Registered Contract LA-EX-02-01 Cimeron, Dahar PDZ Federated Suns. 2 Feb 3092 0700 Hrs “Four decades ago, the Inner Sphere was introduced to the Clans of Kerensky. An enemy equipped with advanced technology and the will to dominate in an all consuming Crusade to bring about the resurrection of a new Star League. At first, they appeared to be unstoppable as world after world went silent when exposed to the seemingly endless onslaught. Yet, for all their tenacity and belief in their cause they were still mortal and therefore could be defeated on the battlefield. When the forces of the Inner Sphere combined and took the fight to the Clans on their own turf, the war ended with the destruction of the most violent and brutal of the Crusaders; Clan Smoke Jaguar. While the Clans are still around, they are fractured and lack the cohesion necessary to provide the threat that they had in their heyday. New threats have arisen from the marriage of the former Word of Blake (Known now as the Covenant of Blake) and the Free Worlds League. The fall of the Second Star League was inevitable, and yet it had been formed at a time when a great threat loomed in the form of the Clans. With no single power able to check the League under Captain-General Agatha Rousset-Marik the League and the Covenant (Under the guise of a group called ULTRA) have swarmed like a plague from the ancient Biblical texts. Like the Clans four decades ago, the Covenant and their League partners have become the proverbial boogeymen of the Inner Sphere and threaten to drown all beneath a blood-dimmed tide. When I first joined the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth, I did so not only out of a sense of patriotism but a belief that in the bloody struggle against the Clans I was fighting for the freedom of not just the people of the Federated Commonwealth, but for all people everywhere who would be subjugated and enslaved in a reality where the strong prey upon the weak. I saw a brutal baptism by fire as a member of Task Force Serpent, and witnessed the horrors of war up close. On occasion the dead (Both friend and foe) will visit me in my dreams if only to remind me of their presence. Any soldier who has seen battle can tell you that while the dead may have seen the end of war, those who survive carry the scars for the rest of their lives. It was a distinct honor to wear the uniform of the reborn Star League for even a short part of my career because I believed in what we were doing. I believe that each and every one of you have it within you to stem the tide, and to take the fight to the enemy. You have been given the best training and equipment available, and I would be proud to lead any of you into battle. Congratulations on being the first graduating class in the history of this academy.” The cheering and applause that broke out among the newly minted officers was an explosion of excitement that left Duchess Ravenna Black remembering her own graduation from the New Avalon Military Academy so very long ago. As she found her way down from the podium and exited the stage, a natural smile came to her features as she filtered her way through meeting with the young officers and their parents for a personal touch that sometimes was lacking in a military structure. Departing the parade grounds she walked the modest distance with her discreetly armed bodyguards in tow to the helipad where the VIP variant of the Nightstalker helicopter rested. While the typical production variant of the Nightstalker was created to quickly and stealthily insert and extract special forces troops the VIP variant could ferry 10 passengers in relative luxury at high speed over long distances, and was protected by a built in anti-missile system. At the entry door of the chopper waited two more uniformed members of her security detail who brought their weapons up and smartly executed a rifle salute for the woman whose house they had sworn fealty to. Returning the salute, Ravenna found her typical seat and lightly buckled in even as the whisper blades started to turn. Powered by a relatively silent fusion power plant, the chopper call sign “Cimeron Two” began the flight back toward Castle Black. Opening a portfolio that was waiting for her,she scrutinized the information that was compiled on the sheets of paper marked “Secret: Eyes Only.” The information was comprised mostly of sketchy intelligence concerning ULTRA and the FWL. SAFE and ROM combined had become something of a powerhouse managing to put a virtual lid on information in the aftermath of Agatha's rise to power. The combination of the League's battle fleet and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of forces had taken everyone by surprise including the intelligence organizations of the Successor Houses. Ravenna had sought to build her own as part of the Raven Legion and was partly successful, and carrying the organization with her to Cimeron still meant in the greater scheme of things it was a small agency made primarily to do battlefield intelligence collection, internal security and analysis. Upon landing, she was met by Captain Nathaniel West. West was a product of the Outreach Mercenary Training Academy and had joined the Black Wolf Rangers during the unit's rapid expansion. Seconded to serve as Ravenna's aide, he had done a good job in helping to manage her busy schedule. “General, I have the information you requested. Are we looking at expanding the training cadre? Or another Expeditionary Force?” West asked as he exchanged portfolios with her taking the intelligence brief off her hands. “Thank you, Captain. We have assets sitting around collecting dust as opposed to earning. I fully intend to see that we expand both the Cadre and the Expeditionary Forces.” Ravenna replied heading inside to her office located across from her husband's office. With James and his staff away on Anti-Clan Operations she had been left in charge along with a variety of tasks that needed to be completed while he was absent. What was important to Ravenna was that James never left her out of the loop and showed that he not only loved her, but trusted her to be his partner in all things. She had wished she could have taken on Clan Wolf, but having the leadership in one battle could leave BWR and Cimeron without anyone in charge should the unthinkable happen. The wheels in her mind were working on another problem, one that seemed to be a dark storm gathering on the horizon that would eventually consume Cimeron. Logging into her secure terminal, Ravenna set up a link to the planetary HPG. When she had put in the necessary information and chose settings, she was prompted by the computer program letting her know that she was being recorded. “Hello old friend, I'm sorry that it has been this long since our last correspondence but you know how the life we lead can be. I am certain that you are following the situation concerning Ultra and the Free Worlds League. Under normal circumstances I would not ask this, but you have access to intelligence about this foe that I do not. If you could send me anything that is not above my clearance level I would greatly appreciate it. Also, you may be able to clue me in to any potential places where some good may be done. I feel the need to stretch my legs. Your friend always, Ravenna.” Hitting encrypt and send, all she could do was hope that her message would be successful. For the time being she would be able to build a force capable of taking the fight to the foe. The real trick would be to do so in secrecy and catch them by surprise Training Grounds, Cimeron Part of the life accepted by those who had chosen to join the Ranger was a never ending commitment to be ready for battle. It was not a life that agreed with everyone, and few made the grade to join the units ranks. For those who did survive the cut, physical fitness was on the same level as martial skill. Katherine Bishop was one of those who had accepted the challenge posed by the Rangers and had managed to survive the intense officer candidate program. A Cimeron native, she had embraced the mercenary landholders in the same way that the majority of the population had. To her, joining their ranks was a forgone conclusion. Sweat stung at her eyes as she put one foot in front of the other on the long ruck march that was part of the training regimen that required every Ranger up to the General himself to be able to pick up a rifle and a pack and serve on the line should it be required. Often, one would see Ranger officers in the forefront of the packs of marchers as they were expected to set an example to be followed by those who they led. As she fought to ignore the ache in her long legs, her eyes caught view of a M3077 parked near the finish. The markings were clear to one who knew how to decipher them; A General Officer's vehicle. As there were only two actual Generals in the entirety of the Rangers it was easy to figure out that it belonged to Sarcina Generasco Ravenna Black, wife of Lupus Primus James Black and Duchess of Cimeron. As Katherine reached the finish, a male Captain who she had never seen before approached. “Captain Bishop? Captain West, I'm General Black's aide. The General would like to speak with you.” Nathaniel West said motioning toward the armored vehicle. Slipping the pack off her shoulders, Katherine handed it off to West. As she approached the vehicle the door opened allowing her access to the air conditioned interior where Ravenna Black waited. “You made good time on the course, Captain.” Ravenna said with a slight tugging at the corner of her lips. Katherine nodded softly. “It's only tough the first dozen times.” “I've been studying your service record and I believe that aside from a few questions that you might be right for a job that I need filled. The people who serve under you have nothing but praise and yet you are not presently assigned to any main line unit. Why is that?” Ravenna asked. “I couldn't say.” Katherine replied, feeling as if she were being somehow examined on the spot. “So you are happy with overseeing the menial assignment work details and paperwork?” Kate quickly returned. “No! I mean, No.” Ravenna shook her head softly. “Be straight with me, officer to officer.” Kate drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I refuse to sleep my