Chapter 2

We are Spook Company, Captain Pinky Adams commanding, of Specter Battalion, Major Nancy White commanding, of Phantom Regiment, Colonel Bruce MacAmon commanding, of Shadow Brigade, General Zeke Jones commanding. Try to say that three times fast! As Mercenaries we are always on the lookout for work. Right now our services are pretty much tied up helping the Tauran Concordat maintain their independence and keeping their borders free of Pirates. The Tauran Concordat is one of the association of planets on the Periphery. There are between thirty-five and forty planets making up this alliance.

Shadow Brigade consists of three Regiments with a couple of Battalions on Home defense, Training missions, Convalesce Leave and guard duty. We had, with the permission of the Concordat, hired out a Regiment to Davion during an expansion move that they were undertaking. They were moving against Liao while the Lyran Commonwealth was moving against Kurita. With so many of their forces tied up in the new war a lot of Pirates were trying to take advantage of the situation and move in 'while the cat was away' so to speak. We were now doing for them pretty much what we did for the Concordat, we went Pirate hunting.

We are now on Bryceland to support and to reinforce as needed. Davion wanted us called in only when necessary for fighting and to hold the territory that they had regained. Basically we were playing firemen again, we went in when they got in over their heads and helped to stomped out the fire. We had been here for about a week and a half and it looked like the job on this planet was winding down. If it did then we would move up to another planet and do the job all over again.

Snyder's Snakes had come in two Regiments or so strong which is unheard of for a Pirate outfit. Usually pirates are a Lance to a Company in strength. They had defeated the Bryceland Militia which was defending the planet and had taken over. They had missed a Jumpship which had received a message from the planet before the communications center had been taken over. That Jumpship had been able to get the word out to Davion and we had come in with some Davion Regulars.

The Davion's were ok to work for, they knew how to treat Mercs. They didn't look down their noses at us because we weren't House Troops and they didn't try to short change us in the supply department. Of course we didn't really give them that chance. Shadow Brigade as a whole and Specter Battalion in particular know the art of scrounging. We are able to find more usable stuff on and off the battlefield than anyone else. One of the reasons for the night attack last week was that we were starting to run short of LRMs and knew that the Snakes had just moved in a large supply. Our supply of missiles hadn't arrived at Providence before we had shipped out so we went hunting more. We captured them as well as most of the two Battalions of Mechs in which the missiles were to be used.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Shadow is a free wheeling outfit but we know how to take care of ourselves. Need a shoulder actuator for a Jenner? Know where I might be able to lay my hands on one, what do you have to trade? We make sure that we have salvage rights in our contracts even if it means we take a smaller fee for the job. This way the hiring party can't cripple us with expenses. We capture what we need for most of our repairs and if we can't then we shift the pilot into a captured/repaired BattleMech until we can get the part that is needed for his particular Mech. Lots of times the shift is to a larger, heavier Mech and the pilot decides to stay where he/she is instead of moving back.

Most of our commanders didn't start off as officers either. They started off as grunts just like me. They had worked their way up the chain of command until they were the leaders and not the followers. They know every job in the Battalion because at one time or another they have done every job in the Battalion. This does several things. It gives the commander a better insight into what is happening in the ranks and what each order means. They get a better response from their men as the troops know that each of their commanders has done what they are being asked to do. It also gives the unit a closeness that many other units don't have because the troops know that the commanders have been there and will look out for them.

While our commanders don't lead from the very front, they are near enough to exchange shots with the enemy. They are always near the front lines so that they can feel the movement of the enemy. There is not a single one of our commanders that isn't at least an Ace if not a double Ace. They know what combat is because they participate in it.

We had been assigned to make a sweep of our right flank when we got jumped by a large force. From the intell that we had received there wasn't supposed to be anyone in this area. If there was anyone they were supposed to be several klicks ahead of where we found them.

I had been scouting ahead with a Lance of smaller Mechs when they opened up on us. As our Lance withdrew I was screaming to our artillery for cover. When they ask for a plot I gave then a general area until I could get out of the line of fire and give them specifics. Missiles and artillery rounds started to drop in which gave us a chance to find some shelter from which I could then begin to call for plots that would do a little more good. We had stumbled upon a Snake force that was trying to sweep our flank and turn the battle into a rout. There were enough of them that our missiles and artillery was only slowing them down, not stopping them.

I let Captain Pinky know what I could see and continued to call plots. I would call a couple of plots and then withdraw. I was being covered by a Whitworth, a Locust and a Jenner. I sent the Locust and the Jenner towards the rear as I wanted to keep the Snakes back far enough that they would be out of range of medium lasers. The Whit was firing LRMs and would then pull back also. Paul 'Simple' Simpson was good with his missiles. He was keeping them off me so that I could call in plots for the others. He was trying to target which ever Mech was in front to slow them down as much as possible.

