The First Time - Part 1

The First Time (Part 1)

    "Can you see it," Pam asked.
    "I'm not sure," Joe replied, "They all look the same."
    "No silly. It's the one right above that cluster."
    "OK. But why doesn't it move like other satellites? It just sits there."
    "Simple. It's on a rotational orbit with us." Pam rolled over on her side; the material of her nylon jump suit rubbed noisily against itself.  The stars lightly reflected in her dark eyes on this humid, windless night as she studied his almost translucent face for a clue as to what he was thinking. "It's old, but it works. Ector War College may be cheap, but at least they aren't leaving us too unequipped. Without the Argus Surveillance Satellite, you would be on patrol right now in that cramped, smelly machine instead of here with me enjoying the stars."
    Joe didn't rise to the bait Pam placed for him. Here, this instant, looking at the stars was almost perfect and letting Pam start an argument would ruin the moment. It was a sticking point in their 2-year relationship when Joe changed majors out of Communications and into Mechanized Warcraft and Combat at EWC. No longer was he being prepared to be "in the rear with the gear" with his longtime girlfriend. Now he was training for the front lines in his proverbial suit of armor; the BattleMech, thirty to fifty foot marvels of science and fantasy that equivocated to a walking armored weapons platform. Gone was the relative safety, but Joe just couldn't resist the allure of the cockpit and piloting one of these giants. Nor could he resist the promise of his own mech (completely unheard of in the inner spheres) if he completed his tour of duty with the War Horses, the college's new quasi-mercenary battalion.
    Looking to avoid the fight, Joe quipped, " I guess I should thank the great ASS in the sky. Get it ... acronyms ... A S S ... Argus Surveill .."
    Pam groaned and they half-heartedly giggled at Joe's old joke then fell into an easy silence. She shifted her body to lay her head on his sticky fatigues' padded shoulder and continued watching the stars. Joe's mind wandered to recap the events that led them to Aquaillance IV; commonly called Aqualung. The name stood in stark contrast to its semi-desert terrain found on the majority of the small, sparse planet. From what Joe had gathered, The War Horses were subcontracted by the Laetean Lancers to garrison this industrial water refinery located on the planet's only water source; a large freshwater sea unimaginatively called Oasis. The only real problem was that the company that owned the refinery was the largest, hence most successful, of the several water refinery factories that supplied fresh water to the rest of the planet and a target. A few squabbles involving accusations of sabotage and outright raids had taken place in the past decade. However, as of the last couple of years, it had been quiet. An uneasy peace stood between the companies and this garrison was considered easy duty. In essence, it was unprofitable for the companies to wage war among themselves. The garrisons were mostly ornamental and what was deemed a necessary cost of doing business for the water companies.
    Joe had to smile to himself. Garrison duty wasn't exactly glorious be any means and being subcontracted was even lower on the prestige totem pole, but he had to get his experience and credentials somewhere. At least the War College was affording him this opportunity and the use of an Uziel for the duration of the tour.
    When the Lancers got the opportunity for a very lucrative short-term contract and needed to consolidate their battalions, they found that the Aquaillance First Planetary Water Works refused to release them from their contract. The Lancers petitioned to be released, but the Works won out in arbitration. As a compromise, the Works agreed to the Lancers subcontracting for a couple of months, the estimated time involving the Lancers' new primary contract. The Lancers needed somebody quick and cheap. Considering the technological and mechanical levels the new General Hannibal Ector War College of Tellman IV, you get a lot of bang for your C even if this was their first mission. With their artillery, 'mechs, and communications, EWC claimed to be able to do a battalion's work with a third of the resources. Roughly translated, this temporary duty was being completed with a company of 16 mechs of all weight classes, a few Short-Range Missile light tanks, almost 100 base ground defense personnel, 225 support personnel and a huge reliance on the Argus Surveillance Satellite. This represented almost the total amount of the fledgling college's war resources.
    "I guess the college stresses experience over profit," Joe said aloud.
    An elbow in the ribs was his reply as Pam said, "Are you awake? What are you talking about?"
    Snapped back, Joe muttered, "Nothing. Sorry. My mind was wandering. Are you getting cold?"
    Pam loudly snuggled closer, "No, but I've got to be on duty in a couple of hours and I'm already dressed. It's my turn for mids. We don't have permanent duty shifts like the ground pounders."
    "Hey! Hey! That's rock jock to you, missy." Joe's attention shifted to the stars overhead. A movement of a light in the sky caught Joe's eye as it made it's way across the horizon. After a moment, two more lights joined it as it traversed the sky.
    "Hey, check it out. It looks like either ships or other satellites are up there and are going right overhead."
    "That's not right." Pam sat up eyes fixed on the same spot. "None of the other companies' garrisons are expecting any traffic and they certainly wouldn't go towards the Argus. They know we would take it as an act of aggression. The nearest traffic isn't for two days. This isn't right at all."
    The three lights continued across the sky. As they did so, one of the lights broke off in the direction of the Argus.
    A weird chill ran down Joe's spine as a thought occurred. "Pam, is the Argus our only link to the ComStar station on planet?"
    "Well, yes ....no ... secondary, we still have the tower relays. I know what you're thinking, but Aquaillance Merc Compact doesn't allow for any hostilities on satellites."
    "OK, but the towers are not our primary means of seeing what's going on around us." The light drifted closer to the Argus. Joe asked, "What's our ThreatRes?"
    Distracted, Pam muttered, "Alpha ... why?"
    The light slowed as it neared the Argus. After a moment, the star directly overhead that was the Argus flared for a fraction of a second then disappeared.
    "Because I think we just went to Charlie."

