---

> Arias, Ellos II.
> Objectives: Break through blockade and deliver supplies.
> Current Time: 0400
> Mission Timer: 01:20:39

In the twilight hours before the sun rose, members of the Steel Hunters Private Military Company slowly made their way towards the settlement of Arias. The small town had been under siege for just over three weeks now, and were short on food and medical supplies due to constant attacks from a large raiding band. Setting up a blockade on the main road, and surrounding the village with armed men and machines- the town could do little more than desperately defend themselves against the raiders. The settlement was not however cut off from communications networks and had been broadcasting SOS signals to anyone within range.

The Steel Hunters were the 2nd PMC to pick up their distress signal. The first PMC picked up the settlement's distress signal within the first week of the siege, but refused to intervene for free. Having learned from their mistake, the citizens of Arias managed to scrounge together a small reward before making contact with another PMC- this time the Steel Hunters. Terms were quickly discussed, and two days later the Steel Hunters were on Ellos II, moving in on Arias, shuttles laden with supplies.

---

In the cover of darkness, the Steel Hunters MAS's walked- avoiding hovering or rolling, to prevent dust from being kicked up around them something which could be seen from miles away- towards Arias, the machines spread into a wide semi-circle for the most part independent of one another. Alongside several of the MASs trudged small teams of infantry- most wearing powered armor suits or Ultra-Light MASs. Most of the MAS's had large canvas tarps draped around their shoulders to prevent dust and sand from getting into intake valves and joints. Prowler's strategy for this mission had been fairly simple- Their long range capable units had set up on two of the taller cliffs around the town, preferably with decent sight lines around them, while the more mobile units would move to flank around the enemy. The rest of the team would get on a wide line and advance straight down the main road. They would keep 3 of their Ferir IIs in reserve- on board the Sirius to protect it as well as to provide support if the main force ran into trouble.

As a part of the flanking force, Samuel marched faster than the main force, and at a distance as he made a wide arc around the town. He'd hit the town from the east- allowing his supporting infantry to quickly push into town where they could find cover against enemy fire. From there he'd likely fight on the ground, taking to the air only when necessary. Reports were that the enemy had at least two SAM vehicles- meaning until he was certain that they were eliminated, Samuel would want to avoid exposing himself by flying. Half dozing in front of his monitors, Samuel was woken by an argument between a few of his supporting infantrymen nearby.

"I'm just saying, this is a pretty paltry reward for risking our lives, I mean seriously." Complained an irate soldier.
"Come off it Kent, besides we're paid in salary anyway so it doesn't matter." Another trooper shot back.
"I'm just saying! I mean jeez, since when did Terin become such a hero of the people?"

"Will you guys shut up? I can barely hear myself think." Samuel cut in, his groggy voice a low growl.
"Whatever you say bossman." came the sarcastic reply.

Corning an outcropping of rock, Samuel paused. He could see the village from his location approximately 100 meters away. 70 odd Meters to his left, Samuel could see a plume of smoke, and the orange glow of a fire, mostly covered by another outcrop of rock. From his position, he could see a thin barrel poking out above the rock shield. It was an artillery piece. Cuing his comm, Samuel opened his mouth to make a report, but before he could even speak, the gruff voice of their team leader called in.

"Team, status report." Prowler requested.

"Hare here." Lin replied, "In position 100 Meters south of the village, spotted an artillery unit.

"Got it. With luck, that's where the SAM launchers are too." Prowler replied as he waited for the rest of the team to check in. As it stood, aside from the enemy MAS's, the enemy SAM launchers were the biggest threat to the Steel Hunters- it greatly restricted their mobility, and as such were a priority for the Steel Hunters long range units.

Adrian fidgeted slightly on the ridge overlooking the town, antsy for the shooting to get started. Sure, she wouldn't shoot until ol' Prowler gave the order, but that didn't mean she didn't really, really want to. It would make up for having to trudge up this stupid cliffside instead of just being able to fly up like she was used to. She'd tried arguing that she had a stealth drive for this very reason, but ultimately was forced to concede that she would still be entirely visible to the enemy. She was starting to think that maybe she should have sprung for the Active Camouflage unit that that one merchant had been selling however many weeks past, but she dismissed that thought- the thermals alone would give her away for miles, and besides, that was way too much weight and power draw for less returns than her handy-dandy SD unit.

