Gamma Base
Planet: Tallin
Capellan Confederation

The early morning sun was just casting its rays upon the cavernous 'Mech bay when the bullet-shaped torso of a heavy Battlemech poked its nose out, followed soon thereafter by the rest of the birdlike Catapult.

Ruby piloted her new ride with a certain amount of initial trepidation, relishing in the familiar handling yet trying to come to terms with its capabilities.

The new Crescent Rose was a powerful 'Mech, to be sure, but it was just so… slow.

"Literally half the speed of my Locust," the brunette Mechwarrior groused to herself quietly. "Can't argue with the firepower, though, just need to adjust my fighting style a bit…"

As her 'Mech cleared the entrance, more followed her. Watching the departure of the last remaining Battlemechs of Bravo Company, Third Battalion of the 41st Capellan Regulars was a pair of hovertanks, idling on the far edge of the tarmac.

Ruby switched her comms over to Gamma Base's primary channel. "Nebula, you hold the fort down, okay?"

"Will do, Ruby!" her friend replied. The middle-aged Harasser pilot and the lance's Chief Mechtech, Arslan, had formed a quick friendship based on their shared seniority, though they readily included Ruby in their lunchtime discussions. Sometimes to mother the brunette outrageously, but it was all in good fun.

As her column turned towards their assigned target location, she slowed her 'Mech down so as to pull alongside the rest. They were a reinforced lance now, with another pair of survivors of a nearby lance from Charlie Company. Though they were unknowns, the Remnanter was confident enough that each Mechwarrior could hold their own in a fight. No matter how… unconventional one of them might be.

The first, piloting a Stinger, seemed to exude a certain calm confidence that was a counter to his childhood friend's sometimes manic banter. The both of them were Liao natives from the world of St. Ives, having entered service to attain citizenship. From what she'd ascertained, they'd come from pretty much nothing, so this was a huge step up from their former existence.

Speaking of the second new addition to their lance…

"Mechwarrior Valkyrie," she began over the lance frequency with no small amount of curiosity. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't seem to be quite… regulation."

"Nope!" Nora replied cheerfully. "But it's not like anyone's around to stop me! Well, except you, boss, but you're cool and all. Right?"

"Right," she snickered in return. Both Nora and the other pilot, Lie Ren, had quickly picked up on the form of address.

Still, it was quite the sight. The 50-ton Hunchback was a beast of a machine in its own right, carrying the heaviest autocannon currently in existence, normally mounted on assault 'Mechs. It was slow, on par with her heavier Cat, but well-armored and a deadly brawler.

What set it apart, of course, was the white-and-pink camouflage paint job.

"She tried it once before," Ren interject calmly into her thoughts. "Our C.O. gave her kitchen duty and made her change the paint back."

"But then the old killjoy went and got himself smashed by a Marauder!" the orange-haired Mechwarrior giggled. "So my beautiful Magnhild can show her true colors once again!"

"It's eye-catching, that's for sure" Yang chuckled. "Gotta admit, I'm a little jealous of that ride of yours."

"Don't go thinking you can shoot me in the back and steal my baby!"

"Who, me?"

"Don't worry, Nora," Blake added, her Phoenix Hawk easily striding along on point. "That's what we have combat recorders for."

"Okay people," Ruby broke into their banter. "Let's do a quick op review since we didn't get a chance once our orders came through."

"I only caught the tail end of the transmission from Regimental HQ," Weiss stated levelly. "We're on support duty?"

"Right, they need us to set up in position in case the enemy breaks through." Ruby sighed heavily, pushing her 'Mech forward and over a rocky incline. "The Major's First Battalion finally left the city."

"Ohhh, our heroes have emerged from their lair?" Yang joked sarcastically. "We're saved!"