*************************

    The smell of bodies and fear was overpowering. The nervous chatter of the cadets magnified in the small room. Cadet Corporal Joe Hays shifted his weight in his uncomfortable chair while trying to judge the mind set of his fellow cadets. 'We're just students,' Joe thought again for the hundredth time. 'We aren't prepared for this.' The Ready Room was crowded to capacity as Captain Max Anderson made his way to the podium. This non-imposing man with no hair and a dour expression briefly shuffled his papers then addressed the room.
    "Alright cadets, listen up. Approximately 3 hours ago, an unidentified jump ship jumped out of space and launched an unknown number of drop ships around Oasis' perimeter. Shortly after their arrival, our Argus satellite was one of the first casualties of this incursion so we went to Threat Response Charlie. According to what we have been able to gather from the ComStar Outpost before the Southern Watchtowers of Sanctuary were taken out, two of the other garrisons on the Southern Hemisphere have been hit. Both were north of us and both about the same size as our garrison. We lost contact with them an hour ago and can only assume the worst."
    "There goes our pass to Rock Shore," the diminutive Cadet First Class Will Needlemeyer leaned over and whispered to Joe. The sinister looking elf-like jokester referred to the only bar within transport distance. Although far from base, the bar was a great place to meet mercs from other units and generally unwind. A rough dive; it was the only recreation the Southern Hemisphere had.
    Captain Anderson continued, "We are still in contact with Briline Water to the south of us 50 kilometers along the shore and Shell Water just 20 kilometers north outside the mountain range. Both have battalion-sized guards and are light to medium strength. We are in talks about combining forces, but I'm not willing to commit until I'm sure that they are on the up and up. A hostile take-over isn't out of the question. Shell has reported signs of a conflict to the north before we lost contact with Sanctuary. Our mountain sentries confirmed this, but the distance was too far for specifics.
    "We will remain in ThreatRes Charlie. At this time, please report to your duty stations for further information pertaining to you. Station heads, remain behind. Dismissed."
    As the packed room shuffled out the door, Will grinned at Joe. "Heard you and Pam saw the Argus bite it? What were you two doing out on the sands?"
    "Like I'm going to tell you and it was nothing like that." Joe smiled, "Aren't you in the least concerned about the invasion?"
    "Sure I am, I just want to know what was going on. By the way, your Uziel has been reconfigured. I'm not sure with what, but my Wasp is getting whatever it is now. When I asked Geotz about it, he just blew me off. His assistants were no help either."
    One of Goetz's mech techs approached them and reported, "Captain Anderson wants all mech cadets to report to Bay 1 for mech update briefing."
    They nodded, looked at each other, and made their way to the mech docking bays.

