Chapter Forty-Three: A Hope in Hell

Chapter Forty-Three: A Hope in Hell

Caselton, Federated Suns June 10th, 3010

(Onboard Hanse Davions dropship for planning before moving onto Tikonov)

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" Hanse Davion asked me. "I believe you said you were looking into dropping Infantry from orbit?"

"Yes, I got to test one out before we left." I grinned widely. "We're going to start training specifically for them soon and make it into a volunteer only unit."

"What would you even call Infantry dropped from orbit?" Field Marshal Felsner of the Davion Heavy Guards asked.

"Well, I'm leaning towards Orbital Drop Shock Troopers myself. But the R&D team is still knocking around names"I shrugged. "The technology has existed for centuries, and with Mithril, we can make it a survivable and effective means of delivering infantry to places that need reinforcements or softening up."

"I thought that's what your new DroST refits were for?" Hanse asked, the Davions having purchased a license for it after we had put it out there.

"No, that's for regular Infantry dropping and support." I mean, they're still there to help, but we're not dropping them from orbit in a Sting." I paused. "Well, not yet anyway."

After the standard introductions and some woolgathering was done, Hanse began to brief us on his plans. It turns out, the rest of the Big Mac was on Tikonov while rebuilding after the losses we had handed them, along with elements of the Ariana Grenadiers, The First Chesterton Voltigeurs, and the second Ariana Fusiliers along with the eighty regiments of infantry that were almost always there.

"You sure that you're up for being the bait?" Hanse asked me after the rest of the various CO's had left. "I've got other plans that we can fall back on if we need to."

"We can do this." I told him. "We'll pin down the Big Mac long enough for you guys to take out everyone else." I smiled mysteriously. "Like we said at Tybalt."

"What did you say at Tybalt Hull?" Hanse asked,

"The only way to eat a Big Mac is one bite at a time." I replied. "And this time, I brought Lostech…"

Tikonov Tikonov Commonality, Capellan Confederation June 18th, 3010

"Are we sure that this plan of Davions will work?" Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard, the CO of Marksman's first regiment asked over the comms system. "I mean, the Big Mac can't be that angry at us can they?"

"Sheppard, do I need to play that audio message again?" I asked, as we burned into the atmosphere of the planet below.

"Yes actually, hearing the man literally spitting mad was quite funny." Sheppard replied.

"Well, we're going down after the second wave. How's your XO doing?" I asked. We had expanded pretty rapidly and a lot of our vets had been promoted to officer and senior NCO positions.

"She's handling it pretty well," Sheppard said. "I'm just glad that it helped her shape up a bit."

"Yeah, Mckay has come quite a long way." I responded.

"By the way, Colonel." Major Packer said. "Aren't you going to respond to Archibald McCarron's message?"

"Respond?" I asked. "I'll respond after we're on the ground, we're playing distraction remember?"

Hanse had sent us first, to begin drawing the defenders of Tikonov out, and he had requested that our Sting class dropships with their battalion of Mithril PA infantry aboard be with him in the second wave. Wardog and Strider squadron and all of their trainees had proven their worth on the way in. With the Lostech birds, and having extra firepower, the Outworlds Alliance Aces had proven just why they were some of the deadliest pilots in the Inner Sphere, they had shattered virtually every single fighter and dropship sent at us. With minimal casualties on our side.

Marksman Drop Zone Tikonov Tikonov Commonality, Capellan Confederation

"This is Colonel Hull of the Marksman Mercenary company." I broadcast on all open frequencies available to me in my Warhammer, Captain Dunham was going to be in the Mobile HQ with me coordinating between both Regiments. "I heard the Big Mac was on planet and decided I wanted another bite." I paused for effect. "But I heard that Archibald McCarron was too much of a coward to come face the Marksman after what we did before." I chuckled audibly into the mic. "I mean, he couldn't even work up the nerve to hunt us down afterwards."

I cut the channel off. I knew that he was going to take the bait, and if the Mac was going to draw in anyone else than Hanse's plan would go off really well.

"Alright people." I broadcast on the Marksman's encrypted channel. "We've just made the Mac angrier than they've ever been. Expect extremely aggressive behavior and for them to almost exclusively target whatever formation I'm in."