"Well, they're engaging the rest of the mercenaries in open battle, a few clicks from where we are at… right… here…" Ruby came to a halt atop the ridge, looking around with satisfaction. Good firing angles from up above there, and they could engage on the downslope if they needed to without risking friendly fire. Also, cliffs on either side bracketed the road that they overlooked so that any advance would be funneled towards them unless they went hours out of the way. "Anyway, this would be the easiest route back to the city and the spaceport where our dropships are. So we're the last line of defense."

"All our dropships are grounded, right?"

"Um, yeah, Nora, they are."

"Then whose are those at two-o'clock?"

As one, they pivoted slightly to view a trio of Union dropships descending hard and fast, trailing fire like comets. They were braking enough to land and not crash, but it would be a near thing. Each dropship could potentially be carrying an entire company of Battlemechs.

Ruby checked her map, mouth going dry as she noted where their landing point was.

"Well, shit."

"They're landing right next to the battle, aren't they?" Weiss asked tensely.

"Yeah," Ruby groaned. "Yeah, they are. Okay, Rose lance, our orders still stand. We block the enemy from progressing."

As she spoke, the dropships slipped from view behind a bend in the rocky terrain, presumably reinforcing the mercenary forces with another Battalion. The brunette shook her head slowly. This was going to be very, very bad.

Only five minutes had passed with some small chatter among the lance to dispel their nerves before the Third Battalion command channel came to life.

"Rose Lance, come in Rose Lance, are you in position?"

"This is W.O. Rose, we are in position," Ruby reported promptly.

"Right, this is Captain Shao from Alpha Company, our forces have been routed… Davion Regulars just rolled up our flank, we're pulling back to the city! Grab what reinforcements you can to give us cover!"

"Give them cover?" Yang murmured over their lance frequency. "The six of us?"

"Let's be damn persuasive with those running by us," Ruby retorted, eyeing her scanners as blips of friendly 'Mechs began to show up. The IFF signals, or Identification: Friend or Foe, glowed a reassuring green, but that would change soon enough. She flipped back to the command channel. "We'll do our best, Captain."

Only static answered her.

"Captain?" she tried again.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Blake whispered.

Ruby gave herself a shake, dispelling any negative thoughts about their predicament. "No, we've got this. Weiss?"

She had every confidence that the platinum-haired Steiner native would already be working the problem in her mind, and she was not disappointed. "We'll be facing them in order of speed," Weiss began crisply. "So lights first, obviously, as they pursue our forces."

"Oh yeah, they're definitely gonna be chasing them down, the rat bastards," Yang growled.

"Then mediums, the faster 55-ton ones, at least," Weiss continued, unfazed by the interruption. "Lastly slow mediums and the bulk of the heavies… This really will hinge on gaining some reinforcements from our forces."

By this point, Battlemechs began to stream past them along the road to the city that they overlooked. Most showed significant damage, particularly the lights, but all were able to move without issue. It would be the slower and more crippled 'Mechs that would be picked apart by their pursuers.

Ruby switched over to the open regimental frequency, wincing as her ears were assaulted by a host of panicked voices. "41st Capellan Regulars, this is W.O. Rose, I am situated overlooking your escape route. Any forces that can help would be greatly appreciated. We will hold the enemy back."

"Hold them back?!" one voice shrieked. "Are you fucking kidding me, they're everywhere, you can't-"

"Hey, Rose," another woman broke in. "Give me your lance channel."

Ruby obliged, noting a mixed quartet of medium and heavy 'Mechs that had broken away from the retreating masses to head in their direction.

"Name's Coco Adel," the woman tersely began once on their frequency. "I managed to pull a lance together when our other lancemates turned tail. You all mind the assist?"

"You are more than welcome to join," Ruby laughed in relief as she observed the newcomers. The 60-ton Rifleman in the lead was evidently Coco's ride, a deadly anti-air Battlemech with paired autocannons and large lasers, but also a more than capable sniper. The others, introduced as Yatsuhashi in a 70-ton Archer, Fox in a 65-ton Crusader, and then Velvet in a 50-ton Trebuchet, gave her hope that they could really pull this off.