Adrian paused in her thoughts, then sighed. She was getting distracted. She checked her instruments again, scanning from the horizon down for any particular nasties that needed a good ventilating. Especially if she could find those SAMs- once those went offline, she'd be untouchable. No one could touch Blue Moon in the air, and she could start raining down mass-accelerated hellfire with impunity. As it was, unless she was very keen on making peace with her dear and fluffy Lord in heaven, she was stuck on overwatch. Ah, well- it was what she was best at, anyway.

"Team, status report," came the gruff command over the comms.

Oh, praise Jesus- interaction. She opened her mouth to reply, before being butted out by Hare. She'd be more irritated at that, but according to both Prowler and Hare, they might have found the solution to their little no-fly zone problem. She homed in on Hare's location, getting Reaper into position. Even if it was just artillery, she still wasn't going to complain. Everything helped her get her cut of the paycheck, and 1500 creds was nothing to sneeze at. And if it was those nasty little SAM launchers...

"This is Werewolf, on overwatch. Just point me at whoever's paint job needs messing up, and I'll be happy to oblige."

Jamy walked in the main battle group, as the Bull, while probably capable of joining the flanking force, was a very good choice as a distraction. The 50-foot MAS was a beast in direct combat, with heavy armor, and the Valkyrie Gatling Cannon. Also his MAS was shiny. Some of the others had complained that it was too shiny for combat, but as long as it allowed him to fight without taking major damage, he was fine with it.

As Seth's voice came over the comms, Jamy grinned, even though no one could see it inside the cockpit. Sam was as grumpy as ever, and Carmen was tagging along with him, as always. It looked like, with the exception of the SAM sites outside the town, this would be a routine mission. And even then, it wasn't like Jamy hadn't fought under missile fire before. Hell, he'd fought under more severe conditions than this. But, as it stood, this was the plan, and if there was one thing he'd learned from the UEE, it was that a botched plan was worse than a bad one. Waiting for Adrian to report in, Jamy sounded off right afterward.

"Jupiter here, Miles. You know where I am. Also, I have something to add. There's either an entirely different artillery piece, or we're a lot closer to the flanking group than we thought. Just thought you should know." Jamy did nothing, but rather, kept walking with the main battle group. His proclamation caused several of the infantry to curse, and pull out binocs' and rangefinders, and ready their weapons, but he wasn't worried.

Raiders like this, unless they had a trick up their sleeve, were small fry.

Alex yawned from inside his machine as it trudged alongside the Bull. The Viking was far mor suited for direct combat than any sort of flanking, or artillery-ing, or... really anything else, come to think of it, with a set of weapons and specializations that were about as much use at a distance as a slingshot.

Sam was grumpy again, evidently. Seemed like that guy was always grumbling about something or another, though in truth it seemed a lot of the Company was grumbling about this op. For his part, Alex was over the moon to finally be doing some real good. The Steel Hunters were a job, and the money was good, but it had to be said that he hadn't been exactly thrilled to be flying around space as a thug-for-hire. Ops like this one only came around so often; they were fighting the good fight, rescuing people, bringing them food and medicine. For the first time in a long time, Alex felt like he was doing something... important.

He piped up over the comms. "Doughboy reporting in. I'm here with Jupiter, and I'm definitely seeing that artillery piece. Do we keep going as planned?" He paused for a moment, then added, "Hey, Werewolf, Hare? Don't mess around with those SAMS... I hear that's some real hardware they've got. Don't get blown out of the sky on our account."

Without waiting for a reply, Alex grabbed the book he kept in his back pocket and flipped to a memorized page. Taking a deep breath, he began to murmur to himself the same verse he had read before every battle, since he joined the Steel Hunters. "And death shall have no dominion..."

