Part 610: Combat Theater Vote 18

Combat Theater Vote

Star Captain August’s eyes snapped open at the sudden hiss of failed pneumatics. He’d been floating silently in the `Mechbay’s microgravity, his right foot hooked under a retractable grab rail running the length of the floor. Like most Mechwarriors, he found the sights and sounds of an active `Mechbay relaxing, and often visited when he wanted a few moments to think in peace. He wasn’t alone, Star Commander Chidike was just down the bay, his dark lips curled into a frown as he stared at a support beam between a rack of Salamanders and the latest-model Elemental armor. August knew he was trying to decide which would be the superior choice for the upcoming operation and although it was well within August’s rights to choose a loadout for his Elemental stars, he was hardly an expert in infantry operations and felt allowing his subordinate the opportunity to make the choice was preferable.

A portable prying wedge had been over-extended in an effort to pry open a stuck access panel in the armor of Mechwarrior Chaya’s Ebon Jaguar. Preparations for setting a final combat loadout were well underway, which meant the OmniMechs needed to be opened and mated with weapons systems appropriate to the task of annihilating an entire Widowmaker Cluster. Similar to a jaws-of-life emergency rescue device, the pneumatic prying wedge was designed to be driven into a gap in the armor and slowly opened to safely crack the welding with the aid of a little heat. Apparently in a hurry, the technician who’d set up the wedge had simply brought it up to maximum pressure without making any attempt to loosen the weld with heat.

His body tumbled away silently, unconscious at best, as the pneumatic wedge flew through the air across the bay at a walking pace. Another technician moved to intercept, interposing her body between the wedge and a wall to wait for it. August slipped his foot from the grab rail and pushed off with as much force as his powerful legs could manage. Although he’d been farther away, he crossed the bay in half the time, tackling the foolish technician out of the way. She went down beneath him, and for a moment they were both tangled in a tumbling pile of dark limbs.

The pry wedge struck one of the `Mechbay’s interior walls with enough force to crack its outer casing. Although it hadn’t been moving quickly in the near weightlessness of the bay, it still packed the mass as an adult human into a hunk of metal less than half-a-meter long. Even traveling at a mere five kilometers per hour successfully “catching” the tool would’ve undoubtedly shattered the woman’s ribs and possibly killed her outright. Even after losing a lot of its energy on the rebound it still required a careful grab from Star Commander Chidike’s Salamander armor to stop the tool’s momentum entirely. He placed it on the ground so the technicians could recover it. Chidike offered August a respectful nod as he turned to return the Salamander armor to the rack. As soon as they passed near enough to the floor for August to catch a grip, he extricated himself from his entanglement and helped the technician to her feet.

“Be careful in the future,” he cautioned. “A flying tool is no joke. The Clan does not have so many technicians that we can afford to throw one away just to spare the effort of repainting a scratched bulkhead.”



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Demon Hawks, Company D
Company D, the new Demon Hawks subsidiary company made up of ex-Clan defectors, is eager to prove themselves worthy of the name—and take revenge on their previous masters for years of ill-use. They’ve been placed under direct Republic command to test their willingness to follow orders they may not like, but have nonetheless been placed near the front lines to seek the battle they seem to crave.

Clan Goliath Scorpion, 35th Scorpion Cuirassiers, “Scorpions of the Veil”
The cold war between the Goliath Scorpions and the Widowmakers is heating up. The Widowmakers have raided a Scorpion world for ammunition and supplies, and the ilKhan has ignored the Scorpions’ formal complaint. The elite, fanatical warriors of the 35th Scorpion Cuirassiers have been tasked with a single duty: to punish and humiliate the offending Clan Widowmaker unit so thoroughly that the Widowmakers will be forced to disband it.

Operation: Brass Bull
With the TSC Vendetta crippled in high orbit by a suicidal fighter attack, The Taurian Concordat’s invasion of New Syrtis has taken on a desperate air. With the planetary spaceport crippled by the initial Taurian nuclear attack, the Duchy has been unable to significantly redeploy its defense forces but at the same time the Vendetta is unable to launch follow-up strikes against the Duchy’s defensive positions. The TDF’s ground invasion is nevertheless underway with one goal: the capture of Duke Morgan Hasek.





Combat Theater Vote:
A) Demon Hawks, Company D
B) 35th Scorpion Cuirassiers
C) Operation: Brass Bull

PTN's note: Last time I spoiled you for choice, but some of them were redundant. This time I'm doing the opposite.