Resurgence - Cataclysm Chapter 5
January 6th, 3153
Camelot Spaceport, New Avalon (Between Avalon City and NAIS)
0900
Command facilities in the middle of war time are typically fairly busy. However, with the Blakist landings on New Avalon after their unexpected maneuver away from the allied fleets; there is more chaos than normal. Out around the spaceport VTOL and fixed wings fighter commands are constantly exchanging craft as some return for repairs and rearming before launching again for harassing strikes at the invader landing zones. Echoes of propellers and jet engines are consistently bouncing around the complex. Julian Davion, Kitsune Kurita, Lady Joy, Nicodemus Niemeyer, Siobhan Sortek, Sebastien Caeden, and Raul Ortega are among those present as they watch both AFFS and local news feeds of the enemy landings.
Screens on the walls around the Command bunker show hundreds of dropships touching down with hundreds of aerospace fighters and other small craft escorting them at multiple sites. Dead silence hangs in the air between all the leaders present. One tactical map shows a major landing site in the river basin between the Thames and Cris Rivers to the Northwest of Avalon City on Albion. There are other landing sites at Ranford and the Ronde Tableau.
Another screen shows landing clusters on Brunswick around Winchester specifically but, also in locations closer to the other cities. Novais and Brunswick City appear to be targets based on nearby landing zones. Some silver lining appears to show no interest in the continent of Rostock or island chain of New Hebrides.
“This just in, the city of Winchester! Under attack!” shouts a female voice from one of the planetary news networks on a smaller screen, a live feed showing her with some of the city behind her. Her face shows fear, her already pale skin white as a ghost. She shrieks as the window blows in from an explosion outside the building.
“Get that on the main screen!” shouts the Marshal to one of the staff.
All eyes drift to larger screen as the feed loads. The network design for “New Avalon New Daily” slowly rotates in the bottom left corner. Having clearly fallen to the floor, the camera lays on its side. “Comon Thomas, stand up, we have to show the First Prince, or anyone in the AFFS!” the woman’s voice can be heard off screen. A man’s groan is audible as the camera slides a couple inches, then lifts off the ground.
He re-centers it on the woman who is now bleeding bright red blood from multiple slices in her skin from her face to her neck and even arms. Her green, sleeveless business dress is torn from the force of the glass slicing through the air and she even has some blood starting to run from her ears. “This is News Anchor Vicky Trombley… with New Avalon News Daily.” She stops for a second, gasping, “We are on the sixth floor, behind me you can see the carnage…” flames rise from the streets below.
Behind her an entire building is nothing but rubble, flames whipping up. As the camera pans while she talks flights of aerospace fighters are bombing different parts of the city. “First Prince, Prince’s Champion, AFFS, even Nomad Republic, the Blakists are here and we need your aid!” she cries out passionately, tears starting to run her makeup and mixing with wet blood. She pauses briefly.
The screen begins to get a little fuzzy as she lifts her arm up, looking it over, “Why is my hair standing on end?” she asks aloud. Her red hair in a ponytail has long strands rising into the air. A hum slowly gets louder and louder. In the split second as she turns and looks out the window and up in the air, the occupants of the Command Bunker gasp. They all know what is coming.
Vicky screams as a beam of energy slams into the ground just three blocks away. She dives to the floor but, the cameraman holds his resolve, keeping the camera pointed at the powerful blast of energy, although shaking and making sounds of anguish. Clouds of debris go down each of the streets like waves. Nearby skyrises start to glow red hot. Their outer walls start glowing brighter and brighter and begin to melt. A surge of scalding hot air slams into the cameraman, causing the camera to point up for a second. His voice in pain gives the viewers a jarring understanding of what is happening.
When it lowers back down, the beam of energy ends, leaving a crater. Part of the screen is blurred as some of the camera lens began to warp from the heat. The buildings next to the crater are glowing red and white. Slowly three buildings over ten stories high begin bending at extreme angles, then topple into the crater. “Vicky, you good?!” viewers can hear cameraman Thomas ask, his voice clearly sounding like he is in pain.
“I got burned on my arm, covering my face.” She says.
“Me too, they are still firing…” Thomas trails off as he continues recording beams of energy bombarding the city.