**********

    Base Report Log:
    AFPW's still holds despite the siege. Supplies are stocked and water has not been a factor. The Shell garrison fell to the intruders yesterday. Eight of their original 50 mechs made it to AFPW after being over run. Captain Patricia Murray of Thompson's Troops, a former Templers cohort of mine, led them through Aries Pass and I granted asylum. Two of Murray's mechs, both Stingers, were too badly damaged to be of further use and will be cannibalized. The remaining mechs are all light with nothing being larger than Murray's Phoenix Hawk.
    The natural barriers have greatly assisted our company in holding AFPW. The mountains to our north are impossible for our unknown opponents to traverse. Before our forward LP/OP's (Listening Posts/Observation Posts) were eliminated by enemy fire, they reported attempts by the unidentified mechs to find penetrable passes, but were believed to be unsuccessful. We hold Aries Pass through strategically placed Short Range Missile (SRM) tank batteries and two of our four missile boats aimed at all time down the passes only straight away. The pass itself is approximately 1 kilometer long and we have crossfire set for its entryway. Already, we have repelled two light probing attempts to penetrate our blockade and fortunately have suffered no casualties. Fearing ambushes awaiting our mechs past the straightaway, I have declined to order pursuit. Briline, to the south, continues to stay uninvolved. If they are behind this, they would likely have already attacked.
    New LP/OP's have noted the opposition as being disorganized. We cannot distinguish a command post nor can we identify a notable leader. Captain Murray stated the enemy mech's carry the emblem of a red "R". This is the emblem of the pirate, Red Jack Ryan. We both agree that this is extremely unlikely since Ryan does not do business/piracy in this part of space nor are either one of us sure that he is even alive. The aggressors are likely attempting to conceal their identity. Note that the aggressors have made no attempts to contact us to make demands for our surrender.
    We will continue to hold AFPW until support or evacuation arrives.