way to the top, Ma'am.” Raven lifted a slender eyebrow. “I assume you believe that is how I attained my present position and status?” Kate decided that it was better to get it all out now as opposed to fencing with someone who could crush her career like a bug. “That is the contention of some in the ranks, I try not to put stock in it.” “My husband would be angry to hear that some people thought that. And you are partly correct my position is partly due to marriage, yet I have also earned my rank. I voluntarily went through the officer candidate program and graduated. My previous decades of experience allowed me to jump up through the ranks.” Raven said evenly. “I've looked at your record, and I'm willing to offer you a shot at higher command, if you are interested.” “What do you have in mind?” Kate asked. Raven passed her a packet. “Immediate promotion to the unit equivalent of Major and assignment to the 5th Ranger Expeditionary Force under my command. We are presently getting the personnel and hardware together and will be departing for training operations as soon as possible.” she paused a moment to let it all sink in before she continued. “I need a hard charger to help get this unit combat ready. Is that you?” Katherine looked into the other woman's eyes and nodded. “Yes it is.” [xxx] Rain poured from the heavens like tears, while the occasional crackle of lightning followed by thunder could be heard over the mechanical clatter of tank treads and the footfall of battlemechs as they traversed alongside dirty and exhausted men and women who had been marching for the better part of two days in the retreat from the enemy. One look at the faces told the story of low morale and looming defeat. Lucky enough to be riding in the back of a Lyran-produced M3077 armored car, Emma Adel, journalist and recipient of the Steiner-Nowack award for Journalistic Excellence found herself in what could only be described in her mind as some sort of gray hellhole of blood and death. The rain was miserable, and she was certain that she was getting sick by the slight cough she had developed. The 13th Donegal Guards Regimental Combat Team (or RCT) had been assigned to garrison Lipton against the advance of ULTRA forces. Emma had been relatively bored with her assignment prior to the arrival of the enemy force, and had immediately regretted her complaining when wave after wave of hostile aerospace fighters and dropships had swept in laying waste to the 13th's base camp after crushing the unit's aerospace force in a fight where the Guards fighter pilots were outnumbered easily four to one. As if the constant bombing and harassment from the sky were not bad enough, the enemy had landed their own ground force that came as a shock to the 13th as the Ultra force was equipped and arranged in standard Com Guard fashion. To Emma and the soldiers of the 13th there was no doubt that the enemy were in fact the Word of Blake, the boogeymen who were supposedly defeated and driven from Terra. It would appear that like a cancer, the Blakist Jihad was hardy and only needed time to regenerate itself from a few tray missed cells. Now that cancer had swept across the center of the Inner Sphere with the Free Worlds League in full support and they seemed like an unstoppable wave that threatened to drown the worlds of humanity in blood and subjugation by religious zealots. After what seemed to be hours, the procession pulled into a town called Masefield that seemed to Emma mostly abandoned as civilians fled the coming battle. Climbing out of the vehicle, Emma heard the sergeant call out that they would be staying a while and to set up security. She had learned that it was a standard procedure for the troops to set up a secure perimeter whenever they were stopped. Finding shelter in an abandoned Coffee shop, Emma sat in an overstuffed leather chair and imagined that on a normal day she would be enjoying the warmth of a double espresso latte and a scone in a place like this. Pushing away the self-pity and doubt, she rummaged around into her pack and pulled out the holo-camera that she used to record not only the action but her thoughts. Under normal circumstances she would transmit them to the HPG for delivery to the news service, but with the HPG under enemy control that simply was not possible. Thumbing the power button on, she punched in a few commands and hit record. “This is Emma Adel reporting from Lipton. Two days ago the 13th attempted to make a stand at Green haven and suffered more loses to the Blakist force. Since that time, we have been moving along back roads and struggling to reach a safer location. The mixed-unit I am attached to has set up in the town of Masefield, and despite being exhausted the soldiers continue to do their jobs even as morale continues to plummet with each successive loss. No one is certain that help so desperately called for ever got through or that if it did is anyone listening? Do they even care?” Her voice cracked a bit, and feeling herself on the verge of tears Emma shut off the camera and for the longest time stared out the window at the rain before she drifted off into an exhausted sleep filled with dreams of fire and death that seemed to mirror her waking world all to closely. [xxx] The quick-moving strides and quick response of his Pack Hunter II had quickly impressed Darius Moore. Holding the rank of Sarcina Venator Secundus, the equivalent of Second Lieutenant meant that while he was a junior officer he held a much-coveted position in the Black Wolf Rangers. With the formation of the 5th Ranger Expeditionary Force, he and many of his classmates were chosen to serve as lance and platoon commanders in the new unit. Knowing of the history of the Ranger Expeditionary Force units, he had expected that they would be assigned the left-over and unassigned second line material that the established units simply did not want. It was a shock to him that it was revealed that the 5th would be equipped with a majority of Clan-built battlemechs supported by the same conventional combined arms setup that supported the 1st Ranger Expeditionary Force. Perhaps it was no coincidence, then, that like the 1st REF the 5th REF would be initially under the direct command of Sarcina Generasco Ravenna Black, second in overall command of the BWR and wife to the Lupus Primus himself. To many of the younger officers the woman was a legend who had waged war from one end of known space to the other serving House Davion up until her official retirement from the AFFS as a Marshal. Darius' thoughts wandered as he thought about meeting his commanding officer for the first time at the graduation of his cadet officer class. She had pinned upon his collar the rank he had earned and looked into his eyes as she shook his hand. The intensity and intelligence in those eyes that made him feel both powerful and small at the same time. “Well done, warrior.” she had said, and for Darius it had felt like something of a religious experience. His focus came back to sharp focus as his Lance second in command reached out with the armored hand of his own Pack Hunter and lightly hit the shoulder of his mech. [“Hey Lead, wake up.”] “Yeah, sorry was just checking something.” Darius said, and clearing his throat he throttled up. “Correct right.. objective bearing 210..” Resuming formation, the lance picked up speed and moved out to screen the advance of A Troop while keeping an eye out for the opposition force playing hostile contacts. [xxx] Emma Adel warmed her hands in front of a fire that had been built in an empty oil drum as the soldiers from the unit listened to their commanding officer lay out the plan for the coming days. The situation was grim, and Captain Willis wasn't sugar coating it. “We believe the only reason that the enemy has slacked off on the aerospace strikes is due to the fact that they have re-deployed their fleet assets to another system. Otherwise, we'd probably have been finished long before this point.” He pointed at a paper map with a laser pointer to highlight the presentation. “While they may have re-deployed their warships, from what we can tell they've left a number of dropships to support the combined arms unit that they have on the ground. Even if we did get dropships into the sky they would be shot down without escort. The plan then is to pull back and reach the Colin Peninsula. The mountain passes and narrow terrain will make the crossing difficult and we can buy some time. It also happens that there is an industrial facility which can handle dropships so the idea is that when relief shows up they will be able to land directly to support us.” Emma watched and listened, to her the Colin Peninsula looked like both salvation and a tomb. If they made it by facing a gauntlet of enemy air and ground forces they would become trapped there and unable to leave. Eventually, they would have to surrender. Yet try as she might she could not think of a better idea, and so resigned herself to the fact that there was nothing that she could do but record all she could for posterity sake. