The eastern wing of the Pantherformation came up over the hills surrounding the landing site. One Panther,which Dan's computer labeled "Able"—the last one in the wedge—stood atop the hillock, only a hundred meters from where Dan's Valkyrielay beneath a scanner baffle. The Panther'shead swung slowly from side to side as though the MechWarrior inside imagined himself the lord of all he surveyed.
Dan trained his medium laser's targeting crosshairs on "Able," but brought his LRM sight to rest and lock-on to the next Panther—"Bravo"—in line. He kept both target icons following the appropriate 'Mechs almost automatically as he focused his attention on the spearhead's lead Panther.It had stopped short and brought up the PPC on its right arm.
A light flared in Dan's cockpit, signaling the attack. "Fire!" Dan stabbed his thumb down on the left-hand joystick and launched a flight of LRMs at the further of the two Panthers.Six missiles struck their target. Five smashed into the left side of the 'Mech's chest and succeeded in chipping away armor in a glowing metal rain. The sixth missile exploded against the other side of "Bravo's" chest, but failed to check the involuntary rotation the other missiles had imparted to the Panther.
Dan's medium laser lanced into "Able" and seared an ugly scar into the armor of its right arm. SRMs, launched by Brand's Commandoand Lang's Wasppeppered the "Able" from head to toe. Medium laser fire pierced the smoke and flames left behind by the missile, and shredded the armor on the 'Mech's right leg. Dan saw myomer-fiber muscles corded around titanium 'Mech bones. Abie's doomed. That leg won't take much more damage.
He brushed the fingers of his right hand across the toggle switch, and his scanner immediately reported "Bravo's" condition. Laser fire from Baker's Jennerhad added to the damage his LRMs had done. All the armor from the Panther'sleft torso had been blown or lazed away to expose the 'Mech's circuitry and other vital parts to the murderous fire from the ambush. Hanging in tatters, the armor on the right leg and right torso showed further damage from the Jenner'sbattery of medium lasers.
Dan looked up and saw Cat Wilson's black and red Marauderstep from ambush. The hunched-over 'Mech thrust its right claw at the wedge's lead Panther.The Marauder'sright PPC spat a jagged bolt of man-made lighting. The blue fire licked greedily at the Panther'schest and instantly vaporized all the armor it touched. The Marauder'stwin medium lasers slashed surgically at the Panther'sleft arm and stripped it of armor as though it were so much bark off a tree. The Marauder'sautocannon blasted the Pantherand gouged massive craters in the armor over the 'Mech's right thigh.
Bethany Connor's Crusader,moving up through the jungle behind Wilson's Marauder,similarly targeted the lead Panther.Panels flicked open on the Crusader'sforearms. Two flights of LRMs burned into the night sky. The missiles spiraled down into the Panther,and one complete flight crushed the 'Mech's chest like a hammer-blow. Fragments of armor, frozen in mid-flight by the strobing explosions, filled the air like a flight of frightened birds. The rest of the Crusader'smissiles tore at the Panther'sright leg, denting and blasting away armor.
Fire from Ward's Assault Lance ripped mercilessly into the Pantherdesignated "Echo." Diane McWilliams's Riflemanand Mary Lasker's Trebuchetcombined their fire to strip armor off their target. The Trebuchet'stwin LRMs flights bracketed the Pantherand blasted every shred of armor from either arm. Four of the LRMs smashed into the Panther'shead and ripped away part of its armor, giving the 'Mech a torn lip and a scorched face. The Rifleman'sautocannon fire easily peeled off the Panther'schest armor, while its pair of medium lasers melted all but the last of the enemy 'Mech's right leg.
Colonel Kell and Lieutenant Finn combined their attack to hideous effect on the Pantherthat Dan's readout nicknamed "Foxtrot." Kell trained his Thunderbolt'slarge laser on the 'Mech's right torso, and the ruby beam boiled the armor away like honey on a stove. Finn's Orionadded its medium laser to the wound and burned through to the interior. Sparks flashed as circuits melted on the enemy 'Mech. The thick black smoke curling from the wounds suggested that the laser had burned away a number of heat sinks. Without them, no 'Mech could operate for long, especially a PPC-armed Panther.
Major Salome Ward in her Wolverine,and her lancemate, Lieutenant Fitzhugh in his Catapult,concentrated their fire on one of the modified Shadow Hawks.The Catapult'stwo launching racks, located where its bird-like 'Mech should have had wings, flipped open to corkscrew thirty LRMs through the Pacifica darkness. They struck in waves, and exploded thunderously. With so much fire concentrated on the Shadow Hawk'sleft arm, it appeared utterly consumed. As the fire melted into the night, the Hawk'sleft limb lay completely vulnerable. Mangled beyond use, the hand and forearm hung frozen in place.
The Wolverine'sSRM flight exploded in an even line across the Shadow Hawk'storso. Though the Wolverine'sautocannon and medium laser blasted and burned huge slabs of armor from the Shadow Hawk'sleft side, they had failed to breech the armor. The medium lasers of Fitzhugh's Catapultsliced through the Shadow Hawk'sright leg armor, laying bare the myomer muscle. This left the 'Mech scanner-tagged "Golf" with the appearance of having only one of its trouser legs on.
Leftenant Redburn's
Hunchbackstepped into the open and chased a
Griffin
The ferocity of Redburn's assault staggered the
Griffin
.The potency of Hauptmann-General Sarah Joss's attack finished it. Joss's
Warhammerseemed to regard the stricken
Griffin
One blue bolt flashed from the Warhammerand probed the Griffin 'shalf-melted left arm with a savage touch. Armor exploded and rocketed across the battlefield as blue lightning further mauled the damaged arm. Joss's attack left the 'Mech's limb twisted and fused to the shoulder in a fire-blackened lump.