[center][b][h2][color=f26522]Jonathan McCord[/color][/h2][/b][/center]

The second wave was beginning to break up as it was evident the Knights were not going to give up their defensive positions like the Heavenly Sword had gambled. It was a hard call, but Jon knew it was the right move, though Raven’s erratic tracks across the field had caused him to miss once or twice when the Shadow Hawk careened in front of his sights attempting to draw his vigorous pursuers into the guns of the Von Luckner and Archer. An offroad bike swerved and jumped a ditch line where some Sgt Dalton’s troopers were operating a heavy machine gun. Jon was on the verge of a trigger pull, tracking the suicidal zealot, seeing the man cut the handlebars and work the throttle when the back of the Shadow Hawk suddenly filled the zoomed window in his visor, jump jets blazing. He flicked the column to keep from putting a round into the mech’s back and tried to reacquire a quick snapshot, but the AC5 slug zoomed over the bomber’s head, kicking up a mound of dirt before the biker roared through the front door of a farmhouse and detonated himself.   

Jon grit his teeth and his lips twisted in disgust. Even though the zoom on his visor disappeared with a swift motion on the control stick, he still tilted his head as if peeking around a rifle scope. He shook the stick causing the mech’s torso to tilt and bob like he was shaking off the bad shot, found another target, this time an armored car, zoomed again and loosed a PPC bolt after it. [i][color=f26522]Still off[/color][/i]. The bolt clipped the back of the vehicle, sending it spinning like a toy. Jon took a breath as the heat fell away. [i][color=f26522]Relax[/color][/i]. He thought to himself. [i][color=f26522]You’re rushing them… Concentrate… Smooth[/color][/i]. Normally after taking a shot or two from position, he would move and fire again, using the terrain to break sensor locks and cover the bulk of his form from return fire. Having taken so many shots from the same place was a strange, creeping sensation, almost unnatural, like someone was constantly sneaking up behind him and he likewise kept an eye on his sensors. He shook the column again, more seriously and deliberate in the motion and the heavy mech seemed to react more positively, like a horse shaking off a bothersome insect. 

He was lining up to fire again when the familiar voice of the Heavenly Sword operator came over the wide band, talking to the whole river valley. It sounded like the same guy from Yuzhny Portveyn. Jon listened, but the haughty words about ancient Terra, monsters and threats didn’t stir anything in him other than further contempt. His expression was flat and stoic and he was ready to shoot something else. However the staunch voice of the Knights’ Colonel on the line gave him some pause and he gave the com panel a scrutinizing glance at the words “[i]active nuke[/i]” as it seemed, “[i]reasonably doable[/i]” had become a lot less reasonable. 

The inbound contact was so large that it registered an unknown blip on the perimeter of the sensor screen even though it was far outside of standard detection range. Jon relocked the arms for a focused shot though he wasn’t completely sure what was on the way or what they were going to do with it when they found it. His eyes did a quick scan of the morning, checking the windage in the wafting smoke pillars that creeped up toward a heavy blanket of glowing orange sunlight. In the distance he could see Marit in the river, not far from the L-shaped bend in the road where the highway followed the natural lay of the terrain towards the dam. Whatever was coming was going to have to take that route, same as all the rest had done and she and the others were already moving to position. Jon reached behind and grabbed the small radio again, as the Marauder rose, he worked the controls with his free hand, the machine bucking and pivoting beneath him, It actually felt good to move around in the straps. There had been too much sitting still.  “[color=f26522]AVC3, this is Mudcrutch, ya copy?[/color]”

“Yea, go ahead, Mudcrutch.” The nervousness in the voice was now unhidden. They had been waiting to hear from him. 

“[color=f26522]Got somethin’ inbound. I’m goin’ to check it out, y’all sit tight.[/color]”    

“Uhh-hh, roger… I mean copy.” The person on the other end replied unsurely. They had apparently heard the threatening message.

