《Allen McGee's Andurien Avengers》
Withdrawal
¡°Oh, crap! They¡¯ve got air support!¡± Justin growled into the commlink as he brought his Grasshopper in for a landing.
¡°They are occupied with our comrades. They pose no threat to us.¡± Katarina¡¯s voice was harsh, as it usually seemed to be when speaking with Justin.
¡°Avengers, we are pulling out. Facing unexpected resistance: odds are continuing this will be hazardous to health and mechs. We can support you in an orderly withdrawal.¡±
Who was that, Justin wondered? He rarely remembered callsigns for other teams, but he thought this one came from ¡°Vulture.¡±
¡°Message received and understood. Avengers, withdraw in stages. Keep your neighbors protected.¡± Justin sighed. So much for their profit margin.
The commlink popped up on a private channel. Wonder of wonders, it was Katarina.
¡°Justin, what are you doing? Another minute, and we would have taken the field!¡±
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Justin shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t have another minute. If MechHarvest are withdrawing, another minute of commitment would leave us at two to one odds, not even counting the air support.¡±
¡°We have faced much worse and come out shining! It would be glorious!¡± Katarina persisted.
¡°Kat: this isn¡¯t the Clans out here. No one expects you to take out whole lances by yourself. I gave the order: we are retreating, now.¡±
Justin backed his Grasshopper away from the field of battle, ready to fire if pursued. Up ahead he saw the bright fire of another Mech jumping, almost certainly Katarina¡¯s Wolverine. Much closer, he saw two smaller towers of flame: the two Spiders. He grinned and switched back to the open channel. ¡°How¡¯s the leg, Kenny?¡±
¡°Chewed up good, but at least this time I didn¡¯t lose it!¡± Kenny¡¯s optimistic tone was infectious, and Justin could hear some of the other Mechwarriors laughing. Kenny had a bad habit of hopping home on one leg, the other one gone in battle. Justin¡¯s brother Allen had joked that they ought to order Spider legs at least by the half dozen to get a volume discount.
Last to pull out were the hover transports. The infantry took time to board, and there really wasn¡¯t anything they could do about it. An enemy Mech strode towards them as the crew was gunning the motors, but a burst of medium laser fire from the Grasshopper dissuaded it from attacking.
Justin checked to his right: the MechHarvest crew had all retreated successfully. As soon as the hovers had shot past him he turned and jumped, headed for home.
Snatching Victory...
The plan seemed simple enough, Allen thought: capture some supply bases, liberate a few supplies (no one questioned what kind), the more they brought back the more they got paid. It could add up to a cool 7 million C-bills.
For various reasons he was limited to five mechs and no vehicles. The terrain was rugged enough that nothing without legs could manage to move quickly through it, and the dropship bays were crowded with mechs and vehicles that simply wouldn¡¯t be appropriate.
For this kind of salvage, he decided he had best come along. Justin¡¯s continued lack of command ability had been a sore spot, and Katarina for one was having a hard time putting up with it. Which led to another sticky decision¡
¡°What do you mean, I cannot go? You need me in an operation such as this? What if things turn messy?¡±
Allen shook his head. ¡°Katarina: I know you would be the best for this, I really do. But you and Jason butt heads too often on missions. I can¡¯t afford to have him feeling constantly assaulted, his leadership questioned. He needs to develop as a leader: as the man he was born to be. A McGee needs to be proficient in both combat and leadership. He can¡¯t learn if you¡¯re constantly questioning his judgment.¡±
Katarina finally accepted what he said, but was clearly unhappy about it. He sighed as he received a cold shoulder for the rest of the evening.
And so, the roster for the day was Allen himself in the family Warhammer, then Justin in the Grasshopper, a fairly new acquisition, Jessica in the Trebuchet and Kenny and Armando in the two Spiders. All but Justin were crack pilots with years of experience: if it weren¡¯t for him being a McGee there would be no way he would be in charge over this group. But hopefully he would learn in time.
And so the team was dropped off and headed for the storage depots. They had almost arrived when they spotted contacts approaching.
¡°Everybody gear up,¡± intoned Justin: ¡°we¡¯ve got company.¡±
The other mechs showed up quickly. Just as Justin was about to open fire, a voice came over the open channel of his commlink.
¡°This is Star Commander Jason of the Diamond Shark Clan. In the interest of preserving blood and property, I propose a duel.
¡°I will battle with one of your warriors. If they win, we shall leave in peace and you may claim whatever prizes you came to acquire. If I win, you will leave this planet empty-handed and not return. What say you?¡±
Allen¡¯s commlink tied the broadcast to a 45-ton mech his TRO designated as a Grendel: very fast, well armed but lightly armored. He pondered: the Warhammer was a heavy hitter, but without jump jets and only average response time, he would be a sitting duck next to the Grendel. The Spiders had the speed, but virtually no armor: they would be cut to shreds by the first hit of the Grendel¡¯s weapons. And the Trebuchet had no jump jets. There was only one mech capable of facing off with this Clan mech: Justin¡¯s Grasshopper.
It had to happen sometime. Justin had to learn to handle the pressure of combat, and emerge victorious to be accepted as a leader in the eyes of his men and women. It was now or never.
¡°Justin?¡± Allen inquired over the commlink: ¡°you see this guy: do you think you can take him?¡±
Justin realized the enormity of what he was being asked. This was winner-take-all, with nothing to lose but the combat damage to one mech. And everything he needed to know was summed up in tonnage: the Grendel¡¯s 45 tons to his 70. No way this Grendel would have enough armor to stand up to a protracted fight, and Justin¡¯s PPC and five medium lasers should strip its armor to the core within a minute or less.
¡°Yeah, bro. I can take him.¡±
The rest of the mechs scattered about the rugged landscape, partially covered by giant mushroom-like growths. Justin pondered the new data he was just now reading: the Grendel was twice as fast as his Grasshopper, and could jump almost twice the distance he could. This wouldn¡¯t be a piece of cake.
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Justin was unfamiliar with Clan customs, but had heard they had patterns of behavior for just about everything. Not sure what to expect, he decided to try a respectful approach. He keyed the mike to the commlink.
¡°So: how do we start this?¡±
The Clanner sneered at him. ¡°What do you mean? We fight! Or are you so green you do not get that?¡±
Justin¡¯s first move was to back up, see what the Grendel would do with some room. If it stayed distant, Justin¡¯s PPC could harangue it: if it closed, his lasers would eat it up.
The Grendel put on a burst of speed, closing the gap between them and then some, coming around flanking him. Desperately he twisted and fired: his shots went wide. For the enemy¡¯s part he struck twice, with a large and a medium extended range lasers. Justin was slightly rattled, but maintained his balance and jumped away.
The battle seemed to develop into a game of cat and mouse, though there were times it was hard to tell who was the cat. Occasionally Justin would score a shot: more often the Grendel¡¯s heavier weapons would eat into his armor. Justin pressed for an advantage in the rough terrain, but found little. And then a stroke of good luck: the Grendel backed up, seeking better range and higher ground, and slipped and fell on its face.
Immediately Justin raced to its side, blasting down at the exposed back with all his weapons. Some connected: enough to eat through part of the Grendel¡¯s rear armor and penetrate to the engine within. Sparks flew and smoke poured out from the vent.
For a moment the Grendel remained on the ground. ¡°Perhaps you have some skill after all,¡± conceded the Clanner.
Justin broke into a cocky grin, feeling vindicated in the eyes of his lancemates and his brother. ¡°Don¡¯t you know it, Bub,¡± he boasted.
And suddenly the Grendel was back on its feet. ¡°Fool! You dog! I was about to concede you the victory, but now, for calling me ¡®Bub,¡¯ I shall take you down!¡±
The Grendel fired all its weapons, some of them scoring further hits on Justin¡¯s already compromised armor. He raised an arm to protect the thin armor of his chest, which protected the chest but at the price of the armor on the arm. Slowly he was being stripped of all the armor on his mech.
He fired back with all his medium lasers, still keeping an eye on his heat. He was taking it, but he soon realized the Grendel was not. Repeatedly the Clanner fired all his weapons, and the heat signature of the Grendel spiked dangerously high. Such heat spikes could force a mech to shut down, explode ammo or worse. But by some miracle the Grendel remained standing.
Fearing the Grendel¡¯s still amazing capacity to jump, Justin backed up towards a precipice over a deep canyon. At least that way the Grendel could not jump over his back to attack him from his most vulnerable side. But suddenly he realized his error as the Grendel charged, seeking to knock him into the canyon.
He barely avoided the Grendel¡¯s charge and stepped away from the precipice, not wishing to tempt fate a second time. He opened fire with everything he had, spiking his own heat but finally scoring some significant damage on the Grendel. It still wasn¡¯t enough. The next attack blasted through the last of his armor in several places, with short-range missiles piercing through to the mech¡¯s delicate vitals. And as he took damage his feet slipped out from under him and he collapsed to the ground.
The Grendel advanced upon him. ¡°Do you surrender, Dezgra?¡±
¡°Justin:¡± came Allen¡¯s voice over the commlink: ¡°He¡¯s made his point. We need you back home, and not in a body bag. Give it up.¡±
Justin saw the many flashing lights all over his console. Every part of his mech had been penetrated by weapons fire except for his head. The mech was nothing but half a metal skeleton: there was nothing more he could do.
¡°Uncle,¡± he said into the commlink. ¡°What do you say, freebirth?¡± came the answer.
¡°Uncle! I give up! You win!¡± he replied, gritting his teeth. Obviously there were Inner Sphere expressions the Clanners had forgotten, or never heard.
Allen sighed, moving forward to assist Justin to stand back on his feet. ¡°We concede, Star Commander Jason. We will leave, and not return.¡±
The Grendel was a battered mess, almost unrecognizable as a mech. But the Grasshopper was even worse. It was barely able to stand on both feet, let alone walk. Fortunately the fusion engine remained intact, but even the delicate gyro would have to be replaced. It could be repaired, given time and materials.
And so, the Andurien Avengers retreated from the field of battle once again, their prize unwon.
Allen reflected on how Katarina would take this news. She would be furious with him for not having brought her. Her Clanner instincts would have proved invaluable here, as would her skills. But even if she had been here in the Wolverine, how much good could she have done against the other mech¡¯s superior firepower?
It was time to put her into another mech. Something with lots of energy weapons and heat sinks, fast and jump capable. Something mighty¡
The Turning Tide
Not unexpectedly, Katarina¡¯s fist crashed down on Allen¡¯s desk, nearly spilling his morning coffee.
¡°What do you mean, I cannot use it in battle? Why in Kerensky¡¯s name did we buy it, if not to use it?¡±
Allen¡¯s expression was grave. ¡°We got that mech thinking of the devastating amount of damage you could do to your enemies in it. We just forgot how much damage they could do to you.
¡°Katarina: that mech is so expensive, if an enemy even pierces through your armor and damages the frame, it will cost us more to repair it than it would cost to replace both of the Spiders, or to buy a new one. I should have consulted with our repair techs before I made the purchase. But I didn¡¯t. I went with my heart, knowing how much this mech would mean to you.¡±
¡°And it does, Allen! It means so much!¡±
Tears were in Katarina¡¯s eyes: tears of anger as well as love.
¡°Once I stepped into the cockpit, took the controls, I was overjoyed! It is faster and jumps further than my old Hellbringer! All energy weapons: no ammunition to run out or explode! You knew exactly what I needed, and you gave it to me! How could you even think to take it away now?¡±
The towering redhead was now dissolving in tears, and Allen felt the awkwardness of trying to comfort her. He was reasonably tall at 6¡¯1¡±, but her 6¡¯8¡± stature seemed to dwarf him. He reached up to put an arm around her shoulder, but at first she resisted. Then she turned to hug him close.
¡°You must trust me, my love. In this Wraith, I shall be invincible. I shall run, I shall jump, I shall blast them before they have any chance to strike me! She is well armored, and I won¡¯t let them near enough to damage her.
¡°You will see: with her, I shall win us the victories we need not only to repair her should some mishap befall us, but to buy more and better mechs. I shall bring you salvage and money, and there will be no lack. Have we not done well since we first met? Have I not brought you victory upon victory?¡±
Allen nodded. ¡°Indeed you have. More than I could have ever hoped for. Balthazar¡¯s bays are nearly full: a couple of salvages, and we will have no room left.¡±
¡°¡±Then why do you doubt me? I have done all this in a mech I will not name, for disgrace, and now you give me the chance to truly soar as never before, but you would take it away? One battle, my love: let me prove to you what I can do.¡±
Allen sighed, then nodded. ¡°One battle. Something big enough that we can afford to have you well guarded, not exposed on your own. If you can show me that you can win us six million C-bills, twice what it costs to repair this mech, I won¡¯t question anymore.¡±
¡°There will be no need. Give me a worthy target, and I will show you proof.¡±
The opportunity came sooner than Allen would have expected. The Avengers might have been born of a noble cause, but stranded on this end of the galaxy they had to pay bills. And that meant doing dirty jobs for hire.
Harold, his contact with the Mercenary Review Board, called him in with an offer. ¡°Your potential employer works for a company that has an issue with Comstar. Seems Comstar confiscated their land for a supply base: one that could have been built anywhere, but Comstar chose to build it right in their front yard.
¡°He wants that base destroyed. If they can¡¯t have the land, they want it clear that neither can Comstar.¡±
Allen examined the documents Harold had provided, especially the satellite map of the base. ¡°There¡¯s no big catch here? This is really a small supply base, not an HPG station?¡±
Harold smiled and shook his head. ¡°You can see for yourself on the map: not a building over thirty meters squared. No: this is a way station for supplies to maintain HPGs, that¡¯s all. I wouldn¡¯t ask you and all my contacts at once to tackle an HPG. Not only would you not have the firepower, you would be blackballed from here back to Andurien. Nobody messes with an HPG!¡±
Allen nodded, satisfied. ¡°This looks like a big job, alright. What¡¯s the payout?¡±
¡°1.3 Million per building destroyed: extra if you can cripple their mechs in the process. They want all your best warriors on this.¡±
It was just what Katarina and he had been looking for. Something big enough to offer her support, and have a good payout. He extended a hand to Harold. ¡°It¡¯s a deal. Just tell us when and where, and we¡¯ll be there with bells on.¡±
And so he, Katarina, Justin, Jess, Kenny and Armando wound up in their mechs strolling through the fields and light woods of Esperanto-12, armed and ready. It was early, about 5 AM local time, a summery morning with lots of fog floating through the fields.
This was shortly after Justin¡¯s humiliation at the hands of the Diamond Shark¡¯s leader Jason. Justin was feeling the tension among the other pilots: tension he knew had to do with whether he could perform adequately after such a defeat. It burned at him, but there was nothing he could do until they entered combat.
Allen tapped the commlink. ¡°Targets just ahead. And we¡¯ve got movement: opposition forces just as expected. Remember to keep closing on the targets, take them out first. Once they¡¯re gone, the battle¡¯s over.¡±
Jason took a deep breath and shifted forward in his seat, the 70-ton Grasshopper breaking into a run. On the screen he identified the blocky profiles of a 90-ton Highlander, a 70-ton Guillotine and a 20-ton speedster Mercury. He already knew that Allen would square off with the Highlander and Katarina would pounce on the Merc: that left him to face the Guillotine. Even weights, roughly equal weapons capability: a good match. But of course, that part of the battle was secondary. He fixed his eyes on the actual target closest to him: a squat, one-story building, nothing special, just sturdy enough to take a bit of a pounding.
Allen likewise began running towards the objective. Now that enemy forces had been mobilized, stealth was no longer an option. He grinned. Not like their mechs had been exactly quiet tromping through the woods and field behind them, but it did not matter now.
A shorter figure emerged from the mist, its turret shifting to focus on him. The heavy Manticore tank fired a warning shot from its PPC, still too far off to actually do damage.
¡°Attention, incoming forces. This is Precentor Mark Diaz of the Comstar 78th Guard. I will not allow you to damage this facility. Turn back now, or we will open fire.¡±
Allen keyed the commlink again, this time to the open channel. ¡°Attention, Precentor Diaz. This is Captain Allen McGee of the Andurien Avengers. We have orders to level this facility to the ground. Oppose us and face the Avengers¡¯ wrath.¡±
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Allen was not close enough to any buildings yet, but the Manticore had rolled into the range of his Extended Range PPCs. His thumbs clicked down on the triggers and twin beams of lightning scorched the Manticore, one beam slashing across the front, the other sizzling half a ton of armor off of the turret.
Justin lined up a shot on the Guillotine, still at long range, fired, and missed. A blue laser beam sizzled through the misty grasses, leaving a small smoke trail behind.
A moment later came a second blue blast in staccato beats, pounding on the Guillotine from the side, scorching the left arm which held a large laser. The armor held, but Justin could see the start of a gap opening there. Katarina had flanked the Guillotine and was firing what she could from her maximum range.
The Guillotine fired back at Katarina, its shot going wide as Katarina performed some aerial acrobatics, seemingly diving right under the blast before landing on the nearby hilltop, scanning for her next target. Justin blushed in envy: no wonder everyone had wanted her to replace him in the Grasshopper.
But that was no longer on the board. Katarina whooped for joy as her Wraith soared through the air, enjoying a freedom of movement she had never had before on the battlefield. This was her mech now, and nobody was putting her in anything else.As she came in for a landing her eyes swept the field, spotting three opponents within easy shooting range. Choices, choices!
Jessica was not having as much luck. The Highlander had targeted her, its Gauss rifle smashing her arm to shreds in a single shot. No other shots reached her, but that was enough. She fired both of her long range missile racks at one of the taller buildings, doing only minimal damage to the structure, and kept on running forward.
Meanwhile Kenny and Armando¡¯s Spiders were attempting to flank the whole rest of the battle and come in for an attack on the buildings from the right. The only thing that had a comparable speed to theirs on the battlefield was the Mercury, and it was a much smaller Mech: so even though they could see it closing with them, they were not terribly concerned.
¡°Hey, Kenny: break a leg, hey?¡± Armando teased his friend, who had lost four legs in the last three months. Kenny shot back: ¡°Yeah, yeah: laugh it up, till you get yours in a jam!¡±
Allen continued his run towards the target, firing as he went. The three story building began to collapse under the assault of his PPC fire. Meantime the Highlander was getting ever closer¡
Justin as well continued his run, closing the distance towards the buildings. The Guillotine was charging in his direction as well. Justin wasn¡¯t too worried: his jump jets should get him around the other Mech. Meanwhile he opened fire with his PPC and scored another hit on the left arm previously damaged by Katarina. Armor sizzled, but the laser remained functional, and fired at him along with medium lasers. He took a few shots but kept going full speed.
Jessica had continued to focus her long range missiles on the building that Allen also was targeting. The upper floor collapsed, and debris rained down on the pavement below.
She paid for her shot, though: the Highlander scored another hit with the Gauss rifle, tearing loose her arm that carried one of the long range missile launchers.
Katarina took a jump that landed her behind the Mercury, which had caught up to Armando¡¯s Spider and was attacking it from the rear. ¡°Turnabout is fair play,¡± she gritted through her teeth, opening fire and scoring deep damage on the much smaller Mech.
One of the Manticores was focusing all of its fire on Allen¡¯s Warhammer, while the other hammered Kenny¡¯s Spider with devastating shots. Allen¡¯s armor was thick enough, and the Manticore¡¯s aim poor enough that he suffered no serious damage. However, one whole side of the Spider was blown off with a blast from the PPC, and Kenny staggered under several short ranged missiles that peppered the front of his Mech, and laser fire to the back from the Merc. Fortunately both his weapons were in the center torso, so he lost no combat capability.
The Spiders both jumped quickly to conceal themselves behind two of the target buildings, taking the opportunity to try to blast through some of the basic supports to weaken the structure.
¡°Well, Kenny, that¡¯s a new look for you,¡± exclaimed Armando. ¡°Yeah,¡± chuckled back Kenny, ¡°Gives new meaning to ¡®alive and kicking,¡¯ doesn¡¯t it!¡±
Allen continued running and firing at the building, which was quickly being reduced to scrap. The Highlander was closing in, now focusing its powerful Gauss rifle on him. He took a hit that staggered him, but kept going.
Justin could see the Guillotine bearing down on him and began to stutter-step in anticipation of an eminent collision. But then he reallized a slight shift in his trajectory would bring him within 90 meters of two undamaged buildings simultaneously; having choices was a good thing.
With a great leap, Katarina soared over 200 meters and landed on the roof of the building that Kenny had weakened. Her 55 ton weight was sufficient to collapse the unstable structure, first crushing in the roof, then falling floor by floor until she reached the ground, and the whole building lay in ruin around her. It was a spectacular feat that greatly advanced the mission, but also battered the mech in the course of the fall. Katarina was hurtled to and fro in her seat as the mech crashed against landing after landing and finally came to rest amid a great heap of lumber and rubble.
Apparently in shock, the Guillotine broke off its run towards Justin and leaped over next to the collapsed building, opening fire on the prone Wraith. Katarina fired in return while lying on her back, doing enough damage to avoid suffering a kick to the head.
Jessica took another shot from the Highlander but staggered forward enough to smash the last ruins of the first building with her feet. If the Highlander kept this up, she would be a goner for sure.
Freed from his concerns about the Guillotine, and witnessing Katarina¡¯s awesome performance, Justin hurtled himself and his Mech into the air and came down hard on another building. Like with her, the building collapsed under his 70 ton weight as he fell through it to the ground. And his Mech likewise took damage in the course of the fall, landing facedown in the rubble, himself suspended in midair from the straps in the pilot¡¯s seat. Dazed, it took him a moment or two before he shifted the arms controls to roll the Mech onto its back and reseat himself properly.
Kenny took another hit from the Manticore¡¯s PPC that took off his other side torso and arm, leaving him standing there like a toothpick through an olive balanced on two skinny legs. He still managed to remain standing, and even to fire both pulse lasers at yet another building.
¡°78th Guard: cease fire! Cease fire!¡± Shock was evident in the Precentor¡¯s voice as he gave the order on the open channel.
All the Comstar Guard units stopped their attacks, the Guillotine even stepping back and allowing room for Katarina to roll to her feet.
¡°Avengers: cease fire.¡± Allen¡¯s voice came calmly over the commlink. ¡°Precentor: do you wish to discuss terms?¡±
The Precentor¡¯s shaky voice came back online. ¡°Congratulations, Avengers. You have accomplished your objective: or at least have it guaranteed.¡±
In fact, every building in the area had suffered significant damage and those still standing would take little to be completely destroyed. The Precentor was quite correct.
¡°You have proven your capability. Only two of your lightest three Mechs have taken significant damage. We could attempt to destroy the rest, but I have a feeling once you turned your attentions to fighting us instead of destroying buildings that the battle would quickly turn your way: at least enough to cause us serious damage with nothing to gain.
¡°Having lost this combat, I may be headed for demotion. That is less likely if I can at least present the 78th intact. Therefore, our terms are simple: complete your destruction, then leave and do not return, and allow us to retain our forces as is, and we will not interfere. Agreed?¡±
It did not take long for Allen to answer. ¡°Your terms are acceptable. Agreed.¡±
The Comstar 78th Guard retreated, watching as the Avengers stomped all remaining buildings to the ground. Then Allen turned towards them once more.
¡°Have a good day. Good luck avoiding the demotion.¡±
The Avengers returned to the dropship, elated as they calculated the rewards for their victory. As they relaxed, the mood turned jovial, and comments turned towards Kenny.
¡°Why, Kenny!¡± Armando exclaimed: ¡°You appear to have lost some weight! Have you been on a diet?¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± retorted Kenny: ¡°The right arm I don¡¯t have is saluting you with a big middle finger. Laugh it up, Space Monkeys!¡±
Milestone
¡°Well?¡± Katarina asked, a playful smile on her face. They were in Allen¡¯s office as he tabulated the pay from their latest mission, Katarina leaning against the desk.
¡°9,310,000 C-bills. I asked you to earn more than double the repair cost, you more than tripled it. Yes: you can take the Wraith on any missions where it might fit.¡±
She leaned over and hugged him. ¡°I will make it well worth your while, my love. You can count on me.¡±
¡°I know I can,¡± he replied, returning the hug: ¡°in all things, not just combat.¡±
¡°This is true.¡± She grinned, and planted a deep kiss on his lips. ¡°In all things¡¡±
A knock at the door interrupted them, and Katarina straightened up before Allen answered.
