Battletech IC #1: Outreach

[Ularn]

James shook his head again, doing his best to clear it and run a full 'Mech diagnostic at the same time. He knew his outburst would not be ignored, but right now he had to focus on the tasks at hand.

Finally he got back on the radio. "TimberWolf to all callsigns, I'm still operational. Somehow. Request permission to withdraw temporarily for field repairs." And some jury-rigging, Arena style. He added silently to himself.

"Negative Tinkerbell," Jaz spat back irritably as Callahan's reply finally came through, "You and I are all the support Battle Lance has got now and you've wasted enough of our time with your fuck-ups. Fall in ASAP, make what repairs you can on the go, and this time don't even think of leaving my sight, over."
Though she had travelled to the training grounds in her 'mech instead of the bus, chatting with some of the other 'mechwarriors between Cicada runs had left Jaz fairly well-appraised regarding Callahan's tantrum that morning over being denied the trip back to collect his stuff. Screwing up and then demanding everyone else bend over to accommodate him seemed to be a habit with the arena jockey and not one she was going to put up with now. James had probably ruined any hopes of his own being recruited by GSS but that didn't make him entirely useless to Jaz. At the very least his damaged vulture might draw some fire off of her when the shit next hit the fan.

[Northern Dominus]

Artemus

"TimberWolf to all callsigns, I'm still operational. Somehow. Request permission to withdraw temporarily for field repairs."

Yelling and cajoling would have been nice at that point, but again Artemus bit his tongue. Not only would that not be becoming of a leader, but deep down he understood what James had experienced. Odds are if he hadn't been forced to undergo therapy he could very well have been prone to the same sort of actions that James was. Yelling and screaming wasn't going to help that...and admittedly neither was full-blown combat but firepower was needed at this point and it would just have to be worked around.

The friction ridges on Artemus' thumb were just starting to graze the comms transmit button. Then Jazz chimed in.

"Negative Tinkerbell, you and I are all the support Battle Lance has got now and you've wasted enough of our time with your fuck-ups. Fall in ASAP, make what repairs you can on the go, and this time don't even think of leaving my sight, over."

That provoked a quick mashing of the comms transmit button and marked the first time Artemus had transmitted in anything less than a cool demeanor.

"Ja-!"

And as quickly he had punched the toggle, he released it. Jazz' waves of missile suppport fire might have been a welcome asset, but her on-air demeanor left a lot to be desired. Being irritated at James for breaking ranks and charging was one thing, but clearly his earlier tension and lack of communication recently was indicitive of something much more deeply askew than just simple disobedience, and her bullish yelling wasn't going to help. However descending into that mode and breaking brevity by yelling Jazz' actual name rather than her callsign over the comms wasn't going to help anything either.

Taking a couple of deep breaths before re-flipping the transmit button, Artemus pushed the throttle forward, leveling out when the speedometer read 64 kph. He knew from experience that James' Vulture was more than capable of getting into formation quickly at that speed, and maybe giving James something to do other than stew and absorb abuse would be more helpful in the immediete sense.

"Ronin to Bitch....at ease. Timberwolf, negative on that request to withdraw, we need you up front. Now, form up on me in echelon right formation and give me an ammunition count. Jazz, form up on James' right, over."

Sweeping his gaze across the plains in front of him with the occasional zoom to check for anything beyond the virtual horizion, Artemus considered the time it had taken to form up and the rate of travel for Kat and Warhound. The rough numbers and estimates didn't add up in their favor, so yet another change of plans was needed, which Artemus put into motion with another set of transmissions...

Kat

The Warhammer and Cataphract were making decent progress through the undergrowth and between the trees. From Kat's persepctive, Warhound was at least decently capable of maneuvering and keeping pace, something that other mechwarriors that day had demonstrated incompetence in earlier with the Cicada test.

Any train of thought she might have had beyond simply tallying up Warhound's worth so far was interrupted by yet another transmission from Artemus.

"Ronin to Gun Dragon and Warhammer. Composite battle lance move has been delayed, new plan. You two switch back over to passive sensors, find a concealed position that overlooks the facility and report if anything comes out of the gate. Engage any targets of opportunity, over."

In the relative anonymity of her own simulated cockpit, Kat shook her head. While she was reasonably confident that she had done the right thing by trasnferring command to him, but it seemed as if Artemus was prone to over-analyze at points.
Still, he had the information on the current status of that composite lance, so for now it was best to go with that. Throttling back slightly she started to gently turn the Warhound to the left, dodging trees while staying under the relatively dense cover of the forest.

"Roger that Ronin. Warhound did you copy that? Looks like we're acting as silent steel sentries. See anything on the map that looks like a good concealed position to observe from?"

As Kat queried Warhound she flipped her sensors over to passive just as Ronin instructed. It seemed sort of pointless given they had been running on active sensors for awhile, but then again opfor hadn't demonstrated an extreme degree of tactical prowess, but not an extreme lack either.

---

Artemus
Movement: Throttle up to 64 kph, move north
Transmissions: Refuse James' request to disengage and rearm, request ammunition count from James, repeats order to form echelon right formation and advance north, order Kat and Warhound to find concealed position to observe facility.

Kat
Movement: Throttle back, stay in woods
Transmissions: Confirm Ronin's transmision, query Warhound for any observed positions to carry out Ronin's orders.