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was certain that she wasn't going to survive this job assignment. [xxx] Controlled chaos was the order of the day for the men and women of the 5th Expeditionary Force. Hours earlier they had been undergoing field exercises to help provide a keen edge to the newest unit on the rolls of the Black Wolf Rangers. Now, they were gathering personal kit and preparing to ship out aboard a flotilla of drop ships for whereabouts unknown. For Ravenna Black, the process of gearing up to actually go to war was filled with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. She had been packing her necessary personal items herself since she was a cadet at Albion and saw no reason why she would have someone do it for her even if she was a general officer. The fact that she often insisted on being up close to the action was a reflection of her firm belief that an army of sheep led by a wolf will defeat a similar force comprised of wolves led by a sheep. The simple battle dress uniform that she wore was set apart only by rank insignia and unit patch from the rank and file of the Rangers. Grabbing up the crimson beret with black trim, she put it onto her head and took the time to make sure it lay correctly. Her reflection in the mirror was a familiar one and she could not help but like what she saw there. Her depression over the Outback War was gone, and she was about to embark on a new conflict that would test her and those under her command. Finding her way out to the waiting helicopter, Raven handed off her duffle to the crew chief and stowed her smaller kit bag next to her on an empty seat. Leaving command of the Rangers, and of Cimeron itself to others was a hard thing for her to do yet there was a greater threat out there now. As the Nightstalker helicopter and its escort lifted into the sky she caught one final glimpse of Castle Black before it was gone from her view. Would she see it again? [xxx] The somewhat spartan internal arrangement of most military dropships provided little in the way of creature comforts for the men and women who traveled aboard them from one conflict to the next. Some designs were considered positively luxurious while others were little better than interstellar cattle cars. Long considered by their force commander that well-rested and entertained troops would be effective troops, the men and women of the 5th Ranger Expeditionary Force traveled in the best dropships that could be afforded and stocked with a variety of activities and diversions necessary to survive a long space voyage. The recreation / mess deck of each ship in the flotilla also served as a holo-theater and briefing room when necessary. The nightly feature film had been postponed while those who were not absolutely necessary to the operation of each ship gathered to receive a briefing directly from their commander about their mission. Many of the circumstances surrounding the unit formation and sudden departure from Cimeron led the veterans to quietly formulate their own theories about what was in fact going on. As the final connection in the point to point laser communication system was established, the holographic image of Sarcina Generasco Ravenna Black appeared before them in a slightly larger than life size full color image. As she could both be seen and could see those gathered about from her position in the flagship's holotank the senior-most NCO in each room called for attention. As one the men and women in the room who were not standing did so, joining those on their feet at the position of attention. The look of seriousness on Ravenna's face seemed to match the general mood of those present. She began to speak. “Rangers. There is trouble in the Lyran Alliance. As you may well know the group that was once known as ULTRA is in reality the Free Worlds League employing the former Word of Blake. They have so far conquered dozens of worlds and seem without limit to their resources as they march across the stars. Be clear, they have one intent; Total Domination.” Pausing to let the news sink in, she continued. “That is where we come in. The enemy has attacked Lipton and has cut off the 13th Donegal Guards. The guards are in serious trouble and are in need of extraction lest they join the rolls of units destroyed by this ruthless enemy. How can a single Ranger Expeditionary Unit hope to prevail where a regimental combat team cant? You have been hand picked for this assignment because you are the best. You have the best training and equipment that is available to the Rangers. We will be on the attack, and it is we who shall set the tempo of this battle. Let the enemy worry about reacting to us, and we shall rely upon speed and the violence of action to carry the day. Let none of us forget that we are Wolves! We are the predators and they are the prey!” her voice growing louder as she emphasized her words with gestures of strength and confidence which were contagious as the crowd began to stir. Raven paused and smirked. “They mean to conquer us! Let's show them what free men and women can do! The order is Forward! Through the dark night and forward unto dawn!” A cheer went up from the assembled Rangers who felt ready to step off into battle against an implacable foe who had defeated all who came before. They had not yet tested the mettle of the Black Wolf Rangers. [xxx] The command deck of the Overlord-class drop ship Lionheart completed its short transfer burn in toward the 5th moon of a lonely and forbidding looking gas giant in a system that did not even show upon most maps of the Inner Sphere. Known only to a select few, it was the location of a pirate point that would allow the rescue force to reach Lipton without having to engage in unnecessary space battles along every occupied system Jump Point in their path. As the Lionheart and the Acre entered into orbit of the moon, little of interest could be seen of the pock-marked surface. Within minutes however, a braking burn was used to slow them down and from around the moon's bulk several jump ships became visible. ****** Blue Hole ****** Jade Falcon Space 11 Jan 3091 0800 Hrs Sitting in the command vehicle surrounded by techs and a few of his command staff the massive commander of the Black Wolf Rangers listened to a broadcast of his 2nd REF that was under heavy contact by Jade Falcon Forces. "Time to saddle up boys and girls, we need to support the 2nd and nows not the time to say otherwise." He said as he quickly stood up and left the vehicle and ran towards his Kodiak. Climbing up the metallic rungs of the roll up ladder he quickly ascended and reached his open cockpit. Climbing in he went through the start up sequence and less than two minutes later his mighty war machine was sparked up and ready to head out. The remainder of his Pack was mounted and ready by the end of five minutes. "Grizzly pack, move out." He commanded. The battle armoured troopers he took was his wolf guard, warriors especially chosen, groomed and trained to be his personal body guard. The rogue bears climbed onto his mech and situated themselves to react to anything that engaged their commander. The twelve battle mechs trotted away from the headquarters bivouac and followed their Lupus Primus. The kodiak ran at its full sixty five kilometer per hour speed. the other mechs cme behind him and kept pace with James. Minutes passed and the assault company closed on the 2nd REFs position. Artillery fire was dropping nearby from wolf scouts a few kilometers away, laying out of return fire but still able to support the seconds position. Their Arrow IV missiles crashing into clan infantry concentrations and mechs trying to force their way through into the REF's rear areas. "Kodiaks spread out battle line, as soon as you see a target engage." James said as he brought his targeting recticle up and searched for enemy targets. Nothing visually was showing itself, but over the next ridge enemy clan mechs were engaging the second. ******** The battle was over and the Command unit was returning to their bivouac when a Recon flight had picked up reading forty kilometers away, no one was close enough but the command unit. James decided to send his command unit to do a force recon. The reinforced company trekked through the woods for the next forty kilometeres and came close to the Recon aircrafts readings. Striking through the woods James rode his one hundred ton behemoth through the thick bush. his kodiak brushing aside the young saplings with ease, larger growth was trampled beneath the assault mechs feet, larger trees James moved around but he kept his bearing and jogged his pack forward through the forest. Responding to an unknown force deployed in the woods near the 5ths Position, James slowed his machine to get a good fix on his sensors. "Delta Growl, forward five hundred meters, scout out the contact." James ordered. Two fangs of rogue bear detached from his mech and bounded forward to determine what was in the woods Two minutes later he heard the commander of the scout detachment. "Five vehicles under cover. No combat forces nearby." "Keep an eye on them, we are coming forward." James said and brought his command unit to the edge of the clearing where the unknowns were. Stepping his mech out of the woods, the remainder of his battle armour spread out and kept a watchful eye out for any enemy activity. A nearby cave coveed with hanging vines could be seen with foot trails into the entrance. Science Team Hotel 2 "Another day, another pointless battle to decide which warrior had the bigger E-Peen" thought Orestes as he took a sip of coffee from his pint sized cup which never the less seems small in the Elementals hands. To his Assistant scientist "Hey Elias, how is the spectrographic analysis of the HPG radiation looking from here?" his little group, a scientific Cell under his command were performing an experiment to see if HPG pulses could be detected from stray radiation, the FTL portion of the transmission obviously.. jumped dimensions, but.. there was heat, and x ray radiation from the emission, and his group was here in the middle of nowhere for 3 days, to see if there was a pattern to the data send, and the radiation give off. Command Team Black Wolf Rangers Looking at the vacant vehicles James wondered why they were here and no one guarding them. Seemed extremely strange to him that a group of clan vehicles would be left in the open. Sensing the possibility of a trap, James didn't think the clans would lay down such a deceitful way of engaging his unit, he none the less took it slow and cautiously. "Alpha fang forward, check those vehicles, beta growl see about that cave. Charlie Growl down the road. Everyone else keep alert and sound off if you see anything." James deployed his command unit to ensure no one came in unannounced and surprised the command unit as they conducted their search of the area A small flock of birds, startled by the movement of his rogue bears moving out along the road, fluttered in front of his cockpit view screen, Their bright blues and purples of their long plumage drew his attention as to their magnificence and then they were gone. The sky above was starting to darken as the weather was calling for a cold weather system to come in and bring rain. Havy winds were already starting to come in from the east. Lupus Primus (Lt Gen): James Black Call Sign : ' Bear ' | Assigned Mech : Kodiak, ' Pandora’s Box ' Marquess of Cimeron, Dahar PDZ, Draconis March, Federated Suns Brigade Commanding Officer of the Black Wolf