Chapter 20
Paint it Black
Dead Space
29th October, 3024
"Goddamned fucks." I snarled as I hurled the datapad across the room, Lady Kamea sat down. The Divine Right was sitting between systems, charging off of her main reactor ever so slowly as we met for a problematic meeting. The Argo had been turned over to us after the Liberation of Weldry, and right now we were sitting in dead space trying to bring a multitude of its systems online.
Miranda planted herself in my lap in order to prevent me getting up and pacing myself into an incoherent rage. The deployment of a full Regiment of Taurians and a Battalion of Northwind Highlanders had put us into a precarious position. Arano sighed, "Matters are not getting any better, the battles on Panzyr are almost done, but they're simply well entrenched and... we need your support."
I restrained myself from a retort. "I understand Lady Kamea, I do. We've got under thirty walkers, Knights and Mechs, just under forty tanks. If it was just the Battalion of Highlanders I wouldn't be worried, between our dropships, ASFs and forces we could beat them hard enough their descendants a hundred years from now would have a sore arse. But throw in another regiment plus any armor and infantry support and the field becomes less certain. Markham is trying to scare us up forces to fill out our roster given these developments. But that still leaves us a problem."
Kamea frowned. "Deploying your forces becomes a gamble. You become stuck in a game of, can you afford to keep your Warship back?"
Miranda spoke up. "Can you hold on Weldry and Panzyr, and for how long?"
"I don't know, if the Taurians and Highlanders hold back waiting for you to deploy, our current holdings are probably be secure, but sooner or later I suspect they'll join in an assault against one or the other in an effort to force me to call on you to put out the fires. How are you doing for pilots?" She asked worried.
I waved a hand. "We finished our round of selections from your trials, a chap called Leafy will be taking over the Knight Templar, a pair of Sisters from the Legacy calling themselves Day and Night will pilot the other Questoris and Cerastus." I studied Mirandas face once more, catching myself doing that whenever I was stressed. "As for the Armigers, they're full crewed. But we have another four Armigers in production and two Knights. They won't be ready until January at least."
I picked up a glass and drank whatever was in it. "Ultimately, I want to stop using regular Battlemechs and move exclusively to Knights and Armigers. But this goddamned False Flag op has put us in the pickle jar and it means any deployment we make is high risk. For both of us."
"I know, Ostergaard seems to hold me personally responsible. I just wish I knew exactly what it was he brought. If it was a regiment of light and medium mechs then surely..." I cut her off.
"At least a hundred and thirty to just over two hundred battlemechs possible. My machines are powerful as hell, but not that powerful. Outnumber us enough and our Ion Shields cease to be worth a damn." I would have thrown the glass too at the thought, but throwing something with someone on your lap was difficult, if not rude.
Kamea seemed to have the same impulse, instead taking a deep draught of the bottle on the table. "Dammit Warden, how did this happen?"
"Bluntly, Espinosa is playing it smart. He recognizes the power I've brought to the field, he probably mounted a false flag op in order to force the Taurians hand. And we already had enemies in the Concordat, couple that with the fact, unless we know where their fleet is, I couldn't even try and deal with them using the Legacy even if I dared risk it." I relaxed a bit. "The only option is simply to refuse to give them time on target. Hit and fade."
"A big ask." Miranda said drinking from her own beer stein.
"It is. But according to this, they 'saw' the Warden's Rest as responsible for the attack, it only makes sense that they're going to make a rush to deal with it." I said calling up a map of the region as I prompted Miranda to move so I could work on the map, and more importantly, feel my legs before the pins and needles set in. "If we have the Heavy Bargain jump in at the pirate point here," I called up the system map. "Once they make planetfall and help on Panzyr, then Ostergaard and the Highlanders move in, I estimate a short time on target before the Rest and Heavy Bargain have to evacuate." I drew the map back out showing the whole system once more.
"Their jumpships will have to be at one of these points once they jump in, they're not going to risk an entire fleet on a pirate point. We jump in, and pray to any deity that catches your fancy they've already begun preparation to land on Panzyr." I said and Arano interrupted.
"That leaves the people of Panzyr in a spot of trouble if they decide..." I decided interrupting her was fair play.
"The point is to get them to commit, once they have, we jump in the Solar Macharius and Iron Duke. This leaves us alone with their Jumpships hopefully and the Justice, Rage, Wroth and Hammerfall do as much damage to their jumpships as possible, no destroying them, but crippling them and giving us ti..."
"Absolutely not." Kamea said plainly standing up, "I understand what you intend, that you want to buy time. But the destruction of that poor jumpship for the assault on Weldry alone proved to be a great risk and in the end it didn't prevent at least partial discovery of your Warship. If we attack Jumpships then the Directorate, Taurians and Highlanders are going to do the same."
I frowned. But didn't press the matter. Her loyalty was to her people and covertly to me. I didn't want to risk that. Even so she looked like she doubted herself in vetoing the plan.