"Wait, Velvet?" Blake broke in. "Velvet Scarlatina?"

"By the Maidens, Blake? It's been ages!"

Her grin widened as she recognized the distinctively lilting voice as that of another Remnanter from her sister's class year. All in all, the new forces were certainly a welcome addition. Between the Archer and the Crusader, the former with a pair of the biggest racks of long-range missiles possible and the latter with two racks of 15 LRMS each paired with two large SRM launchers, they would provide plenty of fire support. Throw in the Trebuchet with another pair of 15 LRM racks and the trio could fill the air with a hundred missiles at long range.

"Right, Coco, let's designate you four as a fire lance, okay? Set up on this ridge and don't budge if you can help it. Er…" Ruby paused as a thought struck her. "They didn't bring any air support, did they?"

"I saw a few, yeah," Fox interjected. "Mostly small stuff, I think some even got shot down. Hey, are you by any chance Yang Xiao Long's sister?"

"I am…? Oh, are you from Remnant too?"

"Yep, sure enough. Class ahead of Yang."

"Huh, I think I remember you," Yang mused. "Orange hair, tanned?"

"Got it in one!"

"People, can we focus here?!" Weiss irritably broke in.

"Sorry, Weiss!" Yang replied soberly.

Ruby chuckled. "It's okay, we can catch up after we smash these guys… Oh, looks like we have a few more heading our way… Wait, is the IFF right?"

"It is, yes, I've already spoken to them," the platinum-haired Mechwarrior replied. "Both the Enforcer and Valkyrie were captured when their home planet of Kittery fell to Liao."

"Oh. Huh." While the 50-ton Enforcer was certainly to be found within Capellan forces, though rarely, the 35-ton Valkyrie, with an LRM 10-rack, a medium laser, and decent maneuverability, was an uncommon sight on the battlefield and only ever wearing Federated Suns colors. For one to end up in the Liao Regulars was almost unheard of.

The third 'Mech, another 50-ton medium but this time a standard of Liao forces, a Centurion with paired heavy autocannon and long-range missile rack, was another welcome addition.

"Hey, so, I'm Jaune," a male voice broke in. The Enforcer gave a little wave as it joined their ranks. "Jaune Arc, at your service. In the Valkyrie here is my friend Pyrrha Nikos…"

"Hello!" a friendly female voice interjected.

"And then this is Henry… um…"

"Henry Marigold," the Centurion driver finished glumly. "Lost track of the rest of my company. Don't know if they're dead or not, but I don't fancy showing up alone at the spaceport."

"Why not?" Weiss asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Maskirovka."

Ruby shuddered briefly at the name. "Yeah, I can only imagine what would happen to the pilots they decide are cowards for running," she whispered to herself as the others ran through brief introductions.

Her mind working quickly, the brunette lance leader began to direct what forces she now had. Red indicators were starting to form at the edge of her sensor range.

"Right. Fire lance, like I said, stay on the ridge. Let's put the power mediums in the center, hold the line in front…"

"Power mediums?" Weiss interrupted.

"Sorry, yeah, the Hunchback, Centurion, and Enforcer. Then Weiss and I mid-range, supporting the front… lights and the P-Hawk on the flanks…"

"Blake and Yang on the left flank, Ren and Pyrrha on the right."

"Thanks, Weiss, that'll work. Center hold steady and advance only on my orders, flanks stay mobile but don't get cut off, work in pairs… Anything else?"

"I think that's the best we can do, given the current circumstances," her second-in-command responded wryly.

"Damn," Coco laughed. "Okay, feeling a helluva lot better about joining up with you all. Let's do this."

"We're on it, boss," Yang chirped. "C'mon Blake, time to play!"

"Do try to keep up," Blake answered with only a hint of mischievousness.

"Oh, is this a contest then?"

"I want in on this action!" Nora stated excitedly.