[Oblivion2]

William flicked his comms onto Gun Dragons channel as he brought up his copy of the battle-map and took the time to scan the terrain, "Solid copy Ma'am, scanning the terrain now for a suitable location. Get back to you in half a mike over." With an experienced hand he shifted his 'Mechs positioning so he was moving towards the facility all the while searching for his newest rally point.

Twenty seconds later he found what he was looking for; a rocky out-cropping just outside the wooded area they were in on its north-eastern most tip. The out-cropping stood a few hundred meters to the northwest of the facility. He pinged the data over to Gun Dragon and opened a comm channel yet again, "Found a suitable location Ma'am, your call."

Personally he liked the spot, more than enough cover in the woods to conceal a 'Mech and at a far enough distance for Warhound to begin pelting anything with his AC/2s. The forest in the background would also visually camouflage his tan and green 'Mech whilst the rocks could provide a means to Interfere with the enemies line of fire. In the meantime he continued to scan the area as he adjusted his course heading slightly, waiting for Gun Dragon to give him the ok.

Movement:
Shifting heading, destination is the last vestiges of forest on the northeastern most tip of the wooded areas with a outcropping of rocks just outside of it, all a few hundred meters from facility at a speed of 64 kilometers per hour.

[Ularn]

At ease?
Jaz bit back a sharp retort, not seeing for a moment why she ought to waste professional courtesy on some shithead whose time with GSS was pretty much bound to last only as long as it took them to wipe out the remaining defenders. The only reason she would ever want to build bridges with someone like Callahan would be to walk across and choke the son-of-a-bitch.
Rather than start a pissing match with Storm, who conversely was someone she could tolerate and would probably be working with, Jaz checked her tac-screen to ensure Callahan was following, Jaz gunned the throttle and set off North after his Bushwacker. The Battle Lance was already moving at her Catapult's maximum speed across open ground. Their head start combined with the obstacles presented by the forest meant Jaz had no hope of catching up, and instead of arguing with her de facto superior over comms etiquette she said, "Bitch to Ronin. Understood. Be advised; your 'mechs are outpacing me. I can close the gap with a jump but that'll leave Tin- the rest of my lance a long way behind 'til they can catch up." Though sufficiently cowed to not address Callahan by his new nickname with Storm, Jaz still refused to use either his real name or his ridiculous callsign - as if Callahan had ever been near the cockpit of a Mad Cat.

---

Jasmine
Movement: Heading north after Ronin's Battle lance at around 58 kph
Transmissions: Advised Ronin he's outrunning her.

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

James moved into position silently, refusing to be baited into a pointless shouting match. After he calmed down he fiddled with the communications gear a little bit until he got a secure, 'Mech-to-'Mech transmission up and ready.

"Miss Mandella," he began calmly, "first off, I do not appreciate being called Tinkerbell, although I do not much care what an evidently sexist and sexually insecure being who refers to herself as 'bitch' and names her 'Mech 'Bulldyke' calls me." He took a deep breath. "Secondly, I apologize for my outburst. I am well aware that my conduct has ensured termination of my probationary contract with the GSS, but I am still going to do my job regardless. I am not going to sit and brood about my failures, I am not going to give you even the short version of what caused my actions in the first place.

So until such time as I have been formally terminated by Lieutenant Colonel Wild, our commanding officer, would you kindly bite your tongue and do your job, Lance Commander?"

He released the transmit button and looked left at his arm, noticing sparks and that the arm wasn't able to swing left properly. "TimberWolf to all callsigns, 'Mech is back online but my left arm has decreased mobility. Fire control is saying it's still safe to fire its machine gun."

[Ularn]

"They teach you to talk fancy like that in the Arena, pretty boy?" Jaz countered, grinning sadistically in spite of the deceptively calm, even jovial tone of her voice as her 'mech pressed steadily on ahead, "I don't give a shit if you like me; I don't give a shit what sort of fucked up Section Eight malfunction you got. I am your lance leader; I'll call you whatever I want, and until you show me you actually deserve to be in this sim, your callsign stays 'Tinkerbell'. Over."
The stab of a finger muted the 'mech-to-'mech comm link between her and TimberWolf, though the communal channels stayed open.

[SaintB]

Combat
Bear's LRM's rain down on the laser turret, which as a stationary target has no defense against the rain of explosives falling upon it and is pummeled by virtually the entire volley. With a spectacular bust of brilliantly colored flames as the volatile chemicals in its heat sinks incinerates the threat it might have posed is neutralized.

Seconds after the target is destroyed a large jump jet equipped Battlemech launches itself over the wall. The 'mech has a tall and slim profile topped by an insectlike head; its gangly arms are studded with a variety of lasers. The legs are thick and strongly reinforced to allow it to maneuver using jump jets; it is clearly designed to hunt light and medium 'mechs.

Damage Numbers

Turret takes 8 Armor Damage and [b]4/[b] Damage

[SaintB]

The missile's did their job in the first volley - taking out the target without incident and awarding any onlookers with a bright pink flame that burned brightly even in the daylight, the simulated turret must have been stocked with double freezers from the succession wars which Bear thought was a delightful touch on behalf of the Dragoons. Bear didn't have the heart to point out that the missiles worked better than the one's GSS had - they has bought most of their missiles wholesale at cost from a Draconis combine warehouse just before the Fedcom war, they'd been sitting there since the tale end of the Clan Wars and were prone to having half the missiles simply not track a target.

