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[color=SkyBlue]"New contact, Colonel!"[/color] Lieutenant Lyons all but shouted, breaking the tense stillness inside the MHQ. Higgins and Windham nearly fell out of their stools, but the Colonel merely raised an eyebrow.

[color=Olive]"Is it the [i]Warhammer?[/i]"[/color] he asked.

[color=FireBrick]"Ah, n-negative, Colonel,"[/color] Windham answered, still shivering from the cold. [color=FireBrick]"Ac-c-cording to seismics, it's an-nother thirty-five t-tonner."[/color]

[color=Khaki]"What the hell, W-Windham?"[/color] Higgins chided his crewmate. [color=Khaki]"How'd you m-miss a whole other Mech?"[/color]

[color=FireBrick]"Sh-shut up, you didn't catch it either,"[/color] Windham spat back. [color=FireBrick]"Seismics must have c-confused it with the [i]F-Firestarter.[/i]"[/color]

[color=SkyBlue]"You sh-should've caught the extra channel on c-c-comms, Higgins,"[/color] Lyons scolded the cadet.

[color=Khaki]"You're t-taking his side?"[/color]

[color=SkyBlue]"I'm not taking s-s-sides,"[/color] Lyons said, [color=SkyBlue]"I'm saying you b-both should be paying more attention t-to your instruments!"[/color]

[color=Khaki]"Oh you're one to t-t-talk, the last 'instrument' you were p-paying attention to was--"[/color]

[color=Olive]"Quiet,"[/color] the Colonel interrupted, [color=Olive]"all of you."[/color]

Light Mechs were typically best used for recon and support, but few if any of them could survive long in a direct fire-fight. The thirty-five ton range, however, had some Mechs that could make for a very nasty complication. From their earlier fight, Gaius knew the Crimson Fists had at least three other thirty-five-ton Mechs: a [i]Jenner[/i], a [i]Wolfhound[/i], and a [i]Raven[/i]. The [i]Jenner[/i] and [i]Wolfhound[/i] had both sustained heavy damage in the last fight, however, and a [i]Raven[/i] would only benefit the [i]Crusader[/i].

[color=Olive]"ETA?"[/color]

[color=SkyBlue]"Less than a minute, sir,"[/color] Lieutenant Lyons answered.

[color=Khaki]"They're within passive c-c-comms range now, sir,"[/color] Higgins remarked. [color=Khaki]"If we tip off the Knights n-now, they'll pick up our s-signal and give away our position."[/color]

[color=Olive]"And tip them off to the entire ambush,"[/color] Gaius grumbled. [color=Olive]"Damn it. Maintain silence on comms until the Fists enter the kill-box. Hopefully the lance can do enough damage up-front that an extra light Mech won't make too much of a difference."[/color]