¡°Come in?¡±
Justin opened the door and entered. ¡°Morning! How are you two doing?¡±
Allen nodded. ¡°Pretty good so far. Just calculating the profit from that battle with Comstar. We still have to issue repairs on the Treb and on Kenny¡¯s Spider, but that¡¯s nominal.
¡°Good job with crushing that building. I figure that was a big help in persuading the Precentor to give up.¡±
Justin blushed. ¡°I just saw Katarina and figured if it worked for her, it would work for me.¡±
Katarina nodded, pleased. Allen grinned. ¡°Learn from the best, and you can¡¯t go wrong. Just remember your Mech is not capable of doing everything she can, and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±
Justin nodded. ¡°Yeah: that¡¯s quite a Mech. I hadn¡¯t heard of a Wraith before: are they fairly new?¡±
Allen shrugged. ¡°Fairly. Introduced in 3055, I believe. Long enough ago to be sure they don¡¯t have any serious glitches, and for you to have received data on them in your weekly updates.¡±
Justin flushed at that. ¡°Yeah, well, so many updates come through, you lose track of them all, you know? Not like I face all those new Mechs in combat each week, you know?¡±
Allen¡¯s face was quiet. ¡°Nevertheless, it¡¯s still important to keep track of whatever the enemy might throw at you. I notice from your reports that you were confident your jump jets would get you away from the Guillotine. That¡¯s not a new mech: didn¡¯t you realize the Guillotine has jump jets, too?¡±
Justin blushed furiously red. ¡°Yeah, well, I was right, wasn¡¯t I, that he didn¡¯t come after me? No harm, no foul, right?¡±
¡°Not really,¡± replied Allen: ¡°He only neglected to follow you because of Katarina¡¯s spectacular distraction. Had he chosen to, he could have landed right behind you and chewed you up but good.¡±
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Justin fumed. ¡°Yeah, well, that didn¡¯t happen, did it? Thanks, Katarina, for the assist, and all¡¯s well that ends well, right? I mean, Katarina got into a tight spot with her mech, and I don¡¯t see you berating her, right?¡±
It was Katarina¡¯s turn to answer. ¡°And why did I get ¡®into a tight spot,¡¯ Justin? Was that Guillotine not your responsibility?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not like we hang tags on each Mech, ¡®this is yours, this is mine!¡¯¡± Justin shot back: ¡°You say yourself that the battlefield is fluid, and no plan ever survives first contact with the enemy: why do you get a pass and I don¡¯t?¡±
Allen replied. ¡°It¡¯s not a measure of what results we got on each individual mission, Justin. The real problem here is attitude: the kind you¡¯re showing in this room right now.¡±
¡°Well what kind of attitude do you expect from me when you¡¯re on the attack all the time?¡± Justin protested. ¡°Either you or Katarina are always on my ass, even when we had a great win! What¡¯s up with that?¡±
Allen glowered. ¡°When Katarina and I have issues with each other¡¯s performances, we discuss it in private. That happens very rarely. Katarina is a Trueborn warrior of the Jade Falcon Clan: do you really think she requires correction as often as you do?
¡°Nobody is blaming you for not being perfect. Nobody is blaming you for an occasional blunder. But we are concerned that when these are brought to your attention, you don¡¯t recognize it as constructive criticism. You get defensive and try to justify your actions or deflect blame instead of just saying: ¡®You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll remember that for next time.¡¯ That¡¯s the attitude problem that I am most concerned about.¡±
Justin opened his mouth to reply, but realized whatever he had in mind to say would only prove Allen right. Yes, he tried to justify his actions. Yes, he tried to deflect blame. For a minute or so he paused, seriously thinking about what Allen was saying. It shook him to have his own reactions described so accurately in advance; he felt paralyzed as only one conclusion came to him.
¡°I do do that, don¡¯t I?¡± he mumbled. ¡°Justify and deflect? I ¨C ¡° he paused. ¡°You¡¯re right. That is what I do.¡±
He sighed, feeling a whole paradigm shift in his opinions of himself and his actions. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he sighed. ¡°I¨C apologize? Let me try to do better.¡± He swallowed hard. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot to think about. May I be excused?¡±
Allen smiled, partly in relief. ¡°Certainly, Justin. We can talk again some other time.¡±
Justin walked out, barely seeing the room around him as he exited. Out in the hall he leaned against the wall, trying to absorb all the new perspectives that seemed to be flooding in on him. Had he really been so defensive every time someone was just offering advice? Yes, he had.
He could feel the resentment that had boiled up in him each time someone had corrected him, and the verbiage that had spewed from his mouth. And as he reflected, he realized what the source was of that resentment: an intense jealousy of the relationship that had come up between his older brother and Katarina.
Justin had always followed around in Alllen¡¯s shadow, figuratively when not literally. Allen had always been a patient teacher, even when Justin had not always been the model student. But since the battle in which Katarina had surrendered to Allen, declaring herself Abtakha, that relationship had changed. It seemed that Allen no longer had time for his little brother: that he was constantly with Katarina, whether trying to coach her in the ways of ¡°us freebirths,¡± honing their mutual skills in simulations, or more intimate pursuits.
Justin had felt abandoned like a lost pup. As an adult, he certainly understood the depth of attraction a man might have for a woman like Katarina, but the child within him was having a very hard time coping with the loss.
Jason sighed one last time and pulled himself together. It was a long walk down the hall to his quarters.
Triptych
On yet another planet, the Avengers had suddenly been recruited for a salvage operation: four Mechs still smoking from battle, needing to be towed away before scavengers could retrieve them.
Four Mechs for four Mechs: that seemed to be the right size for the Lance going down to conduct the operation. That would be Katarina in her new Wraith, Justin in the family Grasshopper, Jess in the Trebuchet and Armando in a Spider.
Allen nodded to his younger brother Justin, pleased at the younger man¡¯s recent change of demeanor and focus on his skills in the Grasshopper he piloted. Justin still could use some work on his basic piloting skills, but he was becoming a crack shot with the PPC and lasers he carried. Allen knew these skills would be very helpful in future skirmishes.
Katarina approached, all business as usual when a mission was at hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry: this will be a simple in and out. We shall be back before you know it.¡±
She climbed into the Wraith and secured the hatch. Justin and the other two followed suit, the Mechs then being secured into drop pods for the trip to the surface.
Allen waved goodbye as the pods were activated and dropped. ¡°Godspeed to you,¡± he murmured.
The drop went uneventfully, all four Mechs arriving safely on the border of the craggy canyon where the Mechs had fallen in combat. Mech carriers were waiting for them: transports that could carry the damaged units across the plains to repair facilities that could restore the Mechs to their respective capabilities. The carriers just weren¡¯t capable of negotiating the rough terrain in which the battle had occurred.
¡°Rescue Team Alpha, this is the Avengers. We¡¯ll assist in the recovery operation. Just sit tight, we¡¯ll bring them right here to you.¡± Justin reassured the carrier pilots.
Just then Justin¡¯s long range sensor board lit up: three drop pods were descending towards the other edge of the canyon.
¡°Competition incoming!¡± he announced over the comm. ¡°Let¡¯s step lively, get this recovered before they can close!¡±
He, Katarina and Armando all jumped into the canyon using their jump jets: Jess, in the Trebuchet, had to work her way down the rough terrain. Justin took notice.
¡°Queen of Spades, you take the closest target. We¡¯ll go for the rest.¡±
Fortunately he had already determined the 40-ton smashed Assassin would be manageable for the 50-ton Treb. The two Mechs further out were also light enough for the Spider and the Wraith: the fourth Mech was a 55-ton Wolverine, light enough that he could maneuver it without too much trouble.
The open comm channel crackled to life. ¡°This is Star Commander Jason of the Diamond Sharks. Leave this area now, or face our teeth!¡±
Justin groaned, and gritted his teeth. ¡°This is Justin McGee of the Andurien Avengers. Blunt your teeth on our steel, and we¡¯ll give you what for! These are our Mechs and salvage, not yours!¡±
¡°Justin McGee? So we meet again. Did I not pound some sense into you last time, boy?¡±
Justin resisted the urge to use the ¡°Bub¡± moniker which had cost him so dearly last time.
¡°Call me hard-headed. None of your Clan batchalls this time: we straight out fight for it.¡±
¡°Very well, savage. So be it.¡±
Jess had found a high point to stand on, and fired her LRM¡¯s at the oncoming Clanner who was approaching her appointed downed Assassin. Both sets of missiles hit, raining down a hail of destruction on the lighter Viper. ¡°Eat fire, Clanner!¡±
The Viper fired back with Clan ER medium lasers but missed, and Jess quickly hopped down from her perch and ran towards her objective. Based on the laser fire, her Identify Friend or Foe program reclassified the Viper as Type A, not Prime.
Armando jumped across two rocky ridges to land next to the downed Commando just before another Clanner landed close by. Armando opened fire with his two Medium Pulse lasers and struck both times, but took an ER Large laser hit and a few SRM shots in return. The Spider staggered, but stayed on its feet.
Justin reached the Wolverine just ahead of the Star Commander¡¯s Grendel, opening fire as the Clan Mech landed. Four of his five medium lasers hit, knocking the Grendel off balance, though the Mech did not fall. Two of the Grendel¡¯s shots hit but the others went wide, doing minor damage to Justin¡¯s armor. He nodded to himself, unconcerned. That¡¯s what armor was there for, after all.
Katarina had reached her Hatchetman, but was close enough to fire two shots at the Grendel, scoring twice and leaving deep gashes in the enemy¡¯s side.
The two sides exchanged another couple of volleys, each taking damage but the Grendel most of all, facing two to one odds. Then the Star Commander spoke again.
¡°Cease fire. This salvage is not worth our Mechs. If we relinquish our claim on the salvage and withdraw, will you let us go in peace?¡±
Justin nodded. ¡°Of course. We have no more wish to take damage than you do. Go in peace.¡±
The Clanners staged an orderly withdrawal, and the Avengers retrieved the fallen Mechs. Justin was jubilant: this would be a major payroll boost for them, and a feather in his cap in the eyes of Allen and Katarina.
¡°So, Katarina,¡± Justin asked, ¡°How are you liking that Wraith?¡±
¡°It will do nicely,¡± Katarina responded, ¡°Until we find a true Clan Mech with speed and more energy weapons. For Inner Sphere, it is not bad.¡±
The lead Clanner stopped in his Grendel and turned back towards the Avengers.
¡°You are seeking a fast Clan Mech with energy weapons? Perhaps a bit more armor than the one you are piloting?¡±
Justin¡¯s eyebrow arched. ¡°What is it to you? Not like Clanners to want to sell good Mechs to us freebirths.¡±
The Grendel spread its arms in what seemed like a shrug.
¡°The Diamond Sharks are nothing if not traders. Allow me to send some spec files.¡±
Shortly Justin was receiving graphics, charts and written data on what looked like some version of what the Inner Sphere had labeled the Thor; his IFF listed its correct title as a Summoner. He had to admit it looked like a powerful, dangerous machine: a fast runner and jumper with two Clan ER Large Lasers, heavy energy weapons with the longest range of any conventional weapon Justin knew of, two Clan ER Medium Lasers, almost 50% more powerful and ranged than their Inner Sphere equivalents, a targeting computer for greater accuracy, heat sinks to manage all of its destructive power, then machine guns and anti-missile systems and two tons more armor than the Wraith.
¡°Impressive,¡± came Katarina¡¯s voice over the comm, ¡°though I see it still relies on ammunition for the machine guns and anti-missile systems. I would have no use for such items: I could much better use a couple of Pulse Lasers and to expand the targeting computer to cover for it.¡±
Again, the Grendel shrugged. ¡°It is an Omnimech: everything is modular. I am sure if you wished to make such minor alterations you could find techs who could manage to do so.
¡°We would be glad to provide the Summoner as spec¡¯d for a total fee of 25 million C-bills.¡±
Justin cleared his throat. ¡°That is a very kind offer, Commander. We will of course have to consult with our Commander in regards to the expense and feasibility of such a purchase. Should we decide on it, how may we get in touch?¡±
The Star Commander broadcast a coded message that would route a communication to his unit.
¡°Very well. We look forward to doing business with you.¡±
¡°Likewise,¡± Justin responded. The Grendel turned and left, and Justin likewise turned to go.
Later, back in Allen¡¯s office, Allen reviewed the specs that Katarina had passed to him.
¡°It¡¯s an incredible machine, I agree. But 25 million? That¡¯s twice the cost of the Wraith, which means twice the repair expense!¡±
Katarina hugged him. ¡°I know. But with the extra armor and double the offensive power of the Wraith, it is that much less likely to be hit in the first place.¡±
Allen frowned. ¡°They will see you as the threat you really are. They will all target you and bring you down. You might be faster than the usual Mech, but not nearly as versatile and evasive as the Wraith. And there¡¯s always the chance of an ace out there with a lucky shot. You have seen pilots come in with their Mechs in tatters because of one persistent Hunchback or Axman.¡±
He shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t agree to this. Not only do I think it¡¯s too dangerous for you personally, I think it squanders resources which could better be spent elsewhere. Just because we have the money in the bank doesn¡¯t mean we should spend it there.¡±
It was Katarina¡¯s turn to frown. ¡°What if I earn the funds myself, doing battle in the Wraith? Then would you consider it?¡±
Allen sighed in exasperation. ¡°You aren¡¯t listening to me! The money is one reason, but your safety matters far more to me than a stack of C-bills.¡±
¡°Could I persuade you if I can beat your toughest tests in the simulators?¡± Katarina was nothing if not persistent.
Allen glared at her. ¡°I should have you run some simulations just for you to see what could happen. Maybe that would be a good idea, regardless. But that doesn¡¯t mean that if you win, I am consenting to anything at all: not even if you earned the money. I¡¯d far rather spend that much on two or three good heavies that would strengthen our ranks going wide instead of high.¡±
Katarina hugged him again. ¡°You couldn¡¯t support three more Mechs: we only have two bays left, and you keep saying we should reserve those for salvage. Going with one Mech leaves us with one open bay.¡±
She sauntered out, knowing she had at least scored one point there.
¡°Datamining? What do we know about datamining?¡±
Justin was perplexed. This didn¡¯t sound at all like their usual jobs. Allen shrugged.
¡°Apparently we don¡¯t have to know anything about it. We just have to get their techs safely into the buildings that house the megaplex computers, and the techs will do the real work. So: easy money.¡±
Justin snorted. ¡°Like we haven¡¯t heard that one a time or two. But it does sound easy.¡±
Allen nodded. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take much: just a few troops to cover the techs while they go in.¡±
¡°What about any opposition? Guards, techs for the other side?¡±
¡°They will be chased away by reports of a chemical spill emitting poisonous vapors within the compound. They will be evacuated while our ¡®Hazmat team¡¯ goes in and ¡®decontaminates the area.¡¯¡±
Justin snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t you think they¡¯ll be suspicious?¡±
Allen concurred. ¡°I would imagine so. But the employer feels confident that they will get away with it. Something about only dealing with backup copies, not the live system.¡±
Justin pursed his lips. ¡°I can see how that might work. Best of luck to them.¡±
Allen smiled. ¡°That¡¯s ¡®best of luck to us.¡¯ I am accepting the contract.¡±
Justin kept a sharp lookout as the APCs sprinted for the compound. Armando¡¯s voice crackled in over the comm.
¡°Boss, I¡¯m reading forces approaching from the Southwest, behind that ridge. Looks like two light Mechs and a medium, plus maybe some vehicles. From speed and vibration, looks like hovercraft.¡±
Justin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sounds like us, except for the medium vs. my heavy. Wonder what they want.¡±
Shortly the vehicles approached over the ridge. The familiar outline of a Grendel appeared, with an equally familiar paint scheme. Justin rolled his eyes. IFF popped up a notification for him that merely confirmed what he already knew. He keyed the comm.
¡°Greetings, Star Commander Jason. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?¡±
The Grendel now approached at a slower rate. ¡°Greetings, Lieutenant Justin McGee. Are you guarding this facility for the owners? I would find that most regrettable.¡±
Something in the Commander¡¯s tone caused Justin to make a decision: to go with the truth.
¡°Actually, no. We are guarding a team recovering some data from the complex computers.¡±
The Grendel stopped moving. Over the comm Justin could hear at first a chuckle, then progressing up to a full belly laugh. It was a moment before Jason could recover his composure.
¡°You are datamining? That is the point of our operation as well! I have brought a team who were supposed to hack into the computer systems to learn vital information for another assignment. I take it you have done the same?¡±
Justin couldn¡¯t help but chuckle a bit himself. ¡°Of course. They are entering even now, posing as Hazmat technicians.¡±
Jason crackled through the comm. ¡°You created the hazardous leak as a pretense to evacuate their techs? We heard their distress broadcast on the comm, and figured we would take advantage.¡±
Jason paused for a moment. ¡°I have no doubt that both of these teams are after the same information. Rather than our two teams fighting each other, what would you say to sharing the results? We could all avoid bloodshed and repair expenses. I even propose to grant you two million c-bills out of our pay for your people to do the data recovery, so ours do not have to.¡±
Justin considered. ¡°Let me speak with the head of our team. If he agrees, we¡¯re good. I suspect he will: if your hackers leave a footprint, much of the data will be altered at once and useless. My team has some approach that should not leave a trail.¡±
¡°How excellent!¡± exclaimed Jason. ¡°By all means, speak with your team leader. I shall wait.¡±
Justin contacted the team leader and explained the situation. The leader fumed, then asked: ¡°Okay: you¡¯re saying that if we don¡¯t go along with him, we either fight him off or his group invades the place and hacks the systems? That would blow our value out of the water. We want data that won¡¯t be changed as long as they don¡¯t detect a security breach.¡±
The man sighed, then nodded. ¡°We¡¯d far rather hand over data on our terms than have it compromised at once. Yes: I will tell my people to arrange the exchange. But that will take a bit longer: we¡¯re going to need some excuse for why we hung out so long.¡±
¡°Got it.¡± It didn¡¯t take Justin a minute to think of a reason for the delay. He called Jason back. ¡°Okay: we will do the transfer once we have the data. But that creates a delay. We¡¯re gonna have to stage things like we had a battle, blame the delay on you coming along.¡±
¡°Of course!¡± Jason no sooner answered than fired his ER Large and Medium Lasers in Justin¡¯s direction. All lasers missed, but burned deep furrows into the ground. Justin barely had time to react before a second salvo came his way, this time two of the Medium Lasers carving swaths in his torso armor.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°Now, wait a minute!¡± Justin sputtered: ¡°This is staged, not a real fight!¡±
¡°Acknowledged, Lieutenant. But it would be unrealistic to suggest you battled against Clan Warriors and came away without a scratch. Nothing your armor techs can¡¯t repair in half an hour.¡±
Two more lasers marked Justin¡¯s legs, while the other two scorched the greenery behind him.
¡°Shall I return the favor? Leave you a little marked up?¡± growled Justin.
¡°Why? When their crews return, we will be long gone, ¡®chased off¡¯ by their new heroes. They will never see us, but you will be glorious in their eyes. Still, you had best fire a number of shots into the ground and the trees around here to make it look like a real battle field.¡±
Justin couldn¡¯t argue with the Star Commander¡¯s logic, and set to work slashing deep burns into the ground behind the Grendel. As he did so, the Grendel walked around the field and occasionally jumped, darting and hopping about as if in a real battle. Again Justin saw the logic, and began to do the same. The footprints of the Mechs would be glaringly obvious.
Soon the techs came out from the complex, trepidatiously as they saw the mock battle taking place. Justin and Jason broke off, and Justin approached the techs.
¡°You¡¯ll be sharing data with these guys. Just load up their gizmos with whatever they ask for, then return to your APCs.¡±
As the techs met with each other, Jason called back on the comm. ¡°Has your Commander had the chance to evaluate our offer?¡±
¡°They are considering it,¡± Justin replied. ¡°Lots of details to work out, though. That¡¯¡¯s a very expensive machine with a high repair dollar figure. And the way these contracts are run, most of the time running that Mech would cut into the support squad we would otherwise be sending. I would say that the odds of getting the go-ahead don¡¯t look good.¡±
¡°A shame,¡± commented Jason: ¡°We would love to sell that Mech to you. Would they be more interested if we reduced the price, say, to 23 million?¡±
Justin sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think the base price is as big of a factor as other issues. I can relay your discount offer to Allen, but that probably won¡¯t be a deciding factor.¡±
¡°Understood. Still, mention it. We are willing to bargain.¡±
The two teams of techs separated, each returning to their respective vehicles. Justin raised his Mech¡¯s arm in a salute to Jason. ¡°As I believe your people say it: ¡®well bargained and done.¡¯¡±
Jason chuckled. ¡°In certain circumstances, yes. I suppose it would apply here. Until next time, Lieutenant.¡±
Some weeks later Katarina emerged fuming from the simulator cockpit. Allen came out from the master booth. Katarina shook her fist at him. ¡°You cannot possibly call that a valid test! A battle against a Fafnir with two Heavy Gauss Rifles and the luck to core my Mech with two volleys? What are the odds of that happening in the real world?¡±
Allen took it all quietly. ¡°I know it wasn¡¯t quite a ¡®fair¡¯ match, but that¡¯s part of the point. Your ratings make it very hard to sell your services in the Summoner with any kind of support crew. You¡¯re just too expensive on your own.¡±
Katarina strode angrily towards Allen. ¡°Can¡¯t we discount my services, then? Let them know they are getting a bargain?¡±
Allen shook his head. ¡°The prices are fixed by the Mercenary Review Board. I am not allowed to adjust them, as that would put us in unfair competition against lesser forces.¡±
¡°Svashri!¡± Katarina hollered. ¡°Are these people trying to win battles, or stage tournaments?¡±
¡°A little of both,¡± replied Allen: ¡°Most people want to see Mechs as their personal champions. No one wants a loser for their champion: nor a bully. The MRB tries to keep a balance so that everyone will respect the results of contests between Mech forces. But you in that Summoner would so far outclass anything else on the field that they can¡¯t achieve that kind of balance. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to be stuck with that Wraith for a while longer.¡±
Katarina finally calmed down, slumping into a bench against the wall. ¡°I miss my Horned Owl. Clan Pulse lasers with twice the range of your Inner Sphere counterparts. That was a Mech.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve looked, my dear. But no one is selling a Mech like that. Unless your friends the Diamond Sharks can come up with something, it¡¯s still the Wraith. Besides, the Wraith has almost twice the armor of your Horned Owl, and is faster to boot. You need a cross: the speed and armor of the Wraith, with the weapons of the Clans. Good luck finding that.¡±
Katarina pursed her lips. ¡°Allen: what if that is the answer? Strip the Wraith of all its weapons, and replace them with the Clan equivalents?¡±
Her eyes flashed as she became excited by the idea. ¡°Yes! What would the cost be for that? What we have already spent on the Wraith plus a million or less for the Clan weapons, and just mount them in the right places! We just need an experienced tech team to install and maintain the weapons, and we are all set!¡±
Allen considered the idea, then nodded cautiously. ¡°That could work. It would keep you as fast and evasive as you are right now with double your weapons range. Besides, Clan weapons tend to weigh less than ours, and we could direct that weight to extra armor.¡±
¡°Or to a targeting computer?¡± Katarina popped up. ¡°Can you imagine me targeting limbs to blow them off: or weak spots in the armor, or just tracking and hitting enemies that much better?¡±
Allen smiled. ¡°Ever on the attack, my dear! If there is enough weight capacity after we add armor we can certainly add the computer, if the Clans are willing to sell that particular piece of technology. They might not be: we will have to check.¡±
¡°And what shall we call it?¡± Katarina mused. ¡°It will be more than a Wraith: a more powerful, scarier kind of thing, though much the same¡¡± Her eyes lit up. ¡°Allen! Remember that classic literature you were reading to me the other night? The story about the boy wizard, and those horrible spirits that sucked the life out of people?¡±
Allen nodded, then comprehension dawned. ¡°You want to call the new Mech a ¡®Dementor¡¯? How very appropriate! Yes, indeed!¡±
¡°Greetings, Star Commander Jason. This is Commander Allen McGee of the Andurien Avengers, responding to your offer of a Summoner, Class D, for sale. At this time we have determined that the Summoner does not meet our needs, and will be turning down your kind offer.