"This is Bear, confirming a hit on target, target is down, proceeding to engage second objective."

Dave rotated the torso and began to paint the second (he knew was harmless) turret when movement and a flash caught the corner of his eye. Though his scope was still empty he turned his head to take a peak and was instantly glad he did, "Unidentified contact to my immediate left!" he reported over open comms, "I didn't get a good visual but it looks like a heavy or assault class with jump jets, I'm taking evasive maneuvers. Will report when confirmed enemy chassis."

Bear locked the torso in its neutral position pushed his hellspawn's throttle forward to full to make some more distance between him and the enemy 'mech for the time being, but he wasn't going to just bug out without knowing what he was up against.

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

James looked over his data screens.

Then he slammed a fist down on them. Hard.

The screens finally came back to life. "TimberWolf to Ronin, I've got about 7.5 full volleys left in my LRMs. As for the MGs I've still got a sizable amount in the bins, although I wouldn't put much trust in my left arm. I probably spilled some during my tumble, and wouldn't be surprised if others got damaged. Lasers are still fully operational. Over."

[Northern Dominus]

Kat

With her mech at a slow crawl Kat had time to study the overhead map as well as scan the immediate area for enemy 'mechs. Not that her Warhammer was speed demon to begin with, but focusing and wandering out in the open was always a real possibility.

As she scrutinized the furthest nortwhestern tip of the wooded area they were in, Warhound apparently spied an area to occupy and wait in

"Found a suitable location Ma'am, your call."

Keying up her own transmit button, Kat took a quick look around again as she replied.

"Stand by Warhound, let me take a look..."
However, squint and stare at the map she might she couldn't pick out a location that was more suitable than the others. Still, if Warhound spied it, then it could very well be he recognized something that she didn't, and better to work from that basis rather than endlessly pick away.
"Roger that Warhound, lead on. Gun Dragon to Ronin, moving to new location, will advise when we've reached and have dug in, over."
And with that, Kat turned her mech towards the Cataphract of Warhound and throttled up to keep pace, ever on the lookout for a marauding scout mech of any kind.


Artemus
When Jazz' first transmission came through, Artemus nearly smacked himself in the head for making an error like that.

"Bitch to Ronin. Understood. Be advised; your 'mechs are outpacing me. I can close the gap with a jump but that'll leave Tin- the rest of my lance a long way behind 'til they can catch up."

Throttling back to about 45kph to let Jazz catch up he toggled the comms switch

"Copy that Bitch, sorry about that. Cutting back to about half your max speed, once everyone's caught up let's move out at 60."

Unaware of the private communication and verbal salvo fest in progress between Jazz and James, Artemus took a moment to adjust the sensors in an effort to try and filter out some of the "noise" that some of the modes picked up. While he was adjusting Bear's transmission shot through on the general frequency.

"Unidentified contact to my immediate left! I didn't get a good visual but it looks like a heavy or assault class with jump jets, I'm taking evasive maneuvers. Will report when confirmed enemy chassis."

'Goddammit, really? It's bad enough that they're running ECMs, because we would have seen that sucker pop up on scanners...'

Flipping the toggle, Artemus rotated the right arm of the Bushwacker in the general direction of the facility, pointing the light gauss rifle in the scout lance's general direction and zooming with his targeting reticule in an effort to help Bear identify his assailant. In the meantime, James' and Kat's transmissions came through as well.

"Ronin to Bear, copy that. I'm looking in your direction and trying to spot that hostile, do you require re-enforcements?

Support lance, eyes up. Looks like the enemy is running some sort of ECM screen and they've just sicked a heavy on the scout lance, get ready to launch a volley to give them some cover. Copy transmissions from Gun Dragon and Timberwolf, over."

As the Bushwacker plodded rather than strode once again, Artemus kept searching with the zoomed reticule in an effort to find Bear's assailant, muttering to himself as he went. Depending on what mech had just appeared the Scout Lance could be in serious trouble in very short order.

"C'mon you sonofabitch...c'mon. Shillouete yourself so I can get a good look..."

---

Kat
Movement: Throttle back, turn towards Warhound and throttle to max
Transmissions: Confirm and agree with Warhound's assesment, radio intentions to Ronin

Artemus
Movement: Throttle back to 45 KPH, rotate R arm out towards facility slightly
Transmissions: Confirm all incoming transmissions, ask Bear if he needs re-enforcements to deal with new heavy/assault mech

[Oblivion2]

Warhound nodded grimly to himself within his simulated cockpit; things were about to get sticky real fast and a lot of how the following battle would go would depend on how far away He and Gun Dragon were from the action when it started. With a practiced ease he kept his 'Mech on course, ducking and maneuvering around any tree in his path, while it was undoubtably difficult to suppress the sound of a 'Mech moving in any terrain it was infinitely worse to give your opponent any sort of visual cues as to your arrival.

Will cut his engine to zero as he arrived at the near edge of the forest, the facility clearly visible just beyond the rocks. He moved slowly and positioned his 'Mech so his auto cannons had a clear firing arc on anything beyond their position and he wouldn't waste any rounds clearing terrain. "In position Ma'am." He relayed to Kat.

He continued to scan the horizon, while he was hungry to get stuck in with the jump jet equipped 'Mech his training told him that he would need to search for additional targets before moving in to assist Bear; tunnel vision could be just as deadly as poor visibility and William had seen many over zealous pilots fall to an enemy they had not taken into account.