There was a narrow access road that led up to his position, then diverged at the top of the hill where it picked up large, A-framed spires that carried power lines away from the dam. Jon started down the unpaved utility path and keyed the mic for the Knights’ frequency. “[color=f26522]Movin’ up,[/color]” He said, not sure if any of them were paying attention to him at all, but if they were, they’d notice he was no longer at the hilltop and the heavy contact on their sensors was moving east. He throttled the machine up as he spoke, feeling the familiar motion of its steady trot beneath him and keeping an eye on the power lines within the narrow lane. The large unknown still loomed on the edge of his sensor screen, but he couldn’t get a visual beyond tall Espian pines on both sides. Occasionally, he could catch a glimpse of Marit through the tree line as the morning continued to glow brighter and more often, Raven bobbing over the top on his jump jets mopping up the stragglers. He was about to cut through someone’s backyard when he heard Marit calling out that she was stuck. 

[i]Ossie’[/i] broke out of the tree line only a couple hundred meters from Marit and Raven’s forward position. Jon could see the Von Luckner moving up on the far side of the riverbank, across from where the Archer had lodged itself next to the sharp bend in the highway that led back to the dam. Right next to Marit, on the shore was a yellow caution sign with speed recommendation and a green mileage billboard that seemed to have comically survived the carnage completely untouched. Jon rotated his torso, eyeing the Knights’ mechs for a moment. It was the first time he’d seen them since the cave and in decent enough lighting to make out their markings and general condition. Marit’s camo pattern, the top half that he could see above the water line, still looked fairly new, while Raven’s Shadow Hawk carried a well-aged stock gray that had been scorched by rocket fire. The tank was too far to get a steady look at, but all three undoubtedly had the tired look of equipment that had been in the field for some time. 

Jon again opened his magnified targeting reticle and for the first time got a look at their newest attacker, trundling towards them in the distance, climbing and descending over the terrain just like some giant snake. His expression twisted a bit in contemplation. He’d seen a land train before. Out on the frontier they were fairly popular with the wealthier terraformers and prospecting companies, especially the ones that included a crane arm, though from what he could tell, this particular one looked like it’d been stripped down for the sole purpose for which it was currently engaged. How they got it on planet and out in the open unnoticed was another question that begged for an answer, but that revelation would have to wait. Behind, he could hear some of the infantry platoon’s vehicles moving up and keyed the mic: “[color=f26522]Buckshot, if you’re gonna jump on board, this is the place, they’ll have to come through here,[/color]” He said. Now it was time for the bad news. “[color=f26522]Best we can do is slow’em down, every track is a drive axle. You’ll have about a mile to get in the cockpit.[/color]” He looked again at the lumbering machine. Thankfully it wasn’t fast, but it was going to be head-on shooting until it was almost right on top of them. They were going to have to be careful what they fired at which meant no missiles and no heavy cannon that might set off the warhead. He glanced over his shoulder at Marit, the Archer precariously angled n the river’s current, but still able to fire. Ironically, her being so low to the ground would probably help once she got in range- [i]something else he’d noticed about all the Knights’ mechs[/i]. All their beams seemed to glow hotter and reach farther. The burn time might’ve even been shorter too, but he wasn’t sure. Whatever the case, he hoped they could shoot tight groups. 

“[color=f26522]Steel Rain, if you got smoke, let’s have a spread. They gotta be able to see to drive that thing.[/color]” He said. From what he’d observed thus far, the typical Heavenly Sworder wasn’t exactly carrying much in the way of personal tech and he seriously doubted anyone about to check out in a mushroom cloud would be wearing a lot of expensive kit. On the other hand, he’d noticed more than a few of the Knights’ commandos with helmet mounts when he and Cassandra tracked down the cave. 

The Marauder stalked with its characteristic swagger from Jon’s neural input past Marit to get at the best angle he could without being in her firing lane. With one hand he adjusted the main weapons’ trim through several presets on the fire control. He couldn’t risk any drop or deviation from the autocannon. All three would have to strike together, [i]every time[/i] then he would open up with his beams when they came in range. “[color=f26522]We’re on thermal,[/color]” He said. “[color=f26522]At least until they get close, try to keep your shots tight and don’t let your beams walk. It’s a left turn, concentrate on his right tracks.[/color]” [i]Osceola[/i] seemed to shimmy a bit in its stance, like golfer about to make a long drive or a boxer getting ready to throw a heavy strike before all three main guns fired as one at the approaching [i]Gonggong[/i].

[@Starlance]
[@Bork Lazer]