    Capt. Max Anderson, Field Instructor
    Ector War College

**********

    "Damn, damn, damn ...," Joe muttered as he struggled into his cooling vest and neuro helmet. Around him, other mech cadets struggled with the same things as they quickly sought to get their mechs out to Aries Pass. Alarms sounded and a disembodied voice announced the increase to ThreatRes Delta, the response to an imminent or an in-progress attack. Orderly confusion seemed to be called for as the T-shirt and shorts clad mech warriors-in-training scrambled for their all too real training grounds.
Geotz raised the platform for Joe to get aboard his Uziel, Snake Eyes.
    "It just started. The fur ball is just this side of the pass. They are blowing past the SRM batteries and over ran Third Lance. The Troopers were on stand-by and are already on their way," Goetz quickly hollared.
    "How many baddies," asked Joe as he buckled in.
    "Not sure. This new encrypted com gear is great, but it doesn't overcome panic. " Goetz patted Joe on the helmet. "You're good to go."
    Joe checked over his console. 'Here we go,' he thought, 'My first big dance.' He keyed his mike, "Control, this is Bravo 1 requesting direct COM check with Bravo Lance."
    A disembodied voice replied, "Control to Bravo 1; go ahead."
    'This new radio is great,' Joe thought to himself still impressed with the speed and clarity of the new communications gear. Though skeptical at first, Joe realized the advantage clear communications would give during combat. The question nagging him was would this be enough.
    "Bravo 1 to Bravo Lance, report status."
    "Bravo 1; Bravo 3 ready. What took you so long," reported Will.
    "Bravo 2 ready," reported Senior Cadet Genn Cronovik, Joe's second in line. Her Shadow Cat raised and lowered its right arm in reply.
    "Bravo 4 to Bravo 1, standby. Missile lock-on is not responding," stated Cadet First Class Natalie Dominguez. "Check that, ... Lock-on activated. Bravo 4 standing by." Nat's Wasp waived.
    'Damn, that Goetz is good,' Joe thought as he reflected on Nat's mech. Her Wasp had been nothing but trouble since she was first assigned the mech; a virtual widow maker. One by one, Goetz had found the problems and continues to make it work for her. 'I wouldn't want it,' Joe reflected.
    "Copy Bravo 4. Form up on me at Pad 3." Joe almost toggled over frequencies but remembered that one of the new features was that the radio had a non-manual toggle repeater system. You just thought about toggling and the new neuro-connections in the helmet did it for you. The radio repeaters usual transitional static was absent as he reported, "Control, Bravo 1. Forming up in Pad 3. We are en route to Aries Pass."
    "Copy that, Bravo 1. Rendezvous with Alpha 1 Alpha at ..."
    'Damn, Captain Anderson is out here,' his concern rose. It must be worse than we thought. "Copy, sector 15. Bravo 1 out." He mentally toggles again to the lance's freq. "Let's go, kiddies. "
    The mechs filed out. Immediately Joe felt the heat rise from the combination of humidity, late afternoon sun, and the Uziel's engines. He didn't want to admit to himself that his own anxiety probably contributed greatly to his discomfort. Even though Aries Pass was almost 5 kilometers away, the terrain was flat with nothing but scrub brush for foliage. This also meant that there was no cover. It was easy to see what was happening by the mountains.
    The fur ball was beginning to look like carnage. This was nothing like the simulators and the instructors' descriptions of this did not do it justice. The War Horses' Third Lance was similar to Joe's Second Lance except it was comprised of two Locusts, a Raven, and a Shadow Cat. Joe could see one of the companies Catapults, a quarter of the companies missile boats, being mauled by a Thunderbolt.
    The enemy numbered seven or more of mostly medium to light mechs. Behind the fur ball, War Horse SRM tank batteries furiously wailed down the pass trying to keep back anymore enemy mechs from advancing through the pass. Joe could see one of the Locusts cornered against the mountain vainly trying to keep an enemy Chimera from dispatching the tank batteries that helped keep its reinforcements at bay. This was the worst kind of battle for a fast hit-and-run mech like the Locust. It didn't have the armor or firepower for a slugging match with something almost triple its own tonnage.
    "Bravo Lance, this is Bravo 1. Proceed to Sector 15 for rendezvous with Alpha 1 Alpha at full speed," Joe said. "You sitting tight Bravo 3?"
    "You're damn right," Will almost shouted. "and I'm glad I dropped me a big load before I got started. I'm serious. You wouldn't believe the size of this load. It was ..."
    "Stand down on the chatter, Bravo 3," Captain Anderson cut Will off. "Bravo 1, send Bravo 3 and 4 to assist Delta 4 with that Thunderbolt. Start a circle and do not stop. They are all pretty big, but chewed up by our tanks and Murray's lances. Do not give them an easy target. Captain Murray has most of her mechs in the pass holding back enemy reinforcements. She's Echo 1 Alpha. Copy?" Joe could see the captain's Thor, The Righteous, off to his left not far from shore. Next to the Thor was another Catapult firing in rapid succession.
    "Copy Alpha One Alpha. Bravo 3, Bravo 4 ... copy?
    Will and Nat both acknowledged and the two Wasps sprinted towards the Catapult, Delta 4. Joe couldn't help himself wondering if he'd see Will again.
    "Bravo 1, Alpha 1 Alpha ... you and Bravo 2 engage the aggressors. Keep moving through the fur ball and spread your fire. Alpha Lance is about 2 mikes away. Copy?"
    'Come on big guys,' Joe mentally shouted. Alpha Lance had two Marauders, an Awesome and a War Hammer. With over 300 tones coming this way, it could make the difference if the War Horses and Thompson's Troopers could just hold on for two minutes.
    "Copy Alpha 1 Alpha. Will comply." He looked at the Shadow Cat next to him. "Let's go, Genn."
    Genn keyed her mike twice in acknowledgement.