Movement: dig in and hold at the northeastern most tip of the forest, scan for targets in addition to the 'Mech that Bear spotted.

[Occupied Deutschland]

Walther sighed, it seemed taking out the base's tower had had the intended effect and drawn something out. Now the question was what exactly they had drawn out and whether they could handle it or not.

"Andromeda, on me. Let's hook over and see if we can get a line on this guy." Walther said, shifting his mech and then moving forward so that his path would take him towards the presumed enemy mech's location. If nothing else, perhaps they could solidly identify the chassis the guy was using and if things went really well they might just spook him back towards Bear.

The thought made Walther grunt in amusement. A Locust and an Osiris weren't exactly the prime choice for 'spooking', and usually any such attempt would only be done with a full recon lance to do the spooking but, well, he didn't have a full lance. You worked with what you got.

"Support lance, watch your fields of fire, recon's gonna be tearing through your firing lanes and blue-on-blue has just never been on my list of fun things to do. If you see our ghost enemy though, please feel free to shoot him before he shoots me." Walther warned, imagining just how unpleasant it would be to get hit by a missile volley from his own side.

Actions:
Begin moving towards Bear's 'left' flank, searching for enemy mech.

[SaintB]

Dave cut the throttle realizing he was about to rush full speed into the drink but was determined not to make an easy target out of himself, "Priest, Andomeda, I say we split up for a moment, someone head toward the forest and the other gets their feet wet. I'm going to see if I can't get a visual on that enemy 'mech and identify him and try to draw his fire."

At a full stop just on the edge of the water Bear fired the 'mechs jump jets and launched into the air and started a 180 degree spin. He planned on hitting the ground running after half a rotation, a dangerous maneuver that could end up with Lil' Darlin' on the ground and his face pressed against the windscreen. He cut the jets and gravity took over making him and his 'mech plummet toward the simulated ground, less than half a second before landing Bear hit the jets once again to slow his decent and then opened the throttle hoping he timed it all just right. The landing was smooth but a crunching sound and a hard jerk to the left alarmed him but he managed to keep the machine balanced.

Stubbed my toe a little bit there... he thought to himself as he pushed the 'mech forward; he didn't have time to check the damage reading yet to see if he dented the armor just yet because his eyes were locked dead ahead. The enemy 'mech hadn't moved yet, the pilot must have seen three juicy targets and was trying to decide which to pick first; if Bear had anything to say it would be to make that choice for him... but first he needed to ID that target. It was still inside the damned enemy ECM envelope so he couldn't lock to it but he had a good visual this time, "OpFor target appears to be a Grasshopper, unknown loadout." he reported calmly on all channels.

The Hellspawn was about to rush right past the enemy 'mech and at the last possible second Bear made a decision that if it went wrong would make Callahan's suicide rush look smart in comparison, "I'm engaging!"

Bear had more armor on his 'mech than Priest and Andromeda combined, as long as he could maneuver well the grasshopper would have a hard time getting a good shot, maybe he could stay alive for the others to get in and hit the weal points in the Grasshoppers rear armor. Without waiting for any reply from anyone he lined up his pipper on the enemy's torso and fired all three pulse lasers from less than 100 meters away then rushed passed, "En guard!" he taunted the enemy pilot as he pushed the throttle back too full.

Come on and take the bait buddy.

[SaintB]

Ooc: damn phone won't let me quote longer than ten line posts.

Action: Perform 180 with jump jets and strafe enemy 'mech. Head due north at full speed and try to draw enemy fire.

[Oblivion2]

As Bear continued his movements in the field he managed to bring the enemy 'Mech back out of hiding which Warhound quickly identified as a Grasshopper; one of those annoyingly fast heavy 'Mechs geared for light hunting. Given the chance the Grasshopper could deal a hell of a lot of damage to the support lance or knock out the previously damaged Timberwolf

Every fiber in his being demanded that he put a few rounds of AC/2's on the 'Hopper as it turned to chase Bear, but training kicked in and he compromised by placing his reticule on the 'Mech and began to lead it off as if he was already firing at it. With his free hand he opened up comms with Kathrine again whose Warhammer had just taken up positions with him, "Got a problem Gun Dragon," he started to explain in a calm tone, "I have a valid firing solution at this time on hostile 'Mech, however if I fire we may very well reveal our position to the rest of the enemy force if they decide to assist the 'Hopper. Please advise over."

[Northern Dominus]

Artemus

Taking into stock the elongated limbs, orbular head and elongated shape of the enemy mech, Artemus was almost certain about the identity of the mech as he observed it through the magnified reticule when Bear called in over the comms.

"OpFor target appears to be a Grasshopper, unknown loadout."

Grinding his teeth together slightly Artemus considered the situation.
'Okay, so the skirmishers kick the hornets nest and a Grashopper falls out. Definition of screwed right there."

ARtemus was about to transmit and re-iterate the notion of re-enforcements when Bear transmitted again

"I'm engaging!"

His jaw went from slightly clenched to dropped. Clearly Bear was either suicidal or had a lapse in judgement. His Hellspawn might not have been a light mech but a Grasshopper in the hands of even a semi-competent mechwarrior could kill most medium mechs with almost as much ease as light mechs.

As Bear's Hellspawn started to pelt the Grasshopper with pulse laser fire, yet another transmission cut through over the coms, this time from Kat.

