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[color=Crimson]"No way it's that easy, no way,"[/color] Cadet Zack Windham muttered as he monitored the Mobile HQ's directional microphone.

[color=Aqua]"I don't see why not,"[/color] Lieutenant Lyons responded, her tone carrying just a tone of self-satisfaction. [color=Aqua]"We had a good plan, and the Green Knights executed it well."[/color]

[color=Crimson]"Yeah, but you'd think they'd put up more of a fight, y'know?"[/color] Windham insisted. [color=Crimson]"Some kind of big boom, maybe the crash and bang of a suicide attack, I dunno. Just [i]something.[/i]"[/color]

While the Mobile HQ boasted an impressive sensor suite and comms equipment, the nature of the mission meant they were currently on 'silent running.' Using any of their active sensors could potentially give away their position to the enemy, leaving them defenseless. And while the robust TharHes HQ CommSet could send a transmission powerful enough to penetrate the Green Knights' ECM field if they needed to contact them, doing so would give away the Knights' position, potentially giving away the entire mission. For the moment, they had to rely on their passive sensors, such as the external directional microphones and seismic sensors, to vaguely piece together what was going on.

And right now, it appeared that the battle had reached a rather anti-climactic conclusion. For most, a quick and easy victory would be an enormous relief. The excitable Zack Windham, however, was hoping for something a bit more dramatic.

[color=Khaki]"Oh sure, Windy,"[/color] Cadet Marcus Higgins rolled his eyes, [color=Khaki]"'cuz everyone knows combat happens exactly like it does in the holos. Any minute now, the Bounty Hunter is going to roll up in his [i]Marauder[/i] and start blasting everyone."[/color]

[color=Crimson]"The Bounty Hunter wouldn't be working on a defensive contract,"[/color] the young, slightly pudgy crewman scoffed. [color=Crimson]"Everyone knows he only does assassinations of high-ranking Mechwarriors."[/color]

Higgins started to chuckle, while Lyons gave Windham a scornful look.

[color=Aqua]"The Bounty Hunter isn't real, Windham,"[/color] she said with a lecturing tone. [color=Aqua]"Any more than the Vandenberg White Wings or the Minnesota Tribe."[/color]

[color=Crimson]"He is [i]so[/i] real!"[/color] Windham exclaimed. [color=Crimson]"How else do you explain the Black Widow Company nearly getting wiped out on LeBlanc?"[/color]

[color=Khaki]"Oh, I dunno, maybe because the Black Widow Company isn't nearly as good as everyone says they are, and everyone just puts Natasha Kerensky on a pedestal because they think she's hot?"[/color]

[color=Crimson]"Pfffft, I'd like to see [i]you[/i] rack up her kill count,"[/color] Windham said, glancing at the rather salacious pin-up poster of the infamous Mechwarrior taped to the wall over his station.

[color=Khaki]"She's never going to do you, bro,"[/color] Higgins mocked him.

[color=Crimson]"Screw off,"[/color] Windham scowled.

[color=Aqua]"Seismics are reading s--"[/color]

[color=Khaki]"You're seriously trying to white-knight for an overrated stripper that Jaime Wolf parades around as a recruitment piece?"[/color] Higgins talked over Lyons. [color=Khaki]"You know all those 'tales of the Black Widow Company' holos aren't anything like what they actually do, right?"[/color]

[color=Aqua]"Guys, there's some--"[/color]

[color=Crimson]"I'm not talking about the holos,"[/color] Windham said indignantly. [color=Crimson]"Unlike you, I've actually read the reports from the Marik Civil War, and from the Battle of Misery. Yeah, I've got the holos, but I also do my homework on the real deal!"[/color]

[color=Khaki]"Because you're a fanboy."[/color]

[color=Aqua]"Guys--"[/color]

[color=Crimson]"I'm an enthusiast of the profession, and I like to follow whoever happens to be the best at it."[/color]

[color=Aqua]"[i]Guys[/i]--"[/color]

[color=Khaki]"Sorry, I stand corrected. You're a stalker."[/color]

[color=Aqua]"Oh gods of space, will you [i]SHUT THE HELL UP!"[/i][/color] Lyons finally burst out at her cadets. [color=Aqua]"I've been trying to say, seismic sensors are picking up enemy movement in Sector G-10!"[/color]

Colonel Wayne, having tuned out the constant bickering from the crewmates the other Knights affectionately referred to as 'the GDK'-- or "those God-Damned Kids," as the Colonel had once been caught muttering-- sat up in his command couch.

[color=Olive]"What kind of movement, Lieutenant?"[/color]

[color=Aqua]"It's hard to pick out exact signatures from this range,"[/color] Lyons admitted, [color=Aqua]"But it's [i]definitely[/i] Battlemech footsteps. There's a lot of fuzz in the readings, but given the size of the tremors, I'm estimating the total tonnage to be, ah.....in the ballpark of 200 tons, total."[/color]

[color=Crimson]"...shit,"[/color] Windham said breathlessly. That was likely an entire lance of Crimson Fists. The Green Knights did have them out-massed, but with ammunition supplies running low and critical mission objectives to protect, this wasn't a fight they could afford right now.

[color=Khaki]"Hey, you wanted a big dramatic twist,"[/color] Higgins chided him.

