Andrew smiled as the 'Mech's faceplate exploded outward. The pilot flew from the damaged 'Mech in his command couch. The gyrostabilizers trimmed the seat's flight, and the pilot directed it back toward the DropShips. First blood goes to the Lions. It'll take them forever to get out of this trap, and we can pick their sappers off with LRM fire from Demon and Archer lances.
Almost before Andrew had a chance to grin in smug satisfaction, the Death Commandos sprang into action, showing just how nasty a force they really were. Both DropShips launched flight after flight of LRMs in a computer-projected pattern that ate its way out through both rings. The missiles and their explosions detonated all the mines for a hundred meters. Fiery blasts shot flares into the darkness and sprayed dirt everywhere. Thunder rattled the Marauderas light flashed from each succeeding barrage.
Andrew punched a button on his command console. "Heads up, Demon and Archer lances. They'll be coming through fast. Fire and move, fire and move. Fox and Cat, be ready to move. The rest of you, stay alert. Our first position won't hold long." Andrew glanced down at the list of 'Mechs and styles his computer could identify. Hell, we'll be lucky if it just slows them down.
Through the smoke and dust poured the Death Commandos. The wounded Ravenand the other two 'Mechs in its lance came into view first. They moved into the line of buildings in the factory town surrounding Yare Industries as the first volley of LRM from Archer and Demon lances hit them.
So many missiles blasted into the Raventhat it appeared to have burst into flames spontaneously. The Waspon its right reeled under the pummeling barrage. The humanoid 'Mech, stripped naked of armor by missiles, collapsed into a two-story-tall adobe building. The lance's remaining 'Mech, a Stinger,started to jet off, but a flight of missiles peppered its head, crushing the cockpit completely. The 'Mech crashed to the ground, blocking one of the town's narrow streets with its corpse.
Suddenly a half-dozen Death Commando 'Mechs ignited their jump jets. The humanoid BattleMechs arced overhead, converging on the locations from which the LRMs had been fired. The scarlet shafts of medium-laser fire wove a deadly energy network above the low hill toward which the Liao 'Mechs flew. The beams sliced armor from the incoming 'Mechs, but stopped none of their advances.
As the Liao 'Mechs sank from sight, Andrew growled out orders through the radio. "Cat lance, hit them now. Archer, Demon, get out of there if you can and fall back to second position. Bulls-eye and Fox, it's our turn. Craon, hold your company until we need it." Andrew glanced at the tactical display that showed some of his Valkyriesjetting away from the assault site, then he turned his attention back to the action in his area.
The main body of the Death Commandos moved through the town along the main road toward Yare. They proceeded as swiftly as possible, clearly uneasy about the shadowed side-streets and darkened buildings surrounding them. Two Centurionsscouted ahead, while two Vindicatorssecured the streets intersecting their line of march.
They never imagined anything by way of an organized defense, and no militia in its right mind would fight them in a city—placing its own homes at risk.As the last 'Mech, a Rifleman,shuffled past the tin-walled warehouse where Andrew's Marauderwas hidden, Andrew severed the connection with the visual sensor pod mounted on the building's roof. He leaned his heavy 'Mech against the warehouse's corrugated wall, and amid a shriek of metal and loud snap of wooden wall studs, he burst into the street behind the Rifleman.
Andrew shoved both of the Marauder'sarms at the Rifleman,stabbing his thumbs down on the firing buttons. Twin bolts of azure lightning knifed through the enemy 'Mech's back, slashing armor into ribbons. Half-melted armor chunks fell to the ground while blue fire raced through the Rifleman'sbody. Autocannon armor started a staccato series of explosions that blew both arms off the 'Mech, sending them spinning off through buildings and houses. Freed of the electromagnetic fields holding it captive, the miniature sun powering the fusion reactor melted its way free of the engine housing and rose like ball lightning up through the 'Mech's head. It exploded free of the war machine, lighting the landscape like noon, then imploded, bringing darkness again.
Missiles and lasers, PPCs and autocannons all fired from within the darkness toward the street and back out again as Bullseye and Fox lances joined Redburn in his ambush. From his left, Andrew saw SRMs fly in from the squat, birdlike Jennersthat made up Bullseye lance, and they were followed up by skilled laser fire from the same 'Mechs. From the right flank, two Jennersin Fox lance struck. The two Panthersthat completed that Lance's complement of 'Mechs unleashed PPC blasts at the most heavily armored of the Liao invaders, then launched volleys of SRMs to capitalize on the damage their particle beams had done.
Fire turned the night into day as chaos reigned. Andrew traded PPC blasts with a Vindicator.The Liao attack buckled armor plates on his Marauder'sright arm, but failed to damage the PPC mechanism. Almost as though the PPC pod had merely absorbed the energy, it spat the cerulean bolt back at the Vindicator,tearing a hideous scar through the armor over the other 'Mech's heart. The medium laser on the same arm flayed armor from the Liao 'Mech's left flank, while the other arm's medium laser sliced through the armor on the Vindicator'sright hip.
The Vindicator'spilot shifted his 'Mech back toward the left to protect his wounded flank. The PPC mounted as its right forearm vomited out another jagged lightning spear, again blasting armor from the Marauder'sright arm. Andrew watched as the computer redrew the 'Mech's right arm with only a minimal amount of armor. Next hit wastes that arm. Best use it now!
Andrew dropped the gold targeting crosshairs onto the image of his enemy and again fired with one PPC and two medium lasers to avoid a heat buildup. As though the 'Mech realized the threat the Vindicatorrepresented, the Maraudervented its fury on the Vindicator'sright arm. The blue PPC beam arced its way up and down the limb, blasting layer after layer of glowing ferro-ceramic armor off into the night. The right-arm laser sliced along the Liao PPCs barrel, splitting the last of the armor, then skewering a heat sink in a spray of green-yellow coolant. The left-arm laser pulsed into the Vindicator'sshoulder. Corded myomer muscle snapped, torn fibers flailing wildly, as the beam slashed through it. The laser tracked up into the joint, melting titanium bones. With a thundercrack and flash of bloody light, the Vindicator'sright arm cartwheeled off into the darkness.
The Vindicator'sneutralization gave Andrew a moment to survey the battlefield. At least two of Fox lance's Jennerswere down and burning, but a Liao Scorpionhad lost its two front legs. On the left, Andrew couldn't see Bullseye lance, but the continued fire coming from and heading back to their position told him that at least some of them still lived. Up on the hill, where Cat lance would have jumped the Liao 'Mechs sent to root out the Valkyrie,Andrew saw two burning buildings and the stuttered flash of autocannons, but could not make order out of the chaos up there.