Kore, The Periphery
11 April 3060
The sensors screamed a warning as the missiles arced in. Sturm Kintaro pulled hard on the control stick, spinning his 'Mech as quickly as possible into an evasive turn while trying to maintain top speed across the icy terrain. The 50-ton Centurion's servos whined as its internal gyroscope fought to keep it upright through the maneuver. The missiles roared past with barely a meter of distance to spare, impacting on the ground nearby and sending up a cloud of dirt, snow, and pulverized rock. Sturm fought against the shockwave of the near miss and managed to keep the 'Mech upright, spinning toward the new attacker.
He used the dust and dirt kicked up by the missile attack as cover and quickly took stock of the newcomer. It was a Clan 'Mech, of course, an Uller, named for the Norse god of archery. This particular Uller looked like one of the Clan's alternate configurations, equipped with Long Range Missile packs . The enemy 'Mech was a hunched, crablike design rather than the sleek humanoid form of the Centurion.
At 30 tons, the Uller was smaller than Sturm's Centurion, but it was faster and more maneuverable. Its missile packs also provided it with the advantage at longer range. The Centurion was armed with an autocannon and a single LRM 10-pack. If Sturm kept his distance from the Uller, he would probably get pounded into scrap by missile volleys while the faster 'Mech evaded his attacks. He decided to close the distance in order to put his 'Mech's superior size and close-range firepower to work.
All this happened in an instant of recognition. Battle-trained reflexes took over and, a split-second after spotting the Uller on his screen, Sturm was slamming the control stick forward, the Centurion accelerating toward the enemy 'Mech at near top speed, almost 60 kilometers per hour across the frozen tundra.
Sturm's thumb triggered the Centurion's own LRMs as he closed in, sending a volley of missiles trailing white smoke screaming out from his 'Mech's chest toward the Uller. As he expected, the Uller's pilot moved the 'Mech quickly enough to get out of the way of the incoming missiles: Inner Sphere missile systems were often unguided, and relied far more on skill and luck than electronics to hit their target.
Sturm took advantage of the frozen ground, covered in a white blanket of snow that was rapidly churned into gray-brown muck by the pounding tread of the metal giants. There was a danger of slipping and losing traction on the icy ground, but this time, Sturm was counting on just that. Fighting to keep control of the joystick and relying on his 'Mech's gyroscopic stabilizers, he slid the last of the remaining distance between the Centurion and the Uller like a ball player sliding into home plate. It was a maneuver intended to catch the Uller pilot off-guard, and it worked.
The Centurion's legs collided with the Uller's left leg with a shriek of protesting metal and the crash of armor. Flashing red lights on the damage display indicated some minor damage to the Centurion's leg armor, but no significant damage to its internal systems. The steel-titanium alloy skeleton of the giant war machine was stable. The Uller, on the other hand, flailed its arms in a very human, almost comical, gesture before falling over with a thunderous crash, muffled by the sound systems inside the Centurion's cockpit.
Sturm didn't waste any time enjoying the sight of the Uller lying on its back, like a turtle flipped over by a mischievous boy. He gripped the controls tightly and maneuvered the Centurion into a firing position as quickly as possible, bringing the humanoid 'Mech back up on one knee so he could bring its weapons to bear. The Uller pilot fought to do the same with his own 'Mech, but non-humanoid 'Mechs often had trouble righting themselves from a prone position.
The Uller pilot brought up his 'Mech's right arm, trying to bring its LRM pack to bear on the Centurion. Sturm grinned savagely. LRMs were notoriously inaccurate at such close range, and the enemy MechWarrior would be lucky to hit the broad side of a planet.
The LRMs roared and streaked toward the Centurion on trails of fire. Several of the missiles slammed into the 'Mech's left arm and torso. Warning indicators screamed of damage to the Centurion's own missile system. The firing mechanism was badly damaged and off-line. Damn!
Sturm growled a curse and raised his 'Mech's right arm, bringing the heavy Luxor-series autocannon to bear on the Uller's underside. With his other hand he trained the floating crosshairs of the Centurion's medium laser over the center of the enemy 'Mech. He punched down hard on the firing buttons.
A dull roaring filled the cockpit as the autocannon spat fire and a stream of heavy 80mm shells that shredded and tore the composite armor of the Uller. At the same time, a lance of emerald light blazed from the medium laser, vaporizing armor in clouds of superheated smoke, cutting into the Uller's vital internal systems.
A bright light blossomed in the depths of the Uller as Sturm's laser found the other 'Mech's fusion reactor. Sturm pulled the Centurion to its feet and backed away as quickly as possible as the Uller's damaged reactor began to go super-critical. There was a dull wumph from the damaged 'Mech as the pilot attempted to bail out. Sturm couldn't tell from his position whether the enemy pilot was able to eject from the crippled 'Mech or not. The Uller flared up like a miniature sun and its reactor melted its internal systems, leaving only a blackened hole and molten slag as it began to dim and fade.