Ranger’s Kodiak Ramsdale Rank: Unassigned Callsign: "Ruskie" Assigned Vehicle: Jeep Assigned Unit: Royal Corvax Assigned Star: Unassigned -The foolish man lies awake all night thinking of his many problems; When the morning comes he is worn out And his trouble is just as it was. -No better burden can a man carry on the road than a store of common sense. -The foolish man thinks he will live forever if he keeps away from fighting; but old age won't grant him a truce, even if the spears do -To be without silver is better than to be without honour Pirate Jump Point LiptonSystem 14th July 3092 0020 Hrs Local BWRS Invader Class Jump ship 'Constantine' BWRS Invader Class Jump Ship 'Gertrude' Black Wolf Attack Squadron "Valkyrie" BWRS Avenger Class Drop ship 'Randgríðr' BWRS Avenger Class Drop ship 'Reginleifr' BWRS Okinawa Class Drop ship 'Sigrdrífa Attack Squadron 1 'Phantom' Attack Squadron 2 'Spectre' Attack Squadron 3 'Wraith' BWRS Leopard CV (Pocket Warship) Class 'Geiravör Black Wolf Assault Squadron 'Firestorm Squadron' 5th REF (Rapid Expeditionary Force) BWRS Overlord Class Drop ship ' ' BWRS Seeker Class Drop ship ' ' Lyran Extraction Force LADS Starlord Class Jump Ship 'Jack Daniel's" LADS Colossus Class Drop ship 'Redemption' LADS Overlord Class Drop ship 'Ducharme' LADS Overlord Class Drop ship 'Draco' LADS Vengeance Class Drop ship 'Crow's Nest' 1st Wing '132nd Combat Wing' 2nd Wing '134th Combat Wing' LADS Seeker Class Drop ship 'Chrissy's Folly' LADS Seeker Class Drop ship 'Frankfurt' Extraction Target 13th Donegal Guards RCT 13th Donegal (Mech) 29th Donegal Combat Auxiliary 971st Lyran Heavy Infantry 13th Donegal Guard Wing Winking back into existence from traveling 30 light years the tear in space healed itself as the two invader class jump ships began sensor sweeps of the system. Technicians scanned the near area of the jump point to ensure that there were no immediate threats. Extending their search patterns the crews determined that no enemy lay nearby. The sensor sweeps took longer to complete the further they went out. Aboard LAJS Invader Class 'Gertrude' After thirty minutes a technician spoke "Sir, sensors show nothing at the NADIR or ZENITH jump points. Way is clear to the planet. Intelligence is correct, there is a vengeance class drop ship as well as duo of Lung Wang. They have not responded to our arrival, I'm sure that will change once we get closer." Captain Vern Honeywell looked up from the readings he was looking over on his arm chair view screen. "Very well." Switching to ship to ship he contacted the star lord Captain. "LAJS Gertrude to LAJS Constantine, disengage all droppers and maintain sensor sweeps, deploy sails in sixty mikes after all dropper are clear." "LAJS Constantine, understood." Came the crisp short reply. The Gertrude was carrying the 5th REF of the Black Wolf Rangers while the Constantine held the Assault ships of the task force. As planned the initial attack phase was to sweep the approaches to the planet of orbital defences and patrol ships. The Incoming task force was more than a match for the ULTRA defenders, but their tenacity and resolve was strong. Various ULTRA forces utilized a wide range of battle tactics ranging from normal combat doctrine to near psychotic scorched earth policy. Whenever a House unit conducted operations against their ULTRA counterpart they did not know if they would be facing crack battle hardened troops or a smaller fanatically loyal force that would use human shields or chemical weapons. Each encounter had to start off slowly to ascertain the lengths of the ULTRA commander and even then his or her tactics could turn asymmetrical in their deployment. One of the reasons that many Houses were losing ground to ULTRA. "Valkyrie Squadron is deployed and under way, Firestorm is detaching now and will be heading in system in five mikes. The 13th Will Be under way in fifteen mikes from the Jack Daniels." The drop ship boss said. "Ah, speaking of Jack Daniels a good stiff glass of that delicious nectar would go down quite well right about now." The captain said under his breath and smacked his parched lips. It was well known that he was a drinker, but most of the time he forced himself to be dry during jumping operations, but once the droppers were safely a good days burn away he would help himself to his extensive bar. The ships quickly burned in system and kept in close formation for mutual support in case there were any surprises by hidden ships or ECM equipped patrol or assault ships. A large debris field littered the approach from the star as a major fleet battle had occurred centuries ago, derelict hulks of frigates and destroyers drifted in orbit near the planets outer reaches beyond the planets moon. An old Mckenna battleship lay dormant and any of the abandoned ships could hide fighters, assault drop ships and any other assortment of badness in their frozen wastes. 3 Days In The Black Wolf Attack Squadron "Valkyrie" BWRS Avenger Class Drop ship 'Randgríðr' BWRS Avenger Class Drop ship 'Reginleifr' BWRS Okinawa Class Drop ship 'Sigrdrífa' BWRS Leopard CV (Pocket Warship) Class 'Geiravör Having burned quickly to the planet, augmented by the Lyran Vengeance Class 'Crow's Nest' the five ship flotilla was nearing their attack point, the vengeance and two Lung Wangs had turned and were on an interception run towards the Assault fleet. The Black Wolf Ranger Fleet was heavier with fighters with about a fifty percent difference in number, the ships were near even but the Rangers had a definite ace in their pocket with the small pocket warship they had. The Killer whale launcher would be a definite force multiplier. Aboard Randgríðr "Enemy force has launched fighter screen. Sensors are reading heavy and assault fighters, Death stalkers and Eagles. Looks to be two squadrons of Stingrays as well. They won't be in optical range for another eight minutes. As soon as we can get a visual we can determine what external ordnance they may be loaded with." The old sensor operator said as he kept his focus on the sensor readings, looking for any anomalies. Captain Carla Reid Looked at the combat computer with the fleets rapidly closing with one another. Opening up the fleet comms she spoke calmly "Disperse ships, combat spread, deploy fighters in six mikes, Crows will take lead, Spectre, phantom and wraith will focus on the fighters, break through and strike the Lung Wangs. 'Geiravörwill target the lead Lung Wang, let the fighters mingle for one minute then let loose your primary weapon. The fleet acknowledged the orders, six minutes later the aerospace fighters swarmed out of their fighter bays and the squadrons spread out in a wide dispersal to ensure they were not struck by any WMD's that would knock out the fighter screen. 'Randgríðr' (Command Avenger) 'Contact bearing 132 coming from the debris fields, looks to be a..." The sensor operator was glued to his display, unable to determine what was emerging from the field of ruined warships. A moment later he had a solid determination "Lung Wang Class coming in fast." "All hands contact Lung Wang, Weapons officer, gunners are yours." Captain Carla Reid said as she strapped herself tighter into her command chair, Helm, battle speed, bring us about bearing 146 mark 12 down. Switching to the Fleet frequency she barked a short series of Orders, Reginleifr (avenger 2) Break bearing 096 mark 15 up, Pincer manoeuvre, weapons free. Geiravör (Leopard PW) Two volleys main weapon, hold back and watch our backsides. Sigrdrífa Keep up with the fighters and Crow's Nest." The captains of the drop ships acknowledged their orders. As a frontal assault from the Lung Wang struck the Avenger along the port side, striking hard with a battery of gauss rounds, long range missile volleys along with extended range particle cannon and auto cannon rounds, but failed to penetrate the armored hide of the lighter craft. Returning fire with its own array of weapons, the Randgríðr gunners tracked and traded their own volley into the nose of the approaching craft. Lighter grade auto cannon winked and spat out their explosive rounds. Swarms of long range missiles sallied forth and huingrily chewed on the Lung Wangs thick hide. As the ships rapidly closed the thousands of kilometers between one another, both ships traded another fusillade of weapons fire before the passed by one another, rear firing weapons bays lashed out and sent their fury into each aft quarters. "Helm bring us about, keep us tracked on that Lung wang, i want us to continue bearing down on them and have them feel our wrath." "Aye Ma'am, bringing us about." The helmsman said as he brought the 1400 ton assault ship around to bring the main weapons to bear on the much larger craft. Accelerating and coming about the crew of the avenger felt the effect of the sudden increase of gravity. Blood rushed to the lower extremities of each individual, although nowhere near as much G-force as a fighter pilot would take inside the thick atmosphere of a planet the forces were enough to make each crew member uncomfortable and more acutely aware that they were under high maneuvers. The Avenger swung about tightly and began chasing after the Lung wang that had begun to swing back towards the debris field. "Helm don't lose them." Reid barked as the ships gunners traded another volley with the ULTRA drop ship. Reginleifr The BWRS Reginleifr followed its own pursuit, its captain and crew free to engage the enemy lung wang with its own attack path. The ships would need to keep themselves apart from their own forces while maintaining focus on the enemy drop ship. The second avenger maintained its firing on the ULTRA ship, all nose weapons and wing weapons were firing steadily, while maintaining a safe heat cuyrve, Heat like mechs was death to aerospace and space borne vessels. Computers would maintain control of cooling the weapons and engine systems and unless pressed to fire at a higher more dangerous rate would not allow the ship to overheat and have critical systems shut down. The enemy lung wang rolled nose to tail and sent a painful volley off all its nose weapons into the Reginleifr, the smaller ship shuddered at the peppering of heavy weapons that slammed into its foreward area. A breach opened up in a side airlock sending explosive compressed