“Ok, mute that screen.” States Julian Davion as he stands. All eyes are on him as they realize that hundreds and thousands of people are being slaughtered in Winchester. “They are dying, right now. We barely have enough personnel between two nations to mount a defense against this SINGLE Corridor Formation, and ONLY in regions we have established defenses…”
Julian is clearly distraught; he puts his palms to his forehead and runs his hands up and back through his hair. “Siobhan, Sebastien, do you know how many evacuated from Winchester when we warned them? In fact, how many evacuated to within the defensive line I drew around the continents while on Refuge?” he asks, standing and staring at a map of New Avalon on the holotable. It is being updated with real time location data for the larger unit formations on both sides.
Both Siobhan and Sebastien look at each other, hesitant. “First Prince,” Siobhan begins, “only 40% of the civilians began moving, the bulk clogged up various roadways the last two days as the Blakists entered the system. It seems like this was the same response that the Nomads got on Abbeville. People did not believe the Blakists were actually back. Perhaps after retaking New Avalon from the Combine some of the populace feels invincible.” Julian grimaces as she says the number ‘forty’.
“Those are my findings as well,” Adds Sebastien. “60% of those in the Unsecured Zones are still out there.”
Through gritted teeth Julian asks… “The number… what is the number…”
“One billion, thirty-seven million, five hundred twenty thousand estimated.” Siobhan states.
Julian places both hands on the edge of the holotable feeling the weight of so many lives outside the area he could even hope to defend. Just now and continuing, thousands are being slaughtered. That kind of weight… a leader that cares for his people will never be able to let go of. Especially in a situation like this where his nation has been so run down that even with help it all seems hopeless.
“We have to do what we can.” Julian states with resolve, pushing himself up from the holotable. He turns to face the group and opens his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by another screen with more screams. Everyone looks at it as Julian points to a staffer and lifts his finger multiple times to bring it to the main screen.
“The animals! What is going on!” someone is yelling. the screen shows a crowd, the cameraman clearly pushing through a group of people. The Command staff watches intently as the camera pans to the river moving by. It is covered with corpses of wild animals and fish. Red streaks of blood lace in between the wild animals and on their fur. The water is normally crystal clear and blue, now it is a sickly green and carrying death.
Another shriek causes the cameraman to pan the camera around to a nearby water fountain to show a woman writhing on the ground. “What the hell is going on?!” a bystander shouts. Multiple people in the crowd begin screaming as she begins spitting up blood and flailing.
“Someone call the paramedics!” a bystander screams.
Panning to a woman holding a microphone, “This is Reporter Ava Malkos, we are on the South side of Avalon City, the river has turned a putrid green with thousands of dead animals and fish floating in it. Someone here just collapsed after drinking from a water fountain, it looks like someone else just drank for a water fountain further away and collapsed! Everyone pass it down, the water is poisoned!” she turns and screams at the people to her left and right to repeat and send the warning.
Returning to the camera she begins to speak, the sounds of sirens in the distance, “Everyone, only drink water in containers! Do not panic buy so everyone can get water! If you didn’t believe it before, the Word of Blake is really here! First Prince! We need you!”
“Dammit! Everyone up!” Julian shouts, rising to his full height. He points and starts issuing orders, “Knight Ortega, get mounted up and haul ass up the highway, get to Avalon City.” Raul gives a solid nod and runs out of the bunker, radioing his reaction force. “Marshal Guerra, get the highway cleared for them. I want a wing of Tonbos in the air yesterday!”
“Yes, sir!” the Marshal yells as he gets on the comms.
“Myself, Joy, Sortek, Kurita, we are getting air lifted to New Avalon with the Tonbos. Sortek, gather one more lance and Lady Joy, two lances of Nomads are coming with us.” Joy and Sortek step away and begin ordering Mechwarriors to power up their Battlemechs. Julian then points to Nicodemus Niemeyer, “I need you to take command of the Nomads here.”
“Consider it done, First Prince, we will earn our keep.” He states as he moves to leave the bunker, running straight for his Marauder IIC, Swan.
Julian looks to Sebastien Caeden, “You need to find out if the water facilities are compromised on the rivers. They landed between the Thames and Cris. Maybe we can still keep the Albion River drinkable. They won’t be poisoning upstream so they can use that for themselves.”
“Roger that sir.” Sebastien salutes, then leaves the bunker.
