0600 hours

Joel sat on the top of his Warhawk, patiently awaiting his orders for today's battle. Having his Star Colonel determine which MechWarriors would declare batchalls and which ones would provide support in the aftermath was pure genius. After suffering serious losses in the first 48 hours of the planetary assault, it had come down to smaller engagements designed to widdle away the defenders best warriors and machines, allowing for a smoother final assault on the capital. Joel often wondered why these freebirths put up such fierce resistance to the perfection of Clan ways, but then he surmised he was not a freebirth and most likely would never understand their ways. This would be his 6th single combat engagement on this planet since they landed and would likely be his sixth victory as well.

The initial landings were not as calm however. The defenders declared a state of safecon for the dropships, and then opened fire with their Mobile Orbital guns destroying two of the eight landing craft. His friend Michel was on one of those ships. It was an uneasy feeling knowing Michel was gone, but he planned to make his sacrifice a worthwhile one to say the least.

Joel's thoughts were interrupted as static came across the field radio. He picked up the handset and keyed the mic, " Star Captain Joel Showers receiving". A moment of silence and then came the reply, "Star Colonel Blake Winson here. I have your orders Captain. Are you ready for today's challenge, quiaff?" Sarcasm echoed from the earpiece as Joel smirked a little. "Aff, Colonel. Who do I get to dispatch today?" "Our advance scouts have located a regrouping company of mechs about 40 klicks northwest from your current location. Someone claiming to be their Battalion Commander, offered herself in a batchall, provided we allow her wounded troops to continue back to their base. Our scouts reported that she appears to pilot an Inner Sphere mech known as an Awesome, an 80 tonner. I advised our scouts to refuse the challenge since their mechs would be no match outweighed by 35 tons. I have uploaded the coordinates and the schematics for her mech into your navputer. I believe her exact words were, 'Meet me at high noon'. Good luck Captain, Winson out".

Joel placed the radio back into his field pack, and shouldered it for the climb down to the cockpit. Once inside the cockpit, the computer beeped steadily as it gathered the incoming transmission from the Colonel's staff. Although this 85-ton beast was powered down, the computer was able to remain online to gather reports and transmissions from the command post. A new trick they learned from examining captured mechs. Strapping himself into the command chair, Joel flipped the switches that would awaken the monster he referred to as his own child. Although it was a freebirth term, it was quite apparent that Joel favored this mech over all others, including the Colonel's feared Timber Wolf. The computer spoke in a metallic shrill, "Computer online, reactor online, gyro online, weapons systems online and locked. Enter release command". He spoke in a monotone voice "11062801 Unlock" to which the computer replied, "Unlock sequence confirmed. Welcome Star Captain Showers". Although most warriors use a section of the Remembrance as their unlocking sequence, Joel chose something closer to the heart. If anyone heard the sequence of numbers, Joel hoped his voice may be enough to distract from the fact that it was the date of Aleksandr Kerensky's death. A date that Joel used to remind himself that although he may be Clan, he is not immortal.

The giant machine roared to life as the reactor came up to full power and the gyro brought it up off its haunches. Joel adjusted the straps to his neural helmet and gripped the controls in his hands. "Again I go to combat, may the spirit of Kerensky keep me safe", he muttered to no one in particular and started his march towards his newest navpoint. The landscape was dotted with large, full trees, which he darted in and around, using them to awaken his piloting senses. He walked along cautiously trying to avoid having to knock them over with his mech. The resulting damage would be negligible, but no sense in creating unwarranted damage to such a fine machine. Joel let his thoughts drift to relax himself during his walk to the engagement zone.