air out into the darkness of space, the air instantly boiling into nothingness as it was spent before safety bulkheads closed sealing off the cargo bay that had been vented to space. Damage control crews were faced with a fire that had occurred in the accessways from the cargo bay as flamable fuel lines had ruptured in the lucky strike. The Avenger was forced to reduce speed so that fire crews could respond and put the fire out. " Reginleifr breaking off pursuit, secondary fuel line has ruptured, fire crews fighting fire, once under control we will get back into the fight." The captain broadcast over the fleet communications network. As the avenger dropped back out of the fight, the Leopard Pocket warship, the BWRS Geiravör fired a massive tele operated Killer whale missile at the Lung wang. The capital missle was usually nestled inside much larger war ships, but Word Of Blake had made the small fighter carrier into a much more potent ship of war. Stripping out the aerospace cubicles the ship was packed with the Killer whale launcher and an eleven missile magazine. Although not able to maintain a sustained firefight, the addition of the crippling missiles would be something most drop ship captains and smaller warships would not turn a blind eye to. The killer whale, guided by the tele operator, rocketed towards the lung wang. The gunner kept the missile on a curving path to deter the enemy gunners from locking onto the missile with their own point defenses. Less than a thirty seconds from when the missile was fired it slammed into the aft quarter of the Lung wang. Striking deep into the port engine nacelle, the 2500 tone warship shuddered as the missile exploded, shattering the port engines ability to maintain thrust. Warning klaxxons sounded throughout the ship as damage control crews struggled to get to the engine room to put out the fire. A secondary explosion sent a burst of atmosphere from the engine room out into space. Protective barriers rumbled into place and shut off the engine room. The fires died out seconds later as the oxygen needed to sustain their life was blown out into the depths of space. Far from dead, the Lung wang was still a potent threat to its pursuers, its main weapons still online and outranged the two avengers. However the Leopard Pocket warship had a powerful sledge hammer that could send her way. A second missile issued from the leopards missile launcher and sped towards the Lung wang, again into the aft quarter of the Lung wang, this time striking the starboard engine nacelle. The aft drives were now knocked out and the main engines were shut down due to the blistering damage that they had sustained. weapons systems were knocked off line and the ship was now adrift. 'Randgríðr' (Command Avenger) Captain Reid saw the ships engines cease to work. Her gunners were still engaging the Lung Wang when a broadcast from the Lung wang came over the general communication Frequency. "This is the Heimdall. We wish to discuss surrender terms." Reid grunted slightly, a part of her wanted nothing more than to blow the ship out of the water 'so to speak' but she knew that destroying the drop ship was a waste of equipment. Besides, the Lung wang might be salvageable if the drives were not too far gone. However dealing with Ultra was a gamble, she did not know if she was dealing with an insane captain, or a sane one. But she had to take the chance of the ship being honest in their surrender proposal. "Heimdall, we will send over a boarding party, with paramedics to help with any injured you have. any breach in your surrender... and i will destroy your ship. Have all your personnel that are not engaged in damage control report to your cargo hold, unarmed and ready for processing. My marines will then board and assess your situation." Reid said in a firm tone. "Understood, Heimdall waiting for your boarding crew." the Assault force was now tangled up with the recovery operation, but she decided to add the Leopard Pocket warship to the force about to engage the second Lung wang and enemy vengeance. Her two Avengers would make sure that the crippled enemy ship wasnt playing possum and would be taken out of the equation. The Ranger Avenger pulled up along side the drifting Lung wang and attached a boarding tunnel from its exterior hatch. A marine Platoon armed with needler pistols and non lethally loaded shotguns boarded the Avenger. As detailed the Crew was lined up in the cargo bay without their weapons. The Ranger marines quickly made their way through the ship, ensuring that there were no hidden troops in any bays or berths. Fire crews and technicians came aboard next and helped with quick repairs to get the Lung Wang back up and running with power and able to run critical systems like its life support. Alpha Squadron 132nd Fighter Wing Hauptmann Jules Kruger Glanced over his displays, noting that a few of his systems were downgraded a glitch perhaps, "bad" juice in the power feeds maybe, he shunted the information out of his primary focus and would have the technicians look at it when he returned to the crows nest. His main focus was the approaching forty ULTRA aerospace fighters that would be in firing range in less than a minute. Tracking reticles flashed on his hud, closest three targets registered for the best possible tracking solution of his external anti fighter missiles. A low growl in his earpiece told him that his missiles had a good firing solution but he was not close enough, another ten seconds and he would be. The HUD reticle flashed gold and he calmly depressed his firing toggle on the joystick, no sound but a flash of propellant from his missile and it sped away into the abyss of darkness before him, to his left a debris littered field of ruined ships expanded along his vision. Glints flashed as metallic particles and larger detritus collided with one another causing the sun to reflect from the debris field. Other fighters from his squadron fired their own missiles, a small volley of high tech ordnance A flash caught his attention A particle cannon scored a hit on his port side. "Bogies nine O'clock." He called out alerting his squadron to new enemy contact. The second force of aerospace fighters arrowed out of the debris field and began to engage the Lyran fighters Spectre Squadron Leading Spectre Squadron Sarnica Dux Rodriguez the thirty four year old graduate of Cimerons Aerospace Academy saw the enemy come out of the debris field and quickly orderd the Ranger fighters on an intercept course. "Trident wing, on me, intercept course, bearing 135 twelve enemy bogies. Full burn and engage," the eighteen fighters of the ranger wing readjusted their course and bore down on the sting ray medium fighters. Following the Heavy squadron, the other two squadrons consisted of six sting rays and 6 stukas. "Crows we have these ones, engage the main aero forces, we will keep these off your back." "Make sure that you do." the Crows commander said as she focused her attention on the swarm of ULTRA fighters coming in at her. "Ok boys and girls, time to work for our pay today, let's get the lead out and show them who not to screw with." Rodriguez punched his thrusters into over drive and his slayer sped towards the ULTRA fighters. A tracking ton warbled in his earpiece and he had a solid lock on, Firing two of his external missile his glare shield engaged dampening out the intense glare from his missiles rocket flare. If he had been in atmosphere he would have been much slower due to the increased drag of his external missiles nestled securely on the pylons on his craft. In space however there was no drag to be concerned with and the fighters had been loaded up with all the ordnance they could carry. The Ranger fighters lit up their burners and fired their missiles alongside Rodriguez, dozens of missiles sped toward their targets, like a small armada of small sharks locked on their targets, they quickly outpaced and disappeared towards the ULTRA fighters. The rear fighters were the ones to bear the brunt of the incoming missle barrage. Three fighters winked off the board as four or five missiles slammed into their engines causing the fighters to be destroyed or sent adrift. Rodriguez thought momentarily how he would feel if his fighter had been set adrift in the vacuum of space and quickly discarded the thoughts. Deciding he'd rather go out in a blaze of glory than slowly freeze to death or run out of oxygen out in the uncaring darkness of space. He wasn't fond of space combat and preferred that of atmosphere, but he was adept at either one and was a fierce fighter. As the aero space fighters became embroiled with their cosmic dance the ULTRA vengeance and Lung Wang came into contact with the Lyran Vengeance and BWR Okinawa Trailing a few minutes behind was the leopard Pocket warship that would add its killer whale launcher to the mix soon enough. The fighter carriers began trading shots furiously, ULTRA not wanting to have the assault ships break through and deliver the extraction team to allow the 13th Donegal guards off world. Lasers and missiles belched form both sides striking angrily on the hulls, the Lung wang struck a telling blow on the side quarter of the Lyran Vengeance, knocking out powe feeds to the port side. The Crows nest Captain spun his ship to keep the functional side firing at the enemy Lung wang. A tele operated killer whale was added to the mix as it slammed directly into the enemy Vengeance starboard fighter bay, sinking deeply into the vacant hangar. The missile exploded ruining a multitude of fighter bays and detonating ordance that had not been returned to armoured bunkers deeper in the ship. Luckily for the ULTRA ship there wasn't a lot of unprotected ordnance, but enough to add to the carnage and sever critical power lines to the starboard engine. The devastating explosion had now leveled the odds heavily in the ATtackers court. The Lyran fighters were engaging the Enemy Vengeance squadrons and the tide was quickly turning heavily into the attackers side. Flashes of missiles and laser crossed the dark expanse of space as fighetrs and drop ships traded blows. The battle lasted another half an hour with the Obliteration of the ULTRA Lung wang as the concentrated fire of the Ranger ships penetrated the ULTRA ship and ignited the fuel