¡°However, we would be interested in purchasing Clan versions of a Large Pulse Laser and two Medium Pulse Lasers, and possibly some assistance from your techs on installing them on an Inner Sphere Mech. If you would be willing to assist us in such a purchase, we would be most grateful. Please state your price estimate, terms and conditions.¡±
Allen leaned back in his chair at the terminal at the HPG station. There was no point in waiting for a reply: it would take the Sharks some time to process the request and compose an estimate. He took a sip of the drink that he had brought with him, stretched, and prepared to leave. Then he heard a chime from the console: a new message coming in. Curious, he keyed the Enter button to bring up the message.
¡°Greetings, Commander Allen McGee. We regret that you choose not to purchase the Summoner, but would be happy to assist you with your purchase of Clan weaponry.
¡°We have a counter proposal for you. We have an upcoming mission for which we could use some assistance: a base attack, goal of destroying a few critical buildings. The attack would be against a Kurita outpost, resistance forces likely to be nominal. We just need assistance to get enough forces on the ground to take out the targets quickly, be in and out in a couple of minutes tops.
¡°Should you be willing to assist us in this assault, we in turn will provide you not only with the requested lasers and assistance in their installation but also an equal number of backups in case the originals get damaged, all at no charge.
¡°Please reply promptly: we have limited time in which to initiate this action.¡±
Allen considered the request, then keyed in a quick reply.
¡°Your offer is intriguing. I do have some questions. How many forces would you wish us to commit? And how would we reach the target in time to carry out this operation?¡±
This time he stayed where he was at, waiting patiently for a reply.
¡°We can jump to your system at a pirate point, and have a Broadsword Class dropship to you within a week. Capacity is three Mechs and two large vehicle or infantry bays.
¡°We are looking for speed, not heavy firepower. Terrain should not prove a significant obstacle: hover vehicles a plus, battle armor a plus. Thank you for your prompt response.¡±
In a way, thought Allen, this would be an ideal run for his vehicle crews and powered armor squads. They had had little opportunity to use their skills in battle, and simulation combat could only hone their skills so far. The same applied for Bill Secor, his new Wolverine pilot. He typed in his response quickly.
¡°Your terms are acceptable. I volunteer a Wolverine and two experienced Spiders, two heavy hover APCs, a Phalanx squad and a Longinus squad. Will this meet your needs?¡±
¡°We could not ask for better. Expect pickup within the week.¡±
Allen returned to his Union dropship, the Purple Onion, and called in Justin and Katarina for a conference. He explained the Diamond Shark offer to them, and what he had offered. Katarina shifted uneasily in her chair.
¡°You are not sending me or Justin? What if more support is needed?¡±
¡°There¡¯s no capacity for more support,¡± Allen replied: ¡°Just three Mechs and two other bays. As described, this looks to be a milk run. And if things go south, Kenny and Armando will be there to provide experience and presumably support an orderly withdrawal.¡±
Justin considered, then shrugged. ¡°Sounds good to me. You¡¯re right: Bill and the squads and crews deserve a little field experience, and this sounds optimal. When do you tell them?¡±
¡°Tomorrow morning, after mess. We¡¯ll call everybody in: the other pilots, crews and squads to prep for training exercises to hone experience for those who are going.¡± Allen ran a hand through his rumpled hair. ¡°Remember: for us this is a minor exercise, but for many of these troops this will be their first taste of combat: a baptism by fire. We need to give them the best chance of survival possible. Train them rough, get them ready for the worst.¡±
Katarina nodded. ¡°We will do our best, of course.¡±
The Broadsword Grim Reaper landed without incident, and Kenny and Armando supervised the unloading of the APCs, the battle armor units already onboard.
¡°Be careful,¡± Armando instructed the vehicle crews: ¡°There appear to be more trees than we expected. You will have to maneuver carefully to avoid damage.¡±
¡°Roger, boss!¡± The reply came back as the APCs slid down the ramp to the ground. Bill followed them down the ramp in his Wolverine. The two Spiders soared through the skies ahead of the rest.
To the North, Kenny spotted the Diamond Sharks contingent likewise unloading three Mechs, presumably with battle armor hanging off them. One was clearly Jason¡¯s Grendel. One of the other Mechs took off with incredible speed, approaching 200 miles an hour. Kenny shook his head. ¡°Damned Fire Moths! Glad they¡¯re on our side this time!¡±
He scanned to the East, expecting a contingent of small buildings that would be their targets. To his surprise he found a walled compound housing a conglomeration of six to eight story buildings. He keyed the comm button.
¡°Hey, Jason! We were told just a few little buildings, no big deal! We¡¯re not equipped for a full-out base assault!¡±
¡°Team leader,¡± the voice came back, ¡°we do not need to destroy the whole base: only certain target buildings that I will pinpoint for you. If you are as fast as we are told, this should not prove a problem for you.¡±
A map of the compound popped up, with five buildings highlighted by targeting reticles. Kenny sputtered as he keyed the comm again.
¡°You mean to tell me you already knew it was a full scale base? I thought maybe you had gotten bad intel, thought it was smaller! You want us to commit to that?¡±
¡°A simple in and out. If you wish to relinquish the prize and gain our enmity, by all means withdraw.¡±
Kenny¡¯s face colored. There were so few chances for him to lead a mission: how could he tell Allen he had turned tail and ran?
He switched comms to the private one between himself and the Avengers. ¡°Everyone proceed as quickly as possible, but with eyes peeled. If we see serious opposition, you are to withdraw. Understood?¡±
He received a chorus of assents, and vaulted into the skies once again, trying to keep up with the APCs that were barreling along ahead of him. To his left Bill was charging along manfully through the plains trying to keep up with the hovercraft as well.
Then ahead of them he saw a Clan Mech flying through the air headed towards Bill. Clearly this Mech had as much jump capability as his own Spider. Was that a Dragonfly? He wondered. IFF popped up to announce it as Clan designation Viper, formerly known to the Inner Sphere as a Dragonfly, Class A. Even with fifteen tons more base weight, Bill would be totally outclassed by the faster Mech.
¡°Hang on, Bill!¡± Kenny shifted his direction to try to intercept the Viper, but was too far away to stop the first exchange of fire.
A volley of green lasers shot down at Bill, three of them hitting their mark, and followed up by a rain of missiles from an SRM6. Bill fired wildly up into the air, missing with the blue Large Laser and his own set of SRM6 missiles flying wide. He stumbled, nearly falling as a result of the impacts he had suffered, but remained standing.
On Kenny¡¯s screen the Viper glowed red: the Mech had overconfidently fired all its weapons and was now seriously overheated. The Mechwarrior wouldn¡¯t be able to repeat that attack soon without risking ammo explosions or even engine shutdown. Kenny had no such issue to be concerned about: his heat sinks were enough to compensate even if he jumped his full range and fired both Pulse Lasers. He came down as close to the Viper as he could manage and thumbed both firing switches. Miraculously both hit, tearing into the Viper¡¯s left arm and side. The squat Viper did not stagger, but turned in Kenny¡¯s direction just as he had intended.
The Wolverine recovered and opened fire again, this time hitting with three lasers and the SRM missiles just as the Viper opened fire on the Spider. The Viper staggered under the onslaught and its volley of lasers slashed large chunks out of the ground just in front of Kenny, but did no damage.
Kenny¡¯s Pulse Lasers recycled, his reticle glowed green and he opened fire. Already off balance, the Viper fell onto its back and lay there smoking heavily. Kenny whooped in exaltation, then quickly scanned for the rest of his forces.
One of the APCs had swerved into the woods and was working to extricate itself. The other more cautious driver was steering carefully through the maze of trees towards the target. Armando was shepherding the forward hovercraft, watching for signs of opposition.
In another part of the field, a Nova had struck the Fire Moth in a leg and sent it tumbling into the woods. Now the Nova hovered, waiting for a shot at the Elementals crawling out from the wreckage.
The Grendel had made it into the compound and was blasting one of the target buildings. At the moment he seemed to be facing no opposition.
Kenny made a quick decision. ¡°Avengers, proceed on course with mission.¡±
He jumped to where the APC was stuck in the woods, and lent a hand pushing them back into the clear. He registered Bill firing a few well-aimed shots at the Viper¡¯s leg, destroying it and making it impossible for the other Mech to stand, before continuing towards the target.
The first APC made it into the walled compound and disgorged its troops. Armando flew up to target the roof of one of the target buildings with his pulse lasers.
Out in the field one of the Diamond Sharks¡¯ Mechs appeared to have headed around to the other side of the compound, outside the walls. It was a useless position from a tactical standpoint: Kenny glared at the screen, but had no time to call out on the comm as he registered another Mech bay opening and a new opponent stepping out inside the compound.
As the IFF reading came up, Kenny gasped and exclaimed over the Avenger¡¯s channel:
¡°Oh, shit! They¡¯ve got a Mad Cat! That is, a Timber Wolf, Configuration Prime!
¡°Avengers forces, retreat! Return as quickly as possible!¡±
The 75-ton Timber would make mincemeat of any of his forces with the first volley it fired, he was certain. Far better he report this as a failure and return with all hands than come back alone or not at all.
Armando crackled over the comm. ¡°The Phalanx team just unloaded. I¡¯ll have to cover their retreat while they reboard.¡±
Kenny meant to protest, but Armando was right. The team deserved their protection, even if they were a minor asset. ¡°Hang on! I¡¯m with you!¡±
He soared over the last grove of trees and landed on the wall, a tall target but a fast enough mover he hoped he could avoid being hit. Perhaps if he and Armando distracted the Timber Wolf, it wouldn¡¯t cremate the Phalanx team.
Just below him Bill had arrived at the gateway to the wall, and could now also see and target the Timber Wolf clearly.
¡°Open fire!¡±
All three Avengers Mechs fired on the Timber Wolf, scoring minor damage on its armor but hoping for that one lucky shot that might pierce through.
Lady luck, however, did not appear to be with the Avengers today. The Timber Wolf stood firm, and unleashed a barrage at the two Spiders.
Kenny gasped as a green laser laid open his right torso, smashing a jump jet, and a blue beam almost severed his right leg in one blow. Then came the hail of missiles, some of which struck his damaged leg and finished the job. He toppled off of the wall, crashing to the ground in a wreck that used to be a Spider Mech.
Through a haze of pain, his mind barely registered that his electronic systems seemed to be intact, including the comm and the battlefield display. His own right hip felt like it was broken, his right leg either broken or badly sprained, and his right arm was dislocated. Clearly he had fallen hard on that side. He reached clumsily for the comm with his left hand, and his voice croaked as he gave the word: ¡°Avengers, retreat. Armando has the conn.¡±
On the battlefield display he saw the Timber Wolf approaching the symbol that represented his own Mech. He weakly raised his left arm, his right one paralyzed by the pain of the dislocation.
¡°Alright, already! I surrender.¡±
His viewscreen registered a stern Kuritan face. ¡°This is Tai-i Komura, Seventeenth DCMS Regulars. What did you hope to gain in this unprovoked attack on our compound?¡±
¡°Sergeant Kenny Lewis here, Tai-i. Be damned if I know. We were told this was a small base encroaching on our employer¡¯s territory, and to crush a few simple buildings. Then we were committed, couldn¡¯t really get out of it. We got jacked as much as you did, Tai-i.¡±
It was mostly true, true enough to stand up to momentary inspection at least. If they interrogated him he¡¯d have to get creative, but this should do for now.
¡°You have failed in your mission, Sergeant. Do you wish the honor of Seppuku?¡±
Kenny chuckled. ¡°You mistake me for a man of honor, Tai-i. I prefer to live with my disgrace and see if I can redeem it sometime in the future. But thanks for the offer.¡±
Komura snorted his disdain. ¡°If you and your gang of bandits can walk away from this compound, we will not waste missiles or energy to wipe you out. Go, and tell your employers these defenses will stand against whatever they wish to throw at us.
¡°But these Clan scum¨C¡±
The Tai-i¡¯s face was replaced by gun camera footage of a PPC blasting the cockpit of the captive Grendel into a charred ruin.
¡°They have been trained in honor, as you have not. They have no excuse.¡±
Kenny grimaced in horror at the Star Commander¡¯s fate. He hadn¡¯t really gotten to know the man well, but they had been working together after all. He had no words in answer to the Tai-i; he felt sick to his stomach.
The Kuritan turned away, and Kenny tried to take stock of his situation. Hopefully he wasn¡¯t bleeding internally; if he was he would be dead in minutes, long before they could pull him out of his cockpit. He fumbled left-handed for the medpack, then the spray hypo for internal injuries. In moments medtech nanites were at work mending what they could, stabilizing what they could not heal. Built-in anesthetics reduced his pain to manageable levels.
¡°Hey, Amigo? You okay in there?¡±
Armando was approaching, limping along with obvious actuator damage to the left leg. His face appeared on the viewscreen, replacing the image of the smoking cockpit.
¡°Not so hot, Buddy. Get me out of here, if you can.¡±
At least Armando was still walking, and Kenny sighed in relief. The other Spider reached down and lifted him up. By now the anesthetics had kicked in enough to where he did not gasp in pain at the movement.
¡°You lost your right leg, Amigo. I barely have my left. With the APC for a crutch, together we can make it out of this.¡±
The APC pilot moved up between them, assisting both of them to limp out of the compound and begin the long trek home.
A Heros Reward
Morning light was filtering in through the windows in the medbay. Kenny groaned, opening his eyes and squinting. On the other side of the medbay he spotted a familiar figure: a small woman in a crisp white dress, seated at a desk working on reports.
¡°Hey, Tanya!¡± he croaked: ¡°What¡¯s the story, Morning Glory?¡±
She glanced at him with a small smile and a look of apparent relief as she rose and approached his small room. ¡°Good! You¡¯re awake. Now maybe you can answer a few questions for us. And don¡¯t worry, you can ask some yourself.¡±
¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he replied: ¡°Who does a guy have to kiss to get a little coffee here?¡±
Tanya didn¡¯t answer, but changed directions slightly to walk to the wall next to his room. ¡°How do you take it?¡± she asked: ¡°Cream, sugar, black?¡±
¡°Cream is for pansies,¡± he replied. ¡°Dark as night, plenty of sugar. Thanks.¡±
She appeared from behind the wall carrying two cups, her clipboard computer under one arm. One cup was obviously not his as it was loaded with cream, but the other looked and smelled like heaven in a pot. He reached for it with his right hand, suddenly realizing that though he could move it just fine, the arm was still quite sore. He gritted his teeth, took the hot cup from her hand and drank a cautious sip. It was very hot, but that¡¯s just the way he liked it.
¡°Beautiful,¡± he breathed. ¡°So, when do you want to collect on that kiss?¡±
¡°You can owe me,¡± Tanya replied cooly. ¡°I just need you to recall for me everything you remember about that fall. I know it might be hazy, but any little detail could help.¡±
Kenny tried to shift in the bed, and quickly realized that that was a mistake. His right leg and hip both screamed at him in anguish, and he drew in a sharp breath.
¡°Try not to move too much. We had to have you off the painkillers for a bit so that this morning we could run a neuroscan to tell us more about the injury. Anesthetized nerves don¡¯t carry any information for the test. We will get you back on the metacycline as soon as the test is finished.¡±
¡°Ooh, you¡¯d better, Doc. That was a sharp reminder of the battle.¡±
Still groggy, he tried to pull together the best recounting he could of the last minute of the fight.
¡°I jumped to the top of the wall. Had to go back to protect the armored squad on the ground while they reboarded. The three of us unloaded on the Mad Cat: like that was going to do any good.¡±
As he paused, though, he realized that it had. The squad was safe back at base. They wouldn¡¯t have been had he, Armando and Bill not distracted the Clan Mech.
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¡°I took fire: a lot of it. Blasted my right leg out from under me and I fell off the wall.¡±
¡°And how tall was this wall?¡± Tanya inquired.
Kenny estimated. ¡°About six stories, I think.¡±
¡°You took a dive off a six story wall, in a Mech thirty feet tall, and crashed on your side? You¡¯re lucky you weren¡¯t pulverized, your organs smashed to jelly. No wonder your leg was in such bad shape: and your hip, too.
¡°We had to reset the broken pieces of your hip, then reassemble your leg, all while nanites kept you from bleeding out. Doctor Caulder was shocked at the amount of damage you took. Had you just fallen on the battlefield your safety features in your Mech would have kept you from hardly any harm, but that¨C yes, you¡¯re lucky to be alive.
¡°Do us all a favor, will you? Avoid taking nosedives off of tall buildings?¡±
Kenny grinned. ¡°You always have to take the fun out of everything, don¡¯t you?¡±
Allen¡¯s office seemed crowded, not because of the three persons in the room but because of the near lifesize holodisplay playing in front of them. Gun camera footage from Kenny¡¯s Mech was playing out, some of his commentary on the battle in the background.
Allen watched from behind his desk, one hand tapping a stylus on it. Katarina watched upright from a chair beside him, hands clasped in her lap as she keenly observed the display. Justin was off to one side, slouched back in his chair with his hands behind his head.
The display ran out, and the room became empty and quiet. Allen shifted in his chair, looking at the other two.
¡°Thoughts, comments?¡±
Katarina nodded. ¡°For a leader in a hard position, he handled himself and his men very well. He gave warnings in good time, called retreat as soon as the battle became unwinnable, and sacrificed his own security for the sake of the ground troops.¡±
¡°Security, hell!¡± interjected Justin: ¡°He nearly sacrificed his own life there! Have you seen the medical reports on his condition?¡±
¡°Indeed I have,¡± replied Allen: ¡°which is why I am recommending him for the Avengers Star of Honor. He set an example I hope any of us would strive to live by.¡±
Katarina considered, then nodded. ¡°Usually you only present the Star posthumously, but given the degree of his sacrifice I think it is appropriate.¡±
Allen looked to Justin, who sighed and nodded. ¡°Yeah: it¡¯s appropriate, all right. He damned near got himself killed, but for all the right reasons. He deserves it.¡±
Allen smiled. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. We present him the award at a banquet in his honor as soon as he is healthy enough to attend.¡±
Justin chuckled. ¡°The crew will love that. Some real food for once, not that packaged kibble.¡±
Allen nodded and stood up. ¡°Yes, there is that, too. A reward to them for all their hard work, and a reminder that even in defeat we have much to celebrate.¡±
Katarina smiled as she too rose from her chair. ¡°A touching gesture that the crew will remember for a very long time. It is all very perfect.¡±
Justin stretched in his chair, then noticed that the other two were standing and straightened himself out and got up. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on Kenny¡¯s progress and recovery, and let you know when I think he¡¯s well enough to attend an event like this. Meantime, take care!¡±
Limitations and Solutions
¡°I should have been there!¡± Katarina banged her fist on Allen¡¯s desk in frustration.
Justin shook his head, his face grim. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have made any difference. They had five Clan mechs, at least three of them faster than you and with more firepower. The Dasher and Piranha would have eaten you alive, if the Incubus wouldn¡¯t have gotten you first.¡±
Katarina fumed. ¡°I could have handled the Piranha. If the battle was honorable, I would have taken the Fire Moth easily. The Vixen, we would have had an even fight if the warrior was skilled. If not, I would have wiped the ground with them.¡±
¡°These Clanners did not follow the Zellbrigen. In an honorable combat, they should not have come at you from behind. They should have declared themselves and challenged you one on one.¡±
Again, Justin shook his head. ¡°No, this wasn¡¯t an honorable combat. Especially the way they slaughtered the Longinus squad and the Maxim crew. But what can I say? If we had their capabilities, we would have come at them from behind ourselves. We wouldn¡¯t have slaughtered helpless men stranded on the ground.
¡°But what¡¯s done is done. We lost B platoon, the Phalanx and Longinus squads, we lost a Maxim, an APC, the Wolverine, and Bill. Last I saw, he went down under an Elemental swarm, and they were dragging him out of the cockpit. I don¡¯t know if they killed him on the spot, or captured him. One way or another, it was a complete rout.¡±
Allen sighed. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what the MRB was thinking, matching us up against a force like that. We can¡¯t afford too many missions like that: and Katarina, if you had been there we could have lost the Dementor and you. And that would be totally unacceptable.¡±
Katarina slumped into a chair. ¡°We seem to be having a run of bad luck. We must be more cautious about the intel we are offered. It has not served us well lately.¡±
¡°Agreed,¡± said Allen. ¡°I am going to have to vet the information better myself, if possible. I am wondering if there is some way to recruit an intelligence organization: probably a stupid thought.¡±
He ticked off a list on his fingers. ¡°It seems we have a few particular vulnerabilities. There¡¯s not much we can do against artillery, aircraft, or fast Clan mechs. I don¡¯t know that there will ever be anything we can do against aircraft that can dive bomb and throw eight bombs at one mech in the space of ten seconds, or artillery that can attack from too far of a distance for us to respond.
¡°As to Clan mechs: it seems we can¡¯t depend on the MRB to measure Clan capabilities accurately. We may have to turn down assignments against Clan forces. Individual Clan mechs mixed in with conventional forces I think we can usually handle, but when they¡¯re all Clan, we¡¯re just not equipped for that.¡±
Katarina¡¯s face was serious. ¡°Can we afford to be so selective in our assignments? Will the MRB respect a mercenary company that must be so exclusive?¡±
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Allen shook his head. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. But at this rate, we can¡¯t afford not to be exclusive.¡±
¡°There must be some other way,¡± Katarina pleaded. ¡°If other companies can field the resources they need to stay in the fight, surely we can, too!¡±
Allen leaned back in his chair. ¡°What are you suggesting? That we sell all our Inner Sphere mechs and replace them with Clan mechs?¡±
¡°Why not?¡± she challenged him. ¡°There are so many Clan mechs available to us, surely we can find some as good as what we have been up against.¡±
¡°Do you have any idea how much money that would take?¡± Allen asked. ¡°And we couldn¡¯t even mothball any mechs: we don¡¯t have the storage capacity. We would have to sell everything we own and do a total conversion!¡±
¡°What?¡± she retorted: ¡°Afraid to sell your precious Warhammer? When was the last time you took it into battle?¡± She bit her lip, sensing from his pained expression that she might have pushed things a bit too far.
¡°I know you Clanners don¡¯t seem to have a respect for Inner Sphere traditions,¡± Allen growled, ¡°but that¡¯s unfair. We have continually come up against jumpers, mountains, forests: anything and everything that makes a non-jump capable mech practically useless in the field. The Warhammer is a venerable, powerful mech: it¡¯s just limited in its field of engagement.¡±
¡°I am sorry, my dear,¡± Katarina replied softly, ¡°but the galaxy has changed. With new technology, not having jump jets is a fatal flaw. Your great grandfather¡¯s mech simply cannot compete in the modern market. You will need to change to face the future which is already here.¡±
Allen did not answer for a long moment. Then he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
¡°So, what do you suggest? Remember: I am used to heavier mechs with more armor and firepower: the kind that will be most expensive and highest rated by the MRB. What do you propose we acquire, within budget?¡±
Katarina pondered. ¡°That will take much research, my love. We will have to see what is available, and what fits your style. I am thinking a Mad Cat, but I am sure that would be far out of our price range.¡±
Allen was lost in thought for a bit, then made a suggestion. ¡°Perhaps we should focus on getting smaller, fast mechs with firepower first, for the others to use. Then, when we are having victories again, we can afford something for me. But we need two or three fast mechs on the ground now.¡±
Katarina considered, then nodded. ¡°We should not start with a Fire Moth, though they are tempting. Their armor is just too light: any solid hit can destroy it. Besides, they don¡¯t have jump capability. We need that flexibility on the battlefield.¡±
She frowned. ¡°We need something like a Viper: with jump and speed equal to our Spiders, but much more armor and better weapons. Surely we can afford this?¡±
¡°I have no idea,¡± Allen replied: ¡°I¡¯d have to check with my connections, ask around. Do you think this could turn the tables in our battles, give us the edge to start winning again?¡±
¡°With a good pilot and sound maintenance, certainly,¡± she affirmed. ¡°And it is an Omnimech, which means it can carry one of those squads of Battle Armor to whatever location they are needed. That should save you from having to replace the Maxim or APC at least?¡±
Allen shook his head. ¡°Those are good vehicles, and even if we have a mech that can carry one squad of Battle Armor, we have to be able to carry the rest. And replacing them is cheap. We will replace the vehicles as well as buying a new mech: a Viper, if we can find it. I will need your input on what model you think would be most effective.¡±
¡°I shall gladly give you that input when we see what is available,¡± Katarina replied.
