The distinctive sound of atmospheric entry thundered throughout the drop-ship as the pilot worked through the task of pre-combat checks. Outside his cockpit he could hear the roar of the hull plummeting closer to the surface of the planet below. Crackles, thuds and whines permeated even into the insulated hull of his dreadnought class mecha. Viewed from outside it was an eerie site as the various ships plummeted down. Their hulls still glowing red from the initial atmospheric entry they billowed smoke and flaming shards of heat shields that, having served their purpose, had come dislodged.
Inside the cockpit the pilot went through the checklist with proficient ease. He had, after all, been training the better part of his life for this. Gyroscopic stabilization...check. Targeting and damage computers...check. Generators and life support systems...check. It all seemed too routine in someways but then again, despite training, this was only the second battle for him. He pondered the surface below. He had heard stories of the planet and seen photos, but those where almost ancient memories as their exact age and locations where unknown. The planet had been steeped in war for generations now and could look very different, perhaps a barren rock, scarred and charred.
The muses of his mind where shattered by the sound of retro-thrusters firing. They were nearing the disembarkation point. The gravity seemed to triple as the rockets flared increasingly violently. This would not be an easy drop as the enemy was near and aware of their arrival. Sounds of enemy fire began to hammer the hulls of the drop-ships as the long range bombardments began. Huge shells slammed into the ships exploding in brilliant flashes as metal shrapnel blossomed from the impact points. It would take more than that though. The drop-ships where literally spherical tanks armed with layers of plated alloys, heat dampening materials and radiation shielding. They were meant for one purpose and that was to get the mechs to the ground.
The ships where a few hundred meters from the ground, their decent slowing, as the medium and short range batteries opened up. These would be a little more effective as they were comprised of heavy laser cannons, and ionized particle guns. The beams began to cut into the hulls of the massive ships and a rain of molten metal began to fall as the beams cut deeper. The lowest ship suddenly leered to one side as the lasers found a weak point near one of the main thrusters. It exploded with a deafening concussion and a massive fireball erupted from inside. The secondary explosions of other systems inside, as well as fully armed mechs, began to rip the hull apart and it now began a fall rather than a decent, listing to one side the fate of the ship and those inside was sealed. A few seconds later and the entire ship slammed into the ground creating an enormous crater and crumpled in a series of explosive detonations.
For the rest of the drop-ships, the last moments of the decent were a flurry of activity as their own cannons opened fire. These were formidable and decisive weapons, but limited in their rounds and saved for the deployment phase, which was the most vulnerable for their precious cargo of mechs. The thunderous claps of the massive cannons sounded in unison as the barrages quickly eliminated many of the enemy cannon positions. Simultaneously, huge bay doors opened with surprising speed for their size utilizing the gravity for increased speed. Mechs began jumping out using their jets where fitted or being lowered on cable lines. They hit the ground at near critical impact and the pilots inside would feel the effects long after the battle was over.
Light and medium mechs raced quickly from the ships fanning out to avoid gunfire and form offensive perimeters, doing their best to hold off the quickly approaching enemy mechs until the larger mechs could get down and moving. These massive sized larger mechs were death on legs and their visage was impressive to anyone new to the spectacle. Huge shoulder mounted cannons, missile racks and other delivery systems coupled with the vast array of secondary and tertiary weaponry. Painted to depict animals of renown ferocity from the past and present. Lightning bolts, flames, and the kill marks from past battles adorning their scarred metal armor that had been fitted and refitted sometimes with bizarre patterns.
The ground assault commenced and batteries from turrets and drop-ships subsided almost in unison. Rounds would not be wasted by either side for that component of the battle as it was now a moot point. The walking machines would now determine this battle. The drop ships began their ascents having finished unloading their cargo. Those that could return had already ignited their thrusters and were lifting off, their immense plumes of fire kicking up dust from the ground providing much needed cover for the assaulting mechs as they formed up and began to press the attack.
The pilot had a quick glimpse of the terrain, just before the cloud had enveloped him. It was the first time in his life to glimpse this world. Despite the immediate damage of the occurring battle the landscape was a diverse mixture of green trees, grassy plains and hills and in the near distance a lake glistened with a crystal blue clarity unlike anything he had seen in his life. So the pictures had been accurate and he hoped they would remain accurate after this war ended. The moment disappeared in the cloud of dust and smoke and he reverted his gaze to the navigational and tactical monitors.
His was the secondary assault formation whose objective was to flank the left of the main assault force. En route to the target objective his formation was to provide cover fire, to mop up enemy flanking units and to secure the north corridor, which surveillance had shown to be a geological landscape that could be used by the enemy to funnel a surprise attack force through. It was basically a large canyon formation similar in size and scope to the grand canyon of ancient Terra, but far older and therefor not as steep in its sides, but still a massive feature. Any mechs approaching through this terrain would be invisible to surface scans. This made the objective of crucial importance and the pilot felt a sense of pride to be assigned to the detail.
The formations had aligned in their positions and despite the shortages from the landing 95% of the mechs had survived and now began to emerge from the dust. Medium mech's moved out quicker but behind them appearing slowly the shadowy forms of the assault class mecha dwarfed them as they thudded across the ground. Gigus, Ignis, Magnus and Boreas classes presented themselves in a wide array of arrangements, each with objectives preset during the assault planning. Their leg apparatus made the ground shake with each step as their metallic bodies jerked mechanically and the sounds of hydraulic pistons and massive gearing squeaked and ground in a menacing chorus only machines of war produce.
The enemy mechs closed in to meet them and volleys of gunfire sparked across the landscape as rounds found their marks and mecha began to take damage on both sides. A scouting Anzu exploded from a well placed heavy cannon round. The round itself was almost half the size of the Anzu and as it stuck, the small mecha was shattered into a thousand parts and the momentum of the round flung it back several meters. When it landed it was a chassis with a huge hole in it with two legs attached. It would have been comical if not for the reality of the moment.
The casualties mounted on both sides as the initial encounter unfolded. Explosions where now happening with rapid intensity as the battle unveiled and armor was worn away opening the machines inner and more susceptible systems. Generators where the most fantastic detonations, their energy was like a small nuclear reaction going off when struck by any energy based weapons. They left nothing of their shells intact. Bright orange, blue and yellow flames arced from every seem in the doomed mech as it exploded. Ammo stores where next as they often shot off in multiple directions as their rounds took any path to escape without a barrel to control their trajectory. In extreme cases, a nearby mech would fall victim as well being torn apart by the exploding ordinances if they were too close.
In other cases, the mechs would lose a leg or more and crumple over. Those where the pilots that had a very bad day. At least an exploding power core or ammo store was typically a quick and instantaneous death. A fallen mech pilot had the task of first escaping the mech before it was finished off and then, if that was successful, they had to find a way to get away from the machine and find a place to hide. A battlefield of this magnitude was no place for a human. The shrapnel that came off the machines although not very detrimental to the metal skins of mecha, was more than enough to crush, mangle or decapitate a human's body. Not to mention the vast array of flammable, freezing and acidic chemicals utilized in modern warfare. Probably the worst thing was the fact that some “less civilized” pilots took great joy in crushing wayward humans beneath their mechs feet.
The pilot pushed forward on the throttle and his great machine began to take increasingly quicker strides as forward momentum was achieved. His targeting computer lit up with a series of strike coordinates of the enemy. It was the pilots training and instinct that would determine which to hit first. He pulled the stick into position flipped the safety and pulled the trigger... (to be continued).
Submitted by Brian Vaughan #56278