bunkers. The brilliant flash was the end of ULTRAs resistance as their drop ship were either captured, destroyed or drifting helplessly in space. The remaining fighters of the ULTRA wings knew that their number was up and they either surrendered or drove their ships into the invasion forces fighters. The Lyrans lost seven fighters to suicide attacks, but the loss in general had been light until the last ditch attacks occurred. Salvage, recovery and POW operations began in earnest as the Steiner ships and BWR droppers went about their business to help the Lung Wang and Vengeance that had surrendered. The Crows nest and Reginleifr extinguished their internal fires and made repairs o their ships as best they could, both would need a few months in repair to their hulls. The Extraction force burned towards planet and the 5th REF dropped into their assigned drop zone and landed uncontested. The 13th Donegal had been able to launch a diversionary attack on the ULTRA forces to allow the Black Wolf Rangers to land unscathed. Lupus Primus (Lt Gen): James Black Call Sign : ' Bear ' | Assigned Mech : Kodiak, ' Pandora’s Box ' Marquess of Cimeron, Dahar PDZ, Draconis March, Federated Suns Brigade Commanding Officer of the Black Wolf Ranger’s Kodiak Ramsdale Rank: Unassigned Callsign: "Ruskie" Assigned Vehicle: Jeep Assigned Unit: Royal Corvax Assigned Star: Unassigned -The foolish man lies awake all night thinking of his many problems; When the morning comes he is worn out And his trouble is just as it was. -No better burden can a man carry on the road than a store of common sense. -The foolish man thinks he will live forever if he keeps away from fighting; but old age won't grant him a truce, even if the spears do -To be without silver is better than to be without honour Drop Zone 'Beachhead' Lipton System 0420 Hrs Local BWR 5th REF The 5th Rapid expeditionary Force had dropped successfully and landed uncontested on Liptone where the 13th Donegal Guards RCT had been cut off from its drop ships when they had been forced out of system when ULTRA instituted a blockade. The 5th ULTRA Dragoons had tied the RCT up for many months and supplies for the Lyrans had reached critical levels. The arrival of the Black Wolf Rangers and their blockade breaking force had successfully neutralized the ULTRA space and aerospace fighter forces and now the Lyran and Black wolf Rangers commanded the space lanes and the skies above Lipton. 4th Company 2nd PL (Longinus) Wolf Trooper Grant ran his longinus suit out along the perimeter along with his other squad mates. The four had been tasked to enter a small concrete factory complex and do a quick sweep of the facility to ensure that no enemy ULTRA forces were inside. The massive quarry would be used as the staging opint to bring in the Lyran drop ships as well as the Black Wolf Rangers own droppers once the site was secured and deemed safe for the task force to burn in and land. Stepping through the entrance to a gravel processing area, a long conveyor, still holding large rucks routed to a massive rock crusher, the Longinus squad turned on their searchlights on their suits they four troopers trudged through the factory wing. Seeing nothing they moved onto the next area and swept the complex quickly, not seeing anything of note the four left the factory and made for the roof. Setting up observation area on the five story building top, The four had a commanding view of the western approach of the multi hectare quarry. Trooper Grant looked in the distance and plotted a digital rage card on his digital map. Placing icons of possible enemy infantry infiltration, and the road leading westwards. Dead ground and obstacles were likewise put on his digital display. If he needed to he could easily call in artillery of aero support to the prepositioned grid locations. Most warriors created the digital range cards each time they took up a sentry or observation position. A massive dust cloud was coming in from the east, Trooper Grant was looking at the ever expanding cloud of red dust, an electrical storm inside made the encroaching cloud all that more ominous. "Looks like a good ole dust up is a coming." One of his team mates said as she looked out over the edge of the rooftop. "Should be here in about thirty minutes, we better make sure we are down below, winds picking up and we dont need one of us being sent off the roof and falling five stories to become a Ranger Pancake." Grant said as he motioned for his comrades to follow. "We can split into two teams and keep an eye out on the approach from the offices on the fourth level, their windows are still intact and will likely give us all the protection that we need." The four troopers went below and Grant his female cohort went to one office as the other two went down to another level and set up their observation point looking out along the north. 2nd Company Delta Lance Mech Warrior Fiona Riding in her standard Pack Hunter II it retained from the original design the 'Mech's main weapon was a Ripper Series A1 Extended Range Particle Projection cannon, capable of reaching out to its target at long range. Enhancing the 'Mech's firepower were a pair of arm mounted Series 2b Extended Range Medium Lasers. The 'Mech's legs were protected from possible battle armour attack by having a B-Pod mounted in each of the legs. The 'Mech's weapons and movement heat was barely managed by 10 double heat sinks, but not near adequate enough to handle the 'Mech's heat load. Scanning the horizon, Fiona noticed a large sandstorm was approaching. "Delta lea this is delta three, incoming sandstorm, coming in fast should be here in less than an hour by my rechoning." "Affirmative, gonna slow down the landing if it hits sooner, keep an eye on it and let us know if its travelling faster than you think." "Will do delta lead. I also have sporadic sensor blips coming in from the west, do you want me to go check it out?" "affirmative, i am sending a squad of longinus with you as well. The buildings around the quarry could easily hide some infantry and we need to make sure the landing zone is secure before the droppers land. Head out and keep up appraised of what's out there." Fiona waited two minutes for the longinus squad to get to her current location, the four troopers climbed onto her mech and she quickly strode away from her perimeter position. She jogged her mech down a small gully and back up to a ridge line some 400 meters from her previous location, a striong sensor contact appeared but just as suddenly disappeared. Times like this she wished she had better scout equipment than her standard sensors, a beagle active probe would have come in handy. But she wasn't in a scout role and her machine was made for chasing down and engaging light scouts and even medium battle mechs. the longinus suits disengaged from her mech and dropped to the ground and quickly spread out and began checking out the small ancillary buildings that were used as storage for various heavy equipment. Grasshoppers jumped away from the armoured infantry trying to get away from the massive intruders that had disturbed their lazy eating of the tall grasses. A small swarm of hoppers flew away in a thrush. Gravel shifted under the power armoured feet of the four troopers, overhead a few ravens circled over head eyeing the mass of hoppers that had risen from the grasses but were not happy to get to close to the armoured behemoths below them. Fiona kept an eye on her sensors and looked out the view screen a glint from a hilloc three hundred meters away drew her attention, shifting the mech down the dirt trail towards the area she had seen the glint . The longinus troopers began searching the storage buildings, the first was full of heavy machinery, old and rusted, no longer of use, a few wild animals had called the building home and a pair of wild dogs scrambled out of the building through a hole in the wall. Moving on to the next building the troopers again saw nothing out of the ordinary and them moved into the third building, the lead trooper had taken no more than two steps when a pistol discharged and the round panged off of her suits armour, bringing her SMG to bear she scoured the large vehicle bay with her flashlight and saw huddled in a corner a group of young women, dirty and haggard looking. "Put the weapon down, i am not here to hurt you. Do you need food or water?" Trooper Henrietta asked as she took a step back and lowered her weapon in a gesture of good will. The three teenagers were wary and unsure what to do but the lead f=girl put her weapon down. "We,,, we have been here a few months. Our town was raided by ULTRA and we escaped and ran to here, We escaped the rape patrols and the internment work camp. We dont have any food left, there were patrols out a couple nights ago but they haven't come this far out to check the quarry." "Ok stay here, we need to check around the area we've had a few sensor readings and need to make sure nothing is around." Fiona walked her mech further away from the buildings and halted her mech where the glint came from, a pile of broken glass lay strewn around the rocks. And an old burned out vehicle of some sort. likely an old place for teenagers to come and party to drink, fornicate and carouse alone and away from their parents. Twisting her torso of the Pack Hunter, Fiona saw a movement out of the corner of her peripheral vision as a Large laser struck out from a line of tangled trees. Back pedaling she brought her weapons up and traversed her torso, a galleon and a bulldog tank came charging out of the trees and towards her mech. Apparently they believed that they could engage the clan made mech and take it down quickly. Jumping back she gave the alert to her command. "Delta 3, contact, two tanks, galleon and bulldog, am engaging." "Crael squad, hunker down, come around and engage that galleon, i will take the bulldog." She ordered to the attached squad of longinus troopers that were with her. The troopers waited for the tanks to pass by, not noticing that the troopers were inside the vehicle shed. Trooper Henrietta Stepped forward and So=poke in a commanding tone. "Get down, stay put and we will be back for them, dont leave this building, Understand?" The three girls nodded their heads and hunkered down and made themselves as