Between him, the other missile mechs and the artillery we were slowing them down. When the rest of the Company arrived they spread out so the enemy could not concentrate their fire. With them in place I didn't need to keep withdrawing as long as they kept the heat off me. When Snyder's people got within range of my large laser I would fire and shift position and call in more plots. This didn't give me a chance for any kills but right now I wasn't worrying about kills, just not getting killed.

It had gotten to the point that even our few Lights and Medium Mechs were in the battle when even more missiles than normal began to answer my calls. Soon I could see why. Davion had moved a Company in to assist and their Missile Mechs were taking my plots and Artemis highlights for their fire also. It was overwhelming the Snakes who were now trying to withdraw. Davion was moving in from the side so it made withdrawal very difficult.

I kept shifting the plot as the targets fell. Soon they were out of range for me as I didn't move forward this time. Captain Pinky had ordered me to hold my position.

Looking around I saw Simple still near me. "You mean you still have missiles? I thought you would be dry by now."

"I have what's in the launcher. When I fired it I was going to run like hell to get out of here. When all the other missiles began to fall I held off firing until they were needed. They quit the field before I could fire them off," he answered.

"Well, pull back and see if they've brought up supplies. If they have then rearm and return."

"Right, Terry. See ya in a bit."

"Fire 3, this is Eyeball. How's your ammo holding up?"

"What ammo? We went through the ready ammo like shit through a goose and the transport has already brought up ammo once and is back there now for more. This was even hotter than the other day. How'd we do?"

"Well, I don't think your Kill Board is going to increase but we slowed them down until the Company could get here. When Davion got here they took off the other way. We have a lull right now Guns, so get your ammo supply back up, we might need it again."

"Roger, wilco."

As our Mechs passed me I moved up also. We advanced for several klicks before we joined Davion to continue pushing forward. We halted at a large ravine and took up station there. I had the guns move forward again so that this entire area was within range and then allowed them to rest. I sipped some water and munched on a ration bar while looking over the area ahead. The only problem that I could see was that we were nearly off the plot board and I didn't have the map chip for this new sector.

Within forty-five minutes Simple was back with a full bin of LRMs and the Battery had called in that they were full up with ammo again. When he returned Simple brought up the new chip for the plot board, they had it at the supply point ready for me.

With him back and with the new plot I stepped off the bank into the ravine and fired my jump jets to stop at the bottom. We started to cautiously follow the marks of the Kuritan forces. We had only gone a short ways when we came upon the sickest looking Shadow Hawk I have ever seen. Right arm missing at the elbow and the AC-5 all askew. It was turning to fire on us when Simple and I both hit it with laser fire. When it fell over I reported it and we continued.

We came across a smoking Dragon that had shut down from heat. The pilot was outside working on his Mech when we got there. He started to hide, then just stopped and sat down on one of the feet. Again we called it in so that the infantry that was following us could take him into custody.

The next one we found was a Wolverine that still had fight in him. He must have been out of ammo because his AC-5 looked operational but he didn't fire it. He did fire SRMs and the medium at us. We moved back until we were out of range for him and returned fire. It only took a few hit to convince him to cease. When we got close to him we could see part of his trouble. He had lost most of his right foot to an artillery burst which had slowed him down to the point he could only hobble. I didn't know how close our infantry was and didn't want these pilots crawling back into their Mechs so I used a little trick I had learned. Rachel hates me for it but it works and that's all that counts.

I carry a large armor bar with me, it's about 20 cm thick and two and a half meters long. Hoke had welded a 'holster' for it on my lower left leg. When the pilot pops the canopy and exits the Mech I move up, holding the bar next to the hinge joint I close the canopy on it. This pops the hinge and keeps the canopy from closing. If the pilot has really been stubborn I pop both hinges and the canopy falls off leaving an open cockpit. Now some pilots might fight with an open cockpit but not anyone sane!

Each of these Mechs had slowed us down. I'm sure the S. Hawk and the Wolverine had both called in so the Snakes knew we were again advancing on them and knowing where their Mechs were they knew where we were. While I wanted to make up some of the time we had lost I didn't want to rush into an ambush. Yet the more time we took, the longer the pirates had to prepare for us.

When we came to another gully joining this one the tracks turned up it. This one headed in a more northerly direction. I reported it and continued. We hadn't moved up it far when the hair on the back of my neck started to itch.

"Paul, I think it's time to get out of this ravine. The sides are close enough for you to jump out, aren't they?"

"Yeah, what's wrong? Neck itching again?" He had seen my 'trouble' bump pay off too many times to say more.

"Yeah."

We jumped to the left hand bank and moved again. We had gone less than a hundred meters when the ravine blew up. It had been mined and they had been set off by missile fire. Someone had seen us turn up the branch but had not seen us jump out. We had only gone a little further when we got orders to hold in place. The Captain was sending us some more help.

Fifteen minutes later we were joined by two Griffins. With LRMs and Peeps they had the range and punch to help a lot in case we ran into trouble. They could help hold off the Mechs until the rest of the Company could arrive.

"You guys keep your MAGs hot, I'm going to IR in case they have some PBIs (Poor Bloody Infantry) out here. Somebody called in those missiles to set off the mine field a while ago." I ordered. I know I'm just an Apprentice Sergeant but as the FO I'm in charge of the support.