Introductions: The Lady and the Knight
The hot sun beat down on the ferrocrete paving the landing zone for the Purple Onion, heat shimmers rising into the morning sky. Allen and Katarina stood together watching the approach of an A model Viper crossing the pavement from another dropship. The Viper was painted a nondescript steel gray as if factory fresh, awaiting the addition of whatever paint schemes or insignias they might wish to add. Allen found the stilted walk of the retrograde legs to look awkward and clumsy, but to Katarina it looked elegant, like a dancer poised on the toes of her feet.
The Viper came to a stop under cover of the shadow from the Onion, just meters away from where they stood. The cockpit slowly rose, and they could see the busty figure of the pilot unbelting from the seat and removing her helmet. For a moment she shook loose her long blonde hair, then dismounted down the side of the mech. Once she reached the ground it was clear that she was fairly short, almost a head shorter than Allen, barely coming up to Katarina¡¯s chest. She approached them and snapped to attention, a broad smile on her face as she saluted.
¡°Lieutenant Wanda Pettit, at your service!¡±
Allen and Katarina saluted back, taking stock of the young lieutenant as best they could based on first impressions. Then Allen addressed her.
¡°Captain Allen McGee, Lieutenant, and this is Commander Katarina Hazen. Welcome to the Andurien Avengers.¡±
¡°Thank you, sir!¡±
She eyed Katarina for a moment. ¡°A Trueborn, Bloodnamed Clan warrior? Jade Falcon, right? You have my respect and admiration, Commander.¡±
Katarina colored slightly at the compliment. ¡°Thank you, Lieutenant. You are well informed.¡±
Wanda shrugged. ¡°I did a thesis on Clan Bloodnames as part of my studies at college. Very interesting stuff.¡±
¡°Indeed,¡± said Allen: ¡°There is much about Clan culture that is fascinating. Anything else you may have learned that would be of interest?¡±
Wanda considered for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°Nothing particularly relevant. I don¡¯t know how the Clanners will feel about you wandering about with Non Clanners, having a Bloodname. Keeps them from having it back. But that¡¯s neither here nor there.¡±
She eyed Allen directly. ¡°So: what¡¯s your policy on callsigns? I was the new kid in my previous unit, so they assigned me ¡®Busty.¡¯ Goes to show how even Mechwarriors who should know better measure a woman by appearance alone. I¡¯d be happy for a change.¡±
Allen nodded. ¡°Katarina has stuck by her original callsign of Turkina, but the rest of us have taken names from the standard deck of playing cards. I¡¯m Joker, as their leader, and everyone else has chosen royal cards. There has been some talk of non-combatants taking non-royal cards, but they so rarely need to comm, it hasn¡¯t really been an issue.¡±
Wanda¡¯s broad smile came back as she threw her head back and laughed. ¡°If it¡¯s available, put me down for Queen of Hearts, baby!¡±
Allen nodded again. ¡°I believe that one is still available. You are welcome to it.¡±
¡°Excellent!¡± she beamed. ¡°So: reporting for duty. Orders, sir?¡±
¡°At ease, Lieutenant. Report to your quarters in D bunker, and you¡¯re off duty.¡± Allen dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
¡°Yes, sir!¡± She turned and headed down the walkway towards the bunkers.
Katarina turned to Allen. ¡°It should be interesting to see how she does in combat. She had good reports from her previous Company: they hoped she would re-enlist. Hopefully their loss is our gain.¡±
Allen nodded. ¡°I am sure we will find out soon enough. I advised the MRB of our increased capacity for combat: they will be reviewing higher profile missions for us.¡±
Katarina smiled. ¡°Missions I can take part in? Wonderful! I cannot wait!¡±
¡°I doubt you¡¯ll have to,¡± Allen replied: ¡°I¡¯ve already fielded a couple of offers. Give me the chance to look them over, and we¡¯ll see what to go for.¡±
The opportunity came very soon. After six weeks on board the Purple Onion in transit to the target world of Madeline III, they arrived and set down on the recently terraformed planet.
It had been an interesting six weeks. Wanda proved to be a very gregarious lady, vivacious, positive, optimistic, and generally a fun person to have around. She took an instant liking to Kenny, and the two became a very public item. She also turned out to be quite the card shark, introducing the crew to the Clan card game of Hexar, and running regular game nights to alleviate the boredom of in transit time.
Now they deboarded and contacted the client. A Commander Nordstrom arrived within the hour to hold a briefing.
¡°Eight weeks ago we had a defection of one Captain O''donnell, who started a civil uprising against the legitimate government of Madeline III. Our hope was that you would arrive on time to assist as reinforcements in putting down the rebellion. As things turned out, we have mostly suppressed the rebellion ourselves but our troops are run down, damaged, and generally unfit to continue fighting.
¡°We have O¡¯donnell on the run, but don¡¯t have the resources to pursue and capture him. We need him brought to justice; we need you to capture him and bring him back to stand court martial. Our intelligence reports that he will be making a break for the Zardan spaceport tomorrow morning. We would like you to intercept on the way there. We found a chokehold area he and his crew will have to pass through, so you¡¯re certain to have your chance there.
¡°Please don¡¯t fail us. If O¡¯donnell gets away, he is certain to return with outside forces and resume his rebellion. We aren¡¯t equipped to resist this time.¡±
Allen nodded. ¡°We will do everything in our power to bring him in. I presume that if capture proves impossible, elimination is appropriate?¡±
¡°You are correct. One way or another, O¡¯donnell must be stopped.¡±
The following morning found them at the chokehold point: a tangled mass of hills and new forests O¡¯donnell and his men would have to traverse to get to the spaceport. Soon the opposition came in sight. Four of the Mechs bore similar markings and the same insignia: the fifth was a Charger, with a different paint scheme and insignia.
¡°IFF?¡± Katarina inquired of the onboard Identity Friend or Foe program. ¡°Who are we facing?¡±
¡°One Charger bearing insignia of the Madeline III Civil Defense Force. Given mission parameters, this would be Captain O¡¯donnell. Remaining forces all bear insignia of a full sun with a black spot on it. Records indicate this to be the insignia of Sunspot Strategic, a Company generally operating out of Davion space. Leader appears to be a Black Knight, configuration unknown, but bearing a retractable arm blade.¡±
Katarina¡¯s eyebrow raised inquiringly. ¡°¡®Configuration unknown?¡¯ So, a custom version of some sort? Any indications of other changes to this model?¡±
¡°None at this time. Will have access to further information as combat progresses.¡±
Katarina launched herself into the air, covering a jump of over 200 meters before landing. Behind her the rest of the crew followed suit: Jessica in her Crusader CRD-5M, Justin in the Grasshopper GHR-5N, Wanda in the Viper A and Armando in his Spider SDR-8M.
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¡°I¡¯m not nearly as fast as the rest of you,¡± Jessica commented, ¡°But then again I don¡¯t need to be. If someone can spot for me, I¡¯ll missile them to death from back here.¡±
¡°Neither am I,¡± commented Justin: ¡°I guess that makes us the backup reserves: stop him if nobody else can.¡±
¡°Jack of Spades at your service, Queen of Spades. I¡¯ll spot for you.¡± Armando¡¯s voice came across the comm.
¡°Whatever works,¡± Katarina interjected. ¡°Just focus your fire on that Charger. That¡¯s our target: the rest are superfluous.¡±
So speaking, she opened fire with her Large Pulse Laser: the only weapon with range enough to reach the Charger. The shot just missed, sizzling across the ground on the other side of the target. Katarina growled in frustration, but kept her cool. The range was still bad, was all.
With Armando spotting for her, Jessica fired both of her LRM15s at the Charger, one salvo hitting, one salvo missing. ¡°Score first blood!¡± she exclaimed proudly. The new Crusader was not as fast as the Trebuchet had been, but it was better armored and a smoother ride.
An Extended Range PPC blast from the Black Knight sizzled past the Crusader, who had obviously targeted the slower, easier to hit Mech instead of the other faster and more agile jumpers. Then it fired a series of Medium and Medium Pulse lasers into the hillside.
¡°Black Knight has missed all targets,¡± the IFF system announced: ¡°Black Knight has overheated significantly. As most targets were out of range, all factors suggest a green pilot. Threat level: minimal.¡±
Katarina was surprised at that. A Black Knight was an expensive piece of equipment, and if this model was custom, then it was worth a lot more. Having a green pilot in a Mech like that didn¡¯t make sense.
Justin ran forward, trying to get his Medium Lasers in range as quickly as possible and firing his PPC at the Charger. Being at maximum range, he missed.
Wanda fired three of her five Clan ER Medium lasers, holding the others in reserve to prevent heat buildup. Two of the shots struck the Charger, carving gashes in the armor.
Katarina launched herself into the air again, making herself the most difficult target on the battlefield. It generated a load of heat, but she could still fire the Large Pulse and one Medium Pulse Laser without frying her systems. And she had closed distance on the Charger. This time she hit with the Medium Laser but again not with the Large one. This was getting more than irritating.
¡°Diagnostics! Check LPL01 for accuracy!¡± she ordered. The response came quickly.
¡°LPL01 is misaligned, and will require ground service to reset. Recommend shifting to backup systems MPL01 and MPL02.¡±
¡°Svashri!¡± she exclaimed, fuming at the incompetence of whichever technician had failed to adjust the system prior to battle. Now limited to Medium weapons systems she would be forced to close at closer distances with her targets in order to score shots. Fortunately the Charger had not even a single medium range weapon on it, so she could cut things pretty close with that primary target.
Armando¡¯s Spider jumped its maximum distance to evade fire, but was able to keep spotting the Charger while firing its own Medium Pulse Lasers into the Charger from the side.
Jessica took advantage of Armando¡¯s spotting to fire her LRMs once more, and this time scored significant damage spread out over the body of the Mech. The Charger lurched backwards but maintained its balance, and trotted on.
This time, the PPC blast from the Black Knight struck her in the right torso, along with a couple of other Medium Laser hits. She was rocked backwards, but kept her balance. She blinked at the sensors indicating the position of the Black Knight. What the hell? The Black Knight should have a top speed around 64 kilometers per hour, yet had just put on a burst of speed clocking at nearly 90!
¡°Warning!¡± the IFF system cautioned: ¡°Revising threat level estimates. Black Knight of unknown type appears to be activating Triple Strength Myomer. This capability raises ground speed by approximately 33%, and doubles shock damage from melee attacks, including the blade mounted on the left arm. Revised threat level: significant.¡±
Jessica swallowed hard as she realized the Black Knight was barreling right towards her. She jumped back 120 meters, but that was only half the distance the Black Knight had covered in the same time. The math was clear: with no good cover or terrain nearby that she could leap above or hide behind, the Black Knight would be on her in 30 seconds tops.
¡°Turkina, this is Queen of Spades. Facing urgent threat here: switching targets to slow him down.¡±
She fired her LRMs at the Black Knight, now close enough she didn¡¯t need a spotter, and both salvos struck home. In spite of the damage the Black Knight kept charging in her direction, firing PPC and Extended Range Medium Lasers at her as he came. Both hit, and she staggered under the onslaught.
Meantime, Armando was not faring so well. A lucky PPC shot had torn out his left torso and arm, nearly knocking him over. Fortunately he still had both Medium Pulse Lasers, as they were located in his center torso, and was able to fire back.
Justin had closed his distance to within range for his Medium Lasers, and opened fire with four of them. Two of them scored minor damage on the Charger, one on a leg, one on an arm.
Katarina¡¯s command board was now lighting up with warning signs. ¡°Avengers, reverse course! We can still stop them, but need a little range. Armando: get out, quick.¡±
She jumped back the way she had come, firing as she went. Both Medium Pulse Lasers struck armor, carving off nearly half a ton each.
Wanda backpedaled on the ground, saving her heat capacity to fire four Medium Lasers instead of just three, hitting with all but one. The overtaxed Charger struggled to stay on its feet, but succeeded.
Justin came under heavy fire as he backed up: nothing critical, but a lot of armor shots. He fired back with his lasers, but couldn¡¯t make a significant impact.
Armando jumped, no longer trying either to spot or to fire, just getting out as per instructions. It was a well disciplined group, Katarina noted, everyone following directions and following them well.
Jessica also backpedaled on the open ground, holding her fire until the Black Knight stepped right into her sweet spot: the area from 200 to 300 meters away where all her weapons could lock on and fire. She threw it all at him: LRMs, short range Streak missiles and Medium Lasers. Some hit and some did not, but the Black Knight did not fall. Instead, he fired back. The PPC and a shower of laser fire knocked her to the ground, leaving her momentarily dazed but not injured.
¡°Man down! Cover fire!¡± Katarina ordered over the comm. And everyone shifted fire from the Charger to the Black Knight.
Wanda had actually managed to get right behind the Knight and opened fire with four lasers and her short range missile pack. It raised her heat slightly, but not enough to interfere with her Mech¡¯s performance. While she hit with all but one laser, only one laser struck the vulnerable back torso armor, the rest hitting arms and legs.
Armando jumped back into range to fire off his lasers, still retreating. His shots scored on the Knight as well.
Katarina opened fire, again limited to the Medium lasers she had, but she also hit her marks.
Jessica made an effort to scramble to her feet, but was only up on one knee when the Black Knight closed. He raised his left arm, the blade extending, and swung down right at the Crusader¡¯s head.
The ¡°Catspaws¡± Predictive AI system sensed the imminent danger and blasted her free of the cockpit a tenth of a second before the blade smashed through the head, severing it and sending it bouncing across the field like a tennis ball. The decapitated Mech fell backwards and crashed into the ground.
¡°Avengers, stand down!¡± Katarina¡¯s voice cut through the open commlink. ¡°We sue for peace. No more attacks: you go your way, we¡¯ll go ours.¡±
Something in the angle of the Black Knight¡¯s head gave Katarina the impression that he was not issuing the orders, but listening for them.
¡°Your terms are acceptable. Just don¡¯t interfere with us again.¡±
The Black Knight unclenched its fist, the blade retracting back into its arm mount. Wanda gave the Knight a wide berth as she came around and picked up Jessica¡¯s ejection pod in one hand. With the other she tried to drag the Mech, but it proved too heavy for her. Then Justin approached and grabbed the mech by the shoulder, and was able to move it.
They stepped aside as the Charger with the rebel Captain O¡¯donnell walked past. The head tilted their way, and the comm crackled again.
¡°Nice try, Mercs. But my boys are just better.¡±
Katarina gritted her teeth, holding back a retort that might have started the fight all over again. She waited until the Sunspot Strategic force had passed them by, and turned the comm from public to Company channel.
¡°I know. We let him get away. Our employers won¡¯t be too happy about that. I¡¯m going to suggest to Allen that we stay to defend Madeline III from whatever forces Captain O¡¯donnell brings back here. I am sure he will agree that we will accept base pay as covering for the defense of the planet as well. If we hadn¡¯t failed, they wouldn¡¯t be needing a defense force right now.¡±
The rest of the Lance gave a chorus of ¡°ayes,¡± with Justin being the last to agree. He felt they were just asking for trouble, staying here to ward off a full scale invasion. But he couldn¡¯t argue that it wasn¡¯t the right thing to do.
¡°And next,¡± intoned Katarina through gritted teeth, ¡°time to find out which tech failed to calibrate my main gun!¡±
Crystal Blue Persuasion
¡°Ah swear, Ma¡¯am, we calibrated that laser to a ¡®T.¡¯ We follered the manual right down tha line. Ah can show you the pages we follered ta get the job done, an¡¯ that job was done right.¡±
Mike the mechanic stood at attention, addressing Katarina respectfully in spite of his built-in drawl. Katarina was not impressed.
¡°You did, hmm? Why did you not verify with the onboard systems that it was complete?¡±
¡°Ma¡¯am, we don¡¯t always have access ta the onboard systems. Tommy, here: he was tha one who done reinstalled tha system once¡¯t we had it complete. Ah didn¡¯t stick around ta supervise: Tommy knows his job too well fur me ta be nursemaidin¡¯ him awl tha time. But mebbe ah should¡¯a made sure he had access to your security code ta pull up tha onboard systems. That¡¯d be ma fault, an¡¯ ah take full responsibility fur it.¡±
Tommy, the techie, seemed to have a harder time with standing at attention than Mike did. He was jittery, rocking back and forth on his heels, trying to keep his eyes forward but failing. When he talked, the gangly young man¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bounced up and down like a yoyo.
¡°Aw, shucks, Ma¡¯am: I swear Mike n¡¯ I got it down right. Lemme show you the manual an¡¯ the test results, hey?¡±
¡°Alright,¡± Katarina replied, still trying to maintain her cool, ¡°show me. Then we will compare that to what the onboard systems found, and you will explain the difference to me.¡±
¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am!¡± Tommy turned and grabbed up a datapad, setting the 3D image to appear against the closest wall. Dark blue boxes and bright, curvy lines twinkled into sight, with relevant numbers highlighted. Tommy began to explain rather excitedly.
¡°See, Ma¡¯am, here¡¯s tha spec range for tha calibration, an¡¯ here¡¯s tha line that showed yer laser¡¯s performance again¡¯ it. Ye¡¯ll note on tha timeline that tha lenses wuz way off kilter until we straightened ¡®em out. Tha unit musta took a real hard hit last battle ta do that to it. But we got¡¯em squared away.¡±
Katarina¡¯s eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°My Mech barely took any damage in that last battle, and none to the right arm. There was no reason for it to be out of adjustment. Where did you get the instructions on how to set the laser?¡±
¡°We got¡¯em right hyar, Ma¡¯am.¡± Mike produced another datapad and turned it on against another wall. The image produced was almost identical to the one from the first datapad, with additional notes associated with spec points. Mike went on in a soothing voice.
¡°Now, ya see here, where tha settin¡¯s are marked up? These here¡¯r tha adjustments we had ta make on tha lens calibration. See? Ya got a whole sequence o¡¯ data points ta match up with, an¡¯ that¡¯s just what we did. All tha way from point blank range ta three hunred meters out. It¡¯s awl good!¡±
Katarina reviewed the notes associated with the calibrations, trying to find an error. Then something Mike had just said sunk in. ¡°Three hundred? You tested it out to three hundred meters? What did you do past that?¡±
Mike shrugged. ¡°T¡¯weren¡¯t nuthin¡¯ more ta do, Ma¡¯am. That there¡¯s yer max range for a Large Pulse Laser.¡±
Katarina nearly exploded. ¡°YOU IDIOTS!!! This is a CLAN laser, not one of your pitiful Inner Sphere pieces of junk! IT HAS TWICE THE RANGE!¡±
Mike stood calmly, apparently trying to absorb this new information. Tommy on the other hand looked like he was trying to sink into a workbench to escape Katarina¡¯s wrath. Katarina was beside herself, so furious she could barely talk. Finally Mike spoke.
¡°We can fix that. Good as new. Ya won¡¯t ever ¡®ave another problem outa her, an¡¯ that¡¯s my word.¡±
Katarina turned back towards them, livid with rage. Just as she was about to cut loose on them again, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning in fury, she was just about to punch whoever it was that dared touch her in a moment like this. Then she saw it was Allen. She opened her mouth to tell him what had just happened, but he put a finger over her lips.
¡°I heard. Give me two minutes.¡±
He turned to Mike. ¡°You¡¯ve got it now? You know what the problem is, and how to fix it?¡±
Mike nodded. ¡°Yessir. It¡¯s a simple fix, an¡¯ we can add it to tha notes fur next time.¡±
Allen nodded as well. ¡°And you¡¯ll make sure the same notes go on the Medium Pulse Lasers on her mech as well? Those are Clan, too.¡±
Mike was basically at attention now. ¡°Sir, yessir! It¡¯ll never happen again!¡±
¡°Dismissed.¡±
Mike and Tommy immediately took off for the Mech bay, toolboxes in hand. Allen turned to Katarina and hugged her close.
¡°I know. It¡¯s infuriating that such an error happened, and it could have cost you dearly in the battle: may have contributed to the mission¡¯s failure, in fact. But now, we need to seek a resolution: not revenge. Mike and Tommy are good, hard workers, and as long as they feel appreciated they will do whatever they can to get the job done. But if you treat them like morons, they will resent you and not work so hard, not care about your concerns. You want them on your side, and you won¡¯t achieve that by calling them names and berating them.
¡°I know it¡¯s not easy. But these are men who deserve respect, even if they screw up. Label them, and you will get back just what you expect. So trust me on this, okay?¡±
Katarina sighed and nodded. ¡°In the Clans they would have been demoted to work on vehicles, but I understand what you are saying. Here, you treat people so much better than they do in the Clans. I still need to learn this.¡±
Allen released her from the hug, smiled at her and kissed her. ¡°You are learning. Kindness is having a good influence on you.¡±
She returned the kiss and the smile. ¡°It is your love that influences me. But you already know that.¡±
¡°Yes, I do.¡±
¡°I understand and agree with you about defending Madeline III, but we have some time before O¡¯donnell can return with reinforcements,¡± Allen explained. ¡°Besides, we had already committed to other operations. Let us take the assignments we signed up for, then return to Madeline III and post watch. We will commit full resources to the protection of the planet.¡±
Six weeks later, they were on a new planet: Taranis IV, an inhospitable rock, but one apparently rich in resources of crystal. Commander Nelson addressed the company.
¡°We had a base in the Northern Hemisphere, but had to shut it down for operational concerns. Now we have cause to believe another consortium is about to attempt a salvage mission to recover data and samples we left behind when we abandoned the facility. Obviously, we do not wish for these to fall into a competitor¡¯s hands.¡±
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Allen nodded. ¡°Understood. We will attempt to remove whatever materials we can as quickly as possible to avoid interference or interception. But you say an unknown dropship has already entered orbit? We¡¯ll have to act fast. Armando, Wanda, Katarina, and Jessica: suit up, and let¡¯s head out.¡±
Nelson had appointed them a Leopard Class dropship, the Tyrone, to drop them off at the base. He had inquired as to whether they would prefer a ¡°hot drop¡± or simple landing; Allen pointed out that a simple landing would leave the Tyrone available for them to bring the samples to, whereas otherwise they might be pursued across unknown, hostile terrain. Nelson conceded the point.
They landed half a klick from the base, in the closest open, solid ground available. Jessica was first off the ship, running to get an early start. This made sense: she was in the slowest Mech, and the others would catch up to her easily before they reached the base. Soon they were suited up and ready to go.
¡°Oh, gee,¡± Jessica broadcast back, sarcasm virtually dripping from her words: ¡°Falling stars! How pretty!¡±
Indeed, there were bright streaks of light coming down from the skies directly above them: evidence of another Lance making a hot drop towards the site. They were barely here on time.
Just ahead, Jessica and the rest of the crew could make out the tall dome that had been the biocenter for the base. They made a beeline for it.
Given the roughness of the terrain, they often had to resort to jump jets. The rest of the crew caught up to Jessica as they were about to enter the perimeter of the base. About that time their sensors picked up the approaching units from the other side who had landed just moments ago.
Katarina issued a broadcast on the open channel. ¡°Attention, approaching forces. This is Commander Katarina Hazen of the Andurien Avengers, here representing the Schenectady Materials and Trading Company. We are retrieving company property belonging to Schenectady. You are trespassing, and have no authority to be here. Withdraw, or face the consequences!¡±
The reply came quickly. ¡°You again? We warned you last time: don¡¯t interfere with us again.
¡°This is Spectre-1 of Sunspot Strategic. This base has been abandoned, and is rightfully open territory for anyone seeking salvage. We are here on behalf of Outworlds Alliance Mining Consortium, conducting legal operations. Step aside, or you face the consequences.¡±
Jessica groaned. Their last encounter with Sunspot had nearly resulted in her death, and she was not eager to encounter the Black Knight again. But as she glanced around the base, she reflected that this would be a far easier terrain in which to elude him.
In moments they could see a Karnov transport plane landing on the dome and disgorging troops. They had been notified that one of the data terminals they were requested to retrieve was located there, so apparently the Sunspot crew knew what they were doing as well.
¡°Not on my watch!¡± growled Jessica, taking careful aim and firing her LRMs at the now stationary Karnov. Much to her satisfaction, both salvos hit, and the Karnov erupted into flames.
Meantime, Wanda had detected a Pegasus hovercraft approaching one of the other hotspots they had been advised about. ¡°Not today, babe!¡± She gritted her teeth and jumped to intercept.