"Nora, you can take out a 'Mech with one shot," Ren retorted.

"Yeah, about that…" Ruby set her Catapult in between the ridge and the trio of mediums who were now spread out about thirty meters in front. "Center line, save your autocannons for the heavier 'Mechs, we're gonna need to conserve expendables."

"Awww, but I like shredding the little ones!"

"No, Nora," the brunette ordered sternly though she could help to smile slightly. "And don't whine."

"Fiiine, you're the boss…"

"Incoming, entering optimum range in fifteen seconds," Weiss called out calmly. "Pair of Locusts, some Stingers, a Wasp, Commando, Jenner… Nothing we can't handle."

"Let's make a statement, though, see if we can't slow their charge," Ruby mused, wincing as she saw a hapless Capellan Vindicator go down in the distance. "All long-range missiles, prepare to fire on my mark, target the bulk of the lights…"

She eyed the progress of the red blips, letting out a sigh at the two Locusts as they sped in. "I miss that," she murmured. Then, as the cluster of six light Battlemechs entered her kill zone, a couple of them Davion Regulars but mostly mercenary… "Fire!"

Though the two speedy 20-ton 'Mechs darted in without pausing, the others seemed to balk at the darkened cloud of a hundred and sixty long-range missiles as they descended like the wrath of some vengeful deity. The area was briefly obscured by smoke and debris, but once it cleared, only a solitary Wasp was left standing, though its leg gave way soon thereafter, sending it toppling to the side.

The other lights, bereft of their support, were dealt with quickly and efficiently.

"Gee, if only they would all fall that easily," Yang laughed.

"If only…" Weiss murmured. "Next wave approaching, though more cautiously, I think… sixty seconds to contact…"

"Weiss, I'm sending you a connect request," Coco broke in. "I've got a better radar and sensor suite, you can tie into my system."

"Oh, wonderful… Yes, that's much better." Weiss paused for a moment. "Er, are those fast-moving blips what I think they are?"

"Yeah, a pair of Aerospace assets circling our location," Coco grumbled. "They'll likely hit when the next wave does."

"Okay, Coco, they're yours." Ruby peered at her screen but couldn't make out the fighters. "Do you need help? What are we looking at?"

"Fox and I were in a lance together, he's already paired with my system, I'll just borrow him when I need to."

"Well, at least you're telling me first this time," the Mechwarrior in question chuckled.

"As for what we're facing… Their profile looks to be lights, I'd say Sparrowhawks. Fast and nimble, but only medium-range laser weaponry."

"Alright, then…" The sensor markers were resolving now into hard targets, a mix of 55-ton Shadow Hawks, Wolverines, and Griffins leading with a few of the faster heavies. A pair of Quickdraws and a Dragon, all three 60-tonners, made up the middle. "Fire lance, engage at will. Center line, you're cleared to use your autocannons. Nora… please don't use up your ammo all at once."

"No worries, boss, I like to punch them in the face, too!"

"Well, that comes as no surprise," Ruby chuckled. Missiles wooshed overhead, and she sent a barrage of her own at one of the Quickdraws before switching over to a Wolverine that was bearing in on the right flank. "Give 'em hell, people!"

She engaged her jump jets, heading over to back up the Valkyrie and Stinger. All four of her medium lasers lanced out to capitalize on the damage from her missile barrage, staggering the 55-ton Wolverine and rendering its autocannon useless. Both of the Liao light 'Mechs bounced around, peppering it with further laser fire, until Henry moved in, autocannon blazing. It was twice as powerful as that carried by the Wolverine and caused immediate catastrophic damage. The ammunition quickly cooked off, blasting the 'Mech into pieces.

Ruby engaged her jump jets once more, returning to her original position, but then her sensors screamed at her of an imminent attack. Before she could react, though, it cut off, and she could see something slam into the ground just past the engagement area, followed soon after by another impact.

