[dcs_p]Devon looked to the rear-displaying portion of his viewscreen. It seemed that an
enemy Rifleman was plotting to sneak around Devon’s Direwolf for a shot at the
larger Mech’s backside. Moving the 100-ton Direwolf’s body as quickly and
smoothly as he could, Devon positioned his right arm into the enemy’s firing arc
by twisting his machine at the torso. Immediately the Rifleman’s pilot tried to
take advantage of Devon’s disappearing weakness, its guns belching forth heavy
autocannon fire. While Devon could not wholly protect his back, he gladly took
most of the damage on his more heavily armored right arm. [/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]Glancing down at his sensors, Devon was surprised at the amount of damage the
smaller Mech had dealt him. He must be using the larger of the new rotary
autocannons. Devon opened his commlink again.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]“My fellow Nova Cats beware. The Blakists possess some of the latest rotary
autocannon technology. Keep an eye out for the RAC’s high volume of firepower
and be prepared to take advantage of any obvious weapons jams your opponent
experiences.” Switching his transmitter over to a general broadcast, Devon
decided to give his enemy their last chance to find some honor today.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]“Word of Blake forces. I challenge your commander to a Circle of Equals.”
Before he could speak another word, the familiar warning lights and sounds
flashed again throughout the cockpit. Yet another Arrow IV missile connected
with the Direwolf, this time in a much fiercer manner. The missile hit the Mech
squarely in its left torso. The Gauss rifle’s barrel crumpled under the force,
stressing the weapon’s capacitors and causing a small explosion. The rifle was
now useless, but that was only part of Devon’s problems. He fought to keep the
machine upright. However the massive change in his Mech’s momentum seemed
to have made the maneuver impossible. With arms cradled to its sides, the
massive machine smashed into the rocky soil. In addition to the jarring impact,
Devon felt something in his Mech’s left arm give way. Looking to his sensors, he
watched the large pulse laser in his left arm blink out of action. More bad luck.
Maybe my legs will not be my biggest problem today.[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]“Hold your fire. I said cease fire, cease fire.” The man coming over the line had
at least some kind of authority. Devon guessed him to be the commander.
“Devon Carns, I presume? We’ve been expecting you and your Nova Cats for
quite some time now. Are you back to reclaim the base your pathetic mercenary
allies lost to Blake’s vision?”[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]Biting his tongue to prevent any anger showing in his reply, Devon retorted. “Aff.
And dare you identify yourself, Blakist trespasser?”[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p]“Oh but of course. Not only will I identify myself. I’ll accept your challenge.”
As Devon brought his Mech up from the ground, he could see the enemy Mechs
before him backing away. From the center of the conglomeration, a rusted-out
Banshee assault Mech came into view. Though the Mech looked at least 300
years old, Devon guessed it was more than a match for his Direwolf. He was
operating at just under fifty percent, with almost half his weapons destroyed and
more than half of his armor now lying on the rocky plains of the Stricken Desert.
In addition to being seriously damaged, he was probably facing a Mech that had
been retrofitted with RAC technology.[/dcs_p]