Heavy Gear

1st Summer

The Base was humming with activity as everyone prepared for the Regimental Ball. The squad all got into there dress uniforms, except for thex who was laid up with Ashanti Flu. One of the Gear hangars had been emptied decorated and filled with tables and chairs. Juno requisitioned a jeep to go pick up Clara, his Bond-Twin and date for the evening. Wittmann copied this and grabbed one so he could pick up Elsa.

Once the Ball started The squad joined Ranger Webbers squad on one big table. A band was playing away and a dinner of Roast Springer with Johar Roots was served. The Colonel gave a quick speech. He thanked the regiment for working so hard and promiced that re-enforcements were being organised. After the meal tables were cleared and the younger members of the regiment set to dancing. Klun fetched his trombone and joined the band. The Colonel did the rounds chatting to everybody in the Regiment. Sister Noble came over to chat to Juno, Gunther joined in and ended up chatting to her for most of the evening. Korey Dryman got a little drunk and fruitlessly tried to hit on Mouse. On a similar vein Lieutenant Machovers and Sergeant Nordsiek were slow dancing. As the evening wound down a bus dropped some of the revelers into Massada while others struggled to their barracks.

A few days later the Squad, bar Thex, we at the monthly section meeting. Thex after recovering from the flu had to go home as his father had had a stroke. Lieutenant Machovers and Staff Sergeant Nordsiek were unsuprisingly trying to avoid each other's eyes. Wittmann's squad was assigned to hunt down the Desert Fox, as per his suggestion at last months meeting. The Operation was to be called Double-Take. The squads patrols were to be reduced by half. The rest of the time they were to work on their own accord searching for the Fox.

The Squad got their hands on some maps and set to trying to work out the Fox's general location. They marked out locations of sightings and ambushes and set out out a grid in the probable vicinity of his base. Talking to the Quatre Master they ordered some sensors pods that could be left out in the Desert to pick up any hint of activity. Juno as a native Massadan was a member of the Prophets Shield. The Chief of Massadan Police is also in the organisation. Juno went to one of their meetings to see if he could get any contacts, of the Chief. He was told that the Chief would get back to him with someting.

Thex recover form the Flu but was still feeling week so took some leave. Mouse and Juno completed their Gunnery training. Their last assignment was a simulated Search and Destroy Mission. Together with Wittmann and Klun they were equipped with sporting weapons and (Desposable Pack Guns just in case) and sent to a Nav Point. From there they were to travel to a second Nav point about 40 klicks away and simulate destruction a Fuel Depot they would find along the way. Another Squad with sporting weapons would be guarding the depot.

Mouse was sent up the centre to scout, the others were 2 klicks to her right hoping she would draw out the other squad then they could flank them. Juno picked up a squad in his sensors. Mouse was sent in to get a better reading while the others prepared to flank. Mouse got target locations but not an ID on the Gears. Klun started raing simulated mortar shells on their positions. Mouse went in close to use her target designator and suddenly realised that this was not the other training squad but a squad of Southern Jager's. What the hell were they doing so far North? Wittmann had the squad assemble around him and they fdrew their Pack Guns (not much if this came to a firefight). He called out that they were engaged in a company level training exercise and asked what the Southerns were doing there? The Southern squad reveled themselves to be a Milicia unit then headed off. The training mission was abanndoned and everyone went back to base.

The Squad's standard patrol area was around where the southern units were spotted, (other squads had also reported sightings). As Wittmann has a bad reputation with Southerns they're patrol area was changed to a region North of Massada. Hopefully this would avoid any incidents that might help start a major war. The new area contained a Nothern Lights Confederacy Research station called Lanstrum Crater, its in a really big crater. On their first patrol in the new zone the squad called in to get to know the place. The crater was surrounded by wire fencing. Inside that on the floor of the crater were two towers a barracks and a bunker. The squad were shown round by a Solider from Kenema. Neural Net AI and Webling (a way to make animals smarter) was being researched in the base. It housed about 18 scientists and techs and 22 soldiers. After saying their hellos and getting to know the layout in case of emergency the squad headed on their way.

The Squad continued with their normal patrols and also started patroling the grids they had choosen in order to track down the Fox. Time past grids were searched, the sensor pods arrived and were positioned. The Massadan Police contacted Juno to say that a former Rover from the Desert Foxes group would be available for questioning. It was arranaged that Juno would meet the informant in a seedy bar. He would then catch up with the squad in the Brass Knuckles.

Juno met with the small, uglynasty looking fellow in a dogdy unpleasent bar. He was told the Fox uses the McAllen network for bases. The informant would not know the Foxes current location as he moves about at regular intervals. The Fox has between 30-50 men. He spreads what he steals with the local villages so is popular. He gets food and supplies from the villages and they are unlikely to give him away. He also mentioned that there was constant tension between the Fox and his second in command. Learning little more Juno headed back to the Brass Knuckles. As he walked in the barman called him over. He pointed out a guy sitting alone saying that that man wanted to speak with him. Juno headed over and introduced himself. The man revealed that he was Emanuel Rouchand. He was a Southerner who Juno thought he had killed in a duel some years ago. Juno had taken the man's Rapier after the duel. The man carried a cane and half his faced was badly scared from burns. He challenged Juno to a re-match and they agreed to fight in two weeks at a point a day and a half south of Massada.

Over the next two weeks Wittmann arranged one of the long range patrols looking for the Desert Fox, to coincide with the time of the duel. This would give the squad a reason to go missing for three days. Juno got in contact with the old Regimental Duelist for some extra training. Wittmann also made sure that he took it easy on the standard patrols so that Juno would be well rested.

Eventually the time came for the squad to head south for the duel. They started early in the morning hoping to travel all day. The weather was fairly unpleasant and as the day progressed it worsened. By evening the squad were travelling through a sandstorm that was almost totally blinding their sensors. They found a large rock outcrop andparked their gears in the shelter it provided. It was too windy to sleep a tent so they settled uncomfortably in their Gears, except for Mouse who enjoys sleeping in her Cheetah.

A few hours later Mouse who was on watch reported that her sensors seemed to be indicating that a battle was taking place near by. Wittmann order the squad to move out. The Sandstrom was still blowing strong so it was hard to get an accurate reading. As they headed towards the source of the disturbance they found their communications blocked by ECM.

As they got nearer sensor readings indicated a large caravan stopped on the road. Weapons were being fired from the caravan but there was no idication of what they were firing at. Suddenly a small Gear burst out of the storm and openned fire on the squad. It was hard to tell what model it was, but it looked kind of like a Cheetah. Over the next few minutes 4 or 5 gears all of the same make as the first made lightning strikes against the sqaud. The Jet Black Gears would burst out of the storm at high speed, fire and disappear again. It was hard for the squad to get a lock on them yet alone hit. Mouse's Cheetah had on of its feet mangled. Wittmann managed to seriouly damage one of their gears before his Tiger was completley deatroyed. He only just managed to eject dragging his Neural Net behind him. Juno's Jaguar then had its Sensors and Communications destroyed. The squad started to fall back in disorder. A explosion in the distance indicated that one of the Stealth Gears had been destroyed. The other Stealth Gears seemed to leave at that point. Wittmann's battered squad approached the caravan.

The caravan belonged to a woman calling herself the Prohpetess Adraina Zing. There were huge holes blown in the vechilces and a dozen or so bodies strewn about. Most people from the caravan were confused as to exactly what happened, but were delighted to be alive. The Squad settled in to wait for re-enforcements as well as trucks to transport their battered gears. Juno's duel would just have to wait. Blasted Southerns would probably try to indicate his non-appearance as a sign of cowardice.