But Sturm didn't get a chance to enjoy his victory. Just as he checked the Centurion's damage and began to sweep the battlefield for signs of other enemy 'Mechs, he got one. The sensors barely had time to shriek a warning before a flight of missiles slammed into the Centurion. The damage display lit up with indications of damage along the 'Mech's right side, armor blown away by the impact. The missile volley was followed by twin crimson lances as lasers seared and melted armor off the Centurion's torso and arm. Sturm spun toward his new adversary, bringing all his available weapons to bear, and froze.
It was a Mad Cat, one of the deadliest Clan 'Mechs in existence. At 75 tons of state-of-the-art weapons and armor, it outweighed the medium Centurion by fifty percent. It had a hunched-over, crablike design similar to the Uller, but far more ominous. The Mad Cat packed heavy and medium lasers in each of its clublike arms, a long-range missile rack on each shoulder, and a row of heavy machine guns under its long, pointed "chin." Its wide, splay-footed legs pawed at the frozen ground, almost like a predatory bird.
Sturm hesitated only an instant before letting loose at the Mad Cat with everything he had. The Centurion's autocannon roared and its medium laser lanced out. Autocannon shells smashed against heavy ferro-fiberous composite armor, and the laser left a blackened scar along the Mad Cat's right leg, but the heavier 'Mech kept on coming, walking forward and firing its own weapons. The Centurion tried to move, but too late.
Damn it! Sturm thought, not only is that thing bigger than me, it's faster, too. The Mad Cat's ruby lasers slashed across the Centurion like red-hot blades, slicing away chunks of armor and laying bare myomer muscle and delicate internal structures. Another volley of missiles screamed in and slammed into the 'Mech's leg, sending red indicators flaring to proclaim the loss of vital armor in that area. The damage wasn't critical...yet, but there was no doubt that the Centurion couldn't take much more of that kind of pounding.
The cockpit of the Centurion was stifling and Sturm's body-clad only in boots, shorts, and a coolant vest-was drenched in sweat, making the control slick under his hands. He pressed his head forward slightly against the inside his neurohelmet and quickly considered his options.
Thing is, he thought, if I turn my back on this guy I'm definitely a dead man. The Centurion was one of the few 'Mechs that mounted rear-firing weapons , but Sturm seriously doubted that a single medium laser would do any significant damage to the Mad Cat. In the meantime, the other 'Mech's weapons could cut through his light back armor in an instant and make hash of its internal systems, much like Sturm did to the Uller just moments before. He also couldn't back away from the Mad Cat, not on such treacherous ground with the Mad Cat moving as quickly as it was. He immediately decided that his only chance was to try and outflank the bigger 'Mech; do an end run around it and run like hell before the Mad Cat could recoup enough to wipe him out.
Sturm dodged his 'Mech to the left as another volley of missile fire came in, missing him narrowly. He gritted his teeth and slammed the control stick forward, pushing the Centurion up to top speed as he ran almost directly toward the Mad Cat on a zigzag path intended to give him the most chance of avoiding any incoming attacks. The Mad Cat pilot never even wavered at the sight of the 50-ton Centurion rushing at him, continuing forward in the same almost casual gait.
Sturm triggered the Centurion's autocannon, stitching a line of fire along the Mad Cat's left leg and torso as he charged forward, evading the incoming missiles and laser fire. A medium laser cut across his already damaged left torso, and the damage schematic indicated some internal structural damage.
"C'mon, baby, hang together," Sturm muttered under his breath as the Mad Cat swelled in his viewscreen and the distance indicator on his heads-up display dwindled. Damn, but it was big. Only a few more meters...
As the Centurion neared the giant Clan war machine, Sturm shifted the control stick hard to the left and changed direction. Almost like a bullfighter waving his cape, the Mad Cat swiveled its torso and swung one of its massive arms like a club. Sturm saw it move, but he couldn't react fast enough to do anything about it. The giant metallic arm filled his entire viewscreen as it rushed it toward him.
There was a deafening "CLANG!" that shook the cockpit as the impact sent the Centurion tumbling out of control. Sturm fought the controls to keep it upright, but gravity held the fifty tons of BattleMech in its relentless grip, and the Centurion toppled over onto the ground, like a punch-drunk prize fighter. Sturm got the wind knocked out of him as the cockpit rattled, its shock-absorption systems strained to their utmost.
Still, Sturm wasn't going to give up. Almost by reflex he threw the Centurion into a roll to the side, trying to avoid the strike he knew was coming next. Instead of swinging its other arm, however, the Mad Cat kicked with its clawed foot instead. The impact boomed through the cockpit as the kick smashed armor and internal systems, lighting up flashing indicators on the damage display. As Sturm tried to bring his autocannon to bear on his enemy, he looked up at the viewscreen and saw the Mad Cat point its massive arms downward toward his 'Mech. As he grabbed for the controls, a hellish red light filled the screen, the heat in the cabin skyrocketed, then everything went dark.