"Gun Dragon to Ronin. We have a bead on hostile Grasshopper threatening the scout lance. Movement might tip off remaining OPFOR. Requesting clarification, over."

So the rest of the main battle lance had a track to engage the Grasshopper. Artemus chewed on that thought for a moment. Certainly it would take a lot of pressure off of the scouts. However doing so would deprive the entire company of a critical advantage should the rest of the enemy contingent decide to break loose and try an end-run.

Running through the tactical options at about 45kph, he considered the mechs with him. Certainly the support lance could rain down a lot of hell and deal with that Grasshopper in no time at all. However Jazz' mech wasn't faster than the Grasshopper and probably couldn't close quickly enough.

'Jazz can't run at more than 64...but James can.'

Taking it all into consideration the gears whirred in Artemus' brain again, shifting and re-slotting to form new tactical solutions. The one he set upon was a risk, no question. If it worked however not only could it potentially deal with the Grasshopper effectively but it might set up a more viable tactical solution should the remainder of the hostile forces decide to quit hiding and push for a bigger more decisive battle.

However, it would only work with the help of Jazz and with Warhound and Kat staying put where they were. Keying up the comms first he transmitted on the main battle lance's dedicated frequency.

"Ronin to Gun Dragon. Negative on that movement, stay put and keep observing and updating for now. I'll handle that bandit, over."

Switching to the general frequency, Artemus took a deep breath before the next round of transmissions. Given the rapid nature of previous events and the way in which he had took command, he knew that what he was proposing could very well could be construed as a grab for power, so precise phrasing was going to be key.

"Ronin to Bitch. That Grasshopper can make scrap out of the scout lance in seconds without support. Right now there are two mechs in this composite line that could run that Grasshopper down and take the pressure off of the scouts, but to do it... screw it, basically Ronin is requesting temporary partnering with Timberwolf to break off and engage the Grasshopper. In the meantime, you could get into contact with Gun Dragon and get a fix on their position, then switch back over to passive sensors and join their position, act as a rear guard.

Promise I'll give Timberwolf back when we're done, over."

Kat
"...I'll handle that bandit, over."

Her fist clenching on the throttle, Kat had a moment in her head. The run to Warhound's sentry position was relatively complex, but with good reason. The terrain-masking allowed the two heavy mechs to slip in unnoticed, at least for the time being, and his selection of a point not only lent itself to decent observation but a relatively unobstructed path to charge down when the order was given. However, that order wasn't as forthcoming as soon as Kat would have liked, and that reflected in her semi-agitated body language in the privacy of her simulated cockpit

Her inner monologue reflected that aggrivated anticipation, leading to one semi-caustic thought...

'For crying...we might be waiting here forever! And I haven't fired one shot!'

Before pushing it back down and transmitting back to Artemus.

"Roger that Ronin."

Then Warhound in turn.

"Did you catch Ronin's last transmission Warhound? We're staying put for the time being. Apparently they're going to try and take on that grasshopper while we sit back and wait. Over."

The inner monologue would not stop in Kat's head however. Right or wrong she had ceded command to Artemus since he apparently had done such a good job, but the constant movement and shifting of forces clashed with her Lyran combat sensibilities.

'...has he not heard of massing firepower? That's what gets things done, a big first right into the solar plexus...'

---

Artemus
Movement:Continue at 45kph north, prepare for possible full-speed break NE to intercept Grasshopper
Transmissions: Order Warhound and Kat to stay put, request use of Timberwolf from Bitch and suggest she link up with Warhound and Gun Dragon in their position

Kat
Movement:Stay put at Warhound's observation post
Transmissions: Confirm Ronin's transmission, repeat to Warhound.

[Oblivion2]

Warhound's grimace returned with a vengeance, staying put was not something he looked forward to. And as much as he felt it was a tactical blunder on Bear and Artemis' end he was a soldier and he had his orders. He pulled his AC/2's off the grasshopper and returned to his previous scanning procedures.

He couldn't even imagine how Gun Dragon felt, her choice of 'Mech had spoken volumes to Will as he first linked up with her; Warhammer pilots tended to be aggressive and prone to kicking ass, he was glad he was her lancemate for the moment. He flicked the little switch to open a channel with her and spoke, "Yeah Solid copy here Ma'am, we're to sit her with our dicks in the wind, metaphorically speaking that is Ma'am."

He couldn't help but feel a little better after his dumb little joke: odds are Kat would have something to say about his little comment, but at this rate he needed a little humor. Maybe it was a Fed thing but he found all his comrades in the civil war had something funny to say at a time like this, it tended to be a very relaxing feeling.

Action: Hold position and visually scan for more targets.

[Ularn]

"Received Ronin," Jaz replied, having reached the same conclusion herself as Storm explained it. The grasshopper - if that's what it was - might have just fallen within extreme range of her missiles but with a big cloud of ECM static enshrouding that area of her tac screen there wasn't even the slightest hope of their getting a lock, "You' got TimberWolf; I'll try an' close range with the bogey and engage too if you can get him out from under that ECM. That oughta give Gun Bear time to fall back at which point I'll do as you say an' go passive, over?"
As she spoke her 'mech put in an abrupt right turn that left trenches in the simulated soil where her feet ploughed in and then set off towards the east as fast as she could. Inside the cockpit Jaz looked up from the tac screen only sporadically to make sure she didn't hit any trees while the majority of her concentration focused on finding that grasshopper and anything else that might be hiding in the ECM cloud. She reasoned that the forest would keep her concealed from the enemy's direct-fire weapons and if it came to a missile duel not much could outgun a Catapult. Running wasn't much of an option for the defenders either; they they had to be getting pressed up against the eastern edge of the map now and from the forest Jaz could hit just about anywhere - provided she could see it.