Alice had positioned herself a short distance from the core group. She wasn't as far as Adrian, but had nestled herself into a comfortable vantage point that was close enough to provide another overlapping field of fire to the rest of the team. Once the raiders' fire support platforms were dealt with, she intended to move from her perch and support Jamy and Sam's offensive.
From here, Alice scanned the opposite side of the village for the artillery Lin had mentioned. She switched on her thermal imaging, which outlined the artillery barrel in white against the dark form of the rock. More white could be seen poking from the other side - other vehicles, SAMs, probably. A well-aimed HE salvo to the site and everything inside would be history.
Alice was already dialing her instruments in, prepping to make a decisive strike against the pirates' support vehicles when the familiar rasp of the captain rattled her ears.
"Team, status report."
"Swallowtail, standing by. I have a visual on the raiders' artillery site." The reticule of her targeting computer hovered right over the outcrop, range and angle of attack already calculated. Alice's finger danced a mere inch over the launch trigger.
"One word and we can say goodbye to those SAMS," she added.

The next moments were like the calm before the storm. The Steel Hunters were analyzing and sharing target information with one another to help the operation go smoothly. The main road itself was blockaded by a quartet of tanks and IFVs, alongside a MAS, while 4 other enemy MAS's formed a wide perimeter around the town- their line reinforced by several light vehicles and infantry. They were spread wide because they weren't expecting a coordinated strike from outsiders. The Steel Hunter's concentrated strike could hammer through them long enough to get supplies to the town, as well as shatter most of their operation.

"Alright team. Lets get this done. Came Prowler's voice over the comms. Samuel breathed out deeply, cracking his knuckles and settling himself in his seat. Swallowtail had eyes on the artillery site he had spotted, he'd be able to push on with his own objective.

"Hit them. Go!"

Samuel's MAS reached for its shoulder and threw the tarp off of his machine. "Swallowtail, hit that artillery sight!" Sam called through the comms. Boosting around the corner, Sam skated towards the settlement, keeping his unit close to the ground- in case their was another SAM site. As Prowler and the main line engaged the enemies along the main road, Sam and the flanking force was responsible for cutting a path into the town to allow their infantry to push into the settlement and secure it.

Resistance on Sam's side was fairly minimal, a single Ferir II backed by a trio of lightly armored combat vehicles open fired on him as he nimbly dodged his way through, allowing himself to take fire to provide cover for his infantry force. Sam returned fire with his MAS's 20mm autocannons, the small but potent autocannon rounds tearing apart two of the lightly armored vehicles and forcing the Ferir to turtle behind a large alloy shield that it carried.

"Hey Werewolf, I've got a Ferir with a damn big shield here. Send him a present maybe?" Sam called in over the comm. Moving too far ahead of his infantry team would leave him vulnerable without their support, as well as leave them stuck without major fire support.

"Swallowtail, hit that artillery site!"
Upon hearing Sam's confirmation, Alice depressed the trigger on her control yoke. The barrel of her 40 mm autocannon roared to life, chucking high-explosive rounds downrange at the targets.
POOMPOOMPOOMPOOM - The screen of Alice's targeting computer flared white as the salvo slammed into the artillery encampment. Rounds burst as they made contact with the platforms, scattering debris and armor spalls. The SAM trucks imploded as the rounds detonated the ammunition inside their launchers, clearing the immediate airspace for Sam and the other light pilots.
"SAMs are toast; you're in the clear, Hare."
Immediately after the salvo took its toll, Alice zipped from her perch to regroup with the main offensive team. Up ahead, she could see the pseudo-blockade of MASs and armored vehicles across the road. Her targeting computer acquired the threats, highlighting them on her screen.
"Goodnight." The Claymore launcher on her MAS's chest flared, sending an AT warhead darting into the sky. Moments later, it changed direction, screaming back down before plowing into the vulnerable top armor of one of the tanks.
The MASs accompanying the armor snapped to attention, readying their weaponry as Alice and the other Steel Hunters approached the town.
"Doughboy, Jupiter; let's give it to them!"

Adrian shot upright when Prowler called the team into action, her hands tightening on the controls in excitement and anticipation. Finally, some action. She adjusted her MAS, keeping tabs on Sam as he skated into action, and grinning from ear to ear as Swallowtail took out the SAMs. She thought about taking to the air in celebration, but decided against it- there could be other trucks out and about, waiting to turn them into crunchy mech-suit pate.

