I wasn't the first to go in, so there was possibility that ahead there could be an obstacle. Including some unknown danger. What I did see, was not the mech that went before me, but a brown wall, almost as high as my mech was. Still at full run I started to turn, but that wall continued all around. Couldn't fire any weapons, and the next mech would come out through the gate soon, so the only option was to climb that wall. Mechs are not built for that. Neither was that wall.
Before I got close to that wall, it attacked me. Or rushed... collided... Brown, wet mass of something. That stopped me, then came that hit behind and I was hurled deeper in that thing. My mechs were all buried, but at least the link was still good, so I did know that they were intact. Stuck but intact. Sensors worked too, not really well but managed to get some readings. It looked that whole expedition force got hit with this brown stuff, what ever this was, and we all were stuck. Time to die.
But no, there was Drake and his toys. I had hear rumors about a flying mech, but haven't seen any in real life. He's got two. One by one they lifted my mech back to the surface. Or as close to the surface as they could. This was a swamp, a large swamp. Sensors didn't get any indication that this swamp would ever end. Nice. Nothing better to do, and it was kinda necessary, we started to make solid ground. By walking in circles, compressing dirt little by little, making an ever growing pile, so at the end of day, some of our mechs were only waist down in the swamp.
Remote mechs were sacrificed to make harder ground. So my long collected, bad ass formation, was reduced to the half it's strength. Better ones stand top of not so good ones. Of course there was nothing beyond repair on those bottom ones, they just couldn't move really well because of all this dirty stuff. Three days it took to dig mechs out, and cleaned off what we could. Didn't find all of them. Twenty or so were missing. Maybe there were some deeper holes at the bottom of the swamp. Or their links malfunctioned and we just missed them. Not very big loss, we still got plenty of working ones.
I was kinda out of loop, what was planned next. Not very surprising, I was an outsider, at best I was treated like a mercenary. Flying mechs were sent scouting, I think the mission was to find high ground, or even better, end of the swamp. We could walk out of here, if we just figured what direction we should go. And another gate would be nice find too. Our entry gate didn't permit us to leave. What I overheard, it was working as it should, but it was one-way gate. Who has ever heard of a gate like that?
I think it was sixth day, or actually night, when the shooting started. Typical panic shooting, when you think there is something out in the dark, and you want to scare it away. Or kill if you are lucky. What I did hear later, something was moving around our force. In the swamp. Something large with faint energy signature. Sometimes it was there and then not anymore. Nobody actually saw it, what ever, if anything, there was. But we moved the outer perimeter out, so the intruder would be noticed earlier, if they came again.
They came alright. We lost thirteen mechs with pilots next night. Lots of shooting, sound of tearing metal and splashing mud. We were a sad group when morning came. And scared. They did find bite marks on some mech. Bite marks? On ferronite that is designed for war. Big bite marks. That thing who was out there could swallow a Red Ant whole. Or things, there were hits on different sides of our camp. But where were the missing mechs? And was it only bad luck, or why were targeted mechs the ones with humans inside? Sure there were hits to the remote ones too, but all missing ones, were piloted ones... No doubt about it in my mind, we were watched!
Next day we were busy with preparations, this was war and are used to it, some little more than others but all did know what to expect next. So when night came, it was not dark any more. Mechs had been moved on circle formation, remote mechs formed outer perimeter, and weapons were hot. Flying ones were back too, they moved slowly around camp. We were ready. And it didn't matter at all...
First warning was multiple missile salvos, flying ones came down hard and lots of lights went out. Shooting back was instant, huge areas of swamp erupted in the air, but still there was no sign that we hit anything. Quiet. Not really, but as quiet as army in ambush can be quiet. No recognizable danger in sight. And then the first mech went under. Then another. And next. I don't think that anybody cared at all about those pilots inside, so much fire was poured right at them. I was close enough to see, when 85 ton Jottun went down like a slipping human. After it rushed scores of laser beams, screaming projectiles, even scorching fire that has little effect in watery environment.
Really don't know what that Jottun was carrying, but it did die with huge ball of snow and ice. And fog was like white night. It even make sounds of combat a little muted, like it all happened far, far away. So muted, that when sounds stopped altogether, I was more scared than I have been ever before.
Finally the fog cleared enough, that we could see again. The swamp was frozen where the Jottun exploded. Almost a hundred meter wide area was solid mud ice. There were a few smaller mechas already walking on top of it, inspecting the area of explosion. One stopped. Backed away weapons pointing at something in the ice. Scores of big mechs started forward, clearly in attack formation. Again I was hoping that I could listen to their radio communications, but no, I was still untrustworthy. But at least I could see what they were doing.
A circle was formed around something. Lasers started burning, clearly in cutting purpose. Something was trapped in the ice. Something big, judging by the size of the chunk they were making. Then came lifting without equipment that was meant to do a job like that, but they did manage. Again they used lasers, to dig into that frozen mud cube. Then first beam rebound. Then another. There was actually something inside. Work slowed down. I did see Drake there too.
Next thing was something out from tales of drunken pilot. Ignis. No, two of them, moved on site. Behind them came two Aspis. Mechs from legends. They climbed almost to the top of that ice pile...... Is there something alive there? Something that need those four to hold it in check?
Melting continues. I see something metallic... a mech of some sort. Long body, kinda flat. There are legs, I see two, there must be two in the other side of body too. That must be tail... almost half it's length is tail... Those look like missile openings in it's back... It got actual mouth? With teeth? Why it is so long? Who ever got the idea that mecha can fight by biting the enemy. I bet that there are more weapons in it's mouth. Or access to cockpit. Submerged mech... in the swamp. Appearance like some sort of lizard... actually there is something similar, compared to Ignis or Aspis... Something about surface design...
If we, or at least I, ever get out of here, this gonna be huge news. We are all gonna be rich. All who survive that is, other mechs are still out there, and I bet that they won't leave us in peace.
(again, maybe to continue)
Submitted by Kalevi Karvinen#863817