---

Jasmine
Movement: Heading west at around 58 kph
Transmissions: Confirmed receipt of Ronin's orders, advised she would also engage the possible grasshopper given the change.

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

"TimberWolf to Ronin." James transmitted, eyes scanning the area ahead. "I think my radar's on the fritz. Probably got knocked around during my fall, and this ECM isn't helping either. I'm down to Mark I Eyeball for now, think we could slave my LRM's to your targeting systems?" He turned his 'Mech towards Ronin's last reported position and began moving that way at half-speed.

[Occupied Deutschland]

Walther tried to tune out the noise on the radio as well he could and instead focused on keeping his mech steady in the water.

He'd acknowledged Bear's advice and sent Andromeda off to scout around the forest back towards the main element to make sure nothing had done an end-run around them. That left him to wade through the water and keep an eye on the area southwest of the small base they were supposed to capture.

It wasn't that fun.

"Damned silt!" Walther cursed as he jerked handles and tried to balance his mech on the nasty loose bottom of the lake. The exercise would be much easier in a heavier mech, but in Walther's Locust he had to practically move with the slight current there was in the water or risk a fall.

On the bright side, the water's help in dissipating his engine heat made the cockpit of his mech hover at an almost comfortable eighty degrees or so. And after the brief, lung-searing firefight him and Andromeda had had with the enemy Jenner, that bit of comfort was more than welcome.

"I sure hope that feller' knows what he's doing." Walther grumbled as he quickly scanned the land around him for any threats, then jerked his attention back to balancing his mech. A Hellspawn versus a Grasshopper wasn't really an even fight, but hopefully Bear would be getting some support from the rest of GSS. It was situations like these where Walther really wished there was some kind of lightning-fast mech out there like his Locust that mounted more than popguns.

But, well, that wasn't his job was it? He was just here to find the bastards and then start ruining their supply lines if possible. Leave the mech-on-mech dancing to the younger warriors.

Leave the real dancing to 'em too. Walther thought, snorting and glancing down at his prosthetic leg.

Action: Move into shallow water, 'keep an eye out'.

[Northern Dominus]

Artemus The Bushwacker increased speed relentlessly, bearing down on the Grasshopper without any sort of outward pretext of fancy maneuvering or sudden break in any direction.

In the cockpit, Artemus's HUD displayed the ever-increasing velocity next to the maxed throttle indicator.
...65...70..73...

Which was a tertiary consideration in the corner of his eye. At that moment his focus was on the Grasshopper as seen through the zoomed reticule, not the easiest thing to do considering the mech was in the big ECM blanket that still was unresolved. It seemed that whatever was generating that field either was a static position or wasn't going to be budged no matter how many enemy mechs were systematically destroyed.
That in turn probably meant future close quarters combat in some form or another, not ideal when considering that multi-ton battlemechs would have to use very surgical precise fire. Which was a big question mark given how little Artemus knew about his potential future Company/Brigade-mates.

That thought was secondary to Artemus' main concerns. First was repeatedly attempting to lock up the Grasshopper before coming into range of the , banking on it wandering to the edge of enemy ECM coverage and making a long-distance shot with the Light Gauss and a volley of LRM fire from James' Vulture.

As the simulator jerkily swayed and basso thumps reverberated in a portmanteau of the Bushwacker's movement, one that didn't quite pass muster for the real thing Jazz cut back in over the comms, albeit with a little static due to the proximity of the enemy ECM net.

"Received Ronin.
You' got TimberWolf; I'll try an' close range with the bogey and engage too if you can get him out from under that ECM. That oughta give Gun Bear time to fall back at which point I'll do as you say an' go passive, over?"

'Well to answer my earlier questions...'

Artemus didn't complete the rest of that thought, only wondered about how traffic enforcement officers on Outreach felt and if they would be competent combat coordinators.
Combat initiative was one thing, and Artemus would almost be willing to put money on the fact that a lot of mechwarriors were chomping at the bit to demonstrate their worth to the unit and therefore buy into wartime-grade pay during a period when there wasn't much to go around.
However, experience taught Artemus something. It taught him never to lay one's cards on the table for long, and if possible hold a something in reserve, especially when one suspected that all was not as it seemed.

Hoping that Jazz wasn't so headstrong and was consumed by a bloodlust that blunted tactical discretion, Artemus tried to be diplomatic and authoritative simultaniously.

"Negative Bitch...."

He had to pause for a moment and think back to when he really could have used that phrase prior to that point, especially during the FedCom Civil War

"...any hostiles in the area already see Timberwolf and me approaching. Timberwolf has plenty of LRM firepower on hand, committing both of you would only leave the rest of the company short-changed. I repeat, contact Gun-Dragon or Warhound to ascertain their position and re-enforce them. If the shit hits the fan again I'd like to have a nasty LRM surprise to back us up, and you've got the ammo and discretion to be that backup, over."

For the moment after that transmission, Artemus had to only hope Jazz wouldn't let bull-headedness and simmering rage override judgement, because next to chime in was James with another problem.