Armando was approaching the dome, but until the Karnov was gone he would not be able to land. He stood back and fired his Pulse Lasers at the troops remaining there, knocking one of them down but not killing them. Something weird happened with one of his lasers: a strange color shift, and the beam seemed to bend somehow, missing the target. It concerned him, but he didn¡¯t have time to figure it out as he came under attack.
Lasers fired at him repeatedly, but kept missing him as a target. They, too, seemed to shift in color and direction, fortunately not striking him.
Now Jessica could see the Black Knight approaching. As before, he fired all weapons into the ground except the PPC, which he fired at her. He missed, and Jessica noted an interesting color effect seeming to flame off of the blast. She wondered for a moment if this was some new experimental version of a PPC, but that didn¡¯t make much sense.
¡°Computer: analysis of beam patterns?¡± she asked.
¡°Notice:¡± replied the computer: ¡°Atmosphere contains large quantities of Argon, Neon and Krypton. These rare gasses are disrupting laser and PPC fire.¡±
Jessica laughed. Fortunately she had missiles as her primary weapons: the gasses in the atmosphere should not mess with those. She broadcast the notice on the Company channel.
Katarina groaned in exasperation at the news. She would still try firing her lasers, but this was as bad as when her main laser had been screwed up by the techs. Aiming carefully, she found she could still hit targets about half the time.
Wanda was having the same issue; her shots were perhaps 50% effective. It wasn¡¯t enough to do serious damage to the Pegasus hovercraft that had just unloaded troops who ran to retrieve the samples and data center. They were rolling loading equipment to the building: they would retrieve everything in seconds if she couldn¡¯t stop them. She jumped again to get closer¡
Armando jumped to the top of the dome, landing amid the debris of the wrecked Karnov. The troops that had been unloaded had just jumped off the dome, so his path seemed clear. He set about opening the top of the dome and pulling out the data center. He ignored the incoming laser fire until a lucky shot tore off one arm, leaving him to catch the data center by one hand. He cussed at that, in his native Spanish.
Once again the Black Knight stepped right into Jessica¡¯s sweet spot, where she could fire everything at once. Fortunately she had enough heat sinks to manage it all, and let loose she did. Long and Short range missiles both battered the Black Night, but he still didn¡¯t go down. Grunting in frustration, she jumped up onto a six-story building to evade that deadly blade.
Katarina was managing to fire on the Black Knight from behind, scoring occasional damage that could add up to what was needed to bring him down. She crossed her fingers and hoped.
Wanda landed beside the Pegasus, firing at point blank range and kicking the hovertank in the side. Still it wasn¡¯t enough, and she could see the loading crew coming back out with the data center and samples on their loader. With her lasers recycling, she was unable to take a second round of shots at them, but ran around to try to stop the loading.
Armando discovered that the lucky shot had taken out more than his arm; it had taken out half his jump jets, making it perilously difficult to jump down from the twelve-story tall dome. In the meantime the jump crew that had just abandoned the top of the dome had seen him and were now working their way back up the dome¡¯s side. He fired down at them but again their armor deflected his shots.
Jessica fired down with her medium lasers and short range missiles, trying to inundate the Black Knight with damage. But the Black Knight kept firing back, occasionally hitting her, and sliced at the building beneath her with his blade. Had the building not been especially reinforced it might have collapsed under her weight as its structure was weakened, but fortunately it was too strong.
Katarina had aimed her jumps towards one of the sites where they had been told a data cache and samples were stored. Now she arrived, quickly opening the pod holding the cache and removing it with one hand while she fired at the Black Knight with the other.
Wanda came around in time to see the loading crew slam the door on the Pegasus, having already loaded their cargo. As the craft began to speed away, she jumped forward and landed a substantial kick on the rear. The rear armor crumpled, the hover fan cracked and came loose and the Pegasus was grounded. She reached into the exposed cargo compartment and pulled out the data cache.
Katarina observed that they now had three of the data caches, and that enemy reinforcements were closing in.
¡°Avengers, retreat. We¡¯ve got as much as we can carry: we¡¯ll have to leave the rest.¡±
She vaulted to the top of the building next to Jessica, firing down at the Black Knight and enabling Jessica to jump off in the other direction and begin running for freedom. Wanda and Armando followed suit.
One of Katarina¡¯s shots hit home on the Black Knight¡¯s leg, apparently damaging the hip actuator and slowing him down to half speed. He was the closest pursuer, and they soon outran him on the way back to the Tyrone.
¡°So? How did we do?¡± Katarina asked Allen as the crew settled in for a rest.
¡°Six million C-bills for the recovered data caches and samples, six million more for destroying the Karnov. Apparently that flyer had been a thorn in their sides.¡±
Katarina smiled. ¡°A nice haul for a little work. And Wanda is doing very well for us. I am gaining confidence in her.¡±
Allen sighed in relief. ¡°That¡¯s good to know. We need to be a good team.¡±
¡°So, what now?¡±
Allen reflected. ¡°They say they¡¯ve got another mission for us. Some company is trying to establish a new base: they want us to go in and wreck it.¡±
Katarina shrugged. ¡°Sounds simple enough. I am sure the repair crews will have the armor dents repaired in no time.¡±
Allen smiled. ¡°I am sure they will.¡±
Third Time is _Not_ the Charm...
¡°Sunspot again? Oh, good Lord: that Black Knight really has a hardon for me!¡± Jessica groaned.
¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± replied Wendy: ¡°this will be a simple in and out, fast and furious. He shouldn¡¯t get the chance to get close to you.¡±
¡°That¡¯s what you say,¡± grumbled Jessica: ¡°You¡¯re the one with twice my speed and jump. Of course he¡¯s not going to have a chance at you: but I¡¯m a sitting duck!¡±
¡°He doesn¡¯t have jump jets,¡± replied Wendy: ¡°Just jump up on a building, or over one, and he can¡¯t get to you.¡±
¡°That can be easier said than done, sometimes,¡± Jessica retorted: ¡°I still need to be out there to make attacks: can¡¯t do that from behind buildings, not at that range.¡±
Katarina broke in. ¡°Queen of Spades, you tackle the Black Knight. That will distract him from the rest of us. Then you don¡¯t have to close with the targets, and can stay back among the buildings.¡±
¡°Gotcha,¡± groaned Jessica: ¡°Somebody hand me a hook, so I can play fresh bait.¡±
¡°Hey, now you know how I feel,¡± grinned Kenny: ¡°The fastest on the field, but they still come after me. Guess they figure they can take me down easy, with one shot, so they try and usually do. We¡¯ve got a standing contract with Hammered Hands & More to keep six Spider legs available at all times just for me and Armando!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t care much for that kind of life for you, Babe,¡± Wanda muttered: ¡°I want you around for the long haul! You and me retiring someday together, you know?¡±
¡°I hear ya, Honey. But for now, this is what pays the bills. Can¡¯t be helped, ya know?¡±
¡°Hey, lovebirds! Cut the chatter: we¡¯re on mission now. Time for that stuff later.¡± Katarina was not unsympathetic, but right now they all needed their minds focused on business. She vaulted over a pair of mountain ridges on the north side of their target, staying away from the Black Knight and its companion mechs and heading towards the objective. Wanda followed suit.
The Black Knight fired the PPC at Jessica, the beam again curving away thanks to the rarefied gasses in the air. She fired her LRMs back at him as he shot several lasers into the ground, forcing his heat up to activate his triple-strength myomer. She watched in foreboding as the heat scale rose, wishing she had inferno missiles to force it even higher into a shutdown. But she didn¡¯t, and that wasn¡¯t likely to change anytime soon.
Kenny watched Katarina and Wanda virtually flying towards the targets from the North, and softly crooned: ¡°You take the high road and I¡¯ll take the low¡¡± as he boosted to the South,
both splitting the enemy forces and setting up to hit different targets than they had chosen.
One of the opposing mechs moved towards the South to intercept Kenny, but the remaining two chose to focus fire on Jessica. ¡°That¡¯s your mistake,¡± she growled, ¡°and you¡¯ll soon regret it!¡±
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She backpedaled, walking backwards as fast as she could given the terrain, trying to force them to chase her. She succeeded, while the other three Avengers continued towards their goals.
The Black Knight charged across the field, running twice as fast as she could either jump or walk backwards. It came down to simple math: he would be on her in 30 seconds, unless by some miracle she took him down. She fired again, praying for that miracle. This time both salvos hit, and the Black Knight staggered for a moment. But he was soon back on his feet and running again.
There was something about that Black Knight, the way he moved so naturally it was as if he were born to pilot that 75-ton metal mountain: like he could tap dance in the thing if he chose to. No wonder he never fell: no wonder his blade never missed.
Katarina continued to jump, passing up one safe target to leave for Wendy as she continued on to the next target. Wendy approached the target and began firing, scoring the walls of the building, apparently some kind of warehouse.
Kenny opened fire on his target as well, having to stand exposed on a ridge to do so. His two medium pulse lasers didn¡¯t do huge amounts of damage but they, too, scored the walls and started the collapse of the structure. Kenny did not notice any people exiting the building as he made his attack: apparently the buildings were empty.
But a Wolverine had followed him and opened fire with pulse lasers, carving rips in his left torso and right leg. Nothing internal was damaged, but everything in those areas was exposed. Kenny did not return fire, saving every shot for the building he was trying to bring down. The faster it fell, the faster he would be out of there and away from enemy fire.
Katarina had managed to approach a building out of the range of all enemy mechs, and promptly set about reducing it to scrap. Wendy likewise opened fire, blasting bricks and mortar to rubble.
Jessica had the Black Knight in her sights now in the sweet spot where she could fire everything, and did. Everything hit, and yet the Black Knight kept right on coming. She didn¡¯t seem able to do enough damage even to faze him, let alone handicap his mech. She jumped backwards onto the upper level of a building at the edge of the compound, realizing too late that it was not far enough. The Black Knight vaulted up to the level below her and then to her level. It was inevitable: she raised her right arm to try to fend off the blade¡
Katarina had finished cratering the building she had chosen as a target, and now jumped behind the Black Knight, though still at a distance. Between the range, her jumping and his pace, there was little chance of hitting him directly, so she didn¡¯t try. Instead, she fired at the building he was standing on, smashing through a couple of main support pillars and bringing the building down with him on top. For once the Black Knight toppled, crashing to the ground four stories beneath where he had been. Jessica whooped in exultation, then jumped down the other side of the building.
But the Black Knight did not stay down. In an instant he stood again, firing all his lasers and his PPC at the wall between him and Jessica, then smashing his way through to strike at her again.
Her arm caught the brunt of the damage, but plenty of force remained to crush most of her right torso. She stumbled but stayed standing and jumped once more onto the next building, well away from the edge so that he could not repeat Katarina¡¯s actions on her.
Katarina had run much closer, and this time focused all her fire on the Black Knight¡¯s right leg. Under the barrage of pulse lasers the leg crumpled, finally bringing the Black Knight down on his knee.
She took stock of the situation in a second: Kenny had lost his left torso and arm but had also destroyed his building as had Wendy.
¡°Avengers, retreat! We got three targets, that¡¯s good enough. Get out of here as quick as you can!¡±
Wendy jumped to obey, but not before she landed a pair of shots on the back of the Wolverine that was plaguing Kenny. That diverted his attention while Kenny jumped to safety. He fired back, damaging a bit of armor on the Viper but not penetrating. Then Wendy jumped away as well.
With the Black Knight down they were able to outrun everything else on the field, and return triumphantly home¡
Twin Daggers in the Back
For once, Katarina¡¯s Large Pulse Laser hit. It struck the Stooping Hawk in the left leg, then was followed by a Medium Pulse Laser to the same location. With the armor stripped, Wanda¡¯s next shot blasted through to shatter the hip actuator, crippling the Mech.
¡°Yeehaw!¡± came Wanda¡¯s voice across the comm, obviously excited about the early crit.
¡°Just remember not to do that to the Crimson Langur: our employer wants that bird intact,¡± cautioned Katarina.
¡°No problemo, boss! We¡¯ll just whittle down the other birds, and they won¡¯t have an option but to come quietly.¡±
¡°We hope. Let¡¯s go for it!¡±
Katarina and Wanda soared through the air towards the unfortunate Stooping Hawk, blasting it with lasers and missiles. Hoping to assist in causing the Hawk maximum damage, Jessica opened fire with her LRMs as well. Soon the Stooping Hawk became the Stumbling Hawk, backpedaling and falling on its back.
¡°Shall we leave him, boss? He can barely stand up with that busted hip, you know?¡±
Katarina shook her head at Wanda¡¯s question. ¡°He can still fire at us and spot for others. We need to finish him.¡±
As they soared across the battlefield, closing the distance to the Stooping Hawk, a Nova managed to fly in behind Katarina, making it into her rear arc. Katarina wasn¡¯t too concerned: she had flown, they had flown, she knew the Nova didn¡¯t have pulse lasers or a targeting computer, so odds were low of them getting a hit.
Jessica observed the Nova from her more distant vantage point, and fired her LRMs at it. Those came down in two volleys, striking the Nova and doing lots of damage to the Mech¡¯s armor. But not before the Nova opened fire.
Someone was desperate to make an impact, it seemed. The Nova fired eight lasers at one time at the Dementor, two of them striking in the rear left torso. The shots penetrated through the armor, striking the engine housing and blasting a gap in the coolant lines for the reactor. Almost immediately the engine heat spiked way over the danger zone, and automatic shutoff took effect.
Almost in mid-step, the Dementor stopped and crashed to the ground. The automatic eject system threw Katarina out the rear of the head towards safety, and the crash seat landed some thirty meters away from the Mech. It all happened so fast that Katarina barely had time to register that the controls were no longer there in front of her when she hit the ground. But her instincts kicked in, and she quickly unstrapped from the chair and grabbed the huge Sternsnacht heavy pistol strapped to the side of the chair for just these occasions, and began running away from the battlefield.
¡°Hang on, Kat!¡± Wendy called over the comm, hoping the helmet would pick up the call. She jumped back, carefully spotting Katarina before she landed, intent on not frying her with the backwash of her jump jets.
Jessica continued her assault on the Nova, blasting it again with LRMs. This time one volley went wide, and though the other hit, it did not appear to do much damage. The Nova attacked the Viper, but fortunately with not the same level of firepower it had used on the Dementor. It only fired three lasers this time, and only one hit. That was no surprise: its heat readings were dangerously high, and it obviously needed to cool down.
The Viper took the shot head on, but failed to take notice of the Crimson Langur sneaking up from behind. Wanda carefully scooped Katarina up from the ground just before taking two shots in the rear. One pierced the center rear torso, doing nearly as much damage as the other shot had done to the Dementor. Heat alarms shrilled through the cockpit as smoke bellowed out of the rough gap in her back.
It was over. Wanda raised her free hand in surrender, and broadcast on the open channel: ¡°We sue for peace. Let us go now, and we will retreat peacefully.¡±
The answer came crackling back over the comm. ¡°Go, and take this lesson to heart, never to attack the Blood Spirit Clan again. We claim your fallen mech as isorla. Perhaps we will allow you to ransom it.¡±
¡°Perhaps we will. When you are ready, state your price and we will consider it.¡± Wanda closed the open channel and switched to the Company channel. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Jessica. I¡¯ve got Katarina safely in hand.¡±
Katarina waved from Wanda¡¯s hand, and Wanda raised the hand to her shoulder, allowing Katarina to step up and enter the cockpit, taking a cramped seat behind Wanda.
¡°Thank you for that rescue, my sibkin in spirit. I will not forget.¡±
Wanda smiled. ¡°Think nothing of it. I know had the situation been reversed, you would have done the same for me.¡±
And so they returned home, experiencing the bitter taste of defeat.
¡°Five Million C-bills!?!? And you paid it!?!?¡±
Allen rarely got angry, but this was an exception. ¡°Do you realize that it will take almost seven million C-bills to restore that Mech? And wouldn¡¯t cost much more to rebuild it from scratch? Hell! That¡¯s more than we earned for the damage to the Stooping Hawk!¡±
For once, Katarina was the one in position of trying to reconcile. She leaned back, sitting on the edge of his desk. ¡°The Dementor is unique. We did not wish it to stay in enemy hands.¡±
Allen fumed. ¡°Surely you could have bargained them down to two million? They have no use for the Mech: they would probably have accepted anything at all!¡±
Katarina¡¯s voice was gentle. ¡°It did not occur to me, my love. I was so in love with the Mech you gave me, I did not think clearly. Please forgive me.¡±
Her disarming manner was so unusual, Allen did in fact begin to calm down. ¡°Should something like this ever happen again, with any of our Mechs, offer no more than two million for ransom, or one million to assure that they will scrap it.
¡°Fortunately, I have a contract with Ajax Engines, Inc., to keep in stock at least one of each engine we might need to replace in any of our mechs. I included the Dementor in that order, though I never thought we would see that day. Do you know what a 385 rated XL engine costs? It is more than 90% of the repair cost for your Mech: more than many of our Mechs brand new.¡±
Katarina nodded. ¡°I understand. I am sorry. You know I will do whatever I can to keep the Dementor safe once I have it again.¡±
He sighed. ¡°I know you will. And I am sure you know that part of this anger is just relief that you are alright. As bad as losing the Dementor was, it could have been so much worse. I cannot imagine my life without you in it. Please, please be sure to be careful with your own life above all.¡±
She rose from the desk and hugged him to herself. ¡°I will, my love. I promise. I will not desert you, I swear.¡±
¡°You¡¯d better not.¡± Allen hugged her back, then turned to the next subject of business.
¡°We have a new assignment. It¡¯s only a couple of months away, and a couple back: a system called Elluria. O¡¯donnell shouldn¡¯t possibly be able to field a new rebel force before we make it back to Madeline III. As long as we don¡¯t have any more catastrophes, we should be fine.¡±
Katarina considered for a bit, then nodded. ¡°Will we be able to get the Dementor back in shape in time for this?¡±
Allen nodded. ¡°Ajax will start the replacements as soon as they receive the Viper and what is left of your Mech. They will then ship it and the Viper straight to Elluria, and meet us at the jump point. Then we¡¯ll head planetside.¡±
Katarina smiled in relief. ¡°Okay. I would hate to be out of commission for a while. Thank you for taking such good care of us all.¡±
Allen blushed. ¡°You know, it¡¯s kinda my job. I just like to believe I¡¯m good at it.¡±
Katarina laughed. ¡°You are, my love. You truly are.¡±
Elluria V had all the signs associated with a recently terraformed planet: swatches of green broken up by rocky mountain ranges and occasional small lakes cropping up without visible inflows.
But someone had been very ambitious here. They had established a University for the OutWorlds communities: a miniature version of the NAIS. The intent was a place for the free exchange of information, science, industry and culture.
So far, it looked like it was going well. But that did not appear to satisfy the self-appointed Chancellor, Edmund Dillon. His face was solemn, grim even, as he greeted Allen and the Company. A tall, elegant man who appeared to be in his fifties, silver-gray hair at his temples, dressed in a fine suit of variegated medium gray and spotless black shoes, he shook hands firmly with Allen and Katarina before leading the way down a hallway to his office.
The office was decorated with memorabilia from a dozen different OutWorld cultures, creating its own unique flavor. He beckoned Allen and Katarina to chairs directly in front of his desk, and the rest of the Company to comfortable couches arranged in an arc around the room, all focused towards the same desk. A young man and woman in white shirts and jackets appeared with a cart carrying a couple of dozen glasses and seven pitchers, three of water and two each of tea and lemonade. They discretely served drinks for everyone as the Chancellor made small talk.
¡°I trust your journey was satisfactory? I have an excellent staff for the Dropship I personally use, but of course you keep your own ships and crews, so there was nothing I could do to make your voyage more comfortable, or I certainly would have done so.¡±
Allen nodded and thanked him, falling into the role of Company diplomat. ¡°We keep our own company on such trips, and keep each other entertained. We are accustomed to such trips, even if quarters are tight.¡±
¡°Naturally,¡± replied the Chancellor, watching carefully as the servers finished their business and exited the room. Once they were gone he leaned forward and addressed the room seriously.
¡°Fifteen years ago I established this University as a haven of higher learning for the Outworld Wastes. I have brought students here from every system I have documented here, offering both educational and cultural exchange in hopes of bridging the vast gaps in understanding of our fellow human beings throughout the Periphery. Interstellar diplomacy breakthroughs and royal romances are now du jour, and there is talk of a new interstellar alliance that may come about from our influence in this sector. I cannot stress enough the value of this facility for the entire region, and the need to keep it secure.
¡°But as often happens, rumors have begun to fly about, especially among the more unsavory members of the sector. Word has spread of mind control technology, LosTech discoveries hidden from the bulk of the systems in order to create a new military superpower from what we have here. I hardly need say that these fantasies could not be further from the truth. But there are those who believe, regardless.
¡°We have received reliable word from a friend of an expedition formed to attack this facility and seeking to carry off any LosTech or original technology we may have located or developed. Of course they will confiscate any mainframe computers they find without regards for the actual contents of such, and carry out such extensive damage that this Institution will likely not survive.
¡°The expedition is expected to arrive within the next two weeks: ten days from their arrival at our jump point. So far they have not reached our system, but we have every cause to believe they will be here very soon.
¡°I beg your assistance to protect this facility and save the hopes of the new alliance and a new future for the Outworlds. To do so, we need your Mechs and perhaps more. I will explain the ¡°more¡± only to your commanding officers, for reasons of security. But I ask you to assist us in whatever way you can against this expedition. Do I have your support?¡±
Allen set down his drink and nodded. ¡°Of course. We could not be more in support of your intentions, and are prepared to help in whatever way we can.
¡°Please, show us now your campus and what parts of it will need the most protection.¡±
The Chancellor nodded, and thumbed a button on his desk. A very large holovid appeared above Allen and Katarina¡¯s heads, such that they had to stand up and step back to see properly what the rest of the room could see clearly.
The holovid showed three ranges of mountains with two valleys between them, and yellow markers for each of the University¡¯s main buildings. They were scattered somewhat haphazardly about the mountains with no clear paths between them. The Chancellor began to speak again.
¡°We have hopes that the mountains themselves will couch and protect most of our buildings from outside attacks. For instance, the terrain would not be conducive to attacks by tracked, wheeled or hover vehicles. There are no connecting roads, and the mountainsides are much too steep and jagged for conventional vehicles to scale. Even standard Mechs should have difficulty with the terrain. I hope you brought Mechs equipped with jump jets?¡±
Allen almost grinned. ¡°I assure you that we did. We are used to using jumping Mechs almost exclusively in many scenarios.¡±
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Relief was evident in the Chancellor¡¯s face. ¡°I am delighted to hear it. You sound well prepared for this encounter.¡±
¡°Trust me, Chancellor,¡± said Katarina, ¡°We are. But allow me to ask: with no roads, how do your students travel from building to building?¡±
¡°We use Whirlygigs,¡± replied the Chancellor: ¡°Fully automated VTOLs in two styles: a two-seater, and an eight seater. Dual overhead rotors mounted in a protective chassis prevent counterspin, and protect from wind and virtually any obstacle the machine might face in the air. These craft carry students quickly from class to class, as well as any errands they might face. We rely on them implicitly on a daily basis.¡±
Allen raised an eyebrow. ¡°You have a great many of these VTOLs on campus, just about everywhere?¡±
¡°Indeed we do,¡± the Chancellor replied: ¡°They are our pride and joy, one of the earliest accomplishments to come out of our Engineering Department.¡±
Allen nodded, the gears spinning in his head so obviously he might have been wearing a shining light bulb over his head. ¡°We will have to have a discussion shortly about other aspects of your campus security, Chancellor. But you have already indicated you had a private matter to bring up. Perhaps this is time for us to release the rest of our Company to go to their accommodations while we talk.¡±
¡°Certainly!¡± The Chancellor clapped his hands together twice, a soft bell sounded, and at once six young men and women in the same crisp white uniforms as the servers from before appeared and offered to escort the men and women of the Avengers to their quarters. Soon Allen and Katarina were left alone with the Chancellor.
¡°And now,¡± said the Chancellor: ¡°Time for the more serious discussion on how to save this University!¡±
¡°Indeed,¡± replied Allen. ¡°I have a couple of novel ideas about that, but I am open to whatever ideas you propose first.¡±
¡°Very well: here is what I propose¡¡±
The day dawned bright, chilly and crisp. Sunrise over the mountains was a beautiful thing: beautiful except for knowing the enemy Dropship had landed to the East, and would be coming in with the sun behind them.