1100 hours

As he neared the engagement zone, he began scanning radio frequencies for the advance scout mechs that should be out here to guide him to the field. They would be running passive radar, but they should be broadcasting clearly over the radio so that any other mechs would not wander into the fray by accident. Beta channel gave clear sound, but Charlie had enough static that Joel stopped the scan on that channel, and left it there for the duration of the march. A few minutes later, a broadcast came over the channel, "Star Captain Showers come in. This is MechWarrior Lucas, do you read, over?" "Aff, Lucas I read you. My vector is Alpha 297, 8 klicks out. Confirm." "Aff Captain, your bearing reads true. You should have us on your radar in a few minutes. Lucas out". Despite the warm welcomes from his scouts, Joel powered his weapons and set his radar to passive with a 30 second active scan pulse. Nothing from his battles has led him to believe that Inner Sphere combatants were not sneaky. An ambush at this point would do nothing more than delay the inevitable, but there was no point in providing them with such an easy kill either. Joel diverted his attention from the window over to his tactical screen to review his opponent's capabilities. The data the Colonel uploaded indicated that the mechs were roughly equal in overall weight, armor, and speed. He noted the difference was in the weapons and that was most important to his plan. Although his Warhawk was in a standard C Configuration, he had the Clan Flamer removed and had not replaced it with anything. Less weight and less heat buildup would be his bonus. It also reflected in his tactics of long range fighting since he mounted a pair of ER PPCs and a pair of Large Pulse Lasers. Getting up close and personal in a fight usually resulted in a heavy amount of damage and could end in physical attacks, a truly dishonorable offense to a Clan warrior. But if it came down to having to stop a charging mech, Joel was prepared to cut them down either by blasting the cockpit out, or severing the mechs legs. He noticed the armament of the Awesome and realized that he was outgunned by a single ER PPC, but the Medium Pulse and the Streak SRM missiles would only play a role if he got too close. A dozen battle plans raced through his mind as he continued his march to the fields.

His radar picked up two contacts almost directly ahead of him, but still at a distance from his mech. Their mechs repeatedly transmitted a code over a high band frequency that indicated they were friendly mechs. Embedded within this code was the information allowing the mechs computer to put pilot names and chassis types next to the dots on the radar screen. Although he was running passive radar Joel knew that they would have him on their screens as well. A familiar voice piped through over his headset, "Captain, we have you on radar. Rendezvous at our location and we will escort you to the engagement area. Their Battalion Commander is awaiting you there, and our other scouts have escorted the other mechs from the area to remove any outside interference." Joel was surprised for a moment about the trust his enemy placed with them to take her troops back to her base, knowing full well they would only fight again soon. He hoped that this act of honor was not short-lived. As his Warhawk crested a small hill he spotted the pair of Shadowcats walking the area, undoubtedly watching for unexpected company. The northern most scout saw Joel walking up, and waved him over using his right arm. The Shadowcat's right arm ended in a rather long barrel, distinctive of a Gauss Rifle, while the other had a Medium Laser, and ended in a fist. Without even looking for the other two Medium Lasers nestled in the torso of the mech, Joel knew that it was fresh from the Dropship, still in it's Primary Configuration. The other one was different however, as he noticed blackened scars down its sides and legs. Both arms revealed short barrels, Extended-Range Large Lasers he estimated and could only guess at the missile type in the torso. This A Configuration had seen some combat recently, and it looked as if it was still looking for more. The scouts took up positions on either side of the Warhawk, as they upped the throttle and head out west.

1200 hours

Joel could see his opponent through the magnification of his targeting display. Joel admitted to himself that it looked proud standing out there in defiance of the order his Clan was bringing to this planet. If this person were willing to die for their chaos, then Joel would be the one to make them a martyr. Both scouts had already moved away, taking up station 2 klicks north and south of the designated battle area. Far enough away to avoid stray shots but close enough to lend a hand in case of trouble. Joel tried to imagine what the pilot of the Awesome was thinking right now, but admitted that he obviously could not know what freebirths thought about in their minds. "She probably wants to kill me and get away", he thought, "We will just see about that". He toggled a switch over to an unsecured channel and keyed the comm switch, "This is Star Captain Joel Showers. I pilot the Warhawk at the east side of this field. I hereby invoke the ritual of zellbrigen and challenge the pilot of the Awesome at the west side of this field to a duel of warriors. In this solemn matter, let no one interfere." A brief moment passed where Joel wondered if the pilot was even receiving his transmission, when her response came. " I am receiving your transmission Captain, and if it's all the same to you, I'd like to get this over with. My men are being escorted back to our base, and your scouts have asked that I remain here until you showed up. Now that you're here, let's see if betting my life for my men will pay off." Joel was taken aback by the candid nature of her reply, but really admired her resilient response to his challenge. Surprisingly, this freebirth has shown a side that was not expected in a non-Clan upbringing. "Bargained well and done. Before we begin, may I inquire as to the reason for your sacrifice?" he asked of the pilot. A puzzled looked fell upon his face as he listened to her reply. "I don't expect you to understand us Clanner, but imagine all your beliefs, your dreams, your hopes, everything you hold important to yourself, threatened by something you knew to be near impossible to defeat. Something that preyed on your weaknesses and used its cunning and its strength to corner you like a damn lab rat. Then your friends look to you for help, and you know that you can get them out, but only by distracting the beast with your own person, even while knowing that you might not live to see them get safe, you know that the beast will only take you. If that concept can squeeze into that narrow-minded brain of yours, then perhaps we aren't as different as you would like to think." Knowing fear was not something taught to sibkos as they were trained and tested. Even though death was possible in every thing, it was taught to be revered as part of your life in the Clan. Joel responded back, "Although I cannot say I know of your feelings, I do understand their origin. I commend you for honoring your promise to meet me here today. Should you die in this contest, you death will be an honorable one for your people. Let us begin."

