Free Raid on Kahamba by Peter Lok Page B

off.
     
    “Penny!”  Joshua couldn’t believe his eyes.  Penny’s mecha was dead on the ground and billowing smoke.  “Respond!”
     
    “Unit two is offline.” X called out.  “Pilot may have survived.”
     
    Joshua jerked his HARM off to the side as X spoke.  He had lost focus on the last Newt mech a for just a moment, but not long enough to be a predictable target.   A flash of laser li ght missed his mecha.  “Bastard!  Y ou’re going down!”
     
    “Range is 1700 metres,” his mecha’s AI announced as his mecha continued to close.
     
    They were getting closer.  Joshua could tell that the enemy pilot was very, very good from the way the Newt mech a was being piloted.  He couldn’t get a clean shot at the evading mech a .  The enemy pilot was becoming more aggressive, sniping at him and no longer retreating.  It was one on one and both pilots figured they had a good chance at a kill.
     
    “Range is 1600 metres.”   Joshua fired again.  A portion of the Newt mech a ’s side armour blew off.
     
    Joshua could see the enemy mech a aiming.  He leapt to the side.  A laser flashed by his mecha.  The Newt mech a snapped a second shot at him less than a second later .  Joshua barely dodged the shot.  A shallow furrow appeared on his HARM ’ s right arm.  He could see that the heat radiators on the lower torso of the enemy mech a had fully extended and were now glowing red hot on his display.  The Newt mech a was generating more heat from constant firing than it could easily dissipate.
     
    Jos hua kept up the pressure and continued to close the distance.  “Range is 1500 metres.” More shots were exchanged and missed.  “Range is 1400 metres.”
     
    “ Two hundred metres ahead , pop smoke. ” 
     
    “Firing smoke,” his mecha’s AI responded.  Smoke mortars fired canisters from the front of his HARM , creating a line of visual, thermal and radar diffusing smoke.  In seconds the smoke was thick and getting thicker.   It wasn’t perfect cover, but it did make it harder to target anyone.  Joshua had two advantages.  His advance was facilitated from behind the smoke and he could still make out the huge heat bloom from the enemy mech a ’s radiators.
     
    Laser blasts shot through the smoke , missing his mecha by a wide margin.  The Newt mech a was firing semi-blind.  Joshua drove his HARM at a dead run for the smoke line. He could barely see the heat signa ture from the enemy ’s radiators, but that was enough.  He adjusted his aim , then pulled the virtual trigger again.  Another penetrator left the barrel of his coilgun.  The penetrator blew through the smoke and tore off a huge chunk of radiator from the enemy mech a .  Two more laser blasts shot through the smoke in response, but he had already changed position.
     
    Nearing the smoke line, Joshua called out.  “High  jump, 20 metres.”
     
    The AI confirmed, “High jump, 20 metres.”
     
    He tensed his legs and mimicked a jump, leaping his mecha up at a 45 degree angle.  The HARM unit sailed up through the smoke and cleared it.  Joshua sighted down his coilgun, focused only on the position of the enemy mech a . Once his HARM cleared the smoke he quickly adjusted and fired again for the center of the upper torso .  The enemy mech a was surprised by the move and barely shifted position in time .  His shot hit the enemy mech a in the left shoulder, blowing the shoulder and arm clean off.  The enemy mech a staggered but kept going.  Sparks and smoke billowed from the gaping hole in the torso.  Only one arm remained to steady the laser. 
     
    His HARM arced down to a running landing , its landing roc kets firing to reduce the impact .  The Newt mech a fired , and a laser blast struck the coilgun’s barrel .  The explosion destroyed the coilgun and almos t tore it from the HARM’s grip.
     
    Warning indicators flashed and a buzzer sounded. “Primary weapon disabled,” X reported . “Recommend