The four Mechwarriors had been prepped and ready for hours, ever since the landing was detected. There had been no way of knowing if the enemy would strike in the dark before dawn, or wait as it now appeared they had for daylight.
¡°Stay sharp, everyone,¡± Katarina cautioned, ¡°I am picking up movement on long distance scanners. Looks like they have something pretty heavy coming our way.¡±
Wanda, Jessica and Kenny variously sat up, stretched, wiped their eyes and otherwise prepared for combat.
Wanda checked her sensors as well. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re coming in slow. The mountain ranges are probably giving them trouble, and I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s a slow assault they¡¯re trying to keep pace with. Would it make more sense to go out and meet them head-on, away from the University?¡±
¡°Afraid not,¡± Katarina shook her head. ¡°The University did a good job of selecting its building locations. They¡¯re very defensible, and the regions beyond are less so. It makes more sense to stay here.¡±
Jessica fretted. ¡°It seems like this area will make it hard for us to get good lines of sight on them at any distance. That would make my LRMs kind of useless.¡±
¡°Sauce for the goose, Jessica. That assault Mech won¡¯t be able to focus its long range weapons on us, either. And once we close, we¡¯ll be able to hop all around them and throw them off.¡±
¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Jessica admitted. ¡°Besides, they have to pop their heads over the hills at some point. They use their jump jets, I can see them and fry ¡®em.¡±
Kenny had remained silent, standing off to the side in his Spider. Now he spoke up. ¡°Dunno how much a little Spider can do against a big old assault like that. But I¡¯ll try to get behind him, give him a little sting.¡±
Katarina paused. ¡°Yes, I think we need to consider getting you something a bit heavier, even if a bit slower. Even if you are directly behind them, they can turn and blast you with arm mounted weapons. Not a good situation for a Mech as light as that.¡±
¡°Amen! Preach it, sister!¡± Wanda was enthusiastic in her support.
Suddenly a Mech popped up over the horizon. It was jumping and came down over a mountain ridge still far away, but not out of reach of Jessica¡¯s LRMs. Her sensors tagged it as a Wolverine. She lined up her sights and fired.
The missiles arced up and over the nearer mountains, but came down without striking the Wolverine. Then came the sight that chilled her to the bone. The assault Mech came over the ridge. She recognized the silhouette immediately.
¡°Sheesh! They brought a Devastator!¡±
Katarina did not express her consternation, but she, too, was alarmed. ¡°Wow. Whoever wants this data really wants it badly.
¡°We won¡¯t be able to make any kind of impact on that from the front. Focus your fire on the smaller Mechs, where it will do some good, until we can get behind it.¡±
¡°Right, boss!¡± Wanda sounded chipper. ¡°Just give me the chance to backside him, and we¡¯ll watch the giant fall!¡±
Just then four shots rang out from the Devastator: two thunderous booms, and the crackle of electricity as two beams of brilliant, statically charged light flashed out in the direction of the Crusader. Fortunately nothing hit, but it startled Jessica.
¡°Bastard!¡± she yelled. With no other targets visible she fired both of her missile salvos back at the Devastator, but saw them go wide.
¡°Damn!¡±
¡°Keep cool, Queen of Spades. Let¡¯s close distance and make a difference!¡±
Katarina launched herself into the air, followed by Wanda and Kenny. They came down much closer, relying on their airspeed and aerial maneuvers to make them difficult to hit.
As they were jumping Katarina was able to get a good look at the opposition. She saw an APC that had swerved when going through a turn, and was now extricating itself from a copse of woods, a Hunchback plodding through the terrain and a sprightly Incubus bounding along towards one of the University buildings, in addition to the Devastator and Wolverine they had already spotted.
Part of her wanted to stop the APC and Incubus first in order to protect the University, but another part wanted to take out the Wolverine and the Hunchback first to protect the Avengers¡¯ Mechs better. As usual, the circumstances of the battle forced her hand without regards for strategy.
The Incubus was approaching a building near her, while the Hunchback and Wolverine were concealed by woods and mountains. She fired her Large Pulse and one Medium Pulse Laser, both hitting the Incubus and knocking it over. She whooped in excitement at for once getting a solid shot with the Large Pulse Laser.
Kenny approached, but his Mech was severely damaged from a couple of shots by the Incubus.
He had lost his left arm and most of his left torso, disabling some of his jump jets in the process. He fired down on the Incubus, smashing its leg, then kicking it.
¡°Serves that bastich right!¡± he growled. ¡°Now, what do we do about the Hunchback? I don¡¯t fancy getting hit by a 200 pound boulder!¡±
¡°He¡¯ll have to wait on us,¡± Katarina replied: ¡°That¡¯s a slower Mech: we need to focus on the Wolverine, take him out of commission. I think Wanda¡¯s headed that way, but she could use backup to bring him down.¡±
And so the trio ganged up on the Wolverine, with Jessica providing fire support from a distance. Yet somehow it didn¡¯t seem to matter; in spite of the pounding their combined efforts turned out, the Wolverine remained standing and firing back, mostly at Katarina.
The Devastator also concentrated its fire on Katarina, punching holes in her torso and leg armor. Fortunately no major components within were struck, so her combat performance was not reduced. But it was a severe beating, and it was obvious she could not take another such pounding.
Wanda was doing well, and so was Jessica, but Katarina¡¯s armor was blown through and Kenny was in bad shape. The Incubus had hit him hard, taking out most of his left torso including two of his jump jets. Fortunately his lasers were in his center torso, and therefore still active.
The Incubus stood up and attempted to approach the building again, but Kenny and Katarina tag teamed it, bringing it down once more. Jessica managed a couple more salvos of missiles at the Devastator, and some of the missiles actually hit, doing the first damage to the Devastator so far.
The Devastator in turn fired all its weapons once more at Katarina, once again striking her hard. Fortunately no hits struck in areas where her armor had already been compromised, and her armor held up.
¡°Svashri! Why is this assault mech going all out on a medium?¡± Katarina fumed.
It was Kenny who answered. ¡°They recognize you, and are scared spitless by your rep. Everybody and their brother wants to claim your scalp for their trophy.¡±
¡°Then I say time for a little payback,¡± Katarina growled, jumping towards a wooded copse on the cliff facing the Devastator. She soared over 200 meters, landed in trees and took careful aim at the unmoving Devastator¡¯s head.
Behind her the ignored Hunchback suddenly burst into a run, traveling over 90 kph to get directly behind her and have a shot at her rear armor. Given that the average Hunchback could only run a bit over 60 kph, this was unexpected for Katarina. But as she lined up for a critical shot on the Devastator, the Hunchback opened fire.
Over 200 pounds of cannonball smashed into her left rear torso, crushing the fusion engine shielding and forcing an immediate shutdown. For the second time in two months Katarina found herself ejected from the cockpit backwards to land perilously close to the edge of the cliff. Had the ejection pod rolled any further she might have faced an unprotected 60 foot drop.
As it was she twisted her ankle trying to get out of the pod. Once more she grabbed the Sternsnacht, turning to aim it at the oncoming Incubus. But there would be no use: the cockpit was too heavily protected for a mere pistol shot to penetrate, and the Incubus¡¯ twin machine guns were spinning up. She couldn¡¯t even run now even if it would have made a difference.
Wanda¡¯s Viper landed just far enough behind her to keep from frying her, and all Wanda¡¯s weapons locked on the Incubus.
¡°Leave her be, and we will go quietly. You win: the University is yours. Open fire and I guarantee that you, at least, will share her fate.¡±
After a moment¡¯s consideration, the Incubus¡¯ machine guns spun down and the Incubus lowered its arms.
¡°Then go,¡± the reply came over the comm: ¡°But we claim the Mech. That¡¯s our prize, for taking down the infamous Katarina Hazen.¡±
A nasty laugh like a taunt came over the comm as the Incubus turned and limped towards the nearest University building.
Wanda once again scooped Katarina up in her hand, and from there up to her shoulder. Katarina limped to the cockpit and took her place in the back seat.
¡°This seems familiar,¡± she said wryly: ¡°You are making a habit out of saving me.¡±
Wanda didn¡¯t speak for a moment, a lump in her throat. She pressed a button to send a signal to the Purple Onion indicating that medical assistance would be required upon their arrival. When she answered, it was with none of her usual boisterous flair.
¡°All in a day¡¯s work, don¡¯t you know. Nothing you wouldn¡¯t have done for me.¡±
Katarina sat back in the cramped secondary seat, nursing her twisted ankle. ¡°I guess we need to inform the Chancellor of our failure. What a shame for the Outworlds¡¡±
¡°Not your fault,¡± replied Wanda: ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it when that Hunchback took off and charged up behind you. I didn¡¯t know there was a model out there that could do that. IFF? Please identify Hunchback model?¡±
The computer voice came on as a vid screen showed schematics. ¡°The Hunchback HBK-6S is a relatively new addition to the Swayback line. First produced in 3063, it features a 300XL engine, an LB-X20 autocannon, SRM6 and two Extended Range Medium Lasers. Limitations: the 6S model features only two tons of autocannon ammunition, usually divided into five solid shots and five cluster shots. Suggested refit: remove SRM6 launcher and ammunition and replace with four more tons of autocannon ammunition.¡±
Katarina snorted, then winced again in pain at a twitch in her ankle. ¡°Somebody has kept up on the latest developments. And that Devastator seemed to be firing something a bit more powerful than your standard Inner Sphere ER PPC. Maybe not as powerful as our Clan version, but something improved.¡±
Wanda sighed. ¡°Well, at least he didn¡¯t get a head shot. That could have been nasty.¡±
Soon they arrived at the Purple Onion. Wanda entered via the ramp, then backed up to the gantry. Two medtechs were waiting for them to assist Katarina onto a gurney, then take her to medbay.
Wanda, Jessica and Kenny dismounted and rode the elevator down to meet with Allen as soon as he had verified that Katarina was suffering nothing worse than a twisted ankle and a bruised ego. As the techs took her away, he turned and strode back to meet them on the floor of the Mech bay.
¡°So: they brought a customized Devastator and a late model Hunchback? These were some serious bandits.¡±
¡°Yessir,¡± replied Kenny: ¡°They weren¡¯t fooling around. They knew their business, and were crack shots to boot.¡±
Somehow, Allen was smiling. And then the Chancellor appeared. But instead of devastated, he seemed relieved, even somewhat gleeful. He spoke to Allen first.
¡°So: our little Resistance movement failed?¡±
¡°Indeed,¡± Allen replied: ¡°Now they will be plundering freely, but without the urgency that would cause them to do too much damage. Oh, they¡¯ll definitely take the memory cores they find, but they won¡¯t rip the tops of buildings off to get to them.¡±
¡°And your little idea?¡± countered the Chancellor: ¡°When do we try that?¡±
¡°Not too soon. We want it to look like the desperate, last ditch efforts of students and staff who were expecting to be saved by the Avengers. Just annoying enough that they leave when they have what they came for, and don¡¯t try to take over the complex.¡±
¡°So: wait two or three days?¡± the Chancellor inquired. ¡°Time for them to have congregated, concocted the plan, put it into motion?¡±
¡°Precisely,¡± said Allen. ¡°In fact, we should have a meeting with the Engineering students and professors, and have them hash out the final details and engage in the construction themselves. Then it will appear all the more genuine, because it will be genuine.¡±
¡°Excuse me, gentlemen?¡± inquired Kenny: ¡°What¡¯s this? You¡¯re planning some kind of counterattack? Mind letting us in on the details?¡±
Allen waved his hand casually in the air. ¡°We wanted them to confront our forces, then beat us back so they feel safe. Now they will remove the memory cores by conventional means and not damage the buildings so much out of hurry.
¡°We give them time to extract the cores, then start sending remote controlled Whirlygigs their way, each loaded with a pack or more of C8. When they have what they came for, they will then leave and not stick around to be blown up.¡±
Kenny blinked. ¡°What a victory for our side! They take the cores, and what are we left with?¡±
Allen waved at the walls of the ship around them. ¡°Thanks to the Purple Onion, we are left with all the data that was on those cores. We recorded it into the ship¡¯s many computing systems required for Navigation, Engineering, Life Support and other functions. Now all we need is the hardware to replace the cores that were taken, and we reload them with all the ¡®lost¡¯ data.
¡°So what if the bandits now have the information we had already intended to share with the whole Outworlds? We have the same, and as soon as minor repairs can be effected we just dump the data back into the University, reload our own software, and take off.¡±
Chancellor Dillon stepped forward. ¡°I didn¡¯t need your Lance of Mechs nearly as much as I needed your Dropship. Do you have any idea how much computing power it takes to keep you alive and traveling through space? And that would never have occurred to a bunch of bandits. Even if it had, what would they have done? Confiscated the Dropship? With all the software switched, they could never have gotten it off the ground.¡±
Kenny had been taking it all in, and now he finally busted a gut laughing and slapping his thigh.
¡°Dang! They might just as well have paid tuition and saved themselves all the trouble of invading!¡±
The Chancellor shrugged, grinning. ¡°One way or another, knowledge goes forth. This was a little more expensive than giving classes, but yet our objective was achieved.¡±
Allen shook hands with Chancellor Dillon. ¡°Glad we could be of service. Now: let¡¯s see what needs to be ordered to replace your computing equipment, and get you set up again. And then we¡¯ll get back on the road again¡¡±
"And So We Meet Again"
¡°You can¡¯t possibly go into this battle without me!¡± Katarina protested: ¡°You will need every advantage you can get against whatever O¡¯donnell is bringing this time!¡±
The Avengers had returned to Madeline III, and apparently just in time. A week after they had arrived in system, before they had even reached the planet, they received a radio communique from their Jumpship that another Invader Class Jumpship had entered the system, and not one but two Dropships were on their way towards Madeline III. Commander Nordstrom had confirmed contact as soon as they had landed.
¡°They are too far off for IFF to get a reading, but we have little doubt that it is in fact O¡¯donnell and whatever forces he has recruited returning to try to take over again. You weren¡¯t able to stop him last time: what more do you think you can do against him now?¡±
Allen spoke calmly, trying to soothe the rattled Commander. ¡°Please understand that we will be engaging with all possible forces this time. I will personally lead the attack, and we will make it our number one priority to take out O¡¯donnell himself.
¡°Trust me: we will do everything in our power to protect this planet and your leadership here.¡±
Nordstrom frowned, still apparently ill at ease as he watched Katarina pacing impatiently nearby, waiting to continue her conversation with Allen. ¡°What¡¯s this I hear about your best pilot being out of commission? Do you really think you stand a chance against O¡¯donnell when you don¡¯t have your best guns available?¡±
Allen shook his head. ¡°Like I said: I will be leading the force personally. Missing one pilot will not prevent us from accomplishing our mission.
¡°This is more than a simple battle for us: this is a matter of honor. We failed you once: we will not fail you again.¡±
Nordstrom clearly was not satisfied. ¡°This may be a matter of honor for you, but for us it is our lives. If O¡¯donnell wins, there is no telling who he will have thrown in jail and who he will have shot outright. And it is not only his enemies but the population as a whole who will suffer at his hands. Believe me, this is much more than just a battle for honor.¡±
The Commander turned and left, and Katarina approached again.
¡°Can¡¯t you find some way to get me into the fight? Surely there is some resource we have untapped that I can use?¡±
¡°What would you have me do?¡± Allen ticked off the list on his fingers. ¡°Would you take the Warhammer? It¡¯s slow, it doesn¡¯t jump, and you are unskilled with its ancient controls for both piloting and gunnery. The same is true of Justin¡¯s Grasshopper. You wouldn¡¯t touch Jessica¡¯s Crusader missile boat with a ten foot pole, you haven¡¯t tried out the Phoenix Hawks, Kenny has and Armando¡¯s is down for repairs. Wanda is the only one qualified on the Viper, and it will be three months before Ajax Engines can receive a new engine for the Dementor. What have I missed?¡±
Rarely was Katarina speechless, but at this moment that seemed to be the case. For a long minute she just stared at him, then shook her head and walked away.
Allen sighed, but then he, too, shook his head and headed towards the mech bay.
¡°Damn! They spotted the Pegasus on its surveillance run, and now they have holed up on Blarney Hill.¡±
Allen fumed. One slip-up had just made this whole battle far more difficult. Had they been able to strike against O¡¯donnell while his forces were moving across open terrain, it would have been so much easier than with his forces entrenched on a hillside. So far they still did not know exactly what O¡¯donnell was bringing, but the Pegasus¡¯ scan suggested two complete Lances.
¡°It looks like we have no choice. We have to confront O¡¯donnell now, before any additional forces join him. Everybody, fall out. Time to go hunting.¡±
And so the trek began towards Blarney Hill. The Schrek PPC Carrier tank started first, as it was the slowest and would be the easiest to catch up with, and the Manticore traveled by its side. Next came Allen in his Warhammer, Justin in his Grasshopper and Jessica in her Crusader, all traveling at their top speeds of 64 kph. And finally came Wanda in her Viper and Kenny in his new Phoenix Hawk. While the Phoenix Hawk did not have the speed of his Spider it had much more armor and heavier weapons, which would be getting their baptism of fire on this outing.
Now the Pegasus reported back. ¡°We are reading an Archer, a Blackjack, a Wolverine, a Locust, an Atlas, a Devastator, a Hunchback and a Wolverine. Given our reports that O¡¯donnell is a very poor shot, and that the Atlas is an older model with low weaponry, we have great confidence that he is in the Atlas.¡±
¡°Remember,¡± Allen intoned over the Company comm: ¡°we only need to kill one man: Captain O¡¯donnell. With him out of the way these mercs won¡¯t have a contract, and the invasion will end.
¡°Rush for O¡¯donnell. Pour everything you have into that Atlas: ignore everyone else unless absolutely necessary. Run as fast as you can, jump as far as you can: try to avoid becoming targets. Speed is life.¡±
Blarney Hill was tall enough to be visible from almost a full click out. Fortunately the enemy had no weapons that could reach that far. But before they could close further than 600 meters, shots rang out from the top of the hill. The sizzling flash of two PPCs and the crack of two Gauss Rifle rounds striking the ground near Allen¡¯s Warhammer showed they were coming into the enemy¡¯s range.
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However, this also meant the enemy was coming into their range as well. Jessica lined up shots from both LRMs on the Atlas, which was lower in front of the hill and partially concealed in a copse of light woods. She fired, but the shots went wide. So did Allen¡¯s PPCs, and nothing else was close enough to even bother firing.
¡°All units, march in double time!¡± Allen issued the order, driving forward at maximum speed. This time he paid the price, though, as the Devastator took aim and struck him three times. Amazingly, he still remained standing. ¡°Don¡¯t lose focus!¡± he warned: ¡°That Devastator is too well armored for shots to do any good until too late. Keep gunning for that Atlas!¡±
The Avengers all followed suit as Allen opened up with PPCs at the Atlas. Jessica fired LRMs, the Manticore fired its PPC and LRMs, and the Viper, Grasshopper, Phoenix Hawk and Schrek all pressed forward as quickly as possible to close the range.
¡°Be careful of that Hunchback!¡± Allen warned: ¡°That¡¯s the one that took down Katarina! It¡¯s twice as fast as you think. Don¡¯t let it close!¡±
¡°Right, boss!¡± replied Kenny. Even though their instructions were to concentrate all fire on the Atlas, Kenny figured that as long as he wasn¡¯t in range yet to attack the main target, he might as well have a go at a secondary one that happened to be close by. So he opened up on the Hunchback with Large and medium lasers, and Wanda joined him.
The Warhammer continued to take a pounding from enemy Mechs, but kept pressing on to set an example for the rest of the team. Slowly but surely, the Atlas¡¯ armor was beginning to wear down.
Then the Schrek scored a triple hit, knocking the Atlas over and trimming two tons off its armor in one volley. A cheer went up from the crew.
But the focus on the Atlas was starting to take its toll. The Hunchback did manage to close distance to the Manticore, and opened up with an LB-X20 cluster round. Besides peppering the side, one shot struck the turret and ignited the loaded ammunition inside. The turret blew off, silencing the crew inside for good.
The Atlas stood again and opened fire, peppering the Schrek with LRM20 missiles, but fortunately was out of range to use its AC20.
Now the opposition seemed to focus on the Schrek. Probably this was because of the triple hit it had scored just seconds ago: the enemy finally realized just how dangerous that tank could be. Missiles, PPC blasts, Gauss Rifle shots and autocannon rounds smashed into the armor, and finally the turret on the Schrek was blown away as well with a thunderous crash as the PPCs¡¯ capacitors exploded. With that much voltage flying around, at least the crews¡¯ deaths would be quick.
Now was not the time to dwell on such a battlefield casualty, but even as he pressed his attack Allen felt a sense of loss for the courageous men who had crewed the two tanks. He determined even more strongly that the Avengers would take down the one man most responsible for their deaths.
Now he was at perfect range for his PPCs and opened fire once more, striking twice in the Atlas¡¯ torso. He watched LRMs and other weapons score their marks on the huge Mech even as he fired his short range missiles and medium lasers.
With the Schrek down, the Devastator returned its focus to firing on him. As the Gauss Rifle rounds and PPC blasts struck him, he saw the heat on his Mech spiking: obviously he had taken an engine hit. Then he felt the wrenching sensation of the Mech¡¯s left arm being blown away. And then came another shot that nearly knocked him off his feet: clearly a gyro hit.
The schematic of his Mech was now flashing in more than half a dozen different places, and suddenly the Atlas closed the distance between them. Not good: the enemy was 30 tons heavier than him, and within the minimum range of his PPCs. It would be much harder to land a shot now, and he was likely to get pummeled or kicked within the next few seconds.
¡°Hang on, boss!¡± Kenny voice came through the comm as he jumped behind the Atlas and opened fire. His shots struck, but only on the leg and the arm of the Mech. Wanda followed suit, and her shots did more damage: enough to pierce through the back armor and strike the ammunition stored in the torso. As the Mech blew up, an ejection pod with a chute flew out the back of the head, landing right in front of Wanda. She wasted no time stomping on the pod.
¡°That¡¯s it!¡± she hollered over the open channel: ¡°Your employer is dead! You no longer have a contract!¡±
Allen breathed a sigh of relief, and turned his comm mike over to the open frequency as well. ¡°Without your Captain O¡¯donnell, you have no one to lead this criminal revolt. You also have no one to pay you. You have two choices: keep fighting and all face the gallows even if you ¡®win,¡¯ or retreat now, and you will be allowed to go without pursuit. Make your choice quickly: we will not be patient.¡±
The Devastator powered down its PPCs, and the other Mechs stepped back. Silently they turned and walked down the hill in the direction they had come from. Allen sighed in relief.
Kenny stood next to Wanda, having taken a severe beating both in front and from behind, but his Mech was still standing. There was no question the more fragile Spider would never have made it. Allen nodded in approval, waving his Mech¡¯s arm in Kenny¡¯s direction.
¡°It looks like we made a good choice, putting you in that thing. I saw you score some serious hits: you made your mark today, for sure.¡±
¡°Thanks, boss. I was glad to do it.¡± Kenny¡¯s voice was filled with a quiet pride.
As Allen tried to turn his Mech around a sharp whine came from under his feet, and the Mech tottered on the verge of collapse. He sighed as he looked over the schematic: damage in almost every area of the Mech, mostly severe. His left arm was gone, along with most of his left torso. Smoke was venting from the rents in what remained of the torso, both front and back, and when he tried to take a step he almost fell again. This had been his father¡¯s Mech, and his father¡¯s before him, and before him. If this was its final battle, at least it had perished for a good cause.
He carefully knelt down, then set the remaining right arm down on the ground and went to the prone position. He opened the hatch and stepped out, waving the Pegasus down. As he did so, he spoke over the comm.
¡°This is Joker, requesting a Mech pickup. Please treat her gently: she¡¯s a very old girl with some broken bones.¡±
He stepped off of the back of his mech onto the deck of the Pegasus and soon was seated inside, floating along swiftly towards the Purple Onion and the lady who was waiting for him to get home.
Out of the Blue
¡°This is what happens when you don¡¯t bargain,¡± Allen grumbled, in a foul mood. He sat in the office on board the Purple Onion, tapping a data crystal on his desk.
¡°The crew that took the Dementor? Somehow they found out that last time you paid the ransom for 5 million C-bills. So that¡¯s what they¡¯re asking for it.¡±
Katarina had the grace to appear downcast, and not to reply. Allen continued.
