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[color=FireBrick]"Bastards are dug in like a Hainfield tick-lizard,"[/color] Overkill scowled as another shot from a recoilless rifle whizzed past the cockpit of his [i]Firestarter.[/i] [color=FireBrick]"Infantry units in entrenched positions high up on tricky terrain, sure makes me wish we had a jump-capable 'Mech with some flamers or machine guns to-- oh wait, haha!"[/color]

Breaking formation, Remy charged his 'Mech forward, barely registering the loud metallic [i]PANG[/i] as a shot from one of their field guns glanced his left shoulder. As the 'Mech's reactor surged, he felt a wave of heat wash over him-- Steph had warned him that some of the coolant pumps were on the fritz. Still, in a light 'Mech with nothing but short-range weapons, he needed to close the gap between himself and the enemy, and to do so fast.

Practically stomping on the control pedals, Remy triggered the [i]Firestarter's[/i] jump jets, and again the cockpit became an oven. [color=FireBrick]"Fracken[i]crack[/i], I'm gonna be goddamn deep-fried before we're done here,"[/color] he said through gritted teeth as sweat began to pour down his face. Even working normally, jumping always cooked you a little, but it usually wasn't this literal.

Still, he didn't let up on the pedals, even as the heat grew harder and harder to stand. 200 feet was a solid height advantage, but the [i]Firestarter's[/i] six Luxor Load-Lifters could propel the 35-tonner surprisingly far. The sales brochures all said the 'Mech had a jumping distance of 180 meters, but that was more accurate to its forward leap rather than its vertical. Going straight up put a lot more strain on the jets, but it proved to be enough.

Just as the heat was becoming unbearable, the top of [i]Murder One's[/i] head crested the ridge, and Remy quickly cut the jets and used the 'Mech's hands to grab onto the ridgeline. Rocks cracked and threatened to give way, and all the while, he heard the [i]pings[/i] and [i]pangs[/i] of machine gun fire chewing into the armor on his arms and head, but after a few unsure moments, the [i]Firestarter[/i] climbed its way up.

Remy couldn't help but flick the switch to his 'Mech's external speakers. [color=FireBrick]"Attention, peckerwoods! You've got one chance to lay down your arms and surrender before--"[/color]

Remy's ultimatum was cut short by a loud boom and a hard impact that tossed him around in his command couch. One of the field guns-- a medium caliber towed autocannon-- had trained on him, catching him with a shell. Diagnostics indicated that shot had blasted off a little less than half of the armor on the left side of his torso.

With a vengeful glee, Overkill sneered. [color=Firebrick]"Aww, hell. I was hopin' you'd do that."[/color]

While he wanted more than anything to cut loose with his flamers and wreak unholy hell on these mud-marchers, the sweltering heat inside his cockpit told him he still needed a little more time to cool off. Fortunately, the [i]Firestarter[/i] had other ways of dealing with pesky infantry units. Switching to his third target-interlock circuit, he aimed the targeting reticle in the general area where the shot had came and held down the firing stud.

[i]Murder One's[/i] pair of Deprus RF machine guns were all but useless against Battlemechs (fully armored ones, at least), but they were vicious against soft targets. Tracer rounds let him walk his fire up to the source of the autocannon fire.

Tufts of snow, shredded lichen and camo netting were thrown into the air from the impact of high-velocity lead, and Overkill's sneer grew when he saw a puff of red mist among the clouds of dust, followed by a second and a third. Remy didn't let up until he saw a series of small popping explosions, the sound and thudding tremors reaching him a split-second later-- a surefire sign that his fire had hit one one of their ammunition crates.

[color=FireBrick]"Splash another gun battery!"[/color] he called back to the rest of the Lance. He couldn't celebrate long, though, as more gunfire from another emplacement whizzed past him. Even if he was loaded up with the right weapons for this part of the job, the [i]Firestarter[/i] didn't have enough armor to stand there and take it. Like the fella in the [i]Mongoose[/i], he had to keep moving.

Some 200 meters away, he saw a flash from a rise in the canyon wall, and a few seconds later, the ground around him hurled upward, filling his vision with a spray of dirt and smoke and fire. Remy struggled to keep the 'Mech upright, both from the impact of the explosion and from the ground giving way under his feet. [color=FireBrick]"Shit, that was close!"[/color] he hissed as he now saw the artillery piece that had nearly tagged him.

[color=FireBrick]"Got a Thumper in sector Kilo-5,"[/color] Remy reported to the Lance. [color=FireBrick]"I wouldn't mind a little covering fire while I move in on the target."[/color]

Doing his best to serpentine, Overkill ducked and weaved [i]Murder One[/i] to try and keep the Thumper gunners from drawing a bead on him as he approached. He could probably withstand the shrapnel from a nearby blast, but a direct hit could cost his 'Mech a limb or turn him into confetti.

At this range, the Thumper would have him dead to rights. If he could close the gap, though, they'd be all but helpless. All or nothing.

Looking at his heat gauge, he saw the 'Mech had cooled enough that he could finally bring his flamers to bear. And as the Thumper calibrated its aim, he felt a rush of adrenaline through is veins, and charged forward.