Resurgence - Cataclysm Chapter 7
January 6th, 3153
Barrington Defensive Line, New Avalon
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Marshal Allen Braun in command of the defenses around Avalon City, the Palace, and Mount Davion began shifting forces the second they had visual on the landing dropship fleet. Attempting to create a battle line from the North side of the Grand Avalon Mountains across the West side of Barrington was his goal. This would force the Blakists to try to cross the Cris River, cross it further upstream, or hot drop in. The Blakists chose to do all of it.
To the Marshal it seems like both sides are under the same impression, we are watching each other like hawks so move in force. At the first sign of aircraft movement in the Blakist LZ the call went out to the fleets overhead and the airstrips near Avalon City. In a chaotic mess the skies have become a bloodbath of raining down wreckage and stray weapons fire as the roars of the powerful aerospace engines echo through buildings and trees.
On the ground, the Blakists have charged full on into the lines of the Davion and Nomad Forces. The Davion Assault Guards and the Dawn Guards break the wave of Blakist mechs in the water of the Cris River.
“Strong Actual, this is Blacksmith One, come in…” Julian calls over the Command comms to Marshal Braun. Now that they are in the thick of it, time for the callsigns.
“Blacksmith One, great to have you, we need the support!” the Marshal says in return excitedly. “I have four drop points we can use your reinforcements at. The Duat has already touched down just behind the battle lines. That Captain is crazy, his ship is supporting the front line! He’s raining down hell on the forces crossing the river and shooting at any enemy aerospace!”
“I’m sure you liked the contents of the mad Captain?” Julian states, grinning as he looks over the various positions his HUD just received as Nav Points. The Tonbo formation is going to be entering the Barrington city limits soon. Julian can see the sky above the city filled with black dots and all the colors imaginable from the weapons fire.
“Yes indeed, Blakist blood fills the waters, Blacksmith One. Be aware of C3 networks and VDNI pilots, looks like more than the Manei Domini got those upgrades! Take your pick of LZ, see you on the ground! Strong Actual out!”
***
“This is Combat Cameraman Jacob Hayes, transmitting for New Avalon News Daily.” He says to the screen with the chattering of weapons fire and hums of lasers going off all around him while he leans back against a concrete barrier. “We are going to keep the viewers up to speed as the Blakists assault the defensive position at Barrington.” He points upward to the cameraman.
Lifting above the height of the barrier, the camera reveals the carnage. Blakists Battlemechs are wading through the water just a couple hundred meters ahead. A Sunder is spraying lasers among multiple Federated Suns mechs – an Argus and Centurion. Moving up beside the Sunder is a Legacy, the pair of Autocannons on its shoulders roar as the rounds tear into Federated Suns Battlemechs.
Aerospace fighters streak by overhead, some chased by Spectral fighters, some chasing Spectral fighters. A pair flies low toward the city, about to pass the camera. The Rondel in pursuit causes critical damage to the Rusalka as flames and smoke begin trailing. This damage causes it to lose control. As it passes by the camera overhead explosions and shattered glass can be heard from the sixty-five-ton craft slamming into a building out of sight.
“Watch out! To the right!” Jacob shouts. Wind starts kicking up from that direction as more devastating sounding weapons begin firing. Jacob is clearly covering his eyes as the camera is shaking from the gusts of wind. Fighting through it, the cameraman points the device towards the source of a massive Duat dropship landing just a hundred meters away. Gauss Rifles, Lasers, and Missiles are spraying downward into the Blakists crossing the water.
Voices around the camera of soldiers can all be heard shouting and hollering in celebration as the huge ship is landing. Taking in the massive vessel from the defensive fortification, the camera watches it and pans to the pair of symbols on the side of it, the old Republic of the Sphere emblem next to the Nomad Republic symbol. “Even to this day, these allies prove to stand by their friends! Part of this defensive position includes the Dawn Guards, who are Republic troops that came to the aid of our First Prince in retaking New Avalon! I suspect morale is through the roof, these Blakists won’t know what hit them!” Jacob narrates as the landing gear makes contact with the ground, digging in.
Quickly, the bay doors open behind it, providing two egress points. Panning back to the river the Blakist Sunder is face down in the water and the Legacy is toppled onto its side, both mechs cored from the Gauss and Laser fire of the Duat. Sounds of giant footsteps cause the camera to refocus on the Duat deployment. Out of the bay doors run out two full lances of Battlemechs. A Malice comes around the side of the ship and immediately begins cycling its LB10X Autocannons. Another Malice takes position behind the Duat and tilts backward, all four cannons aiming at the sky, acting as a flak cannon against enemy aerospace.