Right now I wished we had a Boomer. A Boomerang is a small aircraft that the Davion forces use for their artillery observers. I think I can call more accurate plots than most of them but they can cover a lot of territory in a little time and right now I would like to know where the Snakes were hiding. With some altitude and as quiet as they are I don't think the pirates would even know they were around.

From time to time we would move back over and check the ravine. The tracks were still moving up it. You didn't have to be a legendary scout to be able to track Mechs. Machines that large and that heavy disturbed a lot of dirt and are easy to follow. Even in rocks you could follow them. The large metal feet gouged and scraped the rocks so you just needed to look for the skin marks on the rocks to go in the right direction.

Finally the ravine ended and the tracks moved due north. Reporting the new direction we kept tagging along. The terrain here was rolling with dips and small hills. When the tracks moved up the side of a hill we would skirt around the hill to keep from being sky lined. You can see something for a long ways away against the skyline.

We were well into the new plot board and I had moved the guns once when we finally located the Snakes. Instead of climbing over the hill we had skirted it again when we came on them waiting for us. Several were in shutdown mode while others were waiting. Had we climbed the hill they would have murdered us. I backed up a bit and moved farther to the side. I then worked my way as far forward as I could and hid so that just my head was sticking out and checked the plot against the board. With the coordinates clearly in mind I called in the plot and let the Missile Mechs that were in range know also.

The Artillery had no more than landed than the missiles did too. All of our Mechs must have been in range from the number of missiles that arrived. One of the artillery rounds had landed square in the cockpit of a Dragon. The canopy had been open and the round destroyed the head. Three more BattleMechs were knocked down by the missiles as they were shut down and just standing there. Whoever was supposed to warn them of our arrival hadn't been on the ball, they hadn't picked us up.

That was all of the easy ones. I tried to split the plots between the guns and the missiles but there were too many missiles coming in. Davion was joining in again and there were so many they were getting in each others way. Arms and legs were flying off in all directions. After each missile plot I had to change targets. For them I was calling in the largest things the Snakes had on the field. Artillery knocked down two more but the missiles knocked down five.

The two Grifs stepped forward and started to fire on lame ducks while Simple fired on anything that was in range. It was mass pandemonium! The Snakes didn't know where to go or what to do. They tried to fall back but the guns and missiles followed them. They tried to advance but missiles and Peeps were in front of them. Finally canopies started popping and pilots were climbing down from the cockpits. They just sat down on the feet of their Mechs. Captain Pinky had called them to surrender or be wiped out completely. In all the panic they didn't even know what forces they were facing and their commander took her up on her offer.

We had again taken on forces much larger than us and kicked their butts! With them out of their Mechs my Lance moved in and took their informal surrender. We herded the pilots away from their Mechs and had started to check for wounded and killed pilots and personnel when Captain Pinky and the rest of our Company and the Davion Company arrived. I had over eighty people corralled and under my guns when they arrived. They consisted of pilots, Techs and infantry.

Captain Pinky took great delight in enforcing the capitulation. She had our medics check each person and treat all the wounded as needed starting with the most serious first. With that underway she had the Commander brought forward. He tried to give his formal surrender to the Davion Commander but was referred to Captain Pinky. You could tell by looking that he was dying inside but he capitulated just as he had agreed. He was an ex-Kuritan and they hate, Hate, to deal with females.

We did turn all of the prisoners over to the Davions. They were the hiring agency so they got the prisoners. We just kept track of how many and who they were. Captain Pinky called our Techs and supply people up to join us and we started to make the necessary repairs and reloading for the next encounter. We were hoping to be able to rest for a short while but in combat you rest after all the repairs and rearming is done.

The two Captains looked over the battlefield and divided up the salvage. Maybe to a House Unit the salvage isn't important but it is to us. That's how we grew to the size we are and that's how we increase the size of our Mechs. Another thing that this takes care of is our bonus. When we have Mechs that no longer fill the bill for what we want we sell them. The money is split up and a large portion of it goes into the kitty for our bonus', so salvage is very important to us.

When they were through I moved in to make sure we got our credit. "Captain, did you check the kills for the artillery? They got six and one of them was beautiful. Rachel will hate it but one round landed in the cockpit and blew the head off a Dragon. That should be the only damage done to the Mech. I don't know how you're going to split up the missile kills. I don't know who was shooting and how many of them were ours and how many were Davion. If we're going to work with them any more then we need some kind of procedure for me calling plots. We had a lot of over kills out there. I don't know how you want to handle it."

"Ward, right now I don't want any more problems. Handle it however you want to handle it. Come up with some way to call plots for our Missiles, Artillery and the Davions if they're going to be with us. Get out of here, I got other things to do right now. Six kills for artillery I'll buy, now go!" she said, all but shouting.

That's another of the reasons I don't want to be an officer. You never have any time to yourself. Everyone is coming to you with problems even when you have problems of your own.