"Aerospace assets taken care of," Coco reported cooly. "Re-engaging ground targets."

"Roger that, and thanks." Ruby blew a droplet of sweat off of her face as she was reminded of how easily a Cat could overheat if used unwisely. She spied more heavies moving in, along with some longer-ranged 'Mechs setting up at the edge.

"Well, that won't do at all," she grinned. Leaning forward, she pushed her Catapult into a run, dodging both Battlemechs and laser fire as she closed the distance.

Once past the melee, she noted that the enemy ahead of her consisted of a pair of Jagermechs. One was a commonly-seen JM6-S model with paired autocannons making up each arm, though the other was a JM6-A variant with a set of 15-tube LRM racks instead of the two medium autocannons. Both were deadly ranged fighters, though with lighter armor than her own 'Mech.

The JM6-S noticed her right away, autocannon fire stitching the ground towards her that she easily sidestepped. The other Jagermech, though, was concentrating on its target to a deadly extent.

"Ren, no!" she heard Nora scream.

"It's okay, he ejected!" Jaune shouted back. "Nora, stay on the line!"

Ruby grimaced as the green light designating Ren's Stinger went out. "Nora, I've got the fucker, don't you worry," she gritted out, Engaging her jump jets, she rocketed in, firing her missiles almost at the minimum effective range.

All thirty LRMs impacted on the JM6-A, smashing into the same location. The torso exploded as the ammunition was hit, sending the Battlemech staggering off to the side. As the other ammunition cache began to ignite, the head split apart with the Mechwarrior ejecting ahead of his 'Mech's destruction.

The JM6-S backed up rapidly, trying to keep the Catapult at effective range, but he soon had help. An Enforcer, this one in the dark blue colors of the Davion Regulars, charged in at her flank.

She skidded to a halt, reversing direction in a manner seemingly impossible for such an ungainly 'Mech. As the Enforcer dashed past, missing her entirely, she opened up with her medium lasers into his backside.

He turned, then, and she could almost see the offended look on the pilot's face in the viewport. But then his 'Mech shuddered under the impact of a Hunchback's ultra-heavy autocannon. Nora's aim was impressive, coring straight through the Enforcer's backside as it collapsed in a heap, the fusion reactor destroyed.

With the distraction removed, Ruby searched for her original opponent, only to see it break apart as well, this time from the heavy laser and autocannon fire from Coco's Rifleman.

"Ruby, you need to pull back, there are more incoming!" Weiss warned.

With a grunt she engaged her jets again, feeling the wash of heat flood the cockpit. As she did so, she could see Yang and Blake engaging a trio of 'Mechs, two Shadow Hawks and a Blackjack, with Weiss supporting them in her Griffin. At the apex of her jump, Ruby let fly a barrage of missiles at the nearest Shadow Hawk, stumbling it enough that Yang was able to smash her fist into its head. Unfortunately, while she took out one opponent, the other Shadow Hawk got the drop on her.

Ruby winced as Yang's Wasp lost an arm and most of the armor on its torso. Then the Blackjack joined in, but luckily, Yang was able to eject at the last moment.

Though she considered joining in to help, by this point both Velvet and Fox had turned their attention towards the two remaining enemies, so she let them deal with that situation.

They would all have their hands full soon enough.

It became a blur, dodging and jumping around as she supported the right flank. Pyrrha was doing an admirable job all by herself as she jetted about the battlefield, while in the middle, Jaune was constantly giving the 'Mechs on either side of him encouragement, calling out targets and warnings as the battle ebbed and flowed around them.

All of the Capellan Battlemechs were taking damage, some more heavily than others. The mediums in the center suffered the worst as they tried to hold firm. Nora had run out of ammunition some time ago, but true to her word, she was happily wading in among her opponents, smashing into them with abandon.

"New target marked!" Weiss shouted anxiously into the comms. "Fire lance, take it down, now!"

Ruby glanced at her screen, gasping as the blinking icon's label materialized into that of an assault 'Mech, an 85-ton Stalker.