As can be seen through the open bunker hatch, a number of mechs run by with hovercraft hot on their tails. Multiple other mech and vehicle powerups can be heard as well. The thunder of Tonbo rotors is echoing in from elsewhere in the spaceport. The threat of the Word of Blake is becoming more and more real by the second.
Julian looks at Guerra again, “Marshal, I will need updates. Get forces to the Albion water facility, keep track of the Blakists that landed in the Ronde Tableau so they don’t crush the NAIS. Let Marshal Braun know I am en route with reinforcements. Other than that, you have everything South of Avalon City, Godspeed Marshal.”
“I will let him know, our observers are tracking movement formations toward Avalon City and around the Tableau. Godspeed to you as well, First Prince. Let’s slaughter these bastards.” The Marshal salutes and turns back to his workstation activating units and increasing their alert levels.
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“Let’s move, ladies and gents.” Julian states after he returns the Marshal’s salute, he turns and heads to the door. Outside are multiple mechs. His own Maraduer II, Joy’s Doloire, Kitsune’s Prometheus, and Siobhan’s Victor. All four Mechwarriors scale their war machines and power them up. Each one’s myomer muscles fill with energy from the fusion reactor at the core of the mech.
The Battlemechs called up by Joy and Siobhan are already moving to their positions on the tarmac. An LZ had already been established for such a task as using Tonbo Superheavy Transports in a hurry. One by one, the Tonbos begin lowering down to attach to the sixteen mechs that would make up the four lances. Then there are the two extra transports for Siobhan and Kitsune for a total of eighteen.
“Lady Joy, any chance you can redeploy a couple of Ares mechs to Avalon City?” Julian asks over the Command comms.
“Certainly, First Prince.” She responds.
“Thank you for accompanying us, both of you, Kitsune too. You two here at the start of this? It will be good for morale in both our militaries and the public.” Julian adds.
“I understand your perspective First Prince, this is not where the fight will be, they want Avalon City. We would have asked to come along if you had not been open that you needed us to.” Joy reassures him that he did not overstep any bounds earlier with his orders.
Siobhan chimes in, “I would expect no less from the two of you, you are heroes among your people.” She pauses as a couple of Tonbos lift off, “Looks like we are up!”
Julian’s Marauder II steps forward, one thunderous footstep lands, then another. Next, the Doloire, Victor, and Dire Wolf all step forward and spread out to the markings on the tarmac. Each Mechwarrior can hear the thunder of the propellers and support thrusters. Joy looks up at the belly of the massive hauler as the arms move slowly and purposefully around her Doloire. The lift arms lock into place around the mech’s waist and under the arms.
She can feel some rumbling through her mech and sees the gusts of wind as the hauler begins to lift off. Looking to her side she can see Siobhan’s Victor is already airborne and climbing to the altitude they need to reach before the Tonbos can attempt horizontal movement safely over the tarmac. Each of the Victor’s arms hang down slightly with the feet pointing downward.
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“Tonbo Wing Delta, thanks for the ride, I’m sure you are aware of it by now. The Blakists have begun attacking civilian targets on the planet. We need you to get us to Avalon City and fast.” Julian pauses for a second as a Duat dropship with the Nomad Republic emblem, just outside the spaceport wall, ignites its engines. It sends out flames and dust clouds all around it. He begins talking again in such a way that the Tonbo pilots can tell he is smiling. “As I was saying, we need to move fast… Let’s see if these Balac escorts can keep up with us?”
“Affirmative, Blacksmith One, it is our honor to have you along for the ride, solid copy on no scenic route today.” Responds Delta Lead.
Echoes of the rotors bounce off the walls and dropships both within and outside of the spaceport. Flying out of the spaceport they can see Niemeyer’s Marauder IIC leading a company sized formation South to recon in force between the spaceport and the NAIS. Two other scout lances move out to the West and into a tree line. So far, the cadets had set up solid layers of defenses and battle lines at the University alongside the security battalions. But, it is smart to keep roving units on the move in case the Blakists try to sneak around to strike.
As the Tonbos begin moving over the spaceport and turn to follow the highway, they can spot Knight Ortega’s formation ahead, pulling away at over one hundred kph. Two squadrons of Balac Strike VTOLs join the Tonbo formation. By now, the Duat dropship is airborne and on its way to Avalon City leaving behind its long trail of smoke. Julian thinks to himself as he brings up maps and data on his HUD. We can do this, just one fight at a time.