small as they possibly could. Laser fire struck out from beyond the thin walls and the four troopers stayed back and watched the tankers zip past chasing their prey. Firing her Extended Range particle cannon, the super charged plasma struck out and slammed into the turret of the bulldog, melting almost a tone of armour from the tank. Hopping backwards and away from the charging ULTRA vehicles. Landing down in a quarry bed she waited for the vehicles to crest the hill, she was not disappointed. The bulldog nosed over and fired its large laser at her again and she struck back with her medium pulse lasers. Taking the opportunity to swarm the galleon that was traversing the lip of the quarry, the four longinus troopers fired their short range missiles into the lightly armoured hide of the light tank. Then leapt onto the deck of the scout vehicle and began tearing the armour open. Stabbing their small lasers into the rents they had created they fired, striking deep into the engine compartment. The thirty ton vehicle quickly ground to a halt as the engine shut down from the damage inflicted by the small lasers. The bulldog sent a double volley of SRM missiles into the left leg and left torso of Fionas mech, striking again into her chest the large laser threatened to penetrate her armour there. Sidestepping she throttled her mech to its full running speed and leapt back out of the large pit on the opposite side of the rim. Distancing herself from the heavy tank. She let loose another biolt of energy from her particle projection cannon and struck the right side armour. The tank noticed the infantry and made a hasty retreat back the way it came and quickly outpaced the Longinus that were trying to get to it. The tank sent out colleys of its short range missiles and struck at the armoured troopers. Two were hit but the warheads did not penetrate the armour. "Enemy Bulldog breaking contact, permission to pursue?" "Negative maintain perimeter watch and clear that sector, sending in your lance to help secure it." The head quarters commander replied. Lupus Primus (Lt Gen): James Black Call Sign : ' Bear ' Assigned Mech : Kodiak, ' Pandora’s Box ' Marquess of Cimeron, Dahar PDZ, Draconis March, Federated Suns Brigade Commanding Officer of the Black Wolf Ranger’s Kodiak Ramsdale Rank: Unassigned Callsign: "Ruskie" Assigned Vehicle: Jeep Assigned Unit: Royal Corvax Assigned Star: Unassigned -The foolish man lies awake all night thinking of his many problems; When the morning comes he is worn out And his trouble is just as it was. -No better burden can a man carry on the road than a store of common sense. -The foolish man thinks he will live forever if he keeps away from fighting; but old age won't grant him a truce, even if the spears do -To be without silver is better than to be without honour ****** Blue Hole ****** Jade Falcon Space 11 Jan 3091 0800 Hrs Sitting in the command vehicle surrounded by techs and a few of his command staff the massive commander of the Black Wolf Rangers listened to a broadcast of his 2nd REF that was under heavy contact by Jade Falcon Forces. "Time to saddle up boys and girls, we need to support the 2nd and nows not the time to say otherwise." He said as he quickly stood up and left the vehicle and ran towards his Kodiak. Climbing up the metallic rungs of the roll up ladder he quickly ascended and reached his open cockpit. Climbing in he went through the start up sequence and less than two minutes later his mighty war machine was sparked up and ready to head out. The remainder of his Pack was mounted and ready by the end of five minutes. "Grizzly pack, move out." He commanded. The battle armoured troopers he took was his wolf guard, warriors especially chosen, groomed and trained to be his personal body guard. The rogue bears climbed onto his mech and situated themselves to react to anything that engaged their commander. The twelve battle mechs trotted away from the headquarters bivouac and followed their Lupus Primus. The kodiak ran at its full sixty five kilometer per hour speed. the other mechs cme behind him and kept pace with James. Minutes passed and the assault company closed on the 2nd REFs position. Artillery fire was dropping nearby from wolf scouts a few kilometers away, laying out of return fire but still able to support the seconds position. Their Arrow IV missiles crashing into clan infantry concentrations and mechs trying to force their way through into the REF's rear areas. "Kodiaks spread out battle line, as soon as you see a target engage." James said as he brought his targeting recticle up and searched for enemy targets. Nothing visually was showing itself, but over the next ridge enemy clan mechs were engaging the second. ******** The battle was over and the Command unit was returning to their bivouac when a Recon flight had picked up reading forty kilometers away, no one was close enough but the command unit. James decided to send his command unit to do a force recon. The reinforced company trekked through the woods for the next forty kilometeres and came close to the Recon aircrafts readings. Striking through the woods James rode his one hundred ton behemoth through the thick bush. his kodiak brushing aside the young saplings with ease, larger growth was trampled beneath the assault mechs feet, larger trees James moved around but he kept his bearing and jogged his pack forward through the forest. Responding to an unknown force deployed in the woods near the 5ths Position, James slowed his machine to get a good fix on his sensors. "Delta Growl, forward five hundred meters, scout out the contact." James ordered. Two fangs of rogue bear detached from his mech and bounded forward to determine what was in the woods Two minutes later he heard the commander of the scout detachment. "Five vehicles under cover. No combat forces nearby." "Keep an eye on them, we are coming forward." James said and brought his command unit to the edge of the clearing where the unknowns were. Stepping his mech out of the woods, the remainder of his battle armour spread out and kept a watchful eye out for any enemy activity. A nearby cave coveed with hanging vines could be seen with foot trails into the entrance. Science Team Hotel 2 "Another day, another pointless battle to decide which warrior had the bigger E-Peen" thought Orestes as he took a sip of coffee from his pint sized cup which never the less seems small in the Elementals hands. To his Assistant scientist "Hey Elias, how is the spectrographic analysis of the HPG radiation looking from here?" his little group, a scientific Cell under his command were performing an experiment to see if HPG pulses could be detected from stray radiation, the FTL portion of the transmission obviously.. jumped dimensions, but.. there was heat, and x ray radiation from the emission, and his group was here in the middle of nowhere for 3 days, to see if there was a pattern to the data send, and the radiation give off. Command Team Black Wolf Rangers Looking at the vacant vehicles James wondered why they were here and no one guarding them. Seemed extremely strange to him that a group of clan vehicles would be left in the open. Sensing the possibility of a trap, James didn't think the clans would lay down such a deceitful way of engaging his unit, he none the less took it slow and cautiously. "Alpha fang forward, check those vehicles, beta growl see about that cave. Charlie Growl down the road. Everyone else keep alert and sound off if you see anything." James deployed his command unit to ensure no one came in unannounced and surprised the command unit as they conducted their search of the area A small flock of birds, startled by the movement of his rogue bears moving out along the road, fluttered in front of his cockpit view screen, Their bright blues and purples of their long plumage drew his attention as to their magnificence and then they were gone. The sky above was starting to darken as the weather was calling for a cold weather system to come in and bring rain. Heavy winds were already starting to come in from the east. Two guards had been taken out non leathily by tranq darts that Glenda Mersdof held in a storage compartment on her Rogue bear. The two unarmoured security guards had been taken aside and handcuffed and gagged and placed into one of the empty vehicles that were parked in the small clearing. Spreading out along the cave entrance the fang of Rogue bears slowly crept to either side of the entrance. James saw no combat vehicles in the small group and decided to dismount his mech. "Sir what are you doing?" Glenda Mersdof said as she approached her commanding officer. "I want to see what is going on around here for myself. There are strange readings happening around here. Powerful electromagnetic occurrences. We will enter the cave and see who is in there. By the looks of the vehicles there wont be many inside. But i am bringing the Rogue bear troopers in with me." James walked into the cave slowly, as he ducked in through the low hanging vines he came up into a large opening that contained lights strung along the ceiling ten feet up. Although dim lighting it was enough to peer down the cave system. He followed the strung lights further back, his rogue bear fang body guards slowly kept behind him, making sure they stayed quiet but ready to whisk him out of danger at a moments' notice or any threat that showed itself. Metallic banging and light machinery could be heard as James walked back to the larger part of the cave in the back. Muffled voices could likewise be heard and James stepped to the side of the cave wall and crept along slowly, almost tip toeing. His curiosity might have him doing something he shouldnt be but he needed to be out of his mech, on the ground, doing things he had done as a young soldier. leading his rangers directly into harms way. Peering around the corner a mich brighter light could be seen, and major power cords and computer terminals were lined along the large open chamber in the adjacent cave network. Technicians were busy with the computers and pouring over reams of information. A Large clan in a lab coat stood hunched over a holographic computer console brooding over information that he was looking at. "Apologies for barging into your project gentlemen, but i do believe that you are now my prisoners." James said as he held up his sternsnacht .50 cal. The large bore of the pistol pointing at the head Clan scientist. 