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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 2, 2018 12:41:12 GMT
"Actual," Sumire's voice came across the comms, "package delivered." The Leopard banked and lifted away, leaving the lance on the ground. Ryan's Fate was a hot, arid world with a single, shallow, briny sea, that survived on flood farming in the brief rainy seasons, and mining high-quality crystals and fissionable materials from the extensive caverns that honeycombed the planet's surface. "Okay, Commander," Darius' voice was clear; the cloudless sky above the desert making for little interference, "the base should be just ahead. At the moment it appears to be unoccupied but we've already picked up the Directorate lance in the area and there's no doubt they're inbound as well. We need to get there first and secure it and then prepare to defend it."
"We're on it," Hysteria winced as she released the comms button, her right hand was still wrapped in a compression brace but the fracture wasn't bad enough to require anything more, "alright people, you heard the man, double-time to the A.O."
"You got it!" Glitch's cheery reply was cut short as Vamp's Centurion moved in front of her, "Hey, watch it ya big lug!"
"Zere's plenty of time to move in front of you," he teased, "is not exactly as fast as your old Mech."
"Aw," Glitch's tone dropped, "Vindy..."
"This thing is so strange," Big Sly was piloting Kru's Hunchback while the Solaran was still recovering from his close call on Anvelt, "tell me again why I couldn't just bring the 'Hawk?"
"I wanted the big guns," Hysteria responded matter-of-factly as she brought up the rear, "the last time we did a mission like this you nearly died." She omitted the part where Behemoth actually did die but it was on everyone's mind.
"Well at least the cockpit is practically new," Sly continued, "they even managed to get that cheese smell out."
"Be nice," Hysteria warned him, "or I'll tell him you said that."
"He's actually here in CIC," Darius smirked, "worried that you'll mess up his baby... I don't really feel comfortable repeating what he's saying."
"Get your ass to bed, Kru," Hysteria chastised him, "if you're so worried about your Mech then I'd rather have you in it."
"He's, uh, he's still here." Darius reported.
"Figured," Riana sighed, "base in sight." Sure enough there was a small military outpost ahead, abandoned at the moment but it would be considerably more trouble with a Directorate lance embedded in it. It was nestled against a high ridge but otherwise there was little in the way of cover.
"Not a very good place to put base," Vamp observed, "is completely blind to ze ozer side."
"Fox I want you inside the base," Hysteria ordered, "use the buildings for cover. Everyone else up the ridge; we'll have the best view from up there."
"I'm not sure this lumbering turd will make it up to the ridge," Sly quipped.
"Stow it, Assault," Hysteria ordered, "last thing I need is two Mechwarriors out on medical."
"As if!" Sly laughed.
"Commander I got contact!" Glitch interrupted, "Sensor traces on the other side of the ridge! They're about to get the drop on us!"
"Well, that's just great!" She took up position just to the south of the base and turned towards the ridge, "Looks like this will be an uphill battle, people, quite literally!"Honestly the only reason I dared to take another Defend the Base mission was simply because it was the lowest difficulty at 3 1/2! I routinely avoid these missions after the sound ass-kicking I suffered back when Behemoth died and Big Sly was taken out of commission but, for some reason, the game seems to think that I am fine to handle difficulty 4-4 1/2 missions now, despite only being able to field a solid 3 myself. Literally every mission in Restoration space is either at or above my level! This one would be no different: they had a Dragon that mounted the ridge long before I could get there as well as a Panther, a Quickdraw, a Wolverine, and a dreaded LRM Carrier.On a side note you might have noticed in the picture that the name of the company has changed again. Following the drama of Anvelt and the spat between Kamea and Riana I felt a name change was in order: "Another name change, boss?" Yang asked. The rest of the crew were dispersing after she had revealed the change during the hastily called meeting but the Chief remained behind, "Nothing against the new name, I like it, but if we're gonna maintain a reputation we need to pick one and stick with it." "No more changes after this one, Chief," she offered him a soft smile, "at least not until everyone has had enough of me and mutinies." "Not to pry," the Capellan began, one hand over his head and resting on the nape of his neck nervously, "but the war ain't over... are you planning on ditching the Restoration, cause a Merc can make a lot of money in a war..." "Not at all, Yang," she shook her head, "I'm as determined as ever to see Lady Arano on her rightful throne but I'm also thinking of the future, you know, Queen Kamea's Revenge wouldn't make a whole lot of sense after the war."