"I'm going to be broadcasting through all of this so as to focus their attention on me. Follow your CO's lead, they know what to do."

June 20th, 3010

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." I said to myself as I fired one of my ERPPC's at the headhunter lance chasing after me. "That's the third Lance today." I kept dodging fire, and stringing the enemy lance along until they were in position. There were nine sharp hypersonic "Cracks" as the lance chasing after me were met by nine hypersonic projectiles, shredding armor and causing the lance of heavy mechs that had been chasing me to lose armor, legs, and in once case to just drop and bury itself into the ground due to it missing a cockpit. The heavy lance tried to turn around and run, but were savaged by PPC fire from the two supporting Manticore's and the Marauder that were coordinating with the three Alacorns. I had "Borrowed" the fireteam from our First regiment after dealing with the first Lance of heavy mechs that had been assigned to "Headhunt" me.

I had really pissed the Big Mac off, because they had thrown themselves at us heedless of our Lostech advantage and were paying for it in the sheer numbers game. Mithril also was a great equalizer and had been helping to put some of the enemies own metal into our fight. Over the past two days, we had been funneling the enemy into killzones generated by their near suicidal focus on me. The various mechs and gear we had grabbed from the SLDF depots had made a tremendous difference. Now we just needed Hanse and the rest of the Tikonov invasion force to complete their objectives.

Stopping next to the Marauder, I waved my ERPPC in thanks to the leader of the fireteam before heading over to the mobile HQ again.

June 23rd, 3010

"Sheppard I need you to push in the rear right now!" I ordered from my Warhammer, coordinating long range fire from the fireteam I was currently borrowing. "We've got a short company of Assault mechs pushing our shit in!"

We managed to drop four of the twelve assaults and wound most of the others before I had the irreplaceable tanks fall back while I drew fire.

Crouching, I dodged an AC/20 shot that would have flat out killed me if it had connected to the cockpit that they were aiming at.

"Colonel McCarron is that you?" I asked the Atlas that was currently trying to cave my cockpit in. "Cuz if it is you then you need to hit the sims more. Your aim is trash."

I slid out of range of a score of SRM's and kept maneuvering out of range of his AC/20.

"You know who it is, Hull!" He roared in a rage at me. "It's time for some payback!" His command Lance kept moving forward, leaving me very little room to dodge fire. Thankfully, I was still much faster than the average Warhammer and I now showed that as I moved away at flank speed away from the fireteam. I didn't want them to pay for my strategy and tactics.

"I managed to get back out of their maximum range and turned around to start firing at the two lances chasing me. Crippling one of the mechs, and coring another with a golden BB. I had reduced them to a lance and a half before they closed in on me again. "You might get me McCarron," I said. "But you and the rest of your unit won't live past the week." I taunted as I turned around and unleashed an Alpha strike on his Atlas. Shredding tons of Armor and bringing up my heat to a level that was starting to become uncomfortable.

"Sheppard!" I broadcast again, weaving out of the way of missiles and lasers. "Where the hell are you?!"

"We're trying to break through now Colonel. " I heard autocannon fire in the background. "They left a Battalion behind to stall us"

"Well, If you don't get here in time," I said as I removed a Charger's foot from existence with a PPC bolt. " Have Rook get onto my Noteputer. My last will and testament is in there."

My mech staggered as one of the AC/20's from the Atlas finally connected. Almost making me lose my footing. I was down a lot of armor, and one more of those AC/20s would probably core my mech.

I kept running, ducking behind a small hill, using it to absorb some of the fire before popping out of cover and trying to arc a PPC bolt into the cockpit of another mech. I failed, but that mech did duck back for a while and it let me move further out of range of the mech killers that were hunting me. I knew that there was a canyon wall I was going to run into if I didn't stop soon, and that I would have to make my final stand.

"Why are you running Hull?" McCarron roared. "You not man enough to face me?"

"Man enough?" I asked, "Bitch please, you came at me with two lances of assault mechs and I only see you here with one lance." I stopped my mech and turned around to face them. "My dead wife was more of a man then you are." I chuckled to myself. "She sure as hell was a better shot than you at the very least."

If I was going to die, then my last stand was going to be a story told for all of the ages…