¡°I am offering them a million to scrap it, with proof, so it doesn¡¯t get passed around to God knows whom. I am including half payment if they sign the agreement, half upon receipt of proof. I expect I¡¯ll be getting a reply within a week to two weeks. In the meantime¡ I don¡¯t know. We can¡¯t keep doing this. Your reputation precedes you, and everyone is gunning for you. The Dementor simply does not have enough armor to stand up to that kind of firepower, regardless of how fast it can move. You can¡¯t jump every ten seconds and preserve enough heat sink capacity to make use of all your weapons anyways.
¡°I know how much the speed of that Mech means to you: I really do. But at this rate we¡¯re going to go broke just trying to fix the damned thing every time you take it out.¡±
Katarina sighed. ¡°I know you are right, my love, but I just can¡¯t imagine piloting anything else now. What am I supposed to do?¡±
Allen considered. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. We will think of something. But until we do, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re grounded.¡±
Katarina nodded mutely. As there seemed to be nothing else to say, she stood to go. Allen watched her go, then returned to his holopad.
They had retreated to a holding point on the planet of New Lincoln, a moderately well-known hangout for mercenary units that were not on active duty.
Allen was perhaps at his lowest when he received a call on his comm.
¡°Andurien Avengers, Allen McGee speaking: who¡¯s calling, please?¡±
He was pleasantly surprised as the holovid popped up with a familiar face.
¡°Graham O¡¯Connor here, Allen. How are you doing?¡±
Allen¡¯s face broke out in a smile. ¡°Graham, you old son-of-a-gun! Good to see you! Are you in system? I don¡¯t detect any lag here¡¡±
¡°Had a special mission that required a stopover here. A favor for a friend.
¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice, you didn¡¯t answer my question. Is everything okay lately?¡±
Allen sighed, the smile fading. ¡°To be honest, no. Katarina got shot down, and we couldn¡¯t salvage her mech. We are really underpowered right now, and we haven¡¯t been able to take on any new missions. I am still trying to figure our way out of this hole, and nothing seems to be working out.
¡°But that¡¯s not your area of concern. I will work something out; I always do. So: what can I do for you?¡±
Graham was smiling, apparently not too concerned about the plight Allen was telling him about. It was odd; Graham was usually more sympathetic.
¡°I was just hoping you and your people could take a look at a Mech I¡¯d like to send over. I¡¯m sure you could figure out something to do with it: my people have done everything they can.¡±
Allen blinked. ¡°I am sure Mike and Tommy would be glad to take a look at any kind of problem you¡¯ve had come up. But I thought you had an excellent crew there, yourself. If your boys have had a go at it, I can¡¯t say that my guys could do any better.¡±
Graham nodded. ¡°I do: my boys are top of the line. They have put a lot of work into this. But in this case, I think your people are more qualified to take it from here. If that¡¯s okay, Troy and Sarah will be by in about fifteen minutes.¡±
Allen shrugged. ¡°Alright: if that¡¯s what you want to do. I¡¯ll let the crew know to expect a Mech coming our way from you.¡±
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¡°I appreciate that,¡± Graham replied. ¡°Trust me: you won¡¯t be sorry.¡±
Allen met Katarina in the hall, apparently coming to see him. He waved to her and waited as she approached. She smiled to see him, and kissed him before she spoke.
¡°Getting out of the office? Good for you! You¡¯ve been moping over paperwork for far too long. So, what¡¯s the occasion?¡±
Allen began walking down the hall towards the lift. ¡°Graham O¡¯Connor is sending over a Mech that his boys at the MHSC have been working on, and apparently there¡¯s something about it that they can¡¯t solve. So, I¡¯m going to have Mike and Tommy take a look, see what they can figure out.¡±
Katarina frowned. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you anything more than that? How strange. I suppose they will have a file on the issue when they get here. But still, that¡¯s very strange.¡±
¡°Yes, indeed,¡± Allen replied, ¡°which is why I decided to take a look for myself. I¡¯m happy to do Graham a favor: the MHSC have been valuable allies. I just wonder at all the cloak and dagger going on about it, though.¡±
As they entered the lift, Allen thumbed his wrist comm.
¡°Call going out to whom, please?¡± the automated voice inquired.
¡°Mike Madsen and Tommy Jones, please.¡±
In a moment the mechanic and the techie had answered. ¡°I need you two to meet us in the mech bay as soon as possible. We have a Mech from MHSC they have asked for you to look over.¡±
¡°Sure thing, boss,¡± Mike drawled: ¡°We¡¯re already down here, runnin¡¯ some diagnostics on the Grasshopper. We kin set ¡®er aside an¡¯ take a look at whatever them boys have got.¡±
Down in the bay, Allen signaled for the bay door to be opened to admit their guest. Slowly the door lowered outwards to convert to a ramp for the incoming Mech to mount.
Apparently Graham and the Duct Tape were parked somewhere to the side of the Purple Onion, as they could not see the approaching mech but could hear its footsteps as it came near. Before the Mech hove into view, a jeep drove up the ramp and Sarah Greene stepped out, flashing them a big smile. ¡°Just tell me where you want it parked, and we will bring it on in.¡±
Allen was about to indicate the largest mech gantry, useful for any kind of repairs, when he stopped in mid-wave, and his jaw dropped. Rounding the corner and coming up the ramp was the last thing he had expected to see: Katarina¡¯s Dementor, fully restored and painted in its original shiny white with a purple stripe down the left front.
Sarah grinned. ¡°So: where would you like it?¡±
Allen was so nonplussed he couldn¡¯t think to answer for a moment. Katarina spoke up. ¡°Bay number three, please, right over there.¡±
Her voice trembled with emotion as she spoke. ¡°But¡ How?¡±
Sarah continued to smile. ¡°We were checking out Discount Dan¡¯s Mechs and More when we spotted her sitting in a corner. We would not have known it was yours except for the battered paint job: otherwise we would have assumed it was just another Wraith.
¡°She was rather badly torn up, as I am sure you guessed. But we were able to restore her fully, and here she is.¡±
The Dementor turned to bay number three, then backed up to the gantry and powered down. Troy Hayes stepped out of the cockpit, waving as he made his way to the lift.
¡°Howdy, folks! Somebody lose something?¡±
It took a moment for Allen to recover his composure. ¡°This is¡ beyond incredible. We paid a million C-bills for her to be scrapped so that no enemy could get their hands on her. I¡¯ve never been so glad to be cheated out of a million c-bills in my life.¡±
Sarah shrugged. ¡°What can I say? We got lucky, and we are happy to pass her back to you.¡±
There were tears in Katarina¡¯s eyes as she continued to stare at the restored Mech. ¡°How can we possibly repay you? What do we owe you for the repairs?¡±
¡°Not a thing,¡± said Sarah: ¡°It was our pleasure to give you something back for all the times we have fought side by side. We hope you will use her well, and be careful not to lose her again.¡±
Troy stepped off the lift and approached with a holopad in hand. ¡°Man! She is a sweet ride! I can see why you like her so much.
¡°I should tell you that Avery did have one issue with the repairs. He said the handshake between fire control and those Clan Pulse Lasers was giving him shit fits trying to properly attune the two. He installed a diagnostic reader to see if it would catch what the issue is and how to resolve it. I¡¯ve got the access code for the reader here: who should I give it to?¡±
Mike stepped forward, pulling out his own holopad. ¡°Right here, thank ya vurrah much. Ah¡¯ll be happy ta look over the data, see what we get.¡±
Troy synched his holopad to Mike¡¯s, then turned back to Allen and Katarina with a satisfied grin on his face. ¡°So: anything else we can do for you guys today?¡±
Allen sighed. ¡°Absolutely nothing, except accept our deepest, heartfelt gratitude. Can we honor you with a banquet, anything?¡±
Sarah shook her head. ¡°Thank you, but we must be going. We have another assignment in this area, and will be taking off shortly. Graham said you were really missing this lady, and would probably be getting assignments with her very soon. We wish you the best: take good care of her! And perhaps we shall see you soon.¡±
So saying, she and Troy mounted in the jeep, turned around and drove out. Allen and Katarina turned to each other, still stunned for a moment, then grabbed each other in a tight embrace, whooping for joy.
Disaster
¡°Icarus III. It sounds like a simple enough mission: go in, determine where in the compound they have stored a new prototype laser, grab it and get out. We can send you, Jessica, Wanda and a couple of Battle Armor squads in APCs for the pickup. With the reconditioned Dementor and the Viper and Crusader¡¯s weapons for backup, it should be an easy grab and go.¡±
Allen laid out the details as Katarina leaned over the holomap, studying the layout intensely, then nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right: it looks good. Of course, that could depend dramatically on what opposition we come up against.¡±
Allen shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re sure they will have hired some protection, but whom we don¡¯t know. That would be a factor in just about any mission we take.¡±
¡°True enough.¡± Katarina sighed and straightened up to her full 6¡¯4¡± height. ¡°But with my Dementor back we should make short work of them, regardless.¡±
Allen smiled. ¡°You¡¯re right, of course. This should be an easy payday.¡±
Icarus III was partway through the terraforming process. The temperature and atmosphere were livable, but before much vegetation could grow there would have to be more surface water available. Some was being siphoned up from the planet¡¯s crust, but most was literally thrown at the planet in the form of gigantic chunks of ice diverted from the rings of Icarus IV. These chunks would vaporize in the heat of re-entry, resulting in massive rain showers that would leave lakes in their wake, as well as thoroughly moisturized topsoil. But so far little vegetation had been established, and most of the planet was still rocky or desert terrain.
In one of the few areas where a few trees had been planted as small copses among the rocky and sandy terrain, and where a few small lakes had become permanently filled, a research compound had been established. Some aspect of the silicon in the sand of this planet had rendered it ultra pure, and ideal for clear glass and lens production. Ultra pure lenses had many applications, but one of the most significant was for high powered lasers. Thus had come about this facility.
The compound had been created before the atmosphere was breathable, out of prefab domes. All the six domes were identical, 25 meters across, with prefab tubes connecting them. Because of the identical structures it was impossible to tell which portion housed the prototype and which was sleeping quarters, maintenance, mess hall or anything else. Therefore troops would be required to enter each building to locate the prototype and prep it for transport. Either that, or close range scans of 100 meters or less might reveal where the power plant was located, which would indicate the probable location of the prototype.
Mid afternoon, Katarina approached over a ridge followed by Jessica and Wanda. The two hover APCs had to detour around the ridge, which slowed them down on their approach.
¡°Hold here,¡± she instructed over the comm: ¡°We need to make this a united push, in and out. Everyone advance together, as fast as possible. Jessica: follow as close as you can, but be prepared to offer fire support.
From the direction of the base they could hear warning sirens going off. Obviously someone had observed them coming. Katarina shook her head, but this didn¡¯t change anything.
¡°Avengers, forward!¡±
Having made sure that the APCs had a clear track, Katarina and Wanda jumped forward. Just ahead they spotted a Phoenix Hawk and a Javelin jumping in their direction. They could not spot the insignias on the mechs in the short time they saw them, but IFF was programmed to capture such information and immediately issued a warning chime.
¡°Please note: opposition mechs are wearing the insignia of Sunspot Strategic, a known enemy to the Andurien Avengers. Note that Sunspot Strategic generally fields a Black Knight equipped with triple-strength myomer and a penetrating blade on its left arm. Together, this combination has proven very hazardous to anyone coming within the Black Knight¡¯s reach. Primary strategy recommendations: avoid direct contact with the Black Knight at all costs. Focus fire only on the Black Knight until brought down.¡±
¡°Svashri! That fiend again?¡± Katarina fumed. ¡°Avengers: fire on the Black Knight at every opportunity. Bring that bastard down if it is the last thing we ever do! And Jessica: stay back! He obviously likes targeting you: don¡¯t give him that chance!¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°Heard and understood, Turkina. Will keep a distance.¡± Jessica was all too happy to obey that command. However, she did see one of the domes within reach of her jump jets and aimed for that location. ¡°Scanning Dome A: will find out if this is the objective.¡±
Meanwhile their two APCs had reached their targets: the two furthest domes.
¡°APC1: check, Longinus delivered.¡±
¡°APC2: check, Achilles delivered.¡±
Wanda and Katarina each jumped for one of the remaining domes. As it seemed, they were making excellent progress.
Over the hills came more opposition mechs: a Thunderbolt, the Black Knight and a Warhammer: a well-recognized Warhammer, that had belonged to Allen. Katarina¡¯s growing animosity towards Sunspot flared a bit louder; now they were using the Avenger¡¯s own mechs against them? How low could they sink?
The Thunderbolt and Warhammer both opened fire on the Longinus squad, and two members of the four man team were taken down at once. The other two advanced into the dome, presumably safe now from the opposition¡¯s fire.
The Black Knight opened fire on Katarina, but missed. She gritted her teeth, watching the Black Knight fire several shots into a hillside, just warming up its myomer. Now it would be quite dangerous. She fired back, her large laser missing as usual but one Medium Pulse Laser striking. Jessica fired LRMs as well, and also struck the Black Knight.
Wanda fired three ER Medium Lasers and managed to strike to Black Knight twice. Both shots struck the left arm which contained the blade, and Wanda whooped in pleasure.
The Phoenix Hawk and Javelin both opened fire on Katarina: both scored hits. Her mech¡¯s armor took the shots easily, but once again she was being targeted by three of the five mechs the enemy was fielding.
¡°Longinus squad reporting: no prototype here. We found the mess hall.¡±
¡°Queen of Hearts: no prototype. I found the barracks.¡±
¡°Queen of Spades: no prototype. Found Operations Support and Maintenance.¡±
¡°Achileus squad: got it! Securing transport to the door now!¡±
At this point the Black Knight was sloshing through a river trying to reach them, and the Phoenix Hawk was apparently trying to cool down in the river as well. Katarina took careful aim, and blasted the left arm of the Black Knight. Sparks flew, and the arm hung uselessly at the mech¡¯s side.
Jessica also fired LRMs at the Black Knight, several striking the upper body. She hoped that given the slick river bottom and the onslaught of the attacks the Black Knight might slip and fall, but it barely seemed to notice.
The Javelin and Thunderbolt targeted the APC waiting for the Achileus squad, and blew it into a smoldering wreckage. Now the Achileus squad would have no transport. Katarina checked the situation, with the Black Knight still struggling through the river, and calculated that the odds would be in her favor. She ran to meet the squad, just coming out of the dome, and reached down for the prototype.
The Black Knight lunged forward, having finally reached the shallows, and somehow made it to within striking range of Katarina: just what she thought could not happen. But its blade was disabled, so it would not be able to do the devastating damage it had previously done to Jessica¡¯s Crusader.
Katarina was stuck, reaching for the prototype, and therefore could not fire her arm mounted Pulse Lasers. Once she lifted the prototype she was able to strike out with a swift kick at the Black Knight¡¯s legs, and she connected. But the Black Knight returned the kick, and then Katarina realized her error. With triple strength myomer the kick did twice the damage that the blade would have done, and crushed her left leg.
She cursed as she fell, the prototype slipping out of her hands.
¡°Hang on, Kat! Coming your way!¡± Wanda called out over the comm, jumping over 200 meters to try to come to her rescue. But as the Black Knight opened fire with all its weapons on the downed Dementor, the engine blew and Katarina was once more launched from the mech¡¯s head, coming down a good thirty meters away.
At this point the Warhammer, Thunderbolt and Javelin all opened fire on Wanda¡¯s Viper, scoring terrific amounts of damage. Wanda shrieked and cursed as the mech¡¯s diagnostics reported critical damage to the engine, and heat levels began to spike.
An enemy APC moved swiftly to intercept Katarina, and the hope of her rescue disappeared.
¡°Come on, Jess! We can¡¯t do anymore good here. Retreat!¡±
Jessica followed Wanda¡¯s lead, and they both vaulted back from the field of battle.
The Dementor was down, possibly destroyed this time. Katarina was in enemy hands, and the Avengers had failed their mission. Could things get any worse?
Strange Bedfellows
Katarina landed heavily in the crash seat and rolled a dozen meters before the chute¡¯s tangled cords stopped it from rolling further, even off a cliff. Barely able to believe this was happening again, she unstrapped herself from the seat and reached for the Sternsnacht.
She had just made it to her feet when an APC rolled up next to her, its machine guns pointed at her. The main hatch opened revealing two troopers: one with a machine gun, one with a flamer unit. Both were trained on her.
She sighed, then holstered and locked the Sternsnacht at her hip. She raised her hands. ¡°You will not need those. I will come quietly. You have the word of a Bloodnamed Jade Falcon warrior.¡±
The two troopers exchanged looks, then the one with the flamer set it aside and approached her. He pulled a set of hand restraints off his belt as he came.
¡°You won¡¯t need those, either. You have my full cooperation.¡±
The trooper shook his head, reaching for her hand. In a flash Katarina had caught his hand and twisted it behind his back, taking away the restraints and tossing them over the cliff.
¡°What part of ¡®you have the word of a Bloodnamed Jade Falcon warrior¡¯ did you not understand?
¡°I will cooperate with you. I will not try to escape. But I will not be bound.¡±
She released the trooper and walked towards the APC and the other trooper, who was standing in the middle of the ramp with his machine gun trained on her. Katarina reached the foot of the ramp and stopped, hands on her hips.
¡°Well: will you step aside, or do I need to take you out of my way as well?¡±
The trooper hesitated, then stepped aside. Katarina walked up the ramp, head held high, then took a seat inside the APC. The two troopers boarded and closed the ramp, watching her nervously but no longer training weapons on her. One of them went forward in the APC and spoke to the pilot. Katarina felt the APC moving, and sighed.
What would Sunspot ask of her? Having given her word, she would be obliged to join them on the field of battle if they requested it. But they would have to supply a mech, and it obviously wouldn¡¯t be the Dementor. A lump caught in her throat as she thought of her beloved mech, now lying as scrap on the ground outside. To have recovered it so recently, and now to have lost it again: it was almost more than she could bear.
Towards the front of the craft she could hear the troopers reporting in, and the responses from their superiors.
¡°What do you mean, she won¡¯t ¡®let¡¯ you cuff her? Who¡¯s in charge there?¡±
The trooper hesitated. ¡°Hard to say, sir. She says we have ¡®the word of a Bloodnamed Jade Falcon warrior,¡¯ whatever that means. She is cooperating in every other way, when she could obviously do some real damage if she didn¡¯t.¡±
The response crackled back over the comm. ¡°¡®Bloodnamed¡¯ Clan warrior? I heard they have some unusual attitudes about capture. Fine: let it go, for now. Just keep an eye on her.¡±
That was satisfactory as far as Katarina was concerned. She leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment to meditate on her state. Hopefully they would just ransom her; that would be the easiest to deal with.
Eventually she felt the APC travel up a ramp, and the noise from outside suggested they were now inside a dropship. Once the hover fans powered down she unstrapped herself from her seat and stood, walking to the hatch.
Both troopers had now risen and were training guns on her. She snorted disdainfully at them, waiting for the hatch to open. Once it did, she stepped on down the ramp it created.
Outside of the APC were four armed troopers and a young male Lieutenant. She saluted the Lieutenant and stood at attention.
¡°Captain Katarina Hazen, reporting as your POW, Lieutenant. What are your orders?¡±
The Lieutenant stared at her, taking in her expensive full cooling suit, the Sternsnacht on her hip, and her respectful demeanor.
¡°Captain: I will require you to surrender your sidearm and any additional weapons you may have on you. Then you will be escorted to the brig and remain under confinement until we call for you.¡±
Katarina unbuckled the belt holding the Sternsnacht, demonstrating the knife that had been concealed at her back, and removed a throwing blade from each of her boots.
¡°Careful with those,¡± she told the trooper behind her as he stepped forward to take them from her: ¡°They are very sharp.¡±
He accepted them from her with a bit of trepidation, and stepped back. The Lieutenant waved to the doorway leading from the vehicle bay to the interior of the Dropship.
¡°This way to the brig, Captain.¡±
The four troopers with the Lieutenant turned and began walking in that direction. The Lieutenant walked next to her as she followed them, and the two troopers from the APC followed behind.
¡°I am not familiar with Clan customs. How far does your cooperation extend, Captain?¡±
She kept her eyes fixed forward. ¡°You have my full cooperation, Lieutenant. You may command me as one of your men, and I will follow your orders.¡±
The Lieutenant nodded. ¡°For now, all I require is that you remain confined to your quarters and make no attempt to escape. We will give you further direction once I have discussed your situation with my superiors.¡±
Katarina nodded in return. ¡°Yes, sir. I will await your orders.¡±
They arrived at the brig and Katarina entered the small room, ducking her head at the doorway. The escort left without fanfare and she looked around, taking stock of her situation. With a sigh, she unzipped her coolant suit and stepped out of it. Beneath it she wore shorts and a T-shirt, just enough for modesty¡¯s sake. The suit had become quite chilly now that she was no longer in a hot mech cockpit. She folded it into a pillow and lay down on the bunk bolted to the wall. Given the strain of battle, loss of her mech and her capture, she drifted off to sleep within minutes.
Over the next few days she was fed adequately, questioned on occasion, but mostly ignored. That was okay with her; agreeing to follow orders did not include being eager to do so.
On one occasion they finally came in and asked if she would be willing to demonstrate her capabilities in a mech provided for her. She immediately donned the coolant suit again and followed them to the jeep that carried them to the battlefield. There she was presented with a basic Valkyrie to pilot.
She kept her expression unreadable, but internally sighed in disgust. She wordlessly mounted the mech while eyeing the Sentinel which sat on the other end of the field. It was a slightly faster mech, but no jump jets. It was 10 tons heavier than the mech she was in, but more lightly armored. She could tell from the fittings on the main gun that this was an Ultra version of the Autocannon 5, and that it also bore a Streak SRM2. All in all it presented basically the same profile as the Valkyrie, which left Katarina confident of the outcome of this fight.
The battle presented no surprises. Katarina jumped and ran, firing her LRMs from long and medium ranges, with no worries about heat buildup as long as she wasn¡¯t firing the laser. Her movement was sufficient to prevent the Sentinel from landing more than an occasional shot, while her continued rain down of LRMs slowly took its toll. She landed a lucky shot, five missiles plowing into the already damaged left leg, disabling the hip actuator and forcing a fall. Now that the mech was disabled, she closed in for the kill. Within another minute it was done, the mech¡¯s center torso a smoking ruin. The enemy pilot popped his hatch, stepping out in obvious disgust.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
Katarina turned and walked the Valkyrie back to its starting point, stopping where she had started and descending the ladder provided. The Lieutenant was waiting for her.
¡°An impressive performance, Captain. May I ask what mechs you have a proficiency in, to determine what we might assign you for an actual battle?¡±
Katarina ran off an impressive list of mechs, and the Lieutenant ruminated over it for a bit.
¡°Half those names I don¡¯t recognize. I presume they are Clan mechs?¡±
¡°That is correct. You have different code names for them than the actual assigned names; I am not familiar with what you call them in your codes.¡±
The Lieutenant nodded. ¡°We do have a Davion Phoenix Hawk for which we do not currently have a pilot. Two Extended Range Large Lasers, two Medium Pulse Lasers and an Anti-missile system. Would this work for you?¡±
Katarina smiled. ¡°No machine guns? Excellent: I would not have to dump ammunition before entering into battle. Yes, I will pilot it for you.¡±
She sat back in the wheeled APC and sighed. She was certain that Allen would pay any ransom they requested for her, but in the meantime Katarina would serve her captors as required by tradition.
Suddenly the APC crashed to a halt. Had she not been strapped in, Katarina would have been thrown to the floor. The roof of the APC was torn off and she could see the figure of a Wolverine standing over it, extending its left hand down into the APC.
¡°Katarina Hazen: you are being rescued. Come with me.¡±
The hand brushed aside the two security officers who had been sitting across from her. She unstrapped and jumped into the hand. In a moment the Wolverine was racing away from the remains of the APC with Katarina clinging to its hand for dear life.
Shots rang out from various directions, including PPC shots and missiles that struck the Wolverine. The report of the missiles striking nearly deafened Katarina, and then she swore as the Wolverine went down on one knee, and toppled over. She was thrown clear of the hand and dove into a tumble and a roll that brought her up standing and running. She got clear of the Wolverine and the barrage of missiles falling around it, and looked for another way out of this mess.