'I see that our warriors were up to the task of defending the cave mouth.' Returning back to the command bivouac, The Kodiaks brought along with them a science team that they captured. thirty six scientists and security personnel had been conducting HPG tests in the mountains in a secret cave complex that allowed for the testing to be conducted in the heavy metal laden cave system that would reduce the electromagnetic pulses from interfering with the area and local communications. The powerful tests would easily knock out most electronics for hundreds of kilometers. Powering down his battle mech James left the confines of the cockpit and descended the metal ladder down to the ground. His feet struck the ground and small puffs of dust from the ground billowed up from the souls of his feet. Dusting himself off he turned to see the small convoy of captured clan vehicles. The forty three techs and a handful of security elementals. 'Oretses' was scornful of the inner sphere savages that had entered his domain and had captured him. The Failed elemental stood before james with a bond cord. Glaring angrily at the Mercenary General. 'Orestes, if you would follow me, we will get you situated and have an intelligence debrief as to what you were working on.' James said as he motioned for the clan scientist to follow him. A pair of Un-armoured Wolf guards trailed the clan scientist with their non leathal weapons. Following James, Orestes was brought into a command vehicle and given new clothing to put on denoting his captured status, a light grey jumpsuit. Escorted to an interrogation cell, JAmes stood before the captured clan. "Do as the interrogator says. I will be there as well." Lupus Primus (Lt Gen): James Black Call Sign : ' Bear ' | Assigned Mech : Kodiak, ' Pandora’s Box ' Marquess of Cimeron, Dahar PDZ, Draconis March, Federated Suns Brigade Commanding Officer of the Black Wolf Ranger’s Kodiak Ramsdale Rank: Unassigned Callsign: "Ruskie" Assigned Vehicle: Jeep Assigned Unit: Royal Corvax Assigned Star: Unassigned -The foolish man lies awake all night thinking of his many problems; When the morning comes he is worn out And his trouble is just as it was. -No better burden can a man carry on the road than a store of common sense. -The foolish man thinks he will live forever if he keeps away from fighting; but old age won't grant him a truce, even if the spears do -To be without silver is better than to be without honour Somewhere north­west of the Penninsula. Black clouds heavy with rain and lightning came heralded by thunder. What had begun as a tropical depression was now a full on storm that came seemingly out of nowhere. Into the eye of that storm, the hostile dropships had descended after a flotilla of assault dropships, including a reported pocket warship and a massive fighter wave destroyed the orbital fighter carrier that had been supporting operations on the ground since the departure of the Thera­class warship and her cohorts. The wind picked up, and the typhoon's intensity was felt as rain buffeted the armored cockpit of Demi­Precentor Alan Morse's Black Knight. A veteran of several successful campaigns, Morse was certain that his force could repulse any attempt by the Lyran Alliance to relieve the trapped Donegal Guards. Lightning flashed, striking a tree nearby and sending it toppling. “Blessed Blake, Keep my Sensor Track True..” Morse said under his breath. Suddenly there was a flicker on the radar, it was there for a moment and gone the next. “Go active scans.” he ordered to his Level III. Switching over to an active scanning pass he more clearly could see what lay before him. Several distinct moving targets that appeared to be battlemechs were tagged by his targeting computer, but with the bad weather the confidence in what type of machine they were facing was iffy. The closest of the targets read as [Marauder ?? Dire Wolf??] which meant that the profile lay somewhere between a common Inner Sphere mech and one of the largest Clan Omnimechs. The odds, Morse thought, were that it was the former. “Targets located, bearing three one zero.. advance to contact!” Moving forward into the darkness, the landscape illuminated in hues of black and green of passive night vision, Morse felt as if he were also fighting the wind which threatened to topple his machine over if not for the strain on the gyro. The enemy was close, tension shot up sharply as he could feel the approach of combat. He did not fear death, because his faith had been a shield for him time and again leaving no doubt in his mind that he had a destiny. A large dark shape loomed in the distance, and his war book program gave him a clear readout of the target. [Marauder II – Unknown Variant] The assault mech that he could now see more clearly was illuminated by a string of lightning was wearing what appeared to be a basic olive drab paint scheme and emblazoned with what appeared to be a crest of some sort... and a snake coiled around a Cameron Star! Taken aback for a moment, that insignia was only used by Task Force Serpent and the 1 Battlemech Regiment of the now defunct Star League Defense Force. The hesitation was not shared by his opponent... [POV shift inside the cockpit of the Marauder II named “Morrigan”] For Ravenna Black, the moment of decision had arrived. The Black Knight in her sights was definitely a variant favored by the Com Guards and the Word of Blake. Having battled the Word of Blake in the past she held no fear in her heart save for the fear that inaction would result in the deaths of those under her command. Tightening her grip on the control yoke, she settled the targeting cross­hairs onto the target and waited for them to pulse with a lock. Thumbing the activation buttons she unleashed a blast from each of her 100ton Marauder II's clan­built extended­range particle projection cannons striking the chest armor melting away the Black Knight's protection. Reeling from the twin particle blasts, the Black Knight was struck again by the particle cannon of Archangel Three, the Gallowglas piloted by Mechwarrior Scott Agustin. Try as the plot of theenemy machine he might there was a sudden jerking and twisting motion that came with an over- taxed gyro sending the seventy five ton battlemech into the muddy ground. Advancing in a steady trot she unleashed a follow­up from her extended­range medium lasers at the fallen enemy whose arm raised protectively to shield it from the onslaught. There was no escape however for the ULTRA mechwarrior or his cohorts as several dozen Clan­built war machines piloted by competent mechwarriors slammed into them with the same ferocity as the storm that heralded their approach. The Black Knight struggled to its knees only to find itself kicked by the armored, bird­like leg of the one hundred ton Marauder II. That same foot planted itself on the back of the fallen machine as a predator pins its prey before the coup­de­grace.nFor Demi­Precentor Alan Morse, the final moments of his life were spent with the terror of staring up at the barrel of a particle projection cannon business end on. The last words to pass his lips were a half­finished prayer to Jerome Blake. Morning came and despite being near the edge of the tropical storm it was a day of deliverance... The drop ships bearing the Steiner Fist and the aerospace fighter streaking overhead had caused the morale of the men and women of the 13 arrived was a cause for celebration as they staged an uncontested withdrawal. The reports that reached the survivors of the 13 the flank by a force that was tentatively identified as the Star League's 1 Regiment, yet there was no way to confirm that identification. 5th REF Command ULTRA forces had been pressing around the perimeter for the last the hours, probing attacks to test the strength of the landing zone. The 13th Donegal had been on the move conducting a fighting with drawl against The 5th ULTRA Dragoons. Once they arrived they would mass their firepower and ward off the dragoons, load up and blast off of Lipton. Wolf Sgt Shirley Jones Setting up along a row of storage containers, overlooking the southern approach to the quarry Wolf Sgt Shirley Jones watched the storm billowing around her. The dust storm had been raging for two hours and visual was down to mere feet. Sensors were sporadic due to a high metallic content of the sand granules. Ghost tracks popped up and disappeared just to reappear a few hundred meters away. Jones kept an eye on her sensors but was starting to get a headache watching the digital displays with intensity. The last probing attack had happened less than half an hour ago. A squad of Longinus suits had tried to sneak past her listening post but she had marked them coming in and had a artillery barage brought in on the quartet of enemy troopers. The High explosive rounds had made short work of the enemy troopers. Now the Lyran RCT was nearly at the dust off point. The 13th Donegal Guards lead elements were at the quarry and heading towards their drop ships. Over the next two hours the mechs and armour and infantry of the 13th loaded their droppers as the Black Wolf Rangers kept the ULTRA Dragoons at bay. "Tiger" Cane over the frequency and all Rangers turned and dashed for their drop ships, mine fields and artillery fire covered their sudden retreat. Minutes later the whole force left lipton and blasted for the jump point. The 13th Donegal was secure and free of lipton. Lupus Primus (Lt Gen): James Black Call Sign : ' Bear ' | Assigned Mech : Kodiak, ' Pandora’s Box ' Marquess of Cimeron, Dahar PDZ, Draconis March, Federated Suns Brigade Commanding Officer of the Black Wolf Ranger’s Kodiak Ramsdale Rank: Unassigned Callsign: "Ruskie" Assigned Vehicle: Jeep Assigned Unit: Royal Corvax Assigned Star: Unassigned -The foolish man lies awake all night thinking of his many problems; When the morning comes he is worn out And his trouble is just as it was. -No better burden can a man carry on the road than a store of common sense. -The foolish man thinks he will live forever if he keeps away from fighting; but old age won't grant him a truce, even if the spears do -To be without silver is better than to be without honour