"Uh, huh," he smirked at her, "and this has nothing to do with a certain ex-pirate and her tragic crush, would it?" "First of all, Chief, fuck you," she extended her middle finger to put an exclamation on the point, "and secondly if the Lady desires justice... let her have it. I still want revenge."
"Fair enough," Yang smiled, "but still, for the record, I like it a lot better!"House Arano As you can see I kept the actual logo, which is a clear derivative of House Arano's logo, and I also retain Kamea's personal red and gold color scheme to my Mechs as well, but I figured that as Riana comes into her own as a veteran mercenary captain the name ought to reflect her a bit more, as well as plan for the post-storyline game as well.
Back to the mission it did not go overly well. With elevation comes better precision and they wailed on me hard. Vamp made it up the ridge and dealt a bit of hand-to-hand damage with his new arm mod but my major concern was that LRM carrier; it was dealing a ton of damage to me. With Sly flanking with the Hunch, Glitch hiding in the base, and Hysteria trying desperately to get to the top of the ridge to use her big, expensive gun I just didn't have a lot of options to stop its assault. Vamp was taking a lot of damage, sandwiched between the lingering Dragon and the Quickdraw. Nearly all the damage I had done to the carrier came from Glitch's missile salvos. I had taken care of the Wolvie and the Panther, and the Quickdraw was hurting, but with both the Hunch and the Jager still below the ridgeline I was having trouble using their AC/20s. So then this happened:
"Vamp, gimmie a sitrep!" Hysteria was almost to the top of the ridge, but she had been trading with the Dragon; trying desperately to keep its attention off of the heavily damaged Centurion. She was missing the left arm of her Mech, her AC/5 lost in the battle, "you okay up there?"
"Busy at the moment, Kommander," he said, his Mech under a hail of short range missiles fired from the Quickdraw, "but vould be much appreciated if you could help."
"Sly, report," Hysteria fired at the enemy Dragon, finally taking off its AC/20.
"Almost there," he said, firing an Alpha Strike into the rear of the Quickdraw, "dammit! Target is still up."
"LRM wagon is pulled up to range," Glitch cut in as she fired yet another salvo at it," how much can this damn thing take??"
Darius came across the Jager's direct channel; "Hysteria, that Cent can't take anymore. He's practically bingo armor and has sustained major critical damage to his internal systems... if he takes another big hit he's done for."
"Vamp, punch out," Hysteria ordered.
"Kommander, if I punch out zey will be able to regroup..."
"That's an order, CC, punch out now," she reiterated.
Inside his cockpit, the ferro-glass cracked and melted in places, Vamp flipped the protective shield over the eject system up but motion outside his Mech caught his eye. The 60-ton Long Range Missile Carrier pulled into view. He hesitated. His HFORS showed it to be heavily damaged but if it got off another full volley... both Hysteria's Jagermech and the Hunchback were already in trouble. An Alpha Strike could finish them off and without his Cent... He seized his control stick and swiveled, charging directly at the LRM Carrier and lifting his foot. "MECHWARRIORS!" he bellowed as he brought down his 50-ton weight in leverage against the top of the vehicle, "RALLY AND FIGHT! VE VILL VIN ZIS DAY AND OUR NAMES VILL BE REMEMBERED!" The LRM Carrier exploded around his leg but the Centurion remained steady. "He vill not be a bother any longer, Kommander!"
Hysteria gasped as the enemy Dragon turned away from the ridge, finally allowing her to ascend the hill. She moved up as fast as she could but as she reached the top she was just in time to witness the Dragon rear back and sweep its left arm through Vamp's Centurion. In a massive explosion his Center and Right Torso was turned to scrap, his LRM launcher and ammo exploding in a massive fireball as his Mech sailed down face first to the desert floor. "LEONARD!!!!" she screamed, seizing her stick and firing her Kali Yama. The Dragon shuddered as its CT finally buckled; the Mech crashing down beside Vamp's Mech, "Actual get the Medbay prepped immediately!! Sumire get your ass over here now!"