"We need to prove your innocence in the attack on his son, and have proof that the Directorate staged it." Kamea said. "If we can do that then the Concordat will be forced to withdraw their forces and leave us with a more even battlefield to fight on, or even in our favour."
I couldn't argue the point, the problem was that ripples had already begun to reach. The point was, we should have been responsible for his sons death. And this time we weren't. Instead I sat down. "Ok. What is your plan to do that then?" Miranda noted that i'd gone cold, detached.
"How about we gather some more intelligence first?" Darius said frowning, "We can't withstand a regiment of mechs, so lets find out what we can about it instead. If we send the Hysteria on a commercial jumpship with a unit of Armigers to destroy the Dropship control centre on Panzyr in a fast hit and fade we're exposed to minimum threat, and Medusa is good enough to manage that. Is there another target that needs hitting?"
"Smithon, Lord Karosas is a specialist in Star League era technologies and he may know how to access the more secure files on the Argo. I have reason to believe that they'll turn the war for us." She said bringing up the right map, and planet. "If we can hit that with heavy force, take their munitions dump, then my forces on Smithon can recover from the attrition they're under. And maybe even be out in a short span of time."
I frowned and cocked my head, digesting the idea. The problem was that it would put the Hysteria in a bad position, if Ostergaard went after it...
"Darius, let the Hysteria know it's going to be making a hit and fade, and let Medusa know he's going to be in charge of that op. He is to be in and out. I want it done in five to ten minutes tops. I want enough noise to draw people to the party. But not so much as to keep him there when the party arrives." I turned to Spire who'd remained quiet during the planning session. "We're taking the Solar Macharius to Smithon with the Justice, Rage, Wroth and Hammerfall. I want the Stukas replaced with Fury Interceptors for this mission. Except for the Rage, I want it to have four Furies, and 2 Marauder Destroyers."
-----------------------------------------------------
Panzyr
Medusa sat there quietly panicking as he was entrusted with the care of his three 'lance-mates' in a key strategic job. The Hysteria burned hard for the planet but Sumire had already warned that she'd picked up a large fleet arriving at the primary jump point almost six hours after their arrival. Jumpships from two separate groups, it seemed that Arano was right and they were just waiting for an arrival.
What was strange was that they had been suckered in by the Hysteria. "Sumy, you got anything more solid on the guys burning after us?"
"For the tenth time, no. Be quiet, navigating this debris field is hard enough! And get your asses ready, once you hit dirt I want to be airborne and ready to bug the fuck out." Her tense voice came, accentuated by the sounds of, presumably, debris hitting the hull.
There was no more sound as he turned to face his control systems. "Ok, Warspite, Spike, Sophist, we're touching down in a minute or so, I want us at full stride asap, the mission is to take care of Directorate forces holding a Dropship Control centre, the Resties haven't been able to wrest it out of their control. Warspite, Spike, your Helverins are going to cover Sophist and I as we move in with Thermal Cannon and Chainaxe. No mercy, if it shoots at you kill it, if it shoots at us kill it."
"What are the RoE?" Sophist said, predictably.
"If it moves, it's fair game. If it doesn't move and is in the way, it's fair game. If it has a gun, its fair game. Fuck, if it points finger guns at you I don't give a damn. The clock is literally ticking on this mission. If we take so much as a minute too long then Sumy is going to take the Hysteria and go." Medusa frowned knowing how close the clock was on these orders. With the speed of an Armiger it should be childs play, but they weren't as well protected as a Knight and it'd if there was anywhere that'd have a lot, it was a dropship control centre.
"What happens in that case?" Warspite asked and Medusa practically shouted before regaining control of himself.
"We fall back ASAP and try and find some Restorationist force to go to ground with. But let's get this done quick, quiet and go home. I'd rather not be stuck on this hole." Medusa said as the doors slammed open. "Now move!"
-----
The clock counted down as each stride took them further into the enemy base, but then battle was joined with a number of armored vehicles appearing to make life interesting, working together the Armigers faced little threat until the two SRM carriers opened fire. Working on a single target the non-stop barrage of short ranged missiles found Sophist's Warglaive with missile after missile, unable to escape the storm in time the Armiger went down in flames before Medusas thermal cannon could turn the enemy vehicles into a molten puddle.
"Amaris' balls!" Warspite said.
"Sophist was too slow. Keep us covered!" Medusa charged over to the destroyed Warglaive, looking down on the wreckage, waiting, hoping, for Sophist to climb out. But the clock in the corner continued to tick down. "I'm sorry if you're just trapped Sophist." The locals began taking over the turret grid as Medusa opened up with sustained fire from his melta weapons at the destroyed warglaive, aiming for everything that was sensitive, the weapons, the ion generator, the plasma core... the cockpit. "Move it!"
He spun and brought the Warglaive up to full speed and pelted down the ramp as the enemy mechs came out of the woodworks and doubt crept into his mind. The lights didn't worry him overly, the Jenner and Panther were dog food. But the Centurion, Trebuchet, Hunchback and Dragon did. His confidence had been shaken by the loss of Sophist to the SRM carriers and it was reinforced as the Hunchback fired its AC/20 at him.
