Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Three: Earth and Ashes
October 16th, 3032
"Remember, we're going comms silent when we're fifteen klicks in." David ordered his company. "The last thing we need is to be discovered before we've even accomplished our objectives."
"I thought we had encrypted comms though Captain." Vickers said with a look of confusion on his face underneath his armor.
"Encrypted or not, they can still detect the signals that we're transmitting." David replied. "And them even knowing we're in the area could blow this entire op." David shrugged. "We're going in quietly, and we're going to need to keep an eye out, we know from the Duke's attack on the ISF headquarters on New Samarkand that their DEST teams have some sort of modified Stealthed out Powered Armor."
"Can they breach our Mithril?" Someone asked with concern in their voice.
"Does it matter?" David asked. "Your job is the same regardless, we're all carrying the portable Gauss rifles, and we know that they're effective against enemy powered armor, so remember to check your corners, and be mindful of enemy operators. They will be willing to use explosives to level the playing field."
"And remember, our position being given away means that we get at least a battalion of 'mechs and hovercraft crashing down on our position." Kent said as he led the two companies. "So stealthed as long as we can make it, and only go loud if absolutely necessary."
"Copy that sir." David responded, trudging through the underbrush that was between them and the manufacturing center. "Wilco."
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"Well, that wasn't something we saw from the satellites." Kent said as he looked from the woods out at the industrial plant before him. "They've cleared out an extra four kilometers of brush and woods from around the site."
"How does that affect us sir?" David asked as he walked over.
"We're going to have to move and be careful of those spotlights. They're not on a standard pattern, they're operated by individuals who are doing their level best to randomize things. And it looks like they've modified their patrols as well."
"What about the river?" David asked, pointing towards that area. "That would get us to within two klicks."
"Not close enough, and that's the point that is the most heavily defended, they've got a Warhammer and a couple of Vulcansguarding that entry point, along with a Jenner."
"Fuck." David breathed out. "That lance of 'mechs could end our entire force."
"I know." Kent said as he surveyed the place and began to cycle through plans in his own mind. "That's why it's your job to make sure that those 'mechs aren't able to interfere with the rest of the operation." Kent looked at the younger man with a broad grin underneath his helmet. "How's your Japanese?"
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In the dark of the night, six figures rose out of a river, and, making sure that non reflective materials were behind them they began to move across the open field, using small craters shallow depressions in the dirt to press themselves down in order to avoid notice. Barely avoiding notice, the fireteam pressed on, getting in the shadows of the enemy lance and using the terrain along with the relatively slow pace of the 'mech lance in order to latch onto the different 'mechs of the lance. Two members climbed onto the Warhammer, while the rest of the fireteam split up to take the rest of the lance out.
"I hope this works." David muttered to himself, edging his way up the back of the Warhammer slowly and making sure to stay out of sight of the other three 'mechs. Finally reaching the cockpit hatch, he took a deep breath, steadying his nerves and preparing to do his job for the night. Taking his armored fist and signaling to his partner that he was ready. Receiving a nod in response, David rapped sharply on the back of the hatch, hoping that the 'mechwarrior within would actually open his hatch. "Come on, take the bait."
The hatch opened a good thirty seconds later, the Warhammer having slowed to a stop in the process and a head popped out. Leaping up, David jumped inside the cockpit and grabbed the Combine mechwarrior, making sure to knock him out and secure him to the jump seat with the restraints that he had brought with him, as well as making sure that there were no weapons still on the enemy pilot's person.
"You good boss?" A quiet voice echoed through the cockpit as David's battle buddy poked his head in. "We've got about a minute and a half to get this finished before the enemy commanders start asking for reports."
"I'm breaking in now." David said as he pulled his personal Neurohelmet out of his pack and connected it and his slate to the Warhammer's computers, overriding the security, and making David the new pilot and owner of the heavy 'mech. "I'm in, you should make yourself scarce."
"Copy that, falling back to the river." David's battle buddy said as he closed the hatch and began to make his way to the river, leaving David and his multilingual skills to sell the disguise.
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"I really hope that the Captain pulled that off." Kent muttered to himself as he and the majority of two companies began to creep up on the industrial center. After what felt like hours, they finally reached the wall of the complex and began to scale it, making sure to stay out of sight and to be as quiet as possible. Kent was the first to reach the top, and after clearing the top of the wall, he jumped down with a quiet thud and then grimaced. "I should have taken the stairs." He muttered as the noise slightly echoed, drawing in a lone guard who looked around with a look of confusion on his face. Reaching the small crater made by Kent hitting the ground, he knelt and began to examine the large footprints, and hadn't made it very far in his inspection when Kent crept up behind him silently with a knife and drove it upwards and back, immediately silencing the guard and ensuring that he was dead. Dragging the body behind a couple of storage areas, Kent signaled to the rest of the platoon that it was time to move on.
Sheathing his knife after flicking the blood off of it, Kent grabbed his rifle off of his back and made sure that he had a mag loaded with the right ammunition. The companies began to make their way over, and spread out according to their fireteams, branching out in order to set up their demolition charges in the right locations as they discovered them.
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"Charges are set, moving forward." A combat engineer reported to Kent as they moved away from the lines and the unconscious factory workers. "Set!" The point man called out as he posted up on the doorway.
"First." The first man to enter the room called out as he went left and cleared that corner while the man behind him went right. "Clear!"
"Copy, moving." Kent replied as he moved forward into the next area, followed by the remainder of the fireteam. It was slow going, but they were doing this right so as to cause as much damage as possible.
"Setting charges." Their combat engineer said as he knelt and unslung the det pack from his back. Grabbing the shaped plastic explosives and placing them where they would cause the most damage. "Charges set, timer is set for thirty Mikes."
"Copy that." Kent responded. "We need to move onto the next building."
The two companies set their charges and began to move back to the wall that they had entered the premises on. Only this time, they had left a group of charges to detonate on their way out, so as to cover them leaving.
Then, as they were about to leave, alarms started going off throughout the compound.
"We're made, blow the walls." Kent ordered over the comms, the silence broken now. On the opposite side of the compound, a section of the wall collapsed due to explosions, allowing them to use their jump jets to get over the wall and begin running to the extraction point.
"Fifteen Mikes to detonation," echoed in Kent's ear.
"Kerensky, you hear all of this?" Kent asked, knowing that the lance they had stolen was keeping an ear out.
"We hear you, we're going to play along with the orders issued by the Combine for now though." Kerensky replied. "We'll be able to cause more damage this way."
"Godspeed Captain." Kent responded. "Take out as many of the bastards as you can, just make sure to make it back."
"Wilco Major." David replied, "Stay safe, Captain Kerensky out."
"Crazy son of a bitch." Kent shook his head. "But if it's crazy and it works, then it's still crazy, it just worked."