"Is the A.O. clear?" came the pilot's response.
"That's a negative, Envoy," Darius cut in, "hold position."
"Belay that!" Riana's voice was frantic, "Vamp's down, Su, get your ass en route right fucking now!"
"Negative, Commander," Sumire's voice was calm and measured, "I can't risk the Leopard. You have to clear the A.O."
"Goddammit!!" she marched her Mech straight at the downed Centurion but swiveled and fired a shot at the Quickdraw, blowing off an arm, "Shit!! Sly!"
"I'm your spaniel," he answered, finally mounting the ridge and firing an Alpha Strike, including flamer, at point blank range into the Quickdraw, ending it, "Tango down, the A.O. is clear. Get your ass over here, the Commander is out of her Mech, I repeat, Hysteria is..." he paused, "hysterical."
"Riana dropped the last twelve feet to the dunes, the electric agony shooting through her right hand didn't even enter her mind as she raced towards the burning wreckage of Vamp's Cent. "LEONARD!!" she screamed as she approached as close as she could to his cored-out Mech, "NO!" she moved around, away from where his center torso should be and worked her way through the smoldering remains of his right torso. The heat was intense but she could see the cockpit from where she was. It appeared to still be intact. Braving the temperatures she forced her way through and pulled at the emergency hatch, breaching the cockpit manually. A blast of hot air and steam escaped, taking her breath away, but when it cleared she saw him hanging from his seat, still held in place by his cage, one hand dripping blood onto the sizzling ferro-glass. "Leonard!" she exclaimed, ducking inside and pulling at the cage's release. The metal was very hot and her hands burned but she paid it no heed, suffering through it until the cage opened and his full weight dangled only from his harness. "Hang on, Vamp," she said, pulling a blade from its sheathe on her right leg and slicing through the straps, "I've got you big guy!" She struggled as his weight slumped into her. She pulled at him, trying to keep his face from hitting the hot glass or metal, as she dragged him away from the burning wreckage of his BattleMech. She pulled and strained as she tugged him clear just as the dust began to roil around them as Sumire put the Leopard down nearby. She slipped and went down on her rear, still cradling Vamp's motionless form as Duncan ran up next to her, "Check his pulse," she panted, "is he alive?"
"Oh!" Sly exclaimed as he reached in and pressed his fingers to Vamp's bloodied, blistered neck, "I've got one!" he exclaimed, "it's weak but he's still with us!"
"Actual," Riana pressed her personal com into her throat, hoping the background roar of the burning Mech wouldn't drown her out, "we're coming in hot. The Mechs can wait," she looked up at Duncan, "help me get him into the Lep then stand by with Glitch just in case there's more."
"Riana, you're hurt," he nodded at her hands, "you're gonna need my help."
"Not once he's loaded!" she snapped, "God! Can you just listen to me?!"
"Okay," he relented, "you're the boss," he hefted Vamp's full weight across his shoulders and headed towards the Leopard with Riana close behind. They moved up the open doors into the bay where Sly laid him down as gently as he could, Riana maneuvering beneath him to cradle his head. Sly began to tear at his dropsuit, using his own blade to cut strips to fashion tourniquets, "I don't know, Riana," he said somberly, "there's a lot of blood. He caught a lot of shrapnel when his CT exploded."
"Su, we're on... go," she said into her comm, shooing Duncan back off the Leopard as the doors began to raise. She stroked his bloodied face and smoothed his hair as the dropship lifted sharply into the air, "hang in there, you stupid cossack," she said, fighting back tears, "don't you leave me."
Of all my Mechwarriors Vamp is perhaps the most disposable. He's the only one not classed a Ronin (unique starting Mechwarriors) or a Kickstarter backer. He was just a regular dude I hired to fill a vacancy that I kept on because I liked his accent yet the thought of losing him actually caused me to consider breaking my vow and reloading the previous save. Fortunately he did survive, but at 82 days out he took the crown of longest and most severe injury. Vamp's noble sacrifice was bound to end in tragedy, it practically had to, but if I had ejected him there was a real chance the LRM Carrier could have taken out a second Mech. With 37 kills Vamp is second only to Riana (45) so he is basically my MVP but in terms of head canon he is also one of Riana's most trusted companions. He is reliability personified.