"Nice shooting, Swallowtail. I'll keep eyes open for any other SAMs trying to ruin our fun."

"Hey Werewolf," Sam suddenly piped in over the comms, "I've got a Ferir with a damn big shield here. Send him a present maybe?" Adrian turned her computerized gaze at the target in question- a big honkin' alloy pain in the ass, indeed. At least, it would be for anyone else. Whoever that Ferir pilot was had obviously never met Reaper, though- he would have picked something much thicker if he had. She grinned, a shark's predatory expression.

"Oh, Hare. You always send me the best presents!" she crowed, aiming her railcannon at the MAS in question, her finger hovering over the trigger as her computer quickly configured a firing solution.

There. Locked in.

"Special delivery from the Steel Hunters Association! SMILE!"

There was a massive THUMP from Reaper as Adrian pulled the trigger, and a lance of near-molten metal exploded from the barrel at supersonic speeds. There was a flurry of sparks as the round slammed into and through the Ferir's shield, the arm holding it, the cockpit (reducing the pilot to the consistency of a fine red mist), and out the back of the MAS, exploding into the ground behind it.

The Ferir fell backwards after a beat, almost comically still, a still-smoldering hole in its chest. Adrian punched the air in celebration.

"And THAT'S how we do business! The front door's all yours, gentlemen- just find some more guys for me to shoot!"

"Hit them. Go!"

At the command, Alex's hands flew to the controls as he throttled the MAS into its top running speed, unlimbering the machine's assault rifle as he did so. "This is Doughboy, engaging in close quarters at the front, watch for friendly fire."

A flurry of explosions rippled across the artillery encampment, followed by one of the tanks in the front bursting into a fireball as an AT Warhead plowed into it. Alice was doing what she did best, it seemed.

The MAS had snapped to attention, and was now facing Alex's charge. By the look of it, it was a salvaged Sentry - a bit patchwork, but very functional. Before the enemy pilot could train the autocannon on him, Alex let loose with a burst of fire from his rifle, which was soaked up by the enemy's shields.

The answering salvo went wild, and the Viking crashed into the Sentry with a full shoulder charge. The alloy bayonet crashed through the machine's shields and took it in the chest, puncturing the armor but not damaging any vital systems. Gritting his teeth, Alex yanked on the trigger of his control stick, pouring fire into the vulnerable MAS's chest and mangling the armor of its chest.

A burst of missiles from the MAS's shoulder-mounted launcher caught Alex off-guard and filled his view with smoke, allowing the other pilot to bring his rifle to bear at close quarters. The gun's sustained fire quickly collapsed the Viking's shields, but the advanced alloy plating beneath was able to hold.

With one arm the Viking forced the gun to the side, while in a practiced motion the other limbered the assault rifle and drew the broad alloy waraxe from the MAS's hip. Alex grimaced as he saw the enemy pilot drawing his own plasma tomahawk. Time for the wet work, he thought to himself as the plasma edge on his weapon roared to life.

It was a soft pattering against the hull, gentle and rhythmic in the cool air. Breathing out, Dissonance following her movements, the machine bringing up its hand before the head unit and peering curiously at the pooling water. "Rain..." She whispered, pilot and machine turning their head at the same time and letting the water fall to the ground in a cascade. Gears gently hummed as the two reclined back into the nook, pulling the camo-net around them tighter even as a voice gently tugged at her from the corners of her mind.

"Alex..."

Looking up, she turned her head in the direction of the voice, peering across the rift and the flowing river in front of her. It called to her from afar, yet seemed so close. Alexandria started to stand, but something kept her from doing so. There was no physical force keeping her there, no, it was something else. Even as she wanted to stand and seek out the voice, there was a deep feeling inside her that told her no. That feeling over-rode her desire to seek out the voice, it reassured her that staying still was best. No... It begged her to stay still, to remain where she was and to wait. But for what?

"Alexandria..."

