Erich idly sloshed the coffee in his mug back and forth; he had long ago accepted that any military or mercenary group only had two types of coffee. Semi-tepid sludge better suited for filling cracks in ferrocrete roadways, or scalding tar best used to pour on the peasants attacking the family castle. The coffee in his mug was, despite the attempt of the campfire to heat the liquid, fairly solidly in the first camp of the two types. Listening to the last details of the briefing in the pitch darkness of pre-predawn gloom, he nodded at the news that the company's dropship was out of contact, but decided to keep that information to himself.<br/><br/>Turning away from the meeting point as the group broke up to get to their 'mechs, he walked over to where his Lance's 'Mechs stood in a loose clump. Climbing into his Assault 'mech, he peeled out of his jumpsuit, swapping the fatigues for a pair of shorts and his cooling vest. Toggling various switches and activating the assault 'mech's command prefix code, the Awesome's Pitban 240 Engine rumbled to life, feeding power to the war machine's actuators, weapons, and sensors. Shrugging his neurohelmet into place, Erich got comfortable, slowly testing the 'mech's responsiveness to his controls while the helmet allowed the war machine's 3-ton internal gyroscope to balance the 13-metre tall machine as if it was using his own sense of balance.<br/><br/>Toggling his comms, he spoke clearly, his deep voice rumbling through the comms of the other three 'mechs in the lance. "Assault Lance; Ready Check." As he waited for the other three to signal readiness, either vocally or via sensor ping, he Moved his Awesome towards the north exit of the canyon the company had sheltered in, smiling slightly as the DI computer reported that everything had checked out and all systems were green. As his 'Mech strode at its walking pace of 32 Kph towards the edge of the canyon, Erich moved his left hand to a joystick offset from the weapon control stick, using it to test the actuator's in the Awesome's pyramid-shaped left hand; the four-fingered claw opening and closing with surprising care; the Veteran 'Mechwarrior had, in the past, been able to use the 'mech's hand for more than just punching an enemy in the face, and, to his mind, it paid to keep in practice.<br/><br/>Toggling his comms again once the Assault lance had formed up, he spoke in his usual clipped tone. "Stick to energy weapons unless you have a clear shot at something vital. Maintain speed at Forty Kilometres per Hour until we arrive. Once we engage, focus fire. Vice, you're with me once we hit the base. Defiance and Kismet, once we breach defenses, link up with the Recon lance to secure the mech bays, at best speed. Vice and I will go right up the middle. No stupid stunts; I expect all of you to come back in one piece, and with your 'mech Not on a salvage flatbed. Clear?"