But on the topic of the Mercenaries of Riana's Revenge I don't think I've ever explicitly laid out who's who. So here we go. First there's our heroine, Riana Klaue:
Then my remaining "Ronin" Medusa and Glitch:
The rest of my crew are all Kickstarter backers; in order of acquisition:
So that rounds out the team... for now. I keep bleeding money trying to find work that won't result in someone's death, but I fear that may be unavoidable in the near future. With so many injured and so many repairs from the last two missions I have resolved to take a little break from the war for a while and I ponied up about 160k just to travel out to Detroit and look for a few milk runs. Maybe I can stem the hemorrhaging of my bank account and even earn enough to buy another heavy Mech to increase my chances of surviving these higher difficulty missions.
Just wanted to acknowledge all of you who are reading, enjoying, or even commenting on these journal entries. Thank you. I really appreciate it. This exercise has definitely increased my enjoyment of BattleTech immensely. I was also a Kickstarter backer so I've been waiting for this game for a long time but, despite lots of tabletop role-playing game experience, I had never played BattleTech or MechWarrior until this game. In writing out my adventures here it has really helped me learn a lot about the universe and immerse into the story and the characters. So if you're taking this journey with me, again, thank you. Until next time;
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Post by endorbr on Jul 2, 2018 16:57:46 GMT
I missed reading these while you were on vacation.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 2, 2018 18:47:42 GMT
I missed reading these while you were on vacation. Ha! Really? I figured I was getting a bunch of courtesy likes. ;p
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 3, 2018 14:39:01 GMT
You know all those Kickstarter backers I've hired? Look how much those guys PAID to get in the game:
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Post by endorbr on Jul 3, 2018 14:47:34 GMT
You know all those Kickstarter backers I've hired? Look how much those guys PAID to get in the game: Some people just have money to throw away on stupid stuff. Yeesh.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 9, 2018 14:58:05 GMT
"If I'm being honest," Doctor Foster looked over his glasses, his gray eyes piercing into Riana's, "it doesn't look good. By every metric he should be dead; multiple burns, contusions, multiple shrapnel injuries to the soft tissues including an open calcaneal fracture with a posteromedial stellate wound, numerous compound fractures, complete subluxation of all tarsometatarsal joints... it will be a miracle if he walks again, let alone pilots a BattleMech."
"C'mon, doc," Riana proffered a false smile, "didn't I have it worse?"
"Not as bad as this," Doctor Foster shook his head, "there is evidence of second and even third degree burns inside his lungs. I've never had to graft lung tissue before. In my professional opinion he needs to be transported to a trauma center somewhere inside of Federated Suns space. Injuries of this magnitude ought to be treated by a team of specialists, not a lone doctor and a team of MedTechs and nurses on a mercenary vessel in the middle of a war!"
"Doc, that would cost millions," Riana looked past the doctor at Vamp's unmoving form on the table, "and months of travel. He'll be dead by then."
"He may be dead now," Foster countered, "technically speaking. I can not guarantee any recovery at this point. He will require multiple surgeries, cloned tissue grafts... if he weren't already in a coma I would medically induce one. The damage is just so great, Commander Klaue, I need you to understand that he could go at literally any moment."
"Well, the Argo's facilities will certainly help," her eyes were filled with concern, "won't they?"
Foster removed his glasses and reached out to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "There's a lot here, technologically, that we're still figuring out, in all honesty I could use a bigger staff, but we're going to do everything we can. I just want to make sure you realize that any, any recovery at this point will be a blessing."
"I believe in you, doc," Riana looked past him at Vamp once more, "you've saved my ass several times. Just... do what you can, okay? Leonard is a good friend and a great Mechwarrior," her eyes moistened as she spoke, "he sacrificed himself to save us; he knew he couldn't take another hit but he risked it anyway."
"I promise you I will do everything in my power, okay?" he leaned in to get her attention back, "but right now you can't do any good around here. I will update you as soon as anything changes."
"How long..." she caught herself, "if he were to recover, fully I hope... how long do you think it would take?"