"Oh, gods," she whispered, jetting to the side and adding her own missiles to support those on the ridge.

The Stalker was a heavy weapons platform that could handily engage at any range and was able to absorb a tremendous amount of punishment. Both long- and short-ranged missiles were paired with heavy and medium lasers making it a fearsome opponent in a standing engagement like theirs. Weiss was absolutely correct in making this everyone's priority.

Missiles and lasers began to pepper the assault 'Mech, but it seemed to shrug off the initial attacks as if they were inconsequential. Its first barrage slammed into Velvet's Trebuchet, already damaged by a long-range dual with a Griffin. One arm along with its LRM launcher dropped to the ground, wreathed in flames.

The three mediums in the center finished up with the remnants of the last wave and began to target the Stalker as well. Noticing that, the assault 'Mech turned slowly, almost menacingly, until it faced the impudent Centurion who was firing off the last few rounds from its autocannon.

The answering fire obliterated the 50-ton 'Mech. Henry screamed over the comms but was cut off as the remaining LRM ammunition was ignited. All that was left of his Battlemech were pieces of debris scattered across the field.

Snarling, Ruby set herself into a stable firing stance. She targeted the head of the assault 'Mech and let fly, but not before another barrage from the Stalker hit his original target. Velvet was quick to eject, however, as she knew how untenable her 'Mech was by that point.

Smoke was pouring from gashes in the Stalker's torso, now, but the LRMs arrowing in from the Catapult struck true, staggering the similarly-shaped 'Mech and causing its next missile salvo to go wide. Accurate fire from Coco finally finished the behemoth, touching off the remainder of its ammunition in a fiery explosion that lit up the area.

And then a momentary calm settled across the battlefield.

Ruby cleared her throat, now parched from the scorching heat of her cockpit. She braced her 'Mech and allowed the heat sinks to bleed off and cool the Catapult. "Status," she croaked.

"We've still got Yatsu and Fox," Coco reported, sounding just as cool and collected as before the battle. "Velvet ejected safely. We're getting low on expendables, though."

"Henry is gone," Jaune added tiredly. "He didn't eject. All out of expendables."

"But still ready to brawl," interjected Nora eagerly.

"Right flank, I saw Ren's ejection seat land, he's on foot and heading towards the ridge," Pyrrha stated next. "Only a couple of LRM rounds left. My left arm is gone but I'm still functional."

"Left flank," Blake began tiredly after a brief pause. "Pretty sure Yang got to the rear okay. I'm… Well, I'm missing both arms along with my weapons, just about all my armor, jump jets are gone, and I think if I try to run one or both of my legs will fall off."

"What the hell, Blake, why haven't you ejected yet?" Ruby asked, incredulous.

"...I'm still functional as well."

"Blake…" The brunette sighed, though she couldn't fault her lancemate's fervor. "Can you go up and join the fire lance, please? Spot for them?"

"Copy that, boss."

"And Weiss?" she asked next. "How are you holding up?"

"Major armor loss but still functional," her friend responded crisply. "I think my LRM launcher might be damaged, but I'm out of ammunition in any case."

"Right… I have a few rounds left-"

"Hey, boss-lady," Coco broke in. "I've got another group heading towards us, slow but steady. At least one more assault 'Mech."

"Of course there is," she sighed. "Alright people, let's get set up. Weiss, go ahead and hold the left flank, please. Pyrrha, continue to do your awesome job on the right."

"Oh, well, thank you!"

"You're welcome," Ruby chuckled. "I'll take the very center, Jaune and Nora on my flanks. I want you to continue to direct the flow of things on the line, alright, Jaune? I'll try to keep the big picture, but I get a little too focused on the battle sometimes."

"Will do, boss."

She noticed a console light glowing to indicate a transmission on the open channel. Curious, she flipped over.