    The fast crab-like mechs ate up the distance in no time. Joe dreaded this moment although he tried to convince himself that the raise in temperature when he fired his Particle Projectile Cannons, PPCs for short, was what he wasn't looking forward to. As they neared the melee, the two split off taking the outside perimeter initially. As chance would have it, Joe was able to target the Chimera who had almost chewed up the Locust. 'Click,' Joe thought as he activated both PPC's and both slammed home on the Chimera's right torso just under the arm. The Ferro-Fibrous armor crumpled then disintegrated ripping the right arm off and sending it flying across its body into the mountainside. Two secondary explosions flashed out of the gaps of armor then a thunderous clap as the Chimera's ammo dump ignited. In an instant, it was just a charred mess.
    Shocked by the violent results of his action, Joe thought, 'Someone just died in there.' He was quickly brought back as an alarm buzzed and he swerved to avoid Genn who had made her first run and was setting up for another.
    However, he realized that the alarm wasn't a collision alarm, they didn't have that, but rather the missile lock-on proximity alarm. He barely caught a glimpse of a flash from his left as his Uziel tilted precariously on its right side from the missile's impact. Struggling to regain control, Joe could almost visualize the Uziel comically skipping on its right foot a couple of times, arms flailing, trying to regain its balance in a cloud of fire and smoke. With a jolt, Joe felt the mech right itself and he brought it to a stop close to the wall of Aries Pass.
    He saw the badly scrapped Locus in front of him at the mouth of the pass. The tank it was defending smoked great plumes of black. Joe could see that the Locust had lost a leg and it leaned against the mountain's wall rocking dangerously as the mech twisted its torso presumably to find a target. Joe's heat sensors registered an increase in internal temperature. The missiles must have damaged my engine.
    Joe's radio blared out in Anderson's shouting voice, "Move Bravo 1! Get out of the Chimera's fire. Something just broke through Murray's blockade."
    Joe struggled to get away from the confusion that had him in it's grip. All he could do was look at his throttle trying to remember how to make his Uziel move forward.
    A flash from the Locust made him look up as a thunderous blast numbed and deafened him. Joe could see a huge wound that wasn't there a moment ago just above where the Locust's long, skinny leg connected to the body. A flash of blue-green exploded on the Locust sending sparks in every direction. The Locust pilot panicked triggering his machine gun array in an attempt to fight off his attacker. However, the attacker was out of the Locusts arc and the Locust inadvertently was firing on Joe's Uziel.
    Joe, reacting on instinct, twisted to his left shielding what sensors said was a badly damaged left torso while raising his right PPC to cover the pilot's cockpit.
    "Move, Joe! Move!" Genn's voice echoed in his ears. There was a flash and Joe's teeth chattered from shock waves.
    The sounds of rounds pinging around in his infrastructure ceased and Joe lowered the mech's PPC. The Locust had fallen backwards and was engulfed in flames. Joe scanned his Heads Up Display (HUD), which indicated an approaching enemy on his right. Pivoting the Uziel to the right, Joe's breath caught as he saw a HUGE mech bearing down on him less than 100 meters away.
    Desperately, Joe struggled to face away from the mountain wall while simultaneously realizing that he didn't have the time to move before this .... thing ... could be upon him. Raising his PPC's and twisting to the monster, Joe fired everything at the behemoth.
    PPC's flashed and scraps flew as the SRM's and machine gun rounds found their mark on the closing mech's chest barely slowing it down. Bracing himself, Joe prepared for the return strike as the enemy mech's weapons recycled and came on-line.
    "...damn it Bravo 1, I said move! You cannot take on an Atlas," Anderson's voice ripped through him,
    Alarms blared as the Uzial's missile lock-on proximity alarm sounded. Two seconds, he thought until his PPC's were back on-line. Joe saw a Shadow Cat, Genn, dart past him in a run-by of the Atlas. She fired ripping chunks of armor from the Atlas' left leg. The Atlas twisted to its left and fired everything, an alpha strike, into the Shadow Cat but did not slow down its rush in Joe's Uziel. Terrified, Joe watched Genn's mech disappeared beneath a cover of fire and smoke before it and the rest of the world were blotted out by the Atlas' approaching body. Joe saw that the Atlas didn't straighten out to face him, rather it lowered its right shoulder.
    'It's going to ram me,' Joe realized an instant before it happened. Surprisingly, Joe expected it to be more of an impact as the Atlas collided and ground the Uziel into the mountain wall. Despite the lack of impact, Joe's HUD sensors registered damage across the front and back of all torso areas. All Joe could see was the enemy mech's midriff. Joe fired his machine guns blindly as he struggled to bring his PPC's to bear. Realizing he couldn't bring up the cannons because the Atlas had them pinned down, Joe fired them praying that he didn't shoot himself in the leg and unbearable heat washed over him.
  Damage on the torsos was becoming critical and new alarms warned of extreme heat buildup which would cause him to shut down at best or his missiles to explode at worse. Heart pounding in his head, his hands shot for the eject lever but he knew that the wall of stone would crush him if he activated it. Realization of his demise dawned over him as he continued to fire his machine guns. The Atlas shuddered, then shuddered again. Smoke poured into Joe's cockpit as something in the circuitry struggled to catch fire. Joe could barely keep his eyes open because of the heat. The Atlas recycled its weapons and dumped them into the Uziel. Some hit the mech that the Atlas towered over and some hit the mountainside causing debris to rain on them both. Joe's eyes and lungs stung. He found himself choking on the heat and the acrid smoke. The Atlas shuddered again and again ...hard. 'This is it!!!'
    Mercifully, Joe succumbed to fate and passed out.

