hammer the lighter mechs with coordinated strikes. Working on destroying the Sword of Light piecemeal before they could use their speed to close the range advantage and start worrying them again.
The Dragon pilot was good. He kept moving out of the way of my PPC's and was trying to close to melee range. When he got close, I used my medium lasers and SRM's to weaken his armor further. When he backed away out of close range, I turned and sniped at one of the light mechs, coinciding with an AC strike from one of the Blackjack's and causing it to go critical.
"I am your opponent Chu-i" I said. "If you are able to take me." I finally hit his shoulder with another PPC, and his AC/5 ceased working. When he turned to close to Medium Laser range, I focused fire and crippled his mech. Sending it crashing to the ground as something failed.
Turning to engage the lighter mechs, I noted that what had been two lances of mechs was now one, and that both Hammer Lance, and the Sword of Light lance were damaged, some of them limping and others missing weapons and armor. Thankfully, there weren't many light mechs that could stand up to two ERPPC strikes, much less a full alpha from a Royal Warhammer and myself combined with Hammer lance made short work of the Light mechs.
"Hammer Lance, we need to hold until given relief here." I told them. "Stick to the plan."
"Copy that Marksman," the Lance leader responded. "Not sure how long we'll be able to hold out if something else tries to break through though."
"That's what I'm here for." I told them. "Leave any heavier elements to me."
March 11th, 3013
"Fall back Hammer Lance, I'll cover the rear." I told the medium lance as we began to fall back. The bait was working a bit too well. "There's a lot of metal headed our way."
The Second Sword of light was out for payback after we had destroyed two of their lances. And we had been engaged in a running battle ever since then. "HQ, this is Marksman, we've got a lot of enemy mechs chasing us." I twisted and squeezed off a PPC bolt at a light mech. "Please advise."
"Marksman," Ian's voice came over the comms channel. "I need you and Hammer lance to turn and face them, we've got the Heavy guards moving for a flank and we need you to be the Anvil."
"HQ, be advised, we're at armor state red overall, and are near bingo on Ammunition." I told him. "I'm not sure what kind of Anvil you want, but we're not going to be much of one."
"HQ copies Marksman, just stick to the plan." He responded.
"Turning to engage HQ," I said. "You heard the man Hammer Lance, let em have it."
We all fired our long range weapons at faster targets, trying to weaken the forces chasing us.
"This is Hammer Lead, Bingo on Ammo, down to lasers." The leader of Hammer Lance told me and the rest of the lance.
"This is Hammer two, LRM ammo and PPC is gone, down to Short range weapons only." The rest of the lance began to let us know when their long range capability was gone. Eventually, there was only myself and a lone Vindicator with long range weapons left. And so we engaged the enemy at range, while the others moved to support if the enemy reached close range.
"You have fought well for a Davion." Came an accented voice through over my comms systems. "Yet now you stand alone, surrounded."
"Yeah, you can't possibly get away now." I told whomever I was talking to.
"I am Tai-Sa Yorinaga Kurita" He told me and you could tell he was about to go on about honor or some other such nonsense.
"Tai-Sa Kurita," An Atlas strolled out of the trees, coring a light mech with a gauss rifle. "You and your battalion are all that remain of the Second Sword of Light, if you retreat now, you may retain your honor, knowing you have done all that you could." The Atlas stopped for a minute seeing as no one was firing on each other at this moment.
"You insult me Davion." Yorinaga told him, as the Heavy Guards emerged from the trees, surrounding the "You do me dishonor by thinking I would retreat. I challenge you, First Prince Davion, mech to mech."
"I refuse your challenge Kurita." Ian responded. "I have you surrounded, and I find you lacking, you will surrender, or face destruction."
"So be it." Yorinaga responded, "So be it." With the words being said, the Heavy guards concentrated fire, shredding almost all of the lighter machines, leaving the heavier mechs to be dealt with.
Meanwhile, I had a personally assigned mission. I was targeting Yorinaga specifically, intending to remove this blight of a person from the Inner Sphere for all time. Closing into the range at which his PPC's no longer worked, I engaged him in melee combat and launched a full alpha strike at his legs. I was going to annihilate this bastard with Superior firepower and stomp on his cockpit.