"TimberWolf to Ronin, I think my radar's on the fritz. Probably got knocked around during my fall, and this ECM isn't helping either. I'm down to Mark I Eyeball for now, think we could slave my LRM's to your targeting systems?"

If he could, Artemus would have scratched his head. He wasn't completely sure that James had ever mentioned any sort of c3 computer being installed on his mech. Jerry-rigging targeting-tracking systems was always an option in-field but the level of connectivity and targeting data needed certainly required more than just a bit of techie ingenuity.

"Uh.. cannot comply Timberwolf, my mech is not equipped with any c3 components. Recommend you hard reboot the TIC of your Targeting and Tracking system as well as HUD display while leaving other systems active. If that doesn't clear the problem I'll feed you general coordinates as needed.
In the meantime, go trail and stay close to my position, over."

As the distance between the two-mech formation and the Grasshopper closed, Artemus spied Walter's Locust heading for water without Julius in tow. Worrying about his position would have to wait, he could only trust that he knew what he was doing and would scream over the comms if something else awful happened.
For the moment, the main problem still existed, the Grasshopper remained in ECM cover. By dead reckoning, Bear was trying to get the Grasshopper's attention. And if he could hold it and guide it a bit that might work out very favorably.

"Ronin to Bear. Looks like you have their attention, see if you can drag that Grasshopper north, out of the ECM net. I'm en route with Timberwolf, we'll help you take that sonofabitch down."

He could only hope that Bear could indeed do just that, and that even at the reduced rate of closure the distance between James, himself, and the Grasshopper would close to or barely within the 750 meter effective range of the light gauss rifle, otherwise when that envelope did close the shots would be very tricky ones indeed.

Kat

"Yeah Solid copy here Ma'am, we're to sit her with our dicks in the wind, metaphorically speaking that is Ma'am."

Snickering in her simulator, Kat had to admit that she shared Warhounds sentiments...but not overtly. That would have been to obvious.
Keeping her eyes forward, she flipped over to the dedicated channel that Warhound had used for transmitting earlier.

"Really? Because I could have sworn one of your autocannons was flopping earlier..."

As they watched, the very person who had told them to stay put took off after the Grasshopper with a certain red and black tiger-stripe Vulture in tow....
'So, tell us to stay put while you go off seeking glory and a way to pad your resume? While leaving 140 tons hanging out to dry and look lazy?
What kind of.... '

"That train of thought went to the comms in a passive-aggressive way.

"Gun-Dragon to Warhound. Are you seeing this? Looks like somebody's medal-hunting."

---

Actions
Artemus
Movement: Continue on course to intercept Grasshopper, reduce acceleration at 73kph to let James catch up.
Transmissions: Again suggest that Jazz ascertain Kat and Will's position and join, recommend a reboot for James and order to get in formation, request that the Colonel attempt to drag the Grasshopper outside of the ECM net.

Kat
Movement: Stay in position, track movements and wait for an order to move out
Transmissions: Query Warhound regarding his take on Artemus and James going after the Grasshopper while being told to stay put.

[Oblivion2]

Snickering in her simulator, Kat had to admit that she shared Warhounds sentiments...but not overtly. That would have been to obvious.
Keeping her eyes forward, she flipped over to the dedicated channel that Warhound had used for transmitting earlier.

"Really? Because I could have sworn one of your autocannons was flopping earlier..."

As they watched, the very person who had told them to stay put took off after the Grasshopper with a certain red and black tiger-stripe Vulture in tow....
'So, tell us to stay put while you go off seeking glory and a way to pad your resume? While leaving 140 tons hanging out to dry and look lazy?
What kind of.... '

"That train of thought went to the comms in a passive-aggressive way.

"Gun-Dragon to Warhound. Are you seeing this? Looks like somebody's medal-hunting."

Will laughed within the confines of his simulated cockpit, Gun Dragon had quite the personality on her, perhaps they could get along after all. Then came the query over the comms, the one question no enlisted man ever liked to answer. While it was somewhat veiled the intent was obvious "Gun-Dragon to Warhound. Are you seeing this? Looks like someones going Medal-Hunting." translated more or less to, "Whats your take on being left behind?"

Still on the dedicated channel and ignoring the jibe about a flaccid autocannon he said, "Affirmative ma'am. If I had to put my chips on anything I'd say Bear is either on the right track or is about to have more company than he can handle, hence us waiting... Still the odds look long Ma'am. Might be better off that we are here instead of out playing armoured cavalry."

[Ularn]

Jaz fumed silently and pulled her 'mech to a halt. She was near the southeastern edge of the forest now, a little bit south and west of Warhound and Dragon. Really the placed her closer to the base and the enemy than the 'mechs she was mean't to be supporting but if shit went down then a quick blast on the jumpjets would put her safely behind them. At least from here she had a good view of the base and the Grasshopper while the trees still made visual detection or a direct fire hit unlikely even though the ECM field meant her missiles still had less chance of reaching their target than a snowball launched at Satan.
"Bitch to Dragon," she commed, "Ronin's got me covering you an' the newbie case it goes south for him or anything else falls out that ECM field. Guess there's F-A to for us to do till then 'xcept keep an eye out, over."

---

Jasmine
Movement: Holding position towards the forest's south east, switched to passive sensors.
Transmissions: Advised Dragon and Warhound of her intentions.