Doctor Foster sighed. "I can't say, Riana. Really the only reason he lives at all is because he's one tough son of a bitch; all of you Mechwarriors are." She looked at him pleadingly until his expression deflated, "Best case scenario, including all the advanced tech we have at our disposal and the best possible patient response? Four months. Minimum. If it were up to me I'd keep him in here a year or two at least."
"Okay," she nodded slowly, "okay."
"Now get out of here. Let him rest and let me and my team come up with a treatment plan," he physically turned her around and hurried her towards the door, "do something constructive. Find us a new contract and get your mind out of MedBay."
: Kru's eyes snapped open and he scanned the room. He couldn't see anything but he felt sure he heard something. 'Probably just someone going to the toilet,' he thought, letting his eyes slowly close again. They were in transit to rendezvous with a jump ship that would take them to Weldry on a multi-jump, month-long voyage back to Detroit. He didn't agree with it, but Riana had been adamant that the company needed a break and some milk runs, so they were leaving the front to go look for what the Solaran considered throwaway work. His thoughts lingered on the Commander; he'd never seen her so upset as he had the last few days. 'Really since Anvelt,' he thought, but her visceral reaction to Vamp's injuries struck him as odd. 'He wouldn't be the first Mechwarrior lost, that's for sure,' he reasoned. Everyone knew the story of how Dekker and Behemoth died, for that matter everyone knew that just being a Mech pilot was deadly work and that every drop could be your last. 'Are they banging?' he wondered. He was pretty close to Leo, as he called him. 'Surely he woulda said something,' he thought, 'there no way he coulda kept quiet about that!' His mind wandered as he involuntarily pictured the two of them together and he tossed and turned in his bunk, trying to banish the thought. He'd been with the company for about seven months so far and he thought he had everyone pretty well pegged; Medusa had that little side piece MechTech, he was almost certain Jester was tapping one of the janitorial staff, Glitch was a free spirit but covered her tracks so well he couldn't say anything for sure, Sly... well Sly was working hard on Sumire but she hadn't shown any interest. But Leo? As far as he knew Leo wasn't skeeving on anybody. He was friendly with everyone, spent a lot of time around both Riana and Jessica, but even to Kru's detective sensibilities he'd never made a move on either of them, nor vice versa. "Ah, great," he groaned, opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling, "now I can't fucking sleep for wondering who's fucking!"
"Keep your porno dreams to yourself!" Glitch's voice came from below as she kicked the bunk above her with her foot.
"You just wish youse was in 'em!" he countered, but Jess just rolled over and didn't respond. "Bah," he mumbled as he got up and climbed out of his bunk.
"Where are you going?" Glitch asked half-asleep, her eyes still closed; then one opened mischievously, "Gonna go rub one out?"
"You wanna help??" he snapped sarcastically, "Here I am trying to get my mind offa stuff like that... Ima go walk the parapet for awhile, try to get sleepy again."
"Walk the parapet," Glitch giggled, "that's a funny name for it."
"Ahhh," he turned and threw his hands up at her, "shaddup, youse." He turned and walked away from the housing unit and exited Alpha Pod. He didn't have a destination in mind, 'Maybe I'll just sit in the Observation Deck for awhile.' He was walking by the MechBay when a glint caught his eye. He paused and looked inside. The cargo bay was empty; with such a long trip ahead of them Yang refused to run around-the-clock shifts, so nobody should be inside but the former detective could see someone sitting on the walkway, their back to the door. He started to turn and leave, after all it wasn't any of his business, when he caught the glint again; the bay lights playing off of a glass bottle. "I bet I know who that is," he grumbled as he quietly slipped into the bay.
"Hoooomeee, is the Regiment, across the sea of staaaars..." Riana sang as she sat on the catwalk, her legs dangling out over the edge and her left arm resting on the lower part of the handrail, "They cannot take our home from us, our home is where we are!"
"With brothers under arms we share," Kru lent his gravely voice as he reached the top of the stairs, causing her head to snap around in surprise, "a bond that draws us where?"
"Hoooomeee, is the Regiment, across the sea of staaaars!" they sang in unison as he drew near and placed his arms akimbo, staring down at her, "Heh," she snorted, her eyes drooped as she hoisted the bottle in salute, "