Battletech Chaos Campaign

[YellowStreak]

24th September 3038.
"An unknown jumpship translated in-system and we are detecting at least 2 Union-class dropships on an inbound high-G burn". Those words from several days earlier still echoed in Gunjin Jun Tateyama's ears. Who were these invaders, and, of all the places on the border between his beloved Draconis Combine and the accursed Lyran Commonwealth, why were they here on the little-known and rather insignificant planet of Higashi-betsuin?

Tatayama looked around the cockpit of his Spider, ensuring all systems were nominal. Ahead through the viewports in the cockpit of his 30-ton light 'mech, the dawn sun was burning away the fog of the previous night to reveal green rolling hills.
This was a pretty planet, although scarcely populated. His unit, the 118th DCMS Regulars, had been assigned here 6 months earlier to train the local militia and their own new recruits after a series of losses on recent campaigns. As such, the Combine forces were spread all over the planet, training in different biomes when the alert came in about the invaders.
His recon lance had been paired with a ad-hoc lance and put under operational command of Chu-i Saito. Saito was one of the newcomers to the 118th and Tateyama was concerned about his lack of real combat experience, but also grateful of the additional firepower the lieutenant's 60-ton Rifleman would bring to any fight.
And fight it seemed they would, as the invaders' dropships made a skillful last minute landing adjustment to avoid the bulk of the Combine battlemechs, instead leaving the 2 light advance lances as the closest defenders.
Systems pinged and alerts sounded as the enemy battlemechs were detected approaching. Tateyama charged his nimble 'mechs jump jets and prepared for battle.
---
"Fall back! Fall back" Tateyama cried desperately into the comms unit. What had seemd to start well was quickly falling apart. The invaders seemed to be a combination of Lyran regular forces alongside the legendary Wolf's Dragoons mercenaries and had quickly exploited the inexperience of the Combine's greener mechwarriors and commanding officer. Chu-i Saito's Rifleman had, in fact, been the first Combine mech to fall - his fusion powerplant erupting into a mini-mushroom cloud, representing a loss of both significant firepower and command coordination for the desperate defenders. Soon the comm channels were filled with cries as a number of the other light recon battlemechs were savaged by the oncoming invaders. Tateyama had taken giving orders to try and bring some organization to the remaining Combine mechs and coordinate an orderly retreat after his lance leader's Panther had fallen silent.
Thanksfully the invaders were not closely pursuring the retreating DCMS forces, perhaps anticipating an ambush or perhaps content with the landing beachhead they had established. One thing was for sure, war had come to Higashi-betsuin and the Draconis Combine would not take such an invasion lightly.