But then battle was joined as the Helverin's autocannons began blazing a hellstorm of ballistics fire towards the enemy and the turrets opened up. The battle dissolving into a general melee as they tried to fend of both turrets and the Armigers descending on them, another shot from the Hunchback staggered him but failed to do so enough to matter when the Thermal Spear fired a third of the Hunchback went cherry-red in seconds before the carapace meltagun fired causing a fair amount of armour to go white from heat. As the Hunchback shut down the last think it's pilot saw was the spinning teeth of a chain cleaver, earning only a moment to scream before he was turned into hamburger meat.
There was a crash and Medusa turned to see Warspites Helverin missing its right arm as barrages of fire from the Trebuchet focussed on the left weapon. It was much more surprised when the Helverin turned its right gun and kept firing unphased, the autocannon projectiles stitching the mech, effectively pinning it in place.
"Medusa, they are coming. Get that control centre disabled! You have three minutes before i'm gone!" Sumire said as the Leopard came about for a pickup.
Medusa took the hint and sprinted for the Control centre pausing only long enough to discharge the Thermal Spear and his meltagun into the face of the Dragon that attempted to block his progress. Metal running like someone had turned on a tap. Cresting the hill it took a moment to turn his guns on the control centre before pain bloomed in his back driving him to one knee as he turned his meltagun and auspex on the offender.
The Jenner he'd dismissed had managed to advance up behind him and unload directly into his back, damage alarums screamed in his mind as the control centre ran like lava while he discharged the meltagun, the carapace weapon turning the cockpit of the light mech into a blazing inferno of molten metal as he stood, the armiger's powerplant crippled.
Struggling to turn he saw the Hysteria arrive, with Warspite and Spike heading for it.
Medusa took up a lumbering run, noting that the enemy mechs had finally been put down. "Go go go!" Warspite said as she loaded up her Armiger.
Thirty seconds later the mech door closed behind him and the Hysteria screamed for space as the Armiger collapsed and Medusa blacked out.
-----------------------------------------------------
Smithon
The sky was afire and the Directorate was worried as they watched in fear, they'd heard that Panzyr had seen the arrival of Raven Guard forces, and response to it had been heavy, but they hadn't planned for him splitting his assets, and now the primary munitions depot keeping them in the fight was witnessing a nightmare as a Fortress, Overlord and Excalibur were all descending on it.
Massive starfighters had descended and strafed any obvious anti-air with incredible barrages of powerful laser fire. As the Fortress touched down the Long Tom rose from it's armoured silo. Allowing the Excalibur and Overlord to safely land behind it.
As the ramps lowered and the Knights began to march the commander of the Munitions dump could only watch in horror as the Preceptor of Death and Mistress of Murder were followed by the Knight Templar and Lazarus, following them was the other Questoris 'Canis Exelsior' in the rearguard were both Cerastus, the Lionheart and Charlemagne. The Fortress covering them as they unloaded while from the Overlord tanks spilled out and the Excalibur began deploying troops and the remaining Armigers into the field.
The Knights began to file across the escarpment and march down the valley access.
"This is Duke Kane Giordino of the Raven Guard, master of the Preceptor of Death." The words boomed out as a transmission and from loudspeakers across the machine. "We have been hired by the Lady Kamea Arano to restore her worlds to her. To transfer them back into the hands of those with whom they belong. And a little birdy tells me that you're not too keen on that idea. So I'm going to give you an offer."
"Death. Or Dispossession." The words boomed out.
I let it sink in for a moment as I continued my march.
"Any man or woman who is under arms by the time we reach the facility will be killed, whether or not they later choose to surrender. Any man or woman who abandons their mech, tank or personal weapon and lines up in a nice clear space will be kept under guard and given a choice." A Dragon moved up onto another ridge overlooking the munitions depot supported by his lancemates. The speakers and transmission stopped.
"Warden's Justice, this is Kane, target co-ordinates, grid 9r, fire for effect."
On the Fortress the Long Tom turned and aimed marginally higher into the sky. KRAKOOM KRAKOOM KRAKOOM
"Basilisk Battery. Earthshaker Shells. Grid 9R. Single Shell Only."
The two Basilisks came to a stop and spun on their axis for the target grid, the well trained guardsmen loading an Earthshaker shell in each as their barrels reached for the sky and discharged KRAKOOM KRAKOOM.
On the ridge the mechs noticed the fire too late to do more than attempt to evacuate the position, scattering in whatever direction was fastest, unfortunately for the Dragon and a Grasshopper they were too slow to begin relocation and the Long Tom Shells fell. The earthshattering barrage was then followed by the two Earthshaker shells, their detonation rocked the escarpment the other Lance had taken position on and with a ground-quake the entire thing came away from the cliff bringing the two mechs caught on it, highly damaged, to an ignoble end.
"Or you can resist now. And we'll just flatten you this way. Your choice." The transmission cut off.