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Chapter 3 – Onward Victoria

DropShip Wounding Pride
Iscan Plains, Victoria
Federated Suns
2 March 3055

The first indication of trouble came shortly after the jumpships emerged from hyperspace.  A small defence station had been deployed near the jumppoint, and its computers had waited just long enough for the flotilla’s sails to deploy before firing a spread of missiles.  The massive jumpships took little damage, but several sails were destroyed, effectively stranding half the transportation assets of Delta Galaxy.

Things continued to get worse as waves of fighters and dropships harassed the Jaguar dropships on their run in to Victoria.  Disaster struck when the Overlord-C carrying the 3rd Assault Cluster was destroyed.  To lose an entire cluster before even reaching the ground created serious gaps in the assault plan.  Galaxy Commander Mendoza hastily reassigned several trinaries during the embattled voyage; Cassandra’s being one of them.  Her trinary would act independently and harry the enemy wherever they were found.

Waiting in her ‘Mech for deployment Cassandra both heard and felt the impact that crippled her dropship.  She felt a sharp dip to the left and then a shattering impact.  Her Ebon Jaguar broke free of its restraints and was catapulted out the huge rent that opened up in the bulkhead.  Her five-point restraints held, leaving her shaken and upside down but uninjured.

Working her controls Cassandra righted her Ebon Jaguar and quickly scanned the area.  “Trinary, sound off!” she bellowed into her neuro-helmet mic.  Her warriors all acknowledged her, though several ‘Mechs were either inoperable or trapped in the hulk of the dropship, leaving her with a binary of troops.  “Aven, take the rest of the star and scout left.  Jasika, take the right.  I will remain here while our comrades extricate themselves.”

A sudden screech from her threat computer warned of incoming artillery.  Cluster munitions rained down on her scattering forces.  A shell landed nearby, the explosion catching her and destroying her gauss rifle.  “Savashri!  Triangulate that fire!  Advance and destroy!”  Her forces surged forward, eager to strike at such cowardly foes.

Rocketing forward at her top speed, Cassandra watched as a Stormcrow shattered its legs in a minefield, the legless machine plowing into the ground and skidding before setting off another mine that appeared to gut the cockpit.  Another warrior lost to dishonourable attack.  Cassandra snarled and crested the ridge that shielded the enemy.

A quick scan revealed approximately a company of artillery as well as two lances of defending ‘Mechs.  It would be a tight fight.  She targeted a Davion Centurion and unleashed a full barrage of lasers and missiles.  The Davion machine quaked under the impact and lost several tons of armour, but it was still in the fight.  It returned fire, its autocannon chewing into her already damaged armour, trying to capitalize on the hole where her arm had been.  Cassandra waited for her missiles to reload and fired another full spread.  The explosions knocked the Davion back, the machine crashing heavily to the ground.  She marched up and pumped a burst of lasers into the cockpit before turning her attention to new targets.

An already wounded Hunchback hove into view and she put it down hard, an alpha strike of her remaining weapons gutting the torso of the ‘Mech.  A pair of Jenners ganged up on her next, their medium lasers savaging her armour and baring the internal structure of her left leg.  Splitting her fire, Cassandra drove the pair of Davions away.

Having now burst past the guardian ‘Mechs, Cassandra had free reign amongst the artillery vehicles.  The drivers were desperately trying to extricate their vehicles, but they were far too slow.  Cassandra managed to disable or destroy several of them before a new wave of ‘Mechs showed up.

Cassandra was alerted to their presence by the combined PPC fire of a Warhammer and Marauder.  Her scans revealed that these were vintage machines still sporting single heat sinks, but the damage they could inflict was not to be discounted.  She limped her machine forward and targeted the Warhammer first, her gauss rifle handily destroying the SRM launcher on its shoulder.
The combined return fire pounded her Ebon Jaguar, her display flashing so much damage that she was unsure how she had survived.  Her left leg was now totally disabled, effectively pinning her in place, and her weapon systems were more memory than fact.  She watched the pair of Davions approach then checked her display.  She had one shot each with her SRM’s and autocannon.  Loathe to die, she gambled and fired at the Warhammer.  The Spheroid machine wobbled but continued advancing.  PPC fire lashed her ‘Mech again and she felt the engine hitch before the computer ejected her.

Drifting down to the ground, she saw her ‘Mech crumple and the Davion ‘Mechs turn to look for other targets.  As she landed she vowed that she would get back into the fight no matter what.