Resurgence - Cataclysm Chapter 15
January 11th, 3153
Allied Fleets, New Avalon
0245
Standing on the bridge of the Refuge General Lee looks out upon Lord Death from the Clan Snow Raven Conqueror Naval Star. The obscene brutality of the fighting against the Word of Blake naval fleet was horrendous this evening. Not a sound is being made across the bridge. Men have been rotating out somewhat frequently to handle their responses to the death and destruction.
A star of Snow Raven fighters fly by the Refuge. Nomad and Suns losses are staggering. Thousands of dead from each faction in the fight. Fleet readiness before adding in the allied forces dropped from one hundred percent to thirty-five percent. Once the rest arrive in a couple days, allied readiness will be topping up around seventy percent of the original counts.
Total estimated accounting of Blakist naval losses from first contact brings them down to twenty-five percent, much of that after the arrival of friendlies. Down to two of the original five Warships, both with severe damage. Bringing the Blakists down to one Swordship was not thought possible until the hole torn in space mid battle.
Right now, Snow Raven Battle Armor are capturing and slaughtering the enemies aboard the Swordship that the Admiral Michael Saille impacted and crippled. The Swordship has been swarmed by allied ships and tugs to keep it from finding its way to other Blakist friendlies. As the two ships collided the Swordship’s structure severely warped. Hopefully we can sort out how to kill those things easier and at least learn how they work. Rest in peace Wallner. Such a loss cannot be replaced.
Having spoken with the Lord Death’s Captain it is called a ‘slip tear’ as though tearing open space rather than jumping somewhere else. Apparently enough power was left over after the reinforcements got to New Avalon to get it large enough to fit a single Warship. His mind is having difficulty comprehending such unfathomable technological possibilities.
Turning back to the Refuge’s Captain he asks how the ship is doing.
“She is holding together but, not by much. We have to land on New Avalon and begin repairs. General, if you would like to bring more Battlemech or Battle Armor forces to the surface, now would be a good time. I recommend we land by 0600.”
“Understood Captain, coordinate with the Master Technician for how much we can safely carry and reach out and tell our remaining ships to transport the acceptable number of their mech forces to the Refuge. The mechs were a huge benefit fighting the aerospace fighters but, our ground forces must be in dire straits…”
***
Allied Fleets, New Avalon
0515
“General, we are ready ahead of schedule.” The Refuge’s Captain states aloud.
“Very well, Captain. We have coordinated with the AFFS and secured a landing zone, correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I have brought all the commands up to speed, so we can depart the fleet when the ship is ready.” Replies General Lee.
Immediately the Captain begins issuing orders to the bridge and the Refuge moves toward the planet. The primary ferroglass viewport begins to shift toward the planet. All around there are fighters and service craft moving between the remaining ships of the fleet. The crippled and captured Swordship comes into view. Its immense hull is swarmed with personnel in Battle Armor and space suits to evaluate and record every last detail. Some are searching for weaknesses and others are looking to discover and potentially reproduce advanced tech.
Set to land just to the South of Avalon City and the Davion Palace it will be like a fortress filling in the gap between the spaceport, city, and palace. Escorted by a number of Nomad and Snow Raven fighters the Conquistador dropship enters the atmosphere after passing through immense debris fields.
Passing through the atmosphere is relatively normal, one exception being a hastily repaired armor plate further off the bow of the ship flying off. “Captain?”
“I’m on it sir, appears to have just been some faulty welds, no loss of life, material, or hull integrity.”
With the storm having calmed and beginning to dissipate the clouds are separating and parts of the burning battlefield and well-lit city are visible. Sections of New Avalon and Barrington are still burning with flashes of weapons fire visible in the streets of a mostly dark Barrington. The small formation flies through some gaps in the clouds. Some FedSuns fighters merge in with the formation to allow the others to bank and return to the fleet.
Thrusters activate to slow the descent to the ground. Angling to come in off the ocean and fly West over Albion the seventeen-thousand-ton command dropship is no small challenge to fly. It passes over the main highway travelling South from Avalon City. Below are streams of hovercars travelling and Battlemechs from the AFFS and Nomad Republic on patrol. Up high enough that the thrust plume and downwash isn’t throwing vehicles around like ragdolls the Conquistador flies by overhead.
Passing over a large area of trees and into a flatter grassland area the Conquistador slows to a hover. The powerful thruster downwash pushes the tall grass like waves in an ocean. Crews had been sent to the area earlier this morning to mow down as much of the tall grass as possible but a lot of it is still being burned away in the heat of the plume. Slowly the ship lowers to the ground, extending its landing gear. Great columns of steel emerge from the hull and take on the immense weight as the ship settles into its landing position.
Compartments along the hull open to reveal massive floodlights illuminating hundreds of meters around the ship’s footprint. Bay doors open and ramps reach the ground. Battlemechs, vehicles, and Battle Armor depart from the ship to secure the perimeter. General Lee walks his Victor 10D down to the ground and observes the defensive position being organized. He is being passed by on his left by multiple fast moving mechs moving to their assigned Nav Points. It will be at least a few weeks before the Refuge will be repaired to be reliably space and combat worthy. Still dark out, the sun rests just below the horizon. Once the area appears secure the circling fighters overhead begin to widen their patrol.
The rumbling of dropships can be heard off to the East. General Lee has ordered the redeployment of multiple units to protect the Refuge. Nomad Duat and other dropships arc their trajectory from the spaceport and cover the ground to the Nomad LZ. As the minutes tick by, they turn themselves upright and descend in a circular formation surrounding the Refuge.
As their ramps lower to the ground multiple Ares Superheavies deploy and take up positions between the dropships. What once was a quiet plain has now become a fortress. Large thuds up the ramp of the Refuge catch Lee’s attention as he torso twists his Victor. A pair of Orcas emerge from the hangar and walk to the ground. Taller even than the Ares mechs these two stand guard at the Refuge.
All of the units fuse together to work to establish a secure perimeter. A company of Nomad Battlemechs emerge from the treeline over a kilometer to the South. It is led by Knight Nicodemus Niemeyer. He reports in that the area is clear of Blakists to General Lee. Bringing his company within the perimeter of the Nomad position his Marauder IIC approaches the Refuge and ascends the ramp.
One final roaring sound can be heard as a Leopard lands in the LZ, escorted by a squadron of Balac Strike VTOLs. This is to be Lee’s ride to the Davion Palace to debrief the cataclysmic battle. Once Niemeyer is set up in the Refuge he is placed in command by Lee. After the comms cut off Lee sits back for a second and goes into a thousand-mile stare. Slowly, he inhales a deep breath. We were on the cusp… He then turns his Victor and marches over to the Leopard and boards it.