Part 325: Steel Will - Turn 1
Steel Will: Tactical Update 1“Watch your ECM, Weber.”
Sgt. Major Reliance Mao glowered at her comms. The sharp hiss of static in her ears did not abate, and her secondary monitors continued to flicker as unseen forces wrought havoc on her Enfield’s state-of-the-art sensors. When she’d traded her old Guillotine for the lighter Enfield, she’d wondered if she’d made the right choice. The machine still smelled of new paint, and the oxygen scrubbers didn’t have to wage a losing battle against a hundred years of sweat and fear; but at the time she’d worried the little `Mech wouldn’t have the same spirit her old Guillotine did. As far as she could tell, its DI Computer hadn’t even picked up a single operational quirk.
At the time, it had been hard to argue against Duke Hasek’s plan: Any front-line pilot without an entirely modern machine could trade their `Mech for a new machine straight off the production lines. Their old BattleMech would be taken away and refitted with new weaponry and equipment for however long that process would take. Mao would then have the option to return to her improved original ride, or to trade it for the `Mech she’d been piloting at no personal cost. The Guillotine always had been a tad slow for her tastes, and her new Enfield was a dream. Now? She had no doubts: if she’d stuck with her older, slower `Mech she’d have been killed when the Concordat’s aerospace fighters had bombed her lance.
“It isn’t me, Rel,” Sgt. Fynn Weber’s voice had a tinny, metallic quality. “That’s not ECM at all. Must be the dropship, her fusion plant must be running unshielded.”
“As hard as it came down, I’m surprised anything on that ship still works,” Mao replied casually. “Stay close, Weber, there may be survivors after all and there’s no telling how far our radios will work in this soup. The last thing I want is to blunder into an ambush by the assholes we’re theoretically here to save.”
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The heavy crackling of Lt. Dorian Bellard’s secondary monitor intensified slowly over the past kilometer, its digital readout already well past the redline. A drop of sweat rolled down the back of his neck. The in-cockpit monitor still showed green—his seals were intact, there was no radiation leaking into his machine. They were running on bottled air for this drop, with `Mechs sealed as carefully as they’d need to be to fight at the bottom of the ocean or in space. Still, Dorian wasn’t much worried about his Watchman. It was a new machine, as was Sgt. Sommers’ Blackjack. The real concerns were Sgt. Laguerre’s Raven, and—
He slowed, turning to face the rest of his lance. As if sensing his thoughts, his wife’s ancient Firebee flashed him a thumbs-up. Her cockpit was still sealed too, all of her electronic and chemical radiation sensors must’ve all been green too. Dorian’s secondary monitor pinged a warning, passing into the second red-zone while they were still a kilometer out.
“Rescue mission’s scrubbed,” he transmitted. “The area’s way too hot to bring any survivors out now.”
“Fuck,” Troy Laguerre grunted. “I don’t like leaving them down there.”
“They’ve got food, water, and air for six months,” Anne commented. “And enough power for the next thousand years or so. For the time being, they’re safer down there than we are up here.”
“Our job’s still recon,” Dorian continued. “Troy, I’d like you to use your Raven to check on the status of the underground bunkers; if you get close enough to the entrance do you think you can tap the computers remotely?”
“Does a Capellan eat rice?” Laguerre replied. “It’ll be child’s play.”
“Good,” Dorian didn’t bat an eyelash at his soldier’s casual racism. “Because we’re past the second marker. If you’re thinking about sneaking out to establish a physical link, understand that you’ll be dead before the hatch finishes opening.”
“The—the thought hadn’t crossed my mind at all,” Laguerre lied. “Honest!”
Delta Battle Lance “The Avenging Angels”
Primary Objectives:
- Survive (incomplete)
- Rescue Capellan Survivors (incomplete)
Secondary Objectives:
- Destroy the Capellan Survivors* (incomplete)
- Defeat Taurian Forces (incomplete)
2nd Lance, 1st Company, 3rd Chesterton Voltigeurs
Primary Objectives:
- Survive (incomplete)
- Link up with the New Syrtis Rescue Party (incomplete)
Secondary Objectives:
- Destroy the New Syrtis Rescue Party* (incomplete)
- Defeat Taurian Forces (incomplete)
India Recon Lance “The Last Report”
Primary Objectives:
- Survive (incomplete)
- Defeat Taurian Forces (incomplete)
Secondary Objectives:
- Defend the Fallout Bunker Entrance (incomplete)
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- Use the Raven’s equipment to confirm the condition of the six bunkers and the number (if any) of the survivors (0/6)
Point Zero Enemy Movement Mods:
- Talos II – Walked +2
- Bobcat – Walked +2
- Cronus – Walked +2
- Rifleman – Walked +1
- Hunter – Stationary +0
- Patton – Cruised +1
Yantai Reservation Enemy Movement Mods:
- Cicada – Walked +3
- Phoenix – Walked +2
- Toro – Walked +2
- Quasit II – Walked +2
- Drillson – Cruised +3
- Plainsman – Cruised +3
Player Status:
Enemy Status:
