The Lost Patrol, mission one

The money was good, they said, it will be easy, they said, they only have old tanks, they said. When would Max learn to stop listening to politicians? The contract was straight forward; raiders had been harassing the locals a few times a year, they got tired of this and collected enough money to hire Mercs to protect them. Looked like something right up the Lost Patrol's alley. They were a small and untried unit recently formed in the last year, but they boasted some powerful equipment. This alone made them attractive to potential employers who could overlook their inexperience in return for the firepower they bring to the table.
   It was their first real job after forming up on Glasgow and they had already bitten off more than they planned for. Not a good start to a new unit but rarely does a Merc's life pan out as they thought. Its a dangerous job and you can't make the big bucks if you don't stick your neck out. The trick is to pull it back intact so you can enjoy your hard won money later.
   Once the contract was signed and registered with the commission, the unit loaded their equipment on their Leopard Class Dropship and they headed out to the jump point. Transition to the planet was uneventful and after landing at their new temporary base of operations, the Patrol offloaded their mechs. Max and his Marauder established a secure zone before the other 3 mechs came out of the ship. Even though this was supposed to be a cake walk, Max wasn't taking any chances. Once he was satisfied it was safe to offload the rest of the unit, he called back to the ship to have their Rifleman walk out and establish an over-watch on the ship and landing pad. Jensen was one of the best gunners Max had ever seen, so he knew the unit was in good hands as he saw to the rest of the unloading.
   They had four Mechs, one Aerospace fighter and two Galleon support tanks which gave them a lot of firepower and flexibility. The other mechs were an old but serviceable Hoplite piloted by Max's wife, Carrie and an ancient Clint, piloted by his best friend Chuck.