Good Fighters

Good Fighters
Novella by Jason Schmetzer
First Publication
Published15 May 2012
PublisherBattleCorps
Pages74
Chronology
EraSuccession Wars era
Timeline12 November 3016 — 17 November 3016

Good Fighters is a novella by Jason Schmetzer that was published online on BattleCorps in May 2012.

Teaser Text[edit]

In 3016 the Lyran-Free Worlds border was aflame with raids, but few burned so bright as the raid on Wyatt by Wolf's Dragoons--few, that is, except the later raid on Dixie by the assault 'Mechs of Zeta Battalion...

Plot Summary[edit]

On 12 November 3016, Wolf's Dragoons raid Dixie in the Lyran Commonwealth. At Replenishment Depot Zulu Three Four near the city of Posh, Lieutenant Vera Holmes of Able Battalion, Beta Regiment, commands a perimeter guard as her unit loads captured supplies. Sergeant Isabel Ghent detects movement on sensors but finds nothing. Holmes alerts Major Nikos Palassis, who orders her to stay ready.

Nearby, Hauptmann-Kommandant Timothy Elgar of the Seventeenth Arcturan Guards observes the replenishment depot with Leutnant Sabrina Cole. He reports to Colonels Ronald Hugo and Olaf Ganz that a Dragoons DropShip and several 'Mechs occupy the depot. When word arrives that Zeta Battalion is attacking Posh, Hugo insists on assaulting the depot despite Elgar's warnings.

At Posh, Zeta's Captain Simpson Pollock confirms they face not only militia forces as expected but the frontline Seventeenth Arcturan Guards. Colonel Mary Terrell presses the attack, dismissing his concern. Her forces advance through the streets while destroying enemy 'Mechs and armor.

At the depot, Holmes' lance waits as Lyran armor begin their approach. She spots the tanks advancing too far ahead and realizes they are walking into an ambush. Palassis orders his battalion to hold fire until the enemy closes, then unleashes artillery and missiles that devastate the Lyran formation. Elgar tries to rally his troops through the bombardment, but the militia breaks formation. He pushes his BattleMechs forward in a last attempt to maintain the offensive. The counterfire cripples much of the Lyran force.

Meanwhile at Posh, Colonel Terrell orders Zeta Battalion to march toward depot Z-34 to relieve Beta Regiment. Captain Hera Bancroft's company leads the advance, while Pollock's company covers the rear.

At the Lyran camp, Ganz blames Hugo for the failure and demands a renewed attack. Elgar advises regrouping, but before a decision can be made, reports arrive that Zeta Battalion is moving from Posh toward the depot. The Lyrans realize a second battle is coming. Elgar selects a clearing along the road for an ambush. He and his officers, including Hauptmann Sarah Jane Thorvald, plan to lure Zeta's assault 'Mechs into a prepared kill zone in a minefield. Confident that the next engagement will avenge their earlier defeat, Elgar orders preparations completed as the Dragoons close in.

On 13 November 3016, Pollock leads Zeta Battalion toward the Lyran defensive line near Replenishment Depot Z-34, where Beta Regiment remains trapped. Terrell orders Zeta to attack directly to break the siege, rejecting Pollock's suggestion to flank. The Seventeenth Arcturan Guards, commanded by Elgar, prepare layered defenses with tanks in support and minefields hidden across the road.

Inside the depot, Holmes and her battalion prepare for another battle as Major Palassis coordinates with Zeta, expecting them to open the way for extraction.

Terrell briefs her officers and insists on a frontal assault to maintain Zeta's fearsome reputation. Pollock protests, but she places Captain J. Elliot Jamison's White Company in the lead, with Red and Blue Companies in support. Across the field, Elgar observes the Dragoons' deployment and prepares to spring his ambush. As Zeta advances, the battlefield erupts in heavy fire. Lyran autocannons and missiles meet the Dragoons' advance until Terrell orders an all-out charge. Elgar detonates the minefields beneath them, toppling several 'Mechs and stalling the attack. Zeta Battalion presses forward through the explosions, and Elgar releases his concealed hovercraft, which rush the road and fire at close range. The concentrated barrage cripples Terrell's Marauder II and kills her. Pollock takes command, rallies the remaining Zeta units and directs their fire against the Lyran line. The counterattack destroys much of Elgar's armor and forces his units to halt pursuit. Both sides withdraw to regroup.

At the Lyran camp, Elgar reports the victory but warns his superiors that his battalion is exhausted. Colonel Hugo ignores him and orders a renewed attack on the replenishment depot. Before they can move, a Wolf's Dragoons Overlord-class DropShip descends near the front. The Hecate lands, loads Zeta's surviving 'Mechs, and launches toward Z-34.

Major Palassis signals the start of the extraction. Holmes leads her unit to support Zeta Battalion as the DropShip deploys the 'Mechs to break the Lyran line. Elgar pilots his BattleMaster and watches as the Wolf's Dragoons counterattack in full force. Missiles streak through the smoke as both armies clash again while Zeta Battalion fights to rejoin Beta Regiment and withdraw from Dixie.

As the fight for Dixie ends, Holmes meets Captain Jamison, who confirms that Pollock now leads Zeta Battalion and that Colonel Terrell is dead. Pollock briefly contacts Hauptmann-Kommandant Elgar, acknowledging the heavy losses of Zeta Battalion. Elgar returns to his command, refusing Colonel Hugo's order for a renewed assault and declaring the mission complete.

Four days later aboard the Hecate, Pollock receives orders, honoring Terrell's death, and promoting him to colonel.

Featured Characters[edit]

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Featured BattleTech[edit]

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