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

James sighed. "Right, these simulators aren't entirely realistic. Back on Solaris during the Riots, Suppression units would be given targeting data by Brawlers, who would manually input the data to the LRMs. Done right, they'd get a 90% accurate target lock. Took a lot of jurry-rigging and my Vulture is set-up for it, but I guess the tech's couldn't figure out how to implement it."

He increased speed and moved into a better position relative to Ronin. "That said, I still got enough explosives here for indirect fire, I'll just need to know where I'm to direct my fire."

[Northern Dominus]

Artemus

Rolling his eyes once again, Artemus mashed the comms toggle down barely restraining the gravel and shouting he so desperately wished he could give into to some degree, as well as the litany that was slicing across his broca's area... but that wouldn't have helped, again.

"I'd rather not be blind as well Timberwolf, just reset the goddamn..."

The admonishment and any standard radio brevity was cut off rather quickly, because 'Operation Hornets Nest Kick' and running around with sensors fully active seemed to work. Whether or not the reward was one that anyone really wanted was anyone's guess.
From the mouth of the facility poured mech after mech as if the facility were some schizophrenic runaway factory. Leading the way was a Dragon, followed by a Flea and Locust.

As the distance between the two groups of mechs closed another wave suddenly vaulted the wall on jump jets. A pair of mechs, a Hatchetman and Chimera took an angle that looked primed to cut Artemus and James off, prompting a quick change of direction courtesy of Artemus.

"Woah, Timberwolf break left with me now!"

Heeling the Bushwacker to the left Artemus jammed the throttle forward, torso twisting right and left to check the position of both mechs and their movements. During the torso twisting he spied yet another group of mechs coming out of the facility, and in that group the bane of everyone's existence was spotted, for being flanked by a Hollander and a Quickdraw appeared the thin-legged beaked silhouette of the preeminent electronic warfare platform of the Inner Sphere, a Raven.

The situation had most definitely changed, and simply running down an enemy mech was no longer an option. Neither was being as spread out as the friendly lances were at that point. There was too much firepower in that group to simply surround and bombard, especially firepower concentrated in mechs which were designed to take a beating and still bear down.

As the simulator swayed and the simulated terrain rolled past Artemus angled out of the break and torso twisted to get a better view of the enemy formations, Artemus selected the company broadcast channel and started making the necessary adjustments.

"Ronin to all lances, looks like they finally decided to give up the tiptoe-in-the-flowers bullshit and make a fight of it. Let's oblige them on our terms.

All prior orders are rescinded, all lances re-form under your original lance leaders and engage immediately after reformation.

Scout lance, your priority is disabling that Raven. Push the pace and don't slow down for anything. If it looks like there are enemies zeroing in on you, call it and be smart about engaging until the threat is neutralized.

Support Lance, mobile LRM cover. Don't waste any salvos, wait until ECM field is down or an enemy mech wanders out of coverage, other than that engagement discretion is up to you.

Battle lance we're going to have to be mobile agile and hostile. We'll use the 'knife and tomahawk' approach to start with. I'll work in stabbing and cutting, while Gun Dragon and Warhound cleave into the ranks with force. Focus on the brawlers and the strikers with the Grasshopper taking priority if possible.

Stick together, keep the pressure up, and they'll break. All lances... engage!"

Keeping an eye on what the sensors provided him given the ECM screen, Artemus cut wide across the battlefield before turning back towards the facility. Since the Grasshopper had moved out first it was strung the furthest out, and primed for a shot. However the ECM field wasn't down so he would have to wait to see if the mech would turn or pause, slowing up just enough for a precision distance shot...

Kat
Begrudgingly admitting that Warhound was right in her own brain, Kat was about to admit as much when Jasmine cut in over the comms.

"Bitch to Dragon. Ronin's got me covering you an' the newbie case it goes south for him or anything else falls out that ECM field. Guess there's F-A to for us to do till then 'xcept keep an eye out, over."

Kat simply shrugged. Constant movement and formation-changing seemed to be Ronin's signature. Whether or not it would work was anyone's guess at this point.

She got about as far as hitting the comms transmit button on her throttle and getting a few words out...

"Roger Bitch, location is..."

Then the floodgates opened. Imitating rodents fleeing a burning sea vessel, mech after mech disgorged from the facility in a hodgepodge similar to their own ranks. Seemingly the madness that was Ronin's constant movement and quick-strikes had gotten a result, but not exactly a reward per se.

Then came the inevitable round of reacting comms transmissions, albeit this time much more simple and working in Kat's favor. The lances were re-formed, and direct combat was upon them. Moreover, her role suited her mech and her instruction just perfectly.

With perhaps a hint of relief and slight glee tinseling her voice, Kat responded in kind.
"Roger that Ronin, moving out. It seems that our moment has now arrived Warhound, any recommendations on your end?"

---

Artemus
Movement: Break north and throttle up to get away from enemy mech formations, turn right (south) in a wide arc and head on intercept vector towards Grasshopper while waiting for mech to turn or slow down.
Transmissions: Rescind previous ordrers, instruct original lances to re-form, instruct scout lance to engage Raven via fast "slashing" strikes with discreation, instruct support lance to operate at long range and bombard whenever they can achieve a lock at their discretion, order Main Battle lance to engage with him using Kat and Will as the big unit.

Kat:
Movement: Throttle forward out of Will's hiding position and start following Artemus
Transmissions: Confirm Artemus' orders, ask Will if he has any insight into formation or movement within Artemus' orders