"Capellan forces, my name is Major Adam Taurus," a voice announced with a dramatic undertone. "My White Fang mercenaries just finished routing the rest of your regiment and I will now take the capital city of Tallin. You, however, are in my way. Move or be destroyed."

Smirking, Ruby activated her comm while keeping the lance channel open as well so the rest could hear. "That's kinda funny, Major, 'cause it looked like the only reason you kicked butt was because your Davion friends showed up. Oh," she added nonchalantly. "And I think we just did a little routing of our own."

There was a long pause, though the snickers of those still by her side filled the silence.

"Who is this?" Adam finally snarled.

"Who, me? Warrant Officer Ruby Rose, at your service! And ready to accept your surrender!"

"...Surrender? Me? Oh, you really are a delusional little girl…"

The six heavy Battlemechs approaching paused, though one continued on. All of them were significantly heavier than most of those on her side, the crablike shape of a Marauder, a Warhammer, as well as an Orion being readily recognizable. The one that prowled forward was heavier still, an 80-ton Awesome assault 'Mech.

"I do believe you are that thorn in my side, Rose Lance, yes?" he continued. "Well, this is just lovely, I finally get to kill all of you pests off, starting with you. Are you brave enough to face me?"

"Y'know, I kinda like the idea that we've been a thorn in your side," Ruby mused humorously. "Gives me the warm an' fuzzies just thinking about it. Still, can't say I've ever been accused of cowardice, so sure, why the hell not. Let's dance, Major."

She licked her lips, reviewing what she knew of the Awesome. Ridiculously heavy armor only outclassed by assault 'Mechs at the upper limit of tonnage, along with a trio of Particle Projector Cannons. Its drawbacks were familiar as well, slow and unmaneuverable, not to mention the problem that PPCs faced when tracking targets at close range.

But there was no reason to let it get to that point, really.

"Ruby, you don't have to duel him," Weiss urgently broke in on her private channel.

"Oh, I know, Weiss, I'm gonna give him a taste of his own code of honor." She switched over to the lance channel. "Fire lance, and everyone else with long-ranged weaponry, hit him on my mark."

"Ready and waiting, boss," Coco reported smoothly.

Ruby smirked to herself. Looks like everyone's picking up on the title, now. And then she rocketed forward on her jump jets as if she were eager to close the distance.

As soon as her 'Mech's clawed feet hit the ground, though, she sidestepped the trio of blue energy lances that converged on the site of her landing. Then she immediately rocketed back again now that the lumbering assault 'Mech was engaged. "Take 'im!" she shouted, letting fly with a full salvo of her LRMs.

The Awesome was shredded by the first barrage of missiles and laser fire from the eight Capellan Battlemechs. Armor dropped in rivulets and chunks while it staggered back slightly. The targeting system must have taken a hit as the return fire went wide, azure beams passing harmlessly overhead.

After the second concentrated barrage, both arms were gone, one of them lying intact on the ground while the other was dangling by mere ribbons of myomer fibers. Almost all of the armor was destroyed with daylight visible through the torso and legs, while the remaining torso PPC was canted down at an angle.

"Again!" Ruby barked out, sending off another flight of missiles. She winced at the dull thunk on either side of the cockpit indicating empty chambers, echoed by the status light on her HUD informing her of the lack of further LRM reloads.

Just ahead of her salvo, accompanied by further fire from the rest of her impromptu team, an ejection seat launched upwards from the battered 'Mech. Which, all things considered, was remarkably sensible considering that after the third and final barrage, the only standing remnant of the Awesome was the remains of a solitary leg from the knee down. The rest of the assault Battlemech littered the ground in fragments.

"Anyone else?" Ruby retorted over the open channel.

The remaining mercenaries evidently came to the conclusion that discretion was the better part of valor and turned around to head back to their staging area.

"What an ass," Nora snorted derisively. "Did he really expect some kinda shootout or somethin'?"

"It is actually a distinctively Kuritan attitude, an honor-duel."

