Light in the Dark Examples
North of Ann Arbor
Detroit III, Detroit System
February 3rd, 2256/3025
Colonel Archibald MacCarron looked down at the folding table in front of him and the map spread out on it. It was a colour print out from a low orbital image one of his ASFs had taken from the enemies base and a nearby town. Around him was his command staff and outside the open command tent, he could hear the bustle of drop ships being unloaded.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"No Mech hangars," came the answer from Michael Wilson," but they could be aboard those two dropships, but lots of tanks and other vehicles."
Before Archie could say anything more a bird landed on the table, surprising him and the others. It made a cawing sound at him and he had to chuckle.
A raven.
He had always liked these birds, common as dirt across the Inner Sphere, having been imported as pets, before managing to get out into the wild and colonising their new home worlds. Opportunists, like himself or his command. Always found when there was battle to be had to feast on the carrion.
Marcus Barton made ready to shoo the bird away, but Archie held up a hand.
"Let it be," he said and turned back to the map, pointing at a number of vehicles in one corner. "Lots of LRM carriers."
Barton looked closer at the vehicles.
"Can't be," he said." Those look like trailers. No driver cabin."
He looked back up.
"Maybe LRM turrets for base defence."
Wilson looked at him.
"All in one place? That is not a good defence."
"They are trailers," Barton countered." Easily moved around before or during an attack and can be placed where they do the most good."
Archie nodded. That was his read as well. It was innovative, he had to admit, but ultimately just a defensive weapon.
"They could be Arrow launchers," Rodney Finn added thoughtfully." There were reports that these people used rocket artillery against the pirates that used to base here."
"Right, as if these yokels would leave Arrows lying around where they are tied up for defence when they are best used in offence," Ursula Ajax countered.
Archie raised an eyebrow, but nodded at Finn.
"Even if, we're better off handling this as if they have Arrows," he said." They have these 'pocket warships' and I would not put it past them if they were using Arrows for garrison duty."
"That means we approach them in open formation to give them less of a target."
His people nodded.
"If those are Arrows, we need to take them out ASAP."
"Distraction," Barton said." Wilson attacks the town and pulls the heat, while my guys sneak up from the other side and smash through their fortifications and take out those launchers. It's going to be a nice trap."
There were nods from all around the table.
Archie noticed that the raven had preened itself and shook, before walking into the center of the map like a small avian mech. It cawed at the LRM or Arrow launchers and pecked at them, before launching itself into the air, flying a short circle over their heads, before flying to wherever it was going to.
As he looked at the map again, he couldn't help but chuckle, as the bird had left a white and black spot on it, right over where they thought the enemy's HQ was.
It was a good omen.
These newcomers and this world would be made an example of. It would not be a good thing for others to ally with them.
"Black Knight Actual, this is Sky Eye 05."
"Sky Eye 05, this of Black Knight Actual."
"Actual, we've planted the packages and are on our way back. We're free of the engagement zone now."
"Confirmed, 05. Good work."
"Thank you, Actual. See you in a bit."
"White Base, this is Black Knight Actual."
"Black Knight Actual, this is White Base."
"White Base, Operation Pink Elephant is a go. I repeat, Pink Elephant is a go. Fire for effect, I repeat, Fire for effect."
"Confirmed Black Knight. Keep your heads down while we press the smite button."
"Will do White Base. Whose idea was it anyway to name this operation Pink Elephant... It lacks the gravitas of something the Black Knight would engage."
"Blame RNJesus, Black Knight. And be prepared for the first rain to come down in a few minutes."
Archie stretched as he stepped back from the table.
"Looks like we have a plan," he said and nodded at his people. "We should..."
He stopped as the sound of jet engines came up fast and he stared out of the tent.
Jets? Where did those come from? Why wasn't anyone shooting? What was...
He caught sight of a sleek, small silhouette shooting over a tent, barely above it, the wash of the jet and its wings making the roof of the tent ripple violently.
A moment later, what sounded like a massive detonation threw him to the ground, as the command tent shook. It wasn't enough to send the tent over and bury him, so he could see where the thing had hit.
Not one, but three massive craters had been chewed into the side of Castor's Revenge, his own command Overlord. He stared for a moment, long enough to see two more detonations engulf the Dropship, with a third coming from within the Dropships open Mech bays.
There was not much in the way of return fire, even defensive, as more and more detonations echoed over the beach head.
There was chaos all around as people realised that they were under attack and Archie didn't feel the need to yell anything other than orders as he picked himself up and ran towards his mech.
But the pandemonium continued, as jet powered bombs streaked overhead, some slamming into depots they had just set up, others opening in mid air to release smaller bomblets that spread out all over the place, hitting tents, vehicles, mechs and detonating. Some of those bomblets were even mines and Archie could see someone stepping on one, blowing up.
Then, the bombardment was over. It was almost a silence as he ran towards his mech, only broken by screams of orders and pain, or the detonation of a mine bomblet.
Into this almost silence came a loud, angry buzzing as a small black shape rushed over the base and towards where the mechs and vehicles were located.
Archie thought that he could make out an X shape in those things, as they made a run towards the mech. His eyes followed them as he ran and stopped, dropping to the ground as he saw the detonations against the mechs, most of them aimed directly at the cockpits, engulfing them in the flashes of explosions.
As he looked up, he could see his own mech, its cockpit completely blown out, while nearby tanks and APCs were burning.
But it was far from over as small arms fire rang out, with an awful sound of heavy distorted guitars and a voice that called out.
"I am IRON MAN."
"What the fuck?" he got out as he turned.
The outer defences of the beach head had been breached by some sort of armoured infantry force and he could make out glimpses of men in some sort of armour, APCs and a few tanks. And what appeared to be small mechs with multiple arms, each carrying heavy support weapons.
Archie glared at the armoured men pointing rifles pointed at him and his command staff. Whoever these people were, they were professionals. And they just had made a very dangerous enemy.
There were unit markers on their armour, as well as some cross shaped flags. Nothing of any if the Inner Sphere nations nor unit he could remember.
"Ah, Colonel Archibald MacCarron, I presume," a voice came from behind him and he turned around.
A man, completely out of place, dressed in a neatly pressed black business suit, dress shoes, a bowler hat on top of his balding head and carrying an umbrella, walked up towards them. A raven sat on his shoulder and something like a large lizard turkey walked at his side.
The man gave a small smile as he stopped in front of Archie and held out a hand.
"James Moriarty," the man said." I have the pleasure to be the head of this little operation under the order of His Majesty King Mathew and the League of Nations."
Archie glared at the man and refused to take the offered hand. The man seemed unperturbed and nodded towards the raven on his shoulder.
"I believe you have already met Leftenant Munin, the head of our scout unit."
"Colonel MacCarron," the raven responded with a nod at him." I think I was a good omen, just not for you."
"What..." Archie said and stared at the raven, who turned to preen himself. "How..."
"That, Colonel MacCarron," Moriarty said with a light chuckle and completely ignored his chock as the apparently intelligent bird." Is a good question and has a simple answer. You and your unit have neatly fallen into my trap, which we have placed with the full support of the Detroit government. You are being made an example of, one we hope your employer will understand."
Archie looked back at the man, his glare coming back.
"If you think that..."
"But of course I think, Colonel," Moriarty interrupted him." Because after some processing and interrogations, your people will be repatriated to the Capellan Confederation to bear witness to what we can and will do on the ground. If any future raid will even make it that far."
"You and your command staff on the other hand. We are still discussing whether or not to put a bow on your head when we hand you over to First Prince Hanse Davion. I hear he is pretty peeved at you and your people..."