Chapter Twenty-Nine: Baptism by Fire
Tybalt, Capellán Confederation February 1st, 3007
"This is Blaze, get in formation and give your ready status." The Aerospace commander ordered.
"This is Chopper, ready op."
"This is Edge, ready op."
The pilots of both Wardog and Strider squadrons signified their ready status.
"Wardog, our job is to knock out any fighters sent to intercept the ground pounders." Blaze started. "Hitman, you're lead on Strider, you've got coverage of the drop ships in case any get past us."
"Hitman copies." The ace replied. "Strider moving to escort positions."
The two squadrons launched from their Leopard CV's and moved to their respective places. Strider squadron mainly had weapons that were more useful in escort positions anyway. And with both the aerospace fighter's weapons and the Dropships coverage you had a decent escort. Wardog was the heavy hitting intercept forces.
"We've got enemy bogies incoming." Edge called out, spinning her Thunderbird around to face the incoming forces. "Appears to be a squadron of of Transit's.
"Acknowledged," Blaze replied. "Coming about and arming weapons." He flicked the master switch on and moved his Chippewa around to face the incoming fighters. "Match thrust profiles and Ready LRM's. Lightnings, make sure they don't make it past the rest of us."
"Roger that Blaze." Archer and Swordsman responded, drowning out whatever mouthy response that Chopper was responding with.
As soon as the four birds that had LRM's had a solid lock, they opened fire. Managing to take out two of the Transit's before having to come around and chase them. Archer managed to tag the cockpit of another Transit with his AC/20 in the fly by. Leaving them with only three to contend with.
"Split up into your designated Wing." Blaze told his squadron. "I want those three birds dead before Strider has to intervene."
The six birds of Wardog split up into their designated wings, each wing giving chase to one bird. The three Transits were not being piloted by Aces. Blaze noted, if they had been, then they would have caused more damage in the pass and tried to move out of the way. As it was, they were being maneuvered into a separate fighters cone of fire every time they tried to escape from the volley of another fighter. In a few short burst of intense combat flying in the void, the rest of the CCAF fighters were down for the count.
"Wardog, good work out there. RTB" Blaze ordered. Him and the rest of Wardog heading to rejoin the dropships now entering the atmosphere.
"You want to do this Colonel?" Sheppard asked, beginning to power on his Marauder's systems.
"Nope." I responded, my Warhammer ready and raring to go. We were in the Union's 'Mechbay. "This is your show Sheppard." I tightened down my chair straps.
"Fireteam Rifle." Sheppard started broadcasting. "We are hot dropping onto the surface of Tybalt in order to secure our landing zone. We are going to have the most dangerous job in the Marksman and I know for a fact that all of you can handle it. Most of the crew - not to mention your fellow 'Mech pilots - will be landing on the ground the normal way. They'll ride to the surface in air conditioned comfort, sipping wine, and nibbling on appetizers. Not you, however. Oh no, you're going to leave in a different method. Tell me boys and girls… how will you leave?"
"We go feet first sir!" Was the resounding response on the comms.
"Damn straight Fireteam Rifle. Punch it!" Sheppard commanded, and the drop pods with the assorted 'Mechs of Fireteam rifle were launched out of the Dropship.
I had never felt so exhilarated and terrified at the same time. The metal "Sheath" around my 'Mech was linked to my sensors and I had a computer calculated trajectory, but all of that seemed to shrink in my focus as the pod started rattling around the Warhammer. After a minute though, the shaking stopped and the pod fell away, leaving the jump pods temporarily attached to the back and legs of my Warhammer to slow my descent for the last seven hundred meters or so. When I hit the ground with a jolt, I jettisoned the jump pods, and tuned into the command channel for Fireteam Rifle.
"This is Rifle Actual. Give me your location and a status report." Sheppard ordered.
"This is Rifle Two, one klick out and green across the board."
"This is RIfle Three…"
The rest of Fireteam Rifle reported that they were green and formed up on Sheppard.
"This is Marksman Actual." I called in as I walked up to the fireteam with my IFF on. "I am green across the board and ready to assist."
The seven 'Mechs that we had here were going to be moving to a flat area around fifty Kilometers away from Macbeth, the capital city and main population center of Tybalt. Mine and Fireteam Rifle's job would be to make sure that the LZ was clear in the first place, and keep it secured while the rest of the Battalion finished unloading.
Luckily, aside from a few scout hovercraft and VTOL's, the enemy left us alone and we landed uncontested aside from Wardog's fight in the void.
We had split our forces up in order to force an engagement of the forces holding the city of Macbeth. We didn't want major civilian casualties and so we were using the Toro's and our two Pegasus to draw out a larger formation. The fireteam was taking potshots at various turret emplacements while our PA forces sneaked in behind enemy lines.
Captain Peterson had an ambitious plan and had presented it to the command staff before we had left Valexa. We were going to occupy and divide the attention of as many of the enemy forces as possible. We were going to put on a big show, slowly unload the dropships etc… All of this while two companies, a hundred and fifty men and women in powered armor, sneaked in and got ready to take all of their gear, weapons, people… You name it, they were going to either force a direct surrender or would essentially kill off the entire unit.
Lieutenant Packer led his platoon quietly through the urban jungle of Macbeth. While a few of the new recruits almost made some really rookie mistakes, the Mithril had allowed them to recover and not be discovered. Captain Peterson was leading another platoon and Captain Paige and her second were hitting another objective.
They had been scouting out the main military base for a couple of days now, noting down patterns, gaps in the perimeter, and anything that might prove useful in infiltrating and taking out this battalion. After sunset tonight though, they would be hitting the main base that the Lothar's Fusiliers were operating out of and doing whatever they needed to in order to take the world.
Later that night…
Captain Peterson waited and watched as a sentry walked by. After a solid minute, he waved the platoon through the gap that they had noted down earlier. After they had breached the bases perimeter, the various fireteams split up to go hit their own objectives. Peterson's fireteam was going for Major Vaultaine herself. If they managed to get the command staff captured and the main officers and/or senior enlisted personnel then they would have taken out the main opposition force on the planet