BT: Scouring Sands Sortie 4 Report

 Dice tell a story.  

This story will contain spoilers for the Aces campaign. 

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Lt Smee wiped away tears and looked down on the dirt grave. 

“Well Captain this is goodbye.”

[Flashback - Start]

The ground exploded.  The hover transports rocked from the explosions and the comms channel buzzed to life.

 “What they hell just happen, skipper?!”

“The Jade falcons ended the negotiations with a bang. Apolakkians transports, get the hell out of there, now!”

“Captain, the Falcons are locking onto the transports!” 

“Papa and Dread, get between the Falcons and the transports.  Shield them the best you can. They won’t survive otherwise”

From around the bluff came a fearsome Clan Bane.  Its arms replaced with pod after pod of LRMs.  Those missiles fired in a heavy stream of white smoke and it darkened the sky.  The captain piloted his Mad Cat, ‘Wolfy’, in front of the transports.  The mercenary mech was slammed by round after round of LRMs; It was a savage barrage. 

“Captain, are you ok? Yeah, but I will feel it in the morning. I want that that Bane taken down now.”

The Lost boys responded with focused intensity.  The Pegasus tanks speed ahead to point blank range and fired off their new “hot” loads of infernal missiles.  The Bane was on fire and staggered under the brutal fire.  It lost several of its LRMs, but it was still standing.

  [Flashback - End]

“The crew, they done told me what you did to protect the civies” Smee continued.

“I always told you that noble streak would get you in trouble one day.  What did old Smee say.  ‘Money first, nobility second’

“Maybe if I had been there, I could have stopped you being so damn heroic”

 [Flashback - Start]

The next barrage hurt almost as bad as the first.  The Bane pilot had taken offense to the mercs preventing Jade falcon vengeance being inflicted upon the planet’s civilians leaders.  Once again LRMs slammed in ‘Wolfy’.  The merc commander fired back along with Lt Creed’s ‘Lawgiver’ and the Clan assault merc was nearly down.

The rest of the company focused on the master mind of this ambush; Star Captain Sender himself.  His Thunderbolt IIC took heavy damage and was on fire from the damn Pegasus hover tanks.

“Skipper, we got clan fast movers moving in behind us.  They plan to cut off the transports.”

“Tree frogs move to intercept! Don’t let them get to the transports”

To emphasize the danger one of the transports erupted in flames.  It had been shot through by the heavy laser fire of the Flacon Summoner.

“Damn it!”, the captain cursed

“Elementals!” Sgt Gerald ‘Gambit’ screamed from his Blackjack with that heavy French draw.  “They just popped out of the ground and hit me good”

“How many surprises did the Star Captain prepare for them”, the skipper wondered

[Flashback - End]

“It was a trap, Captain. We should have known better than to trust a dirty mongrel doctrine green canary.”  Smee, Lamented

[Flashback - Start]

The two new clan mechs rapidly closed on the remaining transports.  Lt “Papa Ed” placed his Archer in the line of fire. Nobility, it seems, was a contagious condition.  He took the brunt of the fire from the Locust, Baboon, and the Summoner. In return his Archer, with the help of a Pegasus, devastated the Clan Locust.  It would be forced to flee.  The transports had been saved. 

The company’s Wolfhound, Phoenix Hawk, and two of the dust bunnies moved to surround the Star Captain.  His Thunderbolt IIC was ravaged and was forced to flee the field as well. 

Lt Creed finally ended the Bane.  The Falcon’s pilot’s last act was sending one more barrage at the Captain’s Timber wolf.  The captain himself hit the Summoner hard. 

Two of the strongest enemy mechs were down and civies were almost in the clear. 

“We going to make it” thought the Skipper.

[Flashback - End]

“Of course, Captain, it all went to hell at the end didn’t it. The crew are still in shock how fast it all went down.  One moment you were there and the next…”

Smee started to tear up again.   

[Flashback - Start]

“The first transport is away!”  Captain Cook heard the cheers erupt over the comms from this news.  “Well done Lost boys” he called out.

The Jade Flacons still wanted their revenge.  The Summoner moved forward to destroy the last transport.  Once again Lt ‘Papa Ed’ stepped forward blocking the shot and fired on the Summoner.  The clanner answered with heavy laser fire that burned deep into the heart of the Archer.  Then mercenary mech collapsed. 

Infuriated, the Merc company focused on the Summoner and brought the enemy mech down. 

Captain Sender, now fleeing the field, added to the spite by shotting his remaining weapons upon one of the Pegasus tanks of the Dust Bunnies scouting lance.  The large heavy lasers burned through body of the light vehicle, and it crashed to the ground. 

“Captain, that Locust is trying to break through watch you back!”

The Captain twisted his mech and fired two LRM barrages at the light mech.  In return he saw a dazzling display of laser fire streak toward his mech

“Lt Creed, Lost Actual is down.  I repeat lost actual is down”

[Flashback - End]

Smee heard footsteps approaching and he turned to see Sgt Gerald ‘Gambit’ Dubois climb the small hill.  ‘Gambit’ walked up to the grave that was next to the former commander.  Lt Edu ‘Papa Ed’ Pouge had not survived the final barrage of the enemy

“It doesn’t seem right for such pilots to die here on some rock in the Hinterlands, it’s not right at all” Smee said

‘Gambit’ leaned down and placed a pack of cards on the tombstone of his former lance commander.  “We all know the risk of this life, and sometimes our luck runs out.”

“I will remember him has a brave mech warrior and the best ramen chef we ever had”

Smee smiled at the memory of many ramen meals shared between the crew. 

At that moment, the base sirens started blaring. Their comms units activated as one

“Captain Creed wants all pilots back ASAP, we got Falcons inbound!”

“The bastards barely gave us time to bury the dead” Smee fumed    

“Let’s see if we can give them a warm welcome, mon ami.  The dice may turn in our favor, si?”