TRIX
08 January 3068Middle of Nowhere, Contard Mining Property
Acamar, Federated Suns
Beatrix watched as eddies of blowing snow swirled in a circular motion across the desolate, frozen landscape before her. The wind had died down some, improving visibility, but still the snow danced its slow ballet. She found it strangely hypnotic.
Beatrix shook her head. Pay attention, damn it! Her hands were clammy at the controls of her venerable Catapult. She may have had extensive training, but she couldn’t help the anxious butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she waited for her first real trial by fire. The initial report had been imprecise, but it looked like at least two lances of unidentified mechs were headed their way. Most likely raiders looking for an easy smash and grab at the mining site the Monkeys had been garrisoning for the last month. She looked out her viewport to see Taharqa’s Bandersnatch on one side and Monk’s Ceasar, on the other. It gave her some comfort to be surrounded by such experienced warriors.
She couldn’t help glancing up at the platinum medallion hanging above her. It indicated that the recipient was a member of the St. Ives Legion of Honor. It belonged to her father, not that he had ever had a chance to wear it. He had been a simple citizen in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bullet that ended his life had been meant for Candace Liao and his quick actions had foiled one of Romano Liao’s many attempted assassinations of her own sister. He was made a posthumous member of the Legion of Honor and his infant daughter was gifted with a Catapult Battlemech and a promise that she would someday attend the SIAMS, and eventually, become a member of the mechwarrior elite of the St. Ives military.
It turns out that Beatrix never made it to the SIAMS. While she was still in prep school, Sun-Tzu’s bloody campaign had “reunited St. Ives and the Confederation and she simply couldn’t accept fighting for the very people who had taken her father from her. She had eventually made her way to Solaris VII, and earned herself a stable internship with the Flaming Devil Monkeys. It was they who had taught her how to pilot the massive metal behemoth that she could now feel humming eagerly beneath her padded command chair.
Hawkeye’s voice broke her out of her reverie. “I have two lances of mechs in visual range. Looks like one light lance and one made up heavies and mediums. The light lance is moving ahead. I would say they are trying to flank our position.”
Beatrix zoomed in on the landscape ahead of her. In the distance, she could see the hulking shapes of the enemy mechs as they lurched toward the Monkeys position. They were difficult to ID at this point, but she thought one had the outline of a Jagermech.
Taharqa’s voice came booming over the intercom. “Spider monkeys, move to engage and harrass those flankers. Keep them off of our backs. Gorillas, we will hold this position. We have elevation and cover. Make them come and knock us off if they want. Concentrate fire on my designated target.” Taharqa’s booming laugh indicated how much he was looking forward to the coming action. Despite her own thoughts and worries, Beatrix couldn’t help wondering at a Clanner so lightly dismissing the rules of Zellbrigen, but then again Taharqa wasn’t much of a Clanner anymore, his lack of contractions notwithstanding. “Good hunting, lets bag us some pirate scum.”
So much for the contractions, Beatrix thought. Her sensors began to tag the enemy mechs as they came within range. “Concentrate on that Grasshopper,” came Taharqa’s voice. She waited anxiously for the Grasshopper to come within range. Finally, she heard the whine of missile lock and let loose with a salvo from both of her long-range missile launchers. Thirty missiles zoomed across the landscape, only to land where the Grasshopper had been moments before, the Mech’s jump jets propelling him out of harm’s way. So fast, Trix thought. It seemed a lot harder to land a punch in real life than in those simulators.
The Grasshopper did not remain safe for long. LBX shells and PPC lightning from her lancemates found it on its long jumping arc, and sloughed off armor. As it landed, she fired off another salvo, but missed high. More fire from her lancemates tagged the Grasshopper. It was in the hot seat and the pilot knew it. He gunned the throttle and tried to evade. Trix fired again and this time, she saw several of her missiles connect and explode off the Grasshopper’s torso armor. She couldn’t help smiling at her first solid hit.
Her smile quickly disappeared as PPC fire tagged her own Catapult. The Jagermech was targeting her. She quickly looked down at her armor display. The armor on her left arm had held up, but another shot like that and it might be in trouble. Suddenly, she heard Taharqa’s voice over the com, “Grasshopper down, concentrate fire on the Jagermech.” She looked up to see the smoking ruin of the Grasshopper in the distance. Then she aligned her targeting reticle over the hunched form of the Jagermech. My turn now, you SOB.
In the end, the pirates never did make it up the hill. Their lance of heavies had died trying to assault the Gorillas’ position while the Spider Monkeys had held off the flankers. The remaining pirates decided to put prudence ahead of glory and quickly surrendered.
The Catapult’s left arm hadn’t been so lucky. Another strike against it had smashed one of Beatrix’s LRM launcher, but other than that both her Catapult and her own person were unscathed. She had managed to land a few more shots, although none of the kills belonged to her. She knew her performance had not been outstanding, but she nonetheless felt elated to have survived her first trial by fire relatively unscathed. She looked up at the medallion dangling above her. I will do you proud, dad.