A Prefect and Helios break to the far side of the Duat and out of sight behind it. Then, from the nearest bay door, a much larger foot slams down, followed by another, then a third… A Colossal class Ares Battlemech begins descending and lumbering closer to the camera as it comes around the Duat. “An Ares…” Jacob says aloud as he stares, the microphone picking it up.
“Hell Yeah! Hammer them Hephaestus!” came a voice off camera.
“O right,” Jacob says to himself, getting himself back to reporting from being in awe, “Those listening elsewhere, a Nomad Duat has just deployed one… No! Make that two Ares mechs here at Barrington’s river battle!” A second Ares emerges and moves to the far side of the Duat. This one has a massive chaingun, a rotary autocannon on the left arm that is audibly firing a huge volume of rounds into the waves of Blakist Battlemechs in the water. However, their advance has slowed dramatically.
“Viewers, like that, it appears this portion of the battlefield is just about clear of Blakists!” Jacob celebrates with the other soldiers high-fiving. Panning back to the river, it is a wild mess as Federated Suns, Nomads, and Dawn Guards are firing at the few remaining Blakists that are backpedaling. The water is sloshing wildly as weapons fire is hitting it and the huge machines move through.
Overhead, more Blakist Spectrals are at it. A full Level II is being tracked by the cameraman as they blast two Federated Suns aerospace fighters to pieces and continue on away from the camera. “You can see now that a Level II of Spectral series fighters are plaguing the air above us. Hopefully they keep flying North and don’t come back.”
“Watch out, they are coming about!” shouts one of the troopers.
The camera watches the Level II turn as they reapproach the area and they begin to climb in altitude. “Get ready for a strafing run!” shouts a trooper.
Instead though, the bottom of the lead Striga opens and releases an object. “Guys, is that a bomb?” Jacob asks.
“Shit! Shit! Shit! Take cover!” comes from off the screen. The camera watches the small black object fall from the sky as voices are heard in the background trying to secure the position.
A few seconds later the bomb explodes over the water with a bright flash. It was almost on the other side of the Duat. The camera screen goes white. All sound disappears and all that is left is a static, fuzz sound. Seconds tick by with some groans off the screen. A few coughs later and the camera begins to shift slightly. “View…View… Viewers at home… *cough* It looks like a substantial bomb just went off.” We can hear Jacob’s voice.
“My cameraman is not responding…” he says as the camera is lifted from off screen, “Take a look at the Blakist carnage… it is so eerily quiet…” he says through his consistent heavy breathing and coughing. Ahead is turbulent waters and the ground has been cleared of a significant number of plants as well as thrown cars and mechs strewn about.
Still functional and firing some weapons, the Duat has sustained significant damage with armor glowing red hot and warped panels all over the impacted side. Turning toward the city, multiple buildings have severe damage, one tower even fell over into the city. Panning to the newly deployed troops at the base of the Duat, one of the Malices is laying on its side with the guns bent and pointing in multiple directions.
“O thank goodness the Ares is still standing…” Jacob mumbles. The Hephaestus is still moving but, barely. One of the three legs appears to be stiff as the machine backs up slowly. Watching the Ares both of its arms point upward towards the airspace above the river, its green lasers firing off into the air. Jacob jerks the camera to face in that general direction as six low flying Leopards approach. “No!” Jacob gasps.
An alpha strike from the Hephaestus tears into one of the Leopards followed by weapons fire from the remaining Duat guns and other defenders still functioning in the area. All of the Leopards return fire and rain down on the allied forces. They slow their approach, the roar of their engines above the camera. Bay doors open to allow Battlemechs and Battle Armor to start jumping down with their jump jets or descent boosters.
Firing wildly, the Hephaestus is a magnet for enemy fire, taking hit after hit. The Duat is being torn into as well, one by one, its remaining powerful weapons being taken offline, one of the gauss rifles exploding. Seeming to lead the charge a Legacy lands almost directly in front of the camera, shaking it and the cameraman. It turns to the Ares and opens fire with the deafening ultra-autocannons roaring. A Gallant, Lightray, and Osprey also gang up on the tripod, tearing it to shreds. Armor and components are shredded off of it as it finally topples over, collapsing and shutting down.
