The entire forest shook as an AFFS Hunchback ran full sprint at sixty-four kilometers per hour. Though slow compared to other medium ‘Mechs, the Hunchback is also among the most heavily armed. The HBK-4G in particular is armed with an AC/20, supplemented by two medium lasers, one on each arm, and a small laser on the head.
However, this particular Hunchback was heavily damaged. Having lost its entire right arm, most of the armor on its right and center torsos, and all its rear armor. Its left torso as well as its legs were in relatively good condition, with only minor armor damage. The head of the 'Mech had taken substantial damage as well. Both the auto-eject as well as the manual were nonfunctioning. Outside of this, and the missing arm, the Hunchback had yet to take any critical damage. The pilot of the Hunchback had only just escaped his attacker by fleeing into the woods. “This is Private Kelly reporting.” He said into the comms. His voice was hoarse and shaking. “Requesting immediate assistance.”
After a seemingly eternal second, his comm cracked a response. “This is Seargent Nixon. We are preoccupied and can not assist. Instead, regroup at the following coordinates.” Kelly looked down at his display. Next to the damage display, he saw his neon-lit digital map. A blue diamond shape pinged at one specific spot to represent the objective location. He looked up and saw the same blue diamond on his HUD. Only then did the grim reality of Private Kelly’s situation set in.
Assuming the marker showed his lance’s position, they were on the other side of a hill from Kelly. The CCAF had dug in atop this hill after getting pushed out of the nearby city, and has since created a wall of BattleMech patrols. Somehow, Kelly had slipped through the cracks and was now in deep enemy territory. He needed to get around the hill and back to his original position.
His sprint was maintained as he adjusted course to circle around the hill and back to a friendly position. The trees became tall enough to obscure his position from atop the hill, despite his ‘Mech’s two-and-a-half-story standing height. However, his cockpit view was obscured by the sheer volume of branches in front of him, and he was forced to navigate through his map’s data.
Not long after he adjusted course, his comm cracked again. “Private, what’s your ETA?” said the Seargent. Kelly looked at his map. “Not long, sir.” Not a moment later, Kelly came into a clearing, and was face to face with an enemy BattleMech. His sensors pinged the ‘Mech as such through its CCAF IFF tag, and outlined the target in red. He glanced at the display, which told him his combatant was a Centurian. In particular, the CN9-AH.
It was of a humanoid shape, with a broad, blocky torso, and a knight-like head. Its right arm held its massive main gun, and on its left was its shield. The 'Mech itself was in near-mint condition, with only minor armor damage to its left arm, torso, and leg. The Centurion immediately noticed Kelly's presence, so there was no running. He'd either find some way to beat this thing, or would die trying.
The firepower between the two was almost identical, with the Centurion bearing an AC/20, just like the one on Kelly's Hunchback, paired with a Long-Range Missile pod designed to fire ten missiles in a single volley. If Kelly could close the gap fast enough, he could put himself in a position to outgun his foe, if only slightly. He fired his Hunchback's AC/20, and charged straight at the Centurion.
The Centurion turned its torso, so the shield takes the blow instead of its torso and weapons. It then began backpedaling hoping to maintain its range for a short while, long enough to send a volley of LRMs along with its AC/20. Kelly's Hunchback took the entire volley to its front side, with the armor on its right torso now worryingly thin. Then the AC/20 hit. It tore into the Hunchback's AC/20 housing, and utterly demolished the weapon. Now there was no way Kelly could win.
Utter panic grasped Kelly's mind. He frantically fired his only two weapons, being his left arm's medium laser, and the small laser housed in the head. The shots were rushed, and did not make contact. Again, the Centurion fired its AC/20. For the briefest moment, Kelly saw the massive shell flying straight at him. In that moment, he realized what was about to happen, but his mind had not the time to articulate it.
The cockpit completely caved in as the shell made impact, and then was ripped apart as the shell's explosive charge went off. The Hunchback came to a screeching halt, as the force of the projectile and the blast tipped it onto its back against a hill. The Centurion moved on, proceeded with its patrol.
That hillside would be both Kelly's and the Hunchback's resting place for a long time.