That voice again called her, and she felt the pull stronger this time. Her eyes felt weary, like a heavy weight was upon them. There was no more rain... Where did it go? A flash of panic hit her, gone in an instant as if swept away by an unknown source. "Alexandria!" Both pilot and machine turned their head to seek out the voice, the landscape around them bleeding away from the lush environment of before, and into a barren desert...

She shook herself as Julia sent impulses down her nerves, forcing her from the reverie. The sound of the captain calling over the radio was the first thing she heard, followed by the others sounding off. "Lexicon." Her voice was soft over the radio, the subtle sound of her readying Thanatos in the background and reclining against the rockface. "Ready for overwatch. Call out anything that gives you trouble, and I'll put them down." It wasn't a moment later that the fighting broke out, her eyes watching carefully each of her team-mates within her view-range.

""Alex." Julia spoke in her ear as she always did, and she could almost feel the fingers around her own, assisting her in scanning the battle below, pinpointing potential targets as they appeared. "Keep us hidden, sis." There... Salvaged Sentry about to engage Doughboy in close combat. Machine and pilot exhaled and the finger tensed on the trigger of the 120mm rail-cannon. "Doughboy, providing supporting fire. Prepare to execute." Even as Julia spoke as Alexandria, there was a flash of energy from the muzzle of the heavy rifle, and the sabot split the air as it bore down on the Sentry, hitting the unit above and to the left of center-mass sending material showering on both combatants as the machine's arm was sheared off at the shoulder.

"Doughboy, Jupiter; let's give it to them!"

Inside the Bull, Jamy smiled. Though he didn't enjoy the act of killing, he did like to pit himself against his enemies, testing himself in the process. "Roger that, Swallowtail! Jupiter out!" Unsheathing the large metal blade that was the Bellona, and activating the blade, Jamy activated the thrusters on his his MAS' hips, and flew forward, the blade's tip pointed at a Sentry that stood next to the Sentry that Alex and Alexandria were assaulting simultaneously, readying the Nail Gun that it held, to fire on the Viking. As its attention was elsewhere, it didn't notice the large metal suit flying towards it.

Swinging downwards as he landed, the Bellona crashed into the midsection of the Gowser, plasma edges flaring as the shield offered token resistance. Eventually, they couldn't hold out, with the combined power of the Bellona, and the velocity of the Bull. The sword ripped through the MAS, causing it to shudder before giving out, power systems severed from the cockpit's control. The two halves landed on the ground with a crash, as the Bull landed on the ground, sliding forward. Immediately, Jamy stood up, and looked around. There was one Sentry, advancing towards the main battle group, rifle lowered.

As it began to fire, slinging lead that began to ping off the heavy armor of the Bull, Jamy opened a channel to the rest of the main assault group. "Hey, Alex. Both of you. Here's a quick lesson. We're in a battle, don't forget that, and don't focus on one enemy. You need to keep your focus on everything else, as well as the enemy you're fighting." Jamy then proceeded to boost forward, sliding along the ground with his feet wide, towards the Sentry.

Sam smirked as the defending Ferir exploded- an 80mm rail cannon round tearing clean through his shield, cockpit, and reactor unit. The highly modified Ferir had stripped off a good amount of its body armor in order to be more mobile- the presence of its shield contradicted its desire to be mobile, but that wasn't any of Sam's concern. While not as fine or precise as a plasma beam, Adrian's 80mm cannon made up for its lack of finesse with a really large shell. One of the largest caliber cannons Medium and Light MAS's could safely carry, the 80mm was a threat to smaller space vessels in its own right.

Sam's infantry team, led by Carmen, had disabled the last light vehicle, and had began sprinting towards the town, weaving between cover- in the form of various crags of rock, as enemy combatants occupying the town fired back from outlying buildings, walls, and nearby towers of rock. Turning both of his arms to face the town, Sam began firing at the combatants, 20mm cannons sending rubble and smoke flying as enemy gun nests slowly began withering under his hail of fire. Sam fired in short bursts, to ensure he wasn't sending rounds down into the town that he was supposed to be liberating.