**********

    A buzz in his ear was the first thing Joe was aware of. The second thing was the burning in his chest. Voices jumbled and mixed creating a cacophony of sensation both welcomed and unpleasant. "I must not be dead," he thought he thought.
    "Bravo 1, if you do not move that wreck out of the zone, you will be," Anderson shot back. "Bravo Lance, clear out of Alpha Lances kill zone. That means you Brave 1 and 2."
    Genn's voice rang out, "Copy Alpha 1 Alpha. Let's go, Joe."
    The life support system's fans worked to clear out the smothering smoke. Through the smoke film-covered window, Joe could see the Atlas sprawled out on the ground. Tentatively, Joe touched the throttles, which surprisingly responded. HUD damage sensors lit up in mostly red tones. The blinking reminded him of a Festival Tree.
    Turning to his left, Joe's heart almost stopped as he found himself facing another huge mech not more than 20 meters away. Instinctively, he pulled the trigger to his PCP's, but caught himself at the last possible instant. He was staring eye to eye with Captain Anderson. 'Does he know what I almost did?'
    "Easy, son." Captain Anderson's voice was calm and soothing. "Form up by the shore. We've pushed them back out of the pass. This conflict is over, but may not be finished. Alpha Lance will hold the pass.
    "Take your crew back to base for patches and stand by; you may be recalled. Otherwise, you're done for the day."
    Joe heard himself mumble something in reply and turned the Uziel to join his lance mates.
    As he approached, Will chortled, "Damn, Bravo 1, you look like a walking smoker. Maybe when we get to base we can crack out the hot dogs an ..."
    Joe tuned Will out as he surveyed his lance. Will and Nat didn't look bad at all. Nat's leg mounted SRM 2-pack launcher was apparently blown off and her Wasp moved stiff-legged from a disabled hip actuator. On the way back to base, Joe found out that the SRM's jammed and exploded in Nat's launcher. Will didn't have a scratch on him. Joe later found out that the two Wasps tag teamed the Thunderbolt, but the large laser of the Catapult, Delta 4, finished it off. Will and Nat split up and took on targets. Nat recorded 2 kills, but Will recorded none. It seems that the times Will got close, someone finished the enemy mech off. Genn's Shadow Cat was damaged, but not as bad as what Joe had imagined. Her left side was scarred and left laser destroyed, but moved with what seemed were no ill effects. It turned out that the Atlas mostly missed the elusive Shadow Cat with the alpha strike.
    "Genn, what did you see," Joe asked.
    "The Atlas drove you into the wall of the mountain. It was so tall that it couldn't really hit you. I thought you were about to give up the ghost when Anderson closed in and shot the Atlas in the back with his PPC's. Anderson's got one quick Thor. It wasn't exactly an honorable kill for someone who was supposed to be a Templers."
    'Yeah, but he saved my bacon' Joe mentally replied. "Thanks for what you did back there."
    Joe could almost visualize Genn smile as he heard the radio click twice in reply.