In many ways, his role in the battle was much like a field general.
She did as she was ordered, settled onto all fours, and let Mini take over to drive them into the position Hammerhand wanted her to cover. A small hill ran along the left side of the line almost a half klick away from the main force, which pushed forward consistently.
The sun had begun its descent and the source of the smoke was now visible. A large building was ablaze and hungry tongues of flame climbed into the smoke it generated. The sky had darkened around it, both from the sun’s slow journey toward the west but also because the smoke created a thick cloud. Despite the fact that it was infused with a dull red light, it seemed to drape itself over the landscape as if to shield it in shadow.
Jessica13 recalled the views she had seen from the top of Sanctuary and how they had filled her with a sense of wonder and excitement about what the world around her held.
All she could feel from what she could see now was dread, however, even before Athena's men came into clear view.
These definitely weren’t indolent or tired troops and no one seemed careless or unfocused. While the mechs had obviously been repaired using various spares and parts they had collected from others, the work wasn’t incompetent or roughshod to the point where she couldn't even tell what kind they were. They were a group of well-maintained mechs that now assumed a defensive formation ahead of the Knights that advanced toward them.
"What kind of numbers are we looking at?" she asked.
"It's difficult to tell," Mini said, highlighting the group she was looking at. "As far as I can tell, almost forty of Athena's knights now stand ready to face the Knights Mechanica, but a few more groups have begun to march out from the town behind them. The heat signatures are distorted by the fire and the smoke so I can't make out how many of them there are."
"I guess there are many who would rally behind someone who rules with a literal iron fist." She scowled, pulled out of Bulletfoot mode, and settled them into the position Hammerhand had directed them to before she took her rifle from her back. "Especially if they're offered effective mechs and a large group for protection to perpetuate Athena's rule. Is that the town on fire behind them?"
"I suppose that's true, and I'm afraid so," he confirmed and activated the aiming software as she looked through the scope of the rifle.
"Tinker, do you read me?" Jessica13 called over the comm line.
"I read you, lassie. What are you looking at?" Tinker replied.
"There is a large group ready to engage us before we reach the burning town," she said. "I estimate about three dozen of them in a defensive formation, with a couple more groups heading in from behind them."
"Noted," he said. "Keep an eye out for any changes in their position. And try to take any shots you can without being detected."
"Roger that." She eased forward to a better position at the top of the hill and kept her eye on the scope.
Athena's knights were stationed about three or four klicks away from the burning town, and their positions and combat readiness appeared to indicate that they knew the Knights Mechanica were coming. She wasn't sure how Athena had found out but given that she had lost control of a town and one of her supply trains had gone missing, it was really only a matter of time before their presence was at least suspected. She most likely had her own ways to spy on her enemies and wouldn’t be as powerful as she was if she didn’t make use of them.
Jessica13 leaned in a little closer and tried to identify the individual mechs. They were still too far away to take a shot, and as the Knights continued to move forward, they held their position and their weapons appeared to be already primed and ready for action as best she could tell from that distance.
"It definitely looks like they're expecting our attack," she said over the comms.
"I thought as much," Tinker responded. "I'd say Athena deliberately burned the town to draw us into a fight she could control. We can only hope they're still getting settled into their defenses and aren't too entrenched.”
She continued to move forward alongside the Knights, who had increased their pace. Hammerhand now double-timed them and prepared his force to fight.
Suddenly, Athena's army swung into action. A group settled into an attack formation and raced forward, possibly in an attempt to unsettle their enemy and slow the momentum of their attack.
The Knights merely held formation in response and marched resolutely forward. Their leader seemed undaunted and still held the center of the line to maintain a determined but swift pace. His team maintained their disciplined formation with quiet resolution as if they weren’t merely a handful against at least three times their number.
Jessica13 raised her rifle, took a deep breath, and shifted into a more comfortable position. Her task was to keep an eye on the remainder of Athena's mechs, and she refocused as a handful of them broke away from the main force. It soon became apparent that their intention was to circle behind Hammerhand's line, something she could not allow to happen.
Her keen eye identified what appeared to be the leader of the group and she zoomed in before she calmly pulled the trigger.
The rifle's hellebore rounds cut smoothly through the Lancer's armor and into the cockpit. Although the mech shuddered visibly, it continued to move when the AI took control and directed its functions so it could proceed.
"Shit, these fuckers will be a little tougher to destroy than the others," Jessica13 muttered. She waited a little impatiently as the rifle pushed another round into the chamber before