Joel paused a second while he watched the Awesome raise its arms to bring its guns level with him. Both pilots knew they were well out of range of each others weapons, but the true questions was, who would get to fire first? The field was dotted with smaller trees, and some rolling hills, that would only offer protection for the lower half of the mech at the correct angles. A small wooded section began over to the south and extended to the west. Ideal cover in the event of misfortune, but that was something he planned to avoid. He started the Warhawk at a slight run, to build up momentum for the ensuing battle. The Awesome responded in kind but began to angle to the right of the Warhawk, perhaps looking for some cover in the hills Joel spotted earlier. At a distance of 1500 meters from each other, Joel began searching for a prime firing location. Something that would give him an advantage in destroying her quickly so he could get back to helping complete the invasion. A patch of raised ground surrounded by tall, thick trees caught his eye and he turned his mech to the left, and pushed the throttle to full. To his right he watched the Awesome running across the field to position between two hills to offer cover and high ground when needed, but he noted that the hills would not provide complete protection for the mech just as his spot would not cover him either. Joel turned his mech further to the left of spot so he could stop in it were his weapons would be targeting the Awesome. As he cranked the machine hard right and throttled down to stop and fire, he realized he had made a huge mistake. Instead, of the Awesome standing there nestled between the hills, he was looking at an empty space of ground. Twisting the torso to the right, he spotted the mech moving at full speed in a slow circle, towards his original starting point. Joel moved the controls for the right arm that held his lasers, looking to score the first hit for fooling his prediction for her actions. Just as he centered his cross hairs, three blue sparks shot from the Awesome, heading directly for him.

Instead of the damage indicators going off in the Warhawk, a warning was going off in Joel's mind. The blasts were not aimed at his mech, instead the first of three blasted the hill in front of him, showering the mech with dirt and rock, and the other two passed to his left and right, obliterating the trees that stood around him engulfing him in burning foliage. Now, while this did no noticeable damage to the Warhawk, Joel realized that a bigger issue existed now. He was blinded by all this debris and smoke. His tactical situation was worsening as the seconds ticked by. He knew that the Awesome was last seen moving to his right, circling around behind him, but he could not verify this visually. Rather than run straight out of the fire, possibly exposing his right side or even worse, his back armor, he put the mech into full reverse, and rotated to his right, to try to catch the Awesome moving around behind him. As he exited the small bonfire, a red beam lashed out at his right torso causing some minor damage and the missile klaxon sounded mere seconds before a quartet of warheads blasted into the center torso. Recovering from the minor jolt given by the missiles, Joel spotted the Awesome still moving left to right in a wide circle around him. Training the right arm at the arc the Awesome was moving in, Joel fired both lasers at the left torso as it tried to rotate back around to strike at him again. The laser blast stripped away some armor, but more importantly, jolted the torso back to the left spoiling the aim of the right arm. Joel continued to follow her path by rotating his mech to bring the left arm holding his PPCs around into the firing arc, and let loose a double bolt of blue energy. Both shots struck the right arm melting over a ton of armor around the actuators and shifting the weight over to the left side of the Awesome pitching it further over from the laser blasts a few seconds ago.