"Um…" Ruby blinked her eyes in confusion. "Who was that?"

"My apologies, this is Yatsuhashi."

"Oh, uh, sorry, I just… hadn't heard your voice before."

"He's more the strong and silent type," Coco chuckled.

"Alright, so… Oh, hang on…" Ruby flicked over to the comm channel screen on her HUD. "I'm getting a priority from Regimental, wait one, guys."

She flipped over to the appropriate frequency. "This is Warrant Officer Rose, Third Lance, Bravo Company, Third Battalion."

There was a crackle of static before a brusque voice came on. "This is Major Ruidan, First Battalion. Rose, were you with the 'Mechs covering the retreat?"

"Affirmative, we blunted their attack, all quiet for now."

"Well done. Return to your post and defend it."

"...Sir?"

"There's nothing left of the Regiment save for the Colonel's own company. We're taking what assets we can off-planet now."

"You… You're leaving us? Sir?" she prompted incredulously.

"You have the honor of being the ranking member of the Regulars left on Tallin. Congratulations, Lieutenant Rose, the defense of Tallin is in your hands. Die well."

And with that, the connection was ended.

"Die well?" Ruby snorted to herself. "Yeah, I don't think so."

She flipped back over to the lance frequency. "So, good news and bad news."

"Do tell," Weiss prompted with an air of resignation.

"Well, I just got a battlefield promotion to Lieutenant."

"And that is the good news?"

"The only good news, yeah. As far as the defense of Tallin goes… we're now it. Our orders are to return to base."

"Wait, we're not heading for the spaceport?" Jaune asked, perplexed.

"No, we're not," Ruby answered darkly.

From the direction of the city, then, rose nine squat shapes as the dropships from the regiment clawed their way into the skies.

"Are they lifting off without us?" was Jaune's next rhetorical question.

"Yes, they are."

There was a long, drawn-out pause before Yang finally broke it. "Well, that's some bullshit right there."

"No arguments from me." Ruby turned her 'Mech again to survey the landscape littered with broken Battlemechs. "Weiss, mark Gamma Base's coordinates for everyone and then contact Nebula to come pick up our ejected Mechwarriors. The rest of us, haul back every usable 'Mech chassis you can find, we might have to take a few trips, but believe me, we're gonna need 'em." She grimaced slightly. "Well, those with articulated arms, anyway. Coco and I will escort, we can also grab a couple of BRV's from the base to bring back."

The BRV, or Battlemech Recovery Vehicle, was a large, unarmored flatbed truck with a winch attached that could hoist up to 60 tons onto its back and return it to the nearest repair facility. It'd be slow going, but hopefully, they'd have enough time to recover enough viable salvage to use.

Nodding slowly and pushing to the back of her mind her worries about just how they were going to get out of this predicament, Ruby turned once more to face the remains of her command. "Questions? No? Okay, then, let's move out, people."

A/N: Well, shit. They may have won the battle, but looks like they lost the war. Whatever will Ruby plan to pull their bacon out of the fire?

So, I realized here that I kinda screwed up on the logistics of the Liao forces. I'd only ever referred to the Battalion, whereas there is an entire Regiment on Tallin. One Battalion in the city, two spread out along the countryside. Well, at least until they got chewed up. I've fixed things in prior chapters to make that a little more clear, renaming the Battalion (from the Eighth, not sure why I used that) as well as actually naming the regiment. So Ruby's lance is Third Lance, Bravo Company, within the Third Battalion of the 41st Capellan Regulars. The command Battalion is the First, while the Second was the other one out in the countryside. And then the Colonel's 'elite' company is Alpha Company inside First Battalion.

Next up, confessions, plans, and contemplations, oh my!

Many thanks for those reading and reviewing! Hugs to ScrubLord97, RexCaldoran, Haley Earthstone, TacoKing23, Knight of Everwatch, and FeugoFox42!

Stay shiny!