"This is Rabbit. Infantry force is breaching the outer perimeter of the town. Proceeding-"

Sam was cut off as his one of his viewscreens began flashing, an all too familiar chirping sound filling his cockpit. "Ah fuck. I've got radar lock..!"

Turning to face the oncoming target, Rabbit boosted forward along the ground, relying on the Rabbit's massive boosters to help him dive out of the way of the missile at the last second, flying rubble pelting his machine and heat from the explosion washing over his shields. Through the smoke, his sensors made out a trio of flying targets- the enemy had air units after all. A trio of older model Coalition twin-turbofan gunships. These old T-60 Coalition gunships were a cross between a VTOL fighter and an assault gunship- in the shape of a typical gunships, but it sported large turbofans where the wings would be. These aircraft were cheap- easily obtained, and capable of extensive modifications- including spacefaring modifications. Better yet, they were a cheap means of delivering potent munitions that could cripple even MAS units.

Boosting to the left, as the gunships strafed his position with their 20mm chainguns. Sam smiled grimly, as his targeting AI locked onto the three craft. Sure, the gunships were capable of delivering potent firepower- and they could even be considered maneuverable compared to ground vehicles and civilian aircraft- but compared to a MAS? Their maneuverability was nothing like a MAS's. And even MAS would have difficulty evading a dozen little missiles flying its way.

The shoulder flaps opened on the Rabbit to reveal a dozen little red tips on each shoulder. A quartet of small missiles loosed themselves from the launchers embedded in the Rabbit's shoulders and screamed towards the enemy. Shortly after launching, each missile split into four, resulting in 16 small, difficult to trace missiles flying at the offending aircraft. The three gunships broke off their attack and banked to dodge, countermeasures trailing behind them as they were launched. But even the number of countermeasures in the sky had a difficult time confusing 16 warhead, 5 of which found their targets, destroying one on impact and knocking another out of the sky while the last was sent limping away, smoke trailing from its left turbofan.

"Enemy aircraft dealt with. Continuing towards the town."

---

As the Sentry facing Doughboy drew his axe to face his opponent, it's left shoulder exploded, rubble and scrap showering the two combatants. The Sentry staggered back and managed to regain its footing, its tomahawk held at the ready. The pilot obviously wasn't prepared to fight with only one arm, but he also wasn't willing to turn his back on an opponent. Like a desperate animal, the enemy Sentry charged Doughboy, intending on using his close proximity and the chaos of a melee to keep the opposing sniper from getting a solid bead on him.

The second sentry strafed to the side as Jamy charged him, autocannon firing. He wasn't willing to get into a melee after seeing what the MAS's broadsword did to his compatriot. As Jamy charged after him, the ground in front of him exploded- the enemy had buried landmines under the road. Taking advantage of the situation, a group of infantry appeared from behind the cover of one of the armored vehicles that made up the main roadblock. Several of them held rocket launchers. One of the opposing infantry shouldered his launcher to fire at Jamy, but was turned into a smoking crater as a barrage of 40mm autocannon rounds shelled him, his squad, and their vehicle.

"You two have firearms for a reason- use them!" Prowler growled over the comms, his gravelly voice grating the over the communication channel. "You're on open ground with superior firepower and numbers for Christ's sake. Don't risk destroying your machines if you don't have to."

Alice was still skating towards the center of the town, passing by the wrecked Ferirs and bearing down on the roadblock. She could see infantry shifting positions behind the armored vehicles, hastily shoving a rocket down its tube and then setting it up on the edge of an APC. Before they could get the warhead off, Alice dispensed smoke canisters in front of her, obscuring their vision. The smoke was also filled with tiny metallic particles, making it absurdly difficult for them to get a lock on her as she crossed the open ground.

As the groundpounders struggled to get a bead on her, Alice simply veered to the left, skirting around the line of vehicles and greeting them with a hail of machine gun fire. The muzzle blast from her weapon flared through the smoke, making evident the grisly work she was doing on the men at the roadblock. The remaining light vehicles too, were put out of action by a few point-blank rounds from her autocannon.

When her thermal sensors showed nothing moving any longer, Alice pressed on, waving a metal hand at the Hunters behind her.

"Road's clear, let's move up!"