Joel watched her reverse her turn using the momentum of his hits to spin the mech around like a top, and effectively presenting an undamaged side to his weapons. The left arm of the Awesome whipped out, and responded in kind with a PPC blast to his right torso. The computer indicated severe damage, but no breach yet. Another hit there, would destroy the armor, and possible damage the targeting computer housed there. Without the computer, his chances of a victory would be reduced. He twisted away from her direction of movement to shield his right side as two more blasts crashed into his mech. One plastered itself directly into the center torso, and the other smashed into the left hip actuator. Another hit there would sheer the leg clean off. As Joel fought the controls to stabilize the mech, he switched off from group fire to chain fire. Sighting his lasers over the left torso of the Awesome, he triggered a 4 second burst that melted away enough armor to expose the internal structure. A cloud of green mist formed behind the Awesome as he realized she was trying to vent the heat build up from her weapons fire and his hits. He brought up the PPC arm and fired one shot from each barrel about a half second apart. The first round ripped into the lower left torso, burning away paint and melting armor over the hips off the Awesome. It stumbled for a second as if it had stepped into a soft patch of ground, the result of the armor fusing around the leg and hip connection. The second shot hit in the upper portion of the torso, where the laser blasts had already weakened its defenses. The resulting breach reached the mechanisms of the PPC housed here and touched off an internal explosion that destroyed the gun. The explosion of the gun touched a detonation in the left arm of the currently fed missiles. Joel watched as a giant fireball erupted from the chest and arm socket of the mech blowing the arm clear off, sending armor fragments in all directions, and knocking the running mech clear onto its face.

1400 hours

Joel stood near his mech as the tech checked out the damage to the hip actuator. The damage to the Awesome had not been complete, so there was a recovery vehicle loading the hulk onto the waiting Dropship. Joel turned his head up to the tech as he shouted down about the damaged components. "The hip socket is fused. If you walk too far, it will shatter and the leg will fall off. I will put it on the Dropship and fix it there. I will have it ready in a few hours back at the command post. I will take good care of her Captain." "I know you will Jake. Thanks!" he said and turned to head for the medical tent where they were examining the defeated pilot. Two elementals stood outside on either side of the tent. He approached the examination table where she was sitting up answering some questions from the medical officer. Her eyes shifted over to his figure standing in the entrance and the medic followed her gaze over to him and straightened up to a salute. The Star Captain returned the salute and stepped forward to the pilot. Her hair was a dark blonde and was pulled back into a hairpiece. Her overall tan indicated a considerable amount of time spent out in the field, possibly during training maneuvers. A bruise had formed on her left cheek and a cut stretched above her left eye that the medic had already 
stitched closed. Her black tank top showed the stain of sweat and blood, no doubt from the recent combat. A brown belt held an empty holster against a pair of faded jungle fatigues that ended is a set of scuffed black boots. Her ripped cooling vest lay on the ground a few feet away. The medic turned his attention back to the woman, and she gave him a nod of thanks for his help. The medic then turned to Joel, "Star Captain Joel Showers, may I present Lt. Colonel Ranna McCallister of the 83rd Marine Combat Brigade. She piloted the Inner Sphere Awesome you had loaded to the Dropship for repairs." Joel snapped a salute to the Lt Colonel, and prepared to speak when she interrupted, " Star Captain Showers, thank you for your medical treatment and for the use of the radio to inform my troops I was alright and being taken care of by your team. It also helps me to know they all arrived at the base safely under your escorts. You're a man of your word. But what I wanna know is what's to become of me now? My mech is all busted up thanks largely in part to you, and I'll be sore for a few days, but other than that I'm fine." Joel cracked a smile, wiped his palms on his navy-grey color pants and crossed his arms in front of his broad chest. He continued to smile as he spoke, "Well my isorla, I have ownership of your mech and it will be repaired and refitted with our weapons and technology making it stronger and faster, and you will be under my supervision." The words apparently had no meaning for Ranna as she shook her head and asked, "Isorla? What does that all mean?" The smile on his face grew more intense as he watched the color drain from her face, "It means you can never go back 
home again."