[color=Olive]"Can you determine their movement?"[/color] Colonel Wayne asked. [color=Olive]"Are they on an intercept route?"[/color]

[color=Aqua]"Determining that now, sir,"[/color] Lyons answered, frantically writing down calculations based on the strength of the seismic signals over time. [color=Aqua]"Ahhh, looks like.....negative, sir. The Fists are heading north-by-northeast, likely just on patrol on their way back to Balya Gora. It's possible they'll just pass right by us."[/color]

[color=Khaki]"Assuming they don't get alerted that the comms from Outpost F-10 have gone down,"[/color]

[color=Olive]"How long until the Fists are too far away to intercept?"[/color]

[color=Aqua]"At their current speed and heading? Looks like....approximately ten minutes, sir."[/color]

[color=Olive]"And how long is our estimated window before the Espian Guard are tipped off to the outpost going down?"[/color]

[color=Khaki]"....about the same, sir."[/color]

Colonel Wayne carefully weighed his options. If they broke silence to warn the Green Knights, they'd give away their own position, and they'd almost certainly be killed. If they remained quiet, there was a chance the Crimson Fists would miss them completely, or that they'd turn to attack and the Knights would have no way of knowing.

[color=Olive]"Keep monitoring their position,"[/color] Gaius ordered. [color=Olive]"I want to know exactly where the Fists are heading at all times. Windham, if they start heading towards F-10, I want you to send a microwave burst signal to warn the Knights of incoming contacts. The plan remains the same; we head for the box canyons in sector E-8 and try to lose them. Higgins, how's the weather?"[/color]

[color=Khaki]"The weather, sir?"[/color]

[color=Olive]"You heard me, Cadet,"[/color] the Colonel stated flatly.

[color=Khaki]"Err, still overcast, sir,"[/color] Higgins answered, flipping tabs on his monitor until he found the weather radar. [color=Khaki]"There's a major storm cell heading through G-9 right now, looks like it'll be moving through F-9 within the next thirty minutes."[/color]

[color=Olive]"Good,"[/color] Colonel Wayne nodded. [color=Olive]"The cloud cover will keep air assets from being able to spot us, unless they start flying low enough to be within range of the Knights' weapons. If we get spotted, we can head into the storm cell."[/color]

[color=Crimson]"Visibility will be near zero in that storm, sir,"[/color] Windham pointed out.

[color=Olive]"For us, [i]and[/i] for the Fists,"[/color] Wayne countered. [color=Olive]"If we get lucky, we can slip away in the rain. If not, we can hammer them up close while the convoy makes for the canyons."[/color]

[color=Aqua]"Sir, that fuzz on the readings has cleared up,"[/color] Lyons interrupted. [color=Aqua]"I'm getting more accurate readings now."[/color]

The Colonel turned towards her. [color=Olive]"What are we looking at?"[/color]

Lyons' skin began to pale as she looked at her readings. [color=Aqua]"Four Battlemechs, three of them thirty-five-tonners.....and one [i]eighty[/i]-five-tonner."[/color]

Silence hung in the cabin of the Mobile HQ for a moment. The light 'Mechs were bad news, but an Assault 'Mech on the field could be catastrophic. Gaius knew the Crimson Fists had at least one 'Mech in the 85-ton range: a [i]Battlemaster[/i] like the one he used to pilot himself. That 'Mech was an absolute terror in close range, but if they could keep their distance, it wouldn't be able to bring the brunt of its weapons to bear. If it wasn't the [i]Battlemaster[/i], though, then he had some very serious questions about where the Crimson Fists were getting the kind of money to field that kind of firepower...

As he considered the next course of action, something else Lyons had mentioned stuck out in his mind.

[color=Olive]"That 'fuzz' on the earlier seismic readings,"[/color] he said, [color=Olive]"What could have caused it?"[/color]

Lyons shrugged. [color=Aqua]"Any number of things, sir. It could have been a quirk of the terrain, maybe an aberrant fault line, or something else causing vibrations on the ground like...."[/color] her eyes widened, [color=Aqua]"...like the beating of helicopter blades."[/color]

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[color=PaleGreen]"Outpost F-10, this is Miaodao One, checking in,"[/color] the pilot of a [url=https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Warrior_(Combat_Vehicle)]Warrior H-7[/url] Attack Helicopter droned into his radio to the nearby supply outpost, [color=PaleGreen]"Repeat, Outpost F-10, this is Miaodao One, checking in. We're not seeing your transponder on our network, is everything all right over there? Over."[/color]

After a few seconds without reply, the helicopter pilot repeated his message. Again, the outpost did not respond.

Inside the cockpit, the pilot frowned, then switched his comms to a different channel.

[color=PaleGreen]"Fire Witch One, this is Miaodao One,"[/color] he stated, a bit of trepidation in his voice. [color=PaleGreen]"The supply outpost at F-10 has gone dark. Requesting a flyover to check on the situation? Over."[/color]

After a few moments of tense silence, a deep, low voice, clearly masked through an electronic voice modulator, responded.

[color=Maroon]"Miaodao One, this is Fire Witch One,"[/color] the synthesized voice boomed in his headset. [color=Maroon]"You have permission to perform a flyover, but be quick about it. Our quarry is likely in the area, and I do not wish to waste more time hunting them than necessary. Make your pass, then return to me, and report anything out of the ordinary."[/color]

[color=PaleGreen]"Roger that, Fire Witch One,"[/color] Miaodao One acknowledged, before switching to his squadron's channel. [color=PaleGreen]"Miaodao Two, Miaodao Three, we're breaking off for Sector F-10. Follow my mark. Anything looks suspicious, we radio it in to Fire Witch Lance, then we open fire, copy?"[/color]

[color=Yellow][i]"Copy that, Miaodao One,"[/i][/color] [color=Lavender][i]"Copy that, Miaodao One,"[/i][/color] came the answers from his wingmates.

[color=PaleGreen]"Transmitting new coordinates now,"[/color] the squadron leader said. [color=PaleGreen]"Estimated time to Outpost F-10, five minutes...."[/color]