They are coming back. Recently a portal to another dimension has opened right on AFF’s doorstep. The alarm awakens me from my booze soaked slumber. We are getting called to the command center for an emergency briefing. I stumble into the command center still reeling from the night before. As I head to my seat, attempting to light my cigar at the same time, I notice not only am I not the first person there, I’m practically the last one entering. As I go to sit, I listen to the chatter about the Unification returning. With us it was not a talk of worry or distraught, more like excitement, since we do love a good battle. Our fearless leader Luc Lachance heads to the front with the tough task of calming down all of us Gung-Ho maniacs. He calmly gathers himself and informs us of our favorite plan; “You know the drill, something needs killing, and we are the ones to do it.”
As he is going over the details of the why part, I am already beginning to zone out. Scout forces and AFF, Half-Baked Harrison and portal stabilization devices, all topics that either go over my pay grade or don’t interest me. But then he gets to the where and I begin to get interested. We are headed for a small ferrite mining planet out near the far reaches. Apparently the Unification forces have set up a
forward base in a rather quick and discreet fashion. Our task is to engage and hold or destroy the enemy forces while the PSD plan is put into play to close the portal. Standard gateway drop formations are called for most. The goal is to land just outside of the unification operating range and steamroll in, destroying all resistance along the way. Our own leader tells us he plans to drop near the natural gas vents of the planet and follow them toward the base, increasing the power of his flame weapons considerably. Chris Harding is charged with engaging Unification light and medium scout forces over some unstable grounds only fit for the lower tonnage. Chris chooses to take his trusty squadron of Vizi’s, Warg’s, and Ogguns to navigate the terrain and crush the enemy.Then there is myself. I am given the task of dropping behind enemy lines in a stealth mode of sorts. The only way to accomplish this gateway drop that wouldn’t trigger alarms is to take only a handful of each mech, or a Triple Rainbow. I am given the task of engaging the enemy, try to push forward slow and steady while the others plough through their front lines headed my way. The goal is to slow down the possible enemy reinforcements while the others engage and push them back.
As the briefing goes on an emergency message comes in, “There is a plan to close the portal. All mercenary clans are asked to participate.” Luc goes over to the screen and reviews the plan. We are then informed that we will change our battle formations, split into 2 teams. The first team will go on with the assault. The second smaller team will stay behind and work with Half Baked Harrison and the AFF to close the portal. Stephen, Troy, and Moe are picked to stay behind. The rest of us prepare for battle.
'The Day' has come and we prepare for the gateway jump. We receive the signal from Stephen that they will begin to enact their side of the plan a while after we leave. I get my squad ready and begin to move out. As my team hits the ground it’s silent, a little eerie. I look on the radar looking for the first enemy on sight. I’m ready to engage the first mech I see. I pull up the long range and spot a blimp in the distance, halfway between the enemy base and myself. I send the order out for full combat speed, weapons ready. My team moves through the area at top speed. The Dreadnaughts are sent ahead to begin the bombardment with the Antithesis and Boreas coming in for cleanup. We engage the enemy with the sounds of cannons roaring and missiles flying by our cockpits. And yet the battle is almost over before it began. I continue to look on the long range scanners and see nothing. I break the radio silence “Command, I’m not seeing any targets, almost smells like a trap. Any reports from the front?”
“No activity to report, oddly quiet across all squads,” he replies. Then sh*t hits the fan, an S.O.S. is coming across from the base. The plan to close the large portal has opened a smaller one at our base!!!
I order a full retreat back to the portal for my squad. I am getting scattered reports from the comms about the Unification pouring through the portal. Those who stayed behind are barely holding on. I send a call to my hanger on the base and order all remaining pilots to get any remaining mechs on the field. The second of command of my team, a 2nd generation very angry Drake clone informs me simply, “I’m singing to the choir and to shut the hell up, we are on the move already.” Gotta love that guy. I continue to the portal as I am one of the last ones to make it back being the furthest out. I go through it at full speed, ignoring all the safety limits, don’t have time for safety when the base is under attack. Full combat speed is ordered to meet up with my remaining team as soon as we exit the gateway.
My team comes barreling through under heavy fire. Bing and Glenn are nearby engaging the enemy with full strength, trying to keep them at bay while the rest make it through. Chris is the last to make it back with his lighter formation. Bing and myself are tasked with providing him cover fire while he returns to his hanger to retrieve his main force. As he makes it back I received word that the remainder of my forces are headed my way to meet up. The longer this battle goes on is not good for us. The Unification army has managed to take out our communications tower and subsequent command center. It quickly becomes a chaotic battle where the only thing we can do is shoot first and ask questions later.
The battle has raged on for over 5 hours now as they continue to pour through the portal. I have no idea whose team is where and operational. As the battle is beginning to wear on us all, I spot one of the Lady Viva’s Axe Bots running communications between squads. Their is hope after all! The Unification forces are beginning to trip over there own smoldering mechs. We have inadvertently created a small wall of fallen mechs that is giving them more trouble than it seems to be worth. The enemy has begun to withdraw. They were unable to capitalize on the element of surprise, and the overwhelming numbers were becoming their undoing.Finally the portal is closed. We continue to sweep the area, looking for any stragglers. Then Luc comes over the recently duct tape repaired comms, “Congratulations guys, we survived the onslaught. That was fun, let's do it again sometime” In a dark way we all agree, because in the end, we are a bunch of battle loving maniacs!
Submitted by Theo Peoples #847147