He wiped his hands off on a somewhat grimy towel, setting down the bad hydraulic line in a recycle bin. He stepped back and looked at his machine in all its glory, the three story mech was a thing of beauty. Thirty centimeters of grade A titanium armor plating, a 50mm auto cannon, 30 count rocket pod, and a activation energy field. There were many like it but this one was his, he was the leader of one of the triumvirate's mechanized strike teams. Six man team, all with mechs, all with specializations. He rolled down his sleeves and picked up his helmet and put it on, activating the display he keyed his mech up, the display showed his tag, Talon 1, over his mech, it began to move. The program wasn't elegant, or advanced but it didn't need to be for him to pilot it. He ordered it back to its normal storage and it lumbered back, amid the Sparks of other pilots working with maintenance teams to modify or repair their mechs. Not required but a point of pride, he strolled past his team working on their own mechs. "Remember, we got an op in 45 mikes, time is of the essence. Report to the ready room asap." There was a simultaneous "yes sergeant!" From his men. In less than 15 they were gathered around a projection table. "Alright listen up, this lovely asteroid here is called X3-17, local hub for pirates and other low life's. Been moving in on our trade routes and the company doesn't like that. Simple mission, clear out the miscreants, and reclaim any property that isn't theirs. Any thing we find that isn't properly marked is for keeps, no drugs, no slaves, no pets. Any questions?" He looked to his men, there was "Irish" who was Irish, Ramirez who volunteered to do everything, Trevor from new South Africa, Hanzo from the Japanese territories, (place holder) from New Kenya. They knew the drill and wouldn't cause problems, they were good men. They geared up and mounted up. Each sat in his mech as they were fired into the asteroid. With no atmosphere, the entry was cool, the mechs were self regulating for o2. The mechs hit the surface and charged towards the pirate port. They didn't have a chance, with the fleet above cutting them off and the mech strike force on the ground and nothing to counter it, the fight was one sided. Ships tried to run the blockade or fight meeting terrible fates, some pirates tried to fight, but even their heavy rockets wouldn't save them, the mechs had counter measures in place. Pavel and his men were advancing quickly when the wall of a warehouse broke open to reveal a stolen mech suit. The pilot charged the strike team, guns blazing. It caught the PMCs off guard, and they turned to face their new opponent. Whoever he or she was, they had guts. Using a rocket launcher, the mech was designed to kill mechs. It targeted Pavel who barely dodged one of them, and had to pop his shield for the other. He opened fire and rushed forward, until the mechs were engaging in hand to hand, leaving it on auto pilot, he jumped out and onto the other mech, grabbing hold of a piece of armor and scaling the machine while it fought his. He pulled out a demo charge and placed it when the other pilot hopped out as well and knocked him off. He lost his rifle on the way down, and the pirate had hers. He rushed her, activating his exo armor's boost. He tackled her and ripped the rifle from her hands as she started to throw punches. The two engaged in hand to hand combat, as their mechs did. However he had the advantage of superior training, and she was getting winded. There was a loud crash as her mech went down and the core was breached, the resulting explosion threw both off their feet. He landed near his rifle she landed on her head. He picked his rifle up and checked her vitals, alive but unconscious. His men had finished the mission and rounded up prisoners and loot. They all boarded shuttles to the ship, Pavel made sure that the woman got medical attention, she fought well, but never stood a chance. [b]open[/b]