The mechs turn and move to enter the city. Dozens of other mechs and Battle Armor are landing all around the cameraman’s position and moving past him into the city. Multiple other Level IIs of Leopards fly over the treeline at different distances after similar flashes further up and down the river. “No… It can’t be…” Jacob says to himself and is picked up by the microphone. He leaves the camera pointed at the collapsed Ares. The Duat’s guns have gone silent as well.
A shadow comes over the camera and it quickly jumps up to see what made the shadow. Above Jacob and the camera stands a Se'irim Battle Armor, looking at him. The horrifying, emotionless face of a skull with horns looks down on him. “Wait!” he shouts as it just stares at him. “Wait! I am just a combat cameraman!” In the blink of an eye the trooper throws his left arm forward toward and under the camera.
The audio picks up gurgling and sounds of excruciating pain from Jacob. The trooper yanks its arm back, now covered in bright red blood and chunks of flesh. Jacob and the camera collapse to the floor, the camera lands sideways, pointing towards the Se'irim. It raises its right arm and aims the recoilless rifle at the camera. Almost like the Blakist waited for the now dead cameraman’s blood to run on the ground in front of the camera, it shoots the camera, sending the live feed dark.
***
“Strong Actual, this is Blacksmith One, come in!” shouts Julian Davion for the fourth time over the command channel. Switching over to the Tonbo formation, “Delta Lead, divert to phase line Bravo, bring us down at the edge of the Palace grounds.”
“Affirmative Blacksmith One, Delta wing diverting now.” Delta formation has been flying over Avalon City for a few minutes now. He realized there is a big problem when he started seeing the flashes in the distance and the Leopard dropships making runs on Barrington. The Tonbos all turn to the port side and bring the Davion Palace into their sights. Even from this distance, it is obvious that the compound is substantially more fortified than normal. Just a kilometer from phaseline Bravo, which may as well be part of the phase line, reinforcement will be quick, even for the heavier mechs.
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“Blacksmith One, Delta Lead, this is Rocker One, we are pushing ahead of the formation to create a blocking position, out.” Came the lead Balac pilot.
“Solid copy, Rocker One.” Julian responds. He can see the Balacs all circle around the Tonbos and take position between the formation and Barrington. Flying along the edge of Barrington, the First Prince can see the formations of his troops ready to engage the Blakists ransacking the other side of the city. Artillery positions have been set up further toward Avalon City. Part of the strategic planning includes recognizing that the Davion Palace and Mount Davion would be excellent anchor points where forces can tactically retreat and essentially get on line with Phaseline Charlie should Bravo collapse.
Below them, the soldiers of Phase Line Bravo are showing signs of excitement seeing the Tonbo formation. Both Julian’s Marauder II and Former First Prince Victor Davion’s Prometheus are going to be right there when the Blakists push out of the city. Multiple Battlemechs such as Atlases and Vulpes raise their fists as the wave of choppers fly over and along the defensive line. It is set about 200 meters outside the main city’s edge. This will give the artillery a chance to strike without devastating the main portion of the city or their own people.
“Blacksmith One, this is Bravo Shiv, over.” Siobhan radios for Julian.
“Send it for Blacksmith One.”
“No sign of movement at the Jeratha water facility, additional reinforcements have arrived. We have also reinforced the water control center so we can keep the poisoned water going South around Avalon City. Outside of that, we have lost Phaseline Alpha, over.”
The Tonbo formation approaches the palace, the perimeter walls have Battlemechs stationed on them alongside Large Laser and Calliope Turrets. Tank bunkers are camouflaged all around the exterior of the walls. Behind the walls are LRM carriers and JESII’s ready to rain down warheads. Beyond that lays an artillery battery complete with Paladin Defense Systems and Destrier Siege Vehicles.
“Solid copy, Shiv. Nomad Juliet, you on the line?”
“Yes, Blacksmith One, over.” Responds Lady Joy.
“Did anyone make it out from Phaseline Alpha?”
“Negative Blacksmith. Seems like the Duat landed, unleashed hell, then the Blakists killed everyone. A reporter on the ground was executed by a Se'irim after recording the landing, it went out on the New Avalon Daily News network, over.” She informs him.
“Well that probably scared the hell out of the populace. Let’s get on the ground and reassess, I also want to see if there are any updates from Wallner and Lee. Blacksmith One, out.”