She saw an Incubus with the same paint scheme as the Wolverine approaching, and ran towards it. The Incubus knelt, extending her its left hand while firing its Large Pulse Laser from the right at the enemy. Once more she jumped in, expecting that the Incubus¡¯ much higher speed would get them clear quickly even though the mech did not have jump jets. The Incubus could walk faster than a Wolverine could run: that gave her great confidence.
Further away she could see an LRM carrier firing its complement, but then exploding in a ball of fire and smoke. A Sunspot Wraith was now approaching at top speed, and Katarina held her breath.
The Incubus stepped backwards at nearly 100 kph, firing its lasers at the Wraith which was out of range to fire its own lasers. Katarina held her breath, recognizing the Incubus pilot¡¯s strategy but fearful that the Wraith would eventually catch up.
Further down the battlefield she saw a Hunchback go down under a barrage of attacks by Sunspot forces. Then she saw Sunspot¡¯s Black Knight engaging a Devastator: one she recognized as having once chewed the Dementor to pieces. So, now it was fighting on their side? And then it wasn¡¯t, as the Black Knight fired a PPC and blew the head to bits. As the giant assault mech crashed to the ground, Katarina was not certain if she saw an ejection chute deployed. A pang of guilt hit her in the gut: all these losses just to rescue her. She would be sure to make it up to these warriors as soon as she had the chance.
The Incubus continued to hop backwards while firing at the Wraith. Finally the Wraith stumbled and fell, just as it was about to come into range with its own Inner Sphere weapons. At that the Incubus turned and began running at over 150 kph, over a ridge and beyond reach of the Sunspot forces.
The Incubus finally slowed down once it was clear that pursuit had ended, and reached up with the hand she was in to the shoulder of the mech, where the pilot popped the canopy open.
¡°Hello!¡± she called, walking along the mech¡¯s shoulder towards the cockpit. ¡°Who¡¯s there? Thank you for my rescue!¡±
The pilot nodded, waving her to the crash seat behind him in the cockpit. ¡°Lieutenant Richards, Captain. You can call me ¡®Devil.¡¯¡±
Katarina smiled at the callsign. ¡°Thank you, Devil. Call me Turkina. Do you know where Allen is?¡±
¡°Not here, Ma¡¯am. We¡¯ll get you to him as soon as we can!¡±
She was slightly disappointed, but understood. He was probably in his Warhammer, battling Sunspot with the assistance of this other mech company. She climbed in the back of the cockpit and fastened her seatbelt.
¡°So, Devil: I seem to recognize this paint scheme. We have met in battle, have we not?¡±
¡°Yes, Captain,¡± Devil replied: ¡°It was a while back. We were recruited by a Major O¡¯donnell for a war of liberation. Your Andurien Avengers opposed us, and took him out. We were impressed by the fact that you barely attacked us at all: just the Major. That earned you our respect.
¡°We have been following your reputation since then, and heard of your capture. We decided to do something about it.¡±
Ahead, Katarina could see a Union Class dropship. Devil climbed the ramp and parked the Incubus, popping the cockpit for Katarina to climb out. She got out on the gantry, then descended in the lift. As she did so, she saw the Wolverine that had previously grabbed her entering the mech bay and setting down an officer it was carrying in its hand. The officer looked a bit the worse for wear, like he had just rolled through the mud on the battlefield, but he waved up at the Wolverine¡¯s cockpit.
¡°Thanks, Don Quixote! I owe ya!¡±
A cadet approached and sprayed the officer down until he looked a bit more presentable. Then he and two MPs approached at doubletime towards Katarina. When they arrived and stopped, the officer saluted her.
¡°Captain Hazen: Commander Haskell here, callsign ''Fumbles.'' Welcome to Fubar Company. We will be returning you home shortly, but your husband is not here right now. This was a private operation; we heard you were captured and wished to assist with your liberation, for reasons of our own. Allow me to escort you to your quarters.¡±
Katarina was not quite pleased with this state of affairs, but was prepared to cooperate with her liberators. She nodded and followed the Commander, with the MPs falling in behind her. Haskell led her to another lift up to the officer''s quarters. A room had been reserved for her, and she sighed with relief at being free.
The Commander paused at the door. ¡°Please understand, this ship is our Base of Operations. There are sections we would prefer guests not to see. The MPs outside your door will escort you to the mess hall or any other section of the ship we have open to you, but will let you know about any restricted areas.¡±
Katarina nodded. ¡°Understood. There are sections of the Purple Onion we would prefer not to have civilians or non-Avengers see. I will comply with whatever directions your MPs give.¡±
She closed the door and sank down on the bed. In moments she was fast asleep.
Just a few hours later she woke to the sunlight, got up and checked the chest at the foot of the bed and the closet. She found underwear, a t-shirt, socks and a uniform in her size, and dressed quickly.
Just outside the door she heard the changing of the guard. She waited until the night guard had clearly left, then opened the door and stepped out into the corridor.
¡°Good morning, officers. Could you direct me to the mess hall?¡±
¡°Right this way, Captain. Down the corridor this way to the lift.¡±
She followed their directions, proceeding down in the lift with them and on to the mess hall. Other troopers were there taking breakfast, and she joined the line. Curious glances were thrown her way, given that her uniform showed no rank and that the MPs remained standing behind her at attention while she ate. She took it all in stride, finishing her breakfast and pushing the tray away.
¡°Thank you. And now, when am I scheduled to meet again with your Commander Haskell?¡±
One of the MPs checked in on his wrist comm, and reported back.
¡°Commander Haskell is available to meet with you now. Follow me, please.¡±
He led the way while the other MP followed her, back to the lift and to another floor. Shortly they arrived at the office for the Commander. He cut a much better figure this time, in a clean uniform. He stood from the desk and saluted.
¡°Captain: welcome to my office. Please, have a seat.¡±
Katarina returned the salute and sat across from the Commander.
¡°Thank you. I appreciate all the hospitality. Now, allow me to ask: what can I and the Andurien Avengers do to repay you for my rescue?¡±
Haskell smiled. ¡°Direct, and to the point. Allow me to state that your reputation is well known throughout this sector. We are anxious to have the support of such a renowned warrior in an upcoming battle: and that of your Company mates as well.
¡°I do not know if you have heard, but Word of Blake forces have been attacking planets and devastating them with nuclear attacks, then sending down mech Companies to wipe out any survivors. For whatever reason, they are choosing wholesale destruction of any forces not aligned with them anywhere. This holy war of theirs goes beyond a crusade: it is being called a Jihad.
¡°We wish to resist their attack on our base planet of Melandria II, for which purpose we are calling in all favors available to us. Your rescue is just one of many efforts we have made to gather forces to our side. We expect an attack shortly, as the invading wave has been pushing quickly in this direction.¡±
Katarina nodded. ¡°Of course. The full assets of the Andurien Avengers will be at your disposal. We will be happy to assist you.¡±
Haskell nodded again. ¡°We deeply appreciate that. I am certain your assistance will be invaluable on several fronts. Please feel free to contact your Company as soon as possible, and direct them to Melandria. In the meantime, please consider yourself our honored guest.¡±
Katarina smiled. ¡°I thank you for your rescue and your hospitality. And I will get in touch with Allen ASAP.¡±
Like a Bad Dream
Once more Katarina awoke from a disturbing sleep to find that her dreams seemed to be becoming all too real. Reports of Gauss Rifles and PPC fire resounded outside her cabin, and she rose to see through the window that the Fubar camp was apparently under attack.
She could see Don Quixote¡¯s Wolverine, Devil¡¯s Incubus and Fumbles¡¯ Devastator locked in fierce combat. As attackers, she made out a Crockett, a Flashman and a Mongoose, though there were flashes of light from more distant aggressors.
In a flash she was dressed in her coolant suit and opened the door to her cabin. The two MPs were at their posts, but clearly rattled and attempting to assist in the chaos outside the door.
¡°What is happening?¡± she shouted.
¡°Surprise attack, apparently Blakist forces, Captain!¡± one shouted back to her.
¡°Get me to mech bay! There has got to be a mech I can pilot to help defend!¡±
The MP nodded, and the two led the way down the chaotic corridor. They made it to the lift, which seemed to take an eternity to get them to the ground floor. Then the lift door opened to yet more chaos of crew running to stations trying to man defenses against the assault. The MPs pushed their way through, and Katarina assessed the situation. She pointed to a Marauder that was still suspended in its bay.
¡°There! I can pilot that!¡±
The three ran for the gantry, Katarina dancing with impatience as the lift slowly raised her to the top of the mech. She vaulted out of the lift even before it had stopped, dashing to the hatch of the Marauder where a tech was waiting.
¡°I need the code!¡± she called out, already sliding into the cockpit.
¡°Seven eight, two five four!¡± the tech replied. She punched the activation code into the console, and the Marauder sprang to life.
She quickly pulled up the mech profile and did a quick fist pump as the unit was identified as a 5D. With two ER PPCs, a Large Pulse Laser, two Medium Pulse Lasers and a Streak SRM2, this was her favorite model. She immediately dumped the SRM2 ammo, and stalked out of the mech bay.
The Flashman was closest, and she immediately opened fire with both ER PPCs. Both hit, and the Flashman staggered backwards. It stayed on its feet, though, and replied with a trio of ER Large Lasers. Only one hit, and Katarina strode forward to complete the kill with the Pulse Lasers.
Before she got there, she was slammed into by a Gauss rifle shot and a Large Laser shot from the Crockett. She staggered, but kept on going. The Crockett would have to wait; she wasn¡¯t giving the Flashman a chance to recuperate. Shots from the Large Pulse, two Medium Pulse Lasers and one of the ER PPCs knocked the Flashman to the ground, smoking. Katarina¡¯s heat register climbed into the yellow, but she ignored it. Before the Flashman could stand up she approached and kicked it hard in the leg. Armor and internal structure were smashed, and the Flashman fell back to the ground.
Another Gauss rifle shot and two more Large Laser shots struck her from the Crockett, and she nearly lost her feet. But she managed to remain standing and to return fire. The Crockett, though, seemed unfazed by the damage and continued forward.
Her heat register continued to flash at her, but this was no time to back down. She boosted the jump jets to fly sideways 120 meters, forcing the Crockett to realign to target her once more. Then she fired again, hitting the Crockett twice more.
The Crockett continued to approach, bringing him within range of her Large Pulse Laser. Forfeiting one of her ER PPCs, she fired again and saw her heat register drop to within nominal levels.
And suddenly she was surrounded. The Crockett, a Guillotine, and a Crab had all approached, firing weapons, and she was also hit by a PPC and Large Laser from a Lancelot poised on a rise in the distance. This time she went down, and when she tried to rise on her left arm it was kicked out from under her. Another kick shattered her hip, and the mech was downed.
The Crab was standing directly behind the cockpit in the path of the ejection module, so Katarina was forced to climb out on her own. By then a Maxim hovercraft had approached and troops had deboarded, training rifles and SMGs on her. She was given no chance to argue, but immediately cuffed and taken aboard the Maxim where she saw a dozen other prisoners.
An hour later the prisoners were offloaded from the Maxim onto a Dropship. Taking notice of Katarina¡¯s coolant suit and rank emblazoned on it, her captors separated her from the other captives and took her to a separate holding cell. For an hour or more she was left cooling her heels; presumably the battle outside was still winding down and they did not have the crew available for processing the prisoners. But finally an officer entered her cell carrying a datapad. He was a tall man, dark haired but for streaks of gray in his neatly-combed hair, and was dressed in an immaculate Blakist robe. He scanned the rank and identification badge on her suit and sat down, staring at the datapad¡¯s readings.
¡°Captain Katarina Hazen, Andurien Avengers. I am Demi-Precentor Galen Cross, Penal Division. Your reputation precedes you, Captain. And what were you doing out here with Fubar Company?¡±
¡°I had been captured by a company called Sunspot Strategic,¡± she replied: ¡°Fubar Company rescued me, and were in the process of releasing me back to the Avengers. What business do you have with me or them?¡±
Cross smiled thinly. ¡°It seems the Clans were correct, after all. The Republic has fallen: the Inner Sphere and the Clans are destined to fall back into the chaos of the Succession Wars once more. We are but here to quell the damage you all would otherwise do to each other.¡±
¡°How magnanimous of you,¡± Katarina spat: ¡°and you propose to do this by bombing peaceful planets back into the Stone Age? What kind of a difference are you proposing to make? What is the difference if we demolish ourselves or you demolish us first?¡±
¡°Not peaceful planets,¡± Cross protested: ¡°Planets without aggressive capabilities will simply fall to our rule: aggressive planets will be subdued as efficiently as possible. Notice that on Malandrea we have not carried out any orbital bombardment. We have only attacked the one base occupied by Fubar Company. The rest of the planet remains suitable for habitation.¡±
¡°Again, how kind,¡± grated Katarina: ¡°And now, what?¡±
The Demi-Precentor laid down his datapad, clear blue eyes scanning her intensely.
¡°It seems your Fubar Company has abandoned you. After a brief resistance they boarded their dropship and took off, blasting the field around them to charcoal, including a couple of our mechs. The stravag dogs did more damage on take-off than in all the previous battle.¡±
Katarina looked up sharply at the man¡¯s use of Clan profanity, then looked away dismissively.
¡°Knowledge of a few of our words does not make you a Trueborn warrior, any more than stealing our mechs makes you a Clanner.¡±
The Demi-Precentor shrugged, a smile playing at his lips. ¡°Nevertheless, I caught your attention. I must admit, I am rather a fan of your culture. Tell me: if a freebirth warrior does well, how high can he still rise in the Clan hierarchy?¡±
She eyed Cross guardedly, taking in the eagerness of his tone and the new set of his shoulders. Clearly this was a subject of some interest to him. Regardless¨C
¡°That would be a subject that would take far more time than you have probably allotted for this interrogation. Perhaps another time¨C¡±
¡°Perhaps over dinner? Our chef has outdone himself for our MidSummer Fest, and I am offering some of that feast in lieu of our usual prison fare, in exchange for a chance to discuss Clan culture with a Trueborn Clan warrior. What do you say?¡±
Katarina regarded the Demi-Precentor in shock. It was a moment before she spoke.
¡°If this is some bizarre attempt to court me, I will have you know that I am a happily married woman¨C¡±
Cross waved his hands dismissively. ¡°I can assure you, that is far from my intent. My interest is in your familiarity with Clan society, nothing more.¡±
He seemed quite sincere. Still rather amazed by this offer, Katarina considered, then nodded. ¡°Very well. Rest assured I will not be sharing any Clan secrets, but yes, we can discuss open aspects of our culture.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°That¡¯s all I was suggesting. Let me order dinner, then, and we shall chat.¡±
The meal was quite satisfactory, and Katarina actually found the conversation pleasant, even fun reminiscing on her past. Cross¡¯ questions were insightful, not at all pressing on matters the Clans were guarded about, just showing a sincere interest. By dessert she was actually laughing at some of the events Cross recounted about his own youth.
¡°You kept five cats and three dogs all as pets in the same household? Surely that created quite some chaos!¡±
Cross nodded. ¡°Indeed it did. The largest dog, Moose, was always curious about the latest batch of kittens, always trying to nuzzle them. Their mothers never approved, and were quite vociferous expressing their displeasure.¡±
Katarina laughed, then waved away an offer of more pie. The attendant began clearing the dishes from the table. Cross smiled, toying with his glass of juice, but now sitting up more formally than he had while eating.
¡°I wish to thank you for a most pleasant evening. There are other issues I will wish to discuss with you later, but I will not impose on you at this time. The guards will accompany you to your cell.¡±
She nodded, sensing the evening had concluded. ¡°Very well. Perhaps we shall find further interesting subjects again soon.¡±
In spite of the cheerful evening, Katarina found herself escorted to a high security prison cell and locked in. The room was solid walls and a solid door, with only a slot for food and an eyehole in the center. Two security cameras were mounted in opposite upper corners of the room, with a single bunk and combination toilet and lavatory.
She sank down on the bunk, musing on the difference in impression this room was making versus the impression she had received at dinner. Dinner had made her feel like an honored guest: this was nothing of the kind.
Eventually she was escorted off the dropship, and to what appeared to be a permanent prison base. The cell she was assigned to remained highest security, with no view and no release.
In future days the Demi-Precentor interviewed her again. This time he did not ask about the Clans: he asked direct strategic questions concerning the Andurien Avengers. Who were their members? Where were they from? What were their military backgrounds? What mechs did they pilot, and what mechs were they proficient with? Where did their loyalties lie?
After answering a few times that she could not tell him, she reverted to stony silence as the interrogation continued. It was strange, to have had such a pleasant first interaction with the man, yet now be at such opposed angles. Had that been his intention all along? Some strange version of good cop, bad cop?
Frustrated, she suffered through repeated interrogations that she would not answer. Never again was she offered a meal such as she had had on that first night: from here on out, it was basic kibble and canned or frozen vegetables. And always the calm, implacable face of Demi- Precentor Galen Cross.
Then came the evening she heard a commotion and the sounds of gunfire outside her cell. She held her breath; was she getting rescued once more? She stood facing the door, waiting.
Someone¡¯s face covered the eyehole. Then she heard a voice calling, ¡°Stand back!¡±, and she did. Suddenly the solid metal door buckled and was ripped out of its frame. Behind the door she could see the silhouette of an Ogre powered armor suit.
At once she ran out of the cell, and two soldiers with rifles waved her towards the door of the main containment area. Once she was out she could hear the sounds of the alarm going off throughout the compound. The soldiers rushed before her to the end of the corridor, and for the first time in weeks she saw the night sky. There towering above her was a Summoner, the handholds for climbing right by the door. She didn¡¯t need a second wave from the soldiers before she started climbing.
At the top she met Bobbie Byrd, one of the newest pilots who had recently been added to the Avengers. Bobbie had slipped out of the pilot¡¯s chair and was strapping herself into the crash seat.
¡°All warmed up and set to go for ya, Boss!¡± Bobbie called out.
Katarina dropped into the pilot¡¯s chair and was strapped in in seconds. Her hands flew over the console, and the mech lumbered forward as the cockpit hatch dropped into place.
The first mech she saw was a Gargoyle that she did not recognize, but as she swung her weapons that way the mech display flashed green, indicating a friendly unit.
¡°Hi, hun! No need to shoot me in the back: I got a new ride since you last saw me. Now, let¡¯s get you out of here!¡±
She whooped, then checked her display. There was Allen in his new Gargoyle, Justin in the family Grasshopper, Jessica in the Crusader and Wanda in the Viper. The map reflected the direction they would need to travel to get to extraction, and six other mechs closing on them. There was the Flashman she had almost destroyed in her last battle, in the distance she could see the Crab and the Mongoose, then the Lancelot up on a ridge, the Guillotine was still at a distance and behind, but there in the way they needed to go was the Crockett which she was pretty sure was Galen Cross¡¯ mech.
¡°Attention, Katarina Hazen! This is Demi-Precentor Galen Cross, bidding one Crockett 1b against your Thor. If I win, you return to your cell without resistance. Do you accept my batchall?¡±
Almost, she considered accepting. The impression of that first evening had lasted with her, despite everything to the contrary that had happened since. But she was in an untested mech, she did not know what the Crockett had other than that it was fifteen tons heavier than her, and she was surrounded by her Lancemates who had to have gone through hell and high water to get her out: she would not throw their efforts to chance.
¡°You stravag dogs did not have any right to hold me in the first place! I reject your challenge: now die under my feet as would any freebirth scum who dare oppose me!¡±
The Crockett was too far away to aim at her, though her own ER Large Lasers had the range to hit him. But he, the Crab, the Flashman and the Lancelot opened fire on Jessica¡¯s Crusader.
The Crusader was struck all at once by shots from a Gauss rifle, PPC and four ER Large Lasers. Jessica barely had the chance to fire her LRMs at the Crockett before the pounding tore off her right arm and spun her around, nearly taking her off her feet. Somehow she remained standing, staring down for a moment at the smoking limb lying on the ground next to her. Then she jumped.
In the meantime Allen¡¯s Gargoyle was behind a ridge and unable to fire at the Crocket, so instead he opened up on the Flashman. His autocannon struck home, as did four ER Medium lasers. The Flashman was completely overwhelmed and fell back with a crash onto the hard ground of the arroyo.
Katarina fired at the Crockett from long range, sensing that if she could take down Cross they had an excellent chance of getting out of here swiftly. Both of the Summoner¡¯s ER Large Lasers hit, along with shots from Justin, Wanda and the LRMs Jessica had fired. Her heart soared as the Crockett stumbled and fell.
¡°We¡¯ve got him down! Everyone, charge!¡±
Behind them the Flashman scrambled to its feet and backpedalled to find a safer range from which to fire. The Crab and Guillotine advanced, trying to close, while the Mongoose did an end run around, seeking to get a shot at someone¡¯s vulnerable back armor. This forced the Avengers into running serpentine fashion, trying to keep their backsides turned away from the possible attacks that could come at them from the rear. But this time everyone was able to focus on the Crockett as it rose and blocked them again. Wanda rained down a hail of fire from her ER Medium Lasers; Justin was still far enough out to only be able to fire his PPC, but Allen got around the ridge that had been in his way and fired his Ultra Autocannon on double-tap mode along with more ER Medium Lasers. Jessica fired her remaining LRM and medium laser and well as two Streak SRM2s.
Once again the Crockett was inundated with fire, but this time remained standing and fired back at the Summoner. So did the remaining mechs in the Blakist squad. Katarina took several shots, including a Gauss rifle round and a PPC both in the left torso. Miraculously, she took no shots in her legs or rear torso locations, and she stayed on her feet. She was now within range to fire both Large and Medium Lasers, and thanks to the targeting computer she hit with all but one of the Medium Lasers. When the smoke cleared Katarina could see that the Crockett was now missing its right torso and arm. Still, it remained standing.
¡°Oh no, Katarina Hazen: you aren¡¯t getting away from me that easily. I don¡¯t care how many mechs your Avengers send, you¡¯re staying here. Squad: focus fire on the Thor, now!¡±
She didn¡¯t know whether to be shocked, furious, or both. ¡°Kill this bastard! Now!¡± she hollered over the comm. Once more the Avengers rushed towards the Crockett, overheating from excessive weapons fire. The enemy mech was bathed in weapons fire, and Katarina could see that virtually every square inch of armor had been stripped from its surface. At least the mech finally fell over, even as her own mech came under fire. She reeled under the onslaught, but remained on her feet and dashing towards the extraction point.
Justin had fallen behind, being in the slowest mech. But now he put on a sprint, and crossed over the extraction threshold. Katarina was right behind him, Jessica, Allen and Wanda quickly following suit.
Behind them the Crockett rose unsteadily to its feet. The open comm channel crackled to life one last time.
¡°This isn¡¯t over! Trust me: we will meet again!¡±
But in spite of his words, Katarina was finally free. The terrain here was heavily forested and all downhill: perfect conditions for the Avengers to escape, but impassable for their pursuers. Katarina jumped as far as she could go, deep into the woods.
Behind her, Bobbie whooped in delight. ¡°You did it! We¡¯re clear!¡±
¡°Yes, we are!¡± Katarina switched channels to the one for Allen alone, wishing for more privacy but taking what she could get.
¡°Oh my love: you do it! You got me free. How much I love you!¡±
¡°Of course, my darling,¡± came Allen¡¯s voice back over the radio. ¡°We would have had you sooner, but you kept trading hands, stolen from one to another. I can¡¯t begin to tell you how frustrating that was! When we heard from Fubar that you were rescued we came immediately, but they were already gone.¡±
¡°They were attacked by the Blakists, and took heavy losses,¡± she replied: ¡°I was already out in the field trying to defend them: there was nothing they could have done to keep me safe. We still owe them for their original rescue.¡±
¡°And we will repay them,¡± Allen affirmed, ¡°at the first available opportunity. But now, let¡¯s get you home!¡±
Even as they had been speaking they continued to crash through the undergrowth or jump over it, as each mech was capable. Finally the Purple Onion came into view, and Katarina gladly boarded and locked her mech into its new bay. She and Bobbi dismounted and she ran along the gantry to where Allen¡¯s Gargoyle would soon be parked. As he did not have jump jets, it took him longer to arrive, but she waited patiently. When he finally did arrive, locked down and came out of his cockpit, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him passionately. The crew around them erupted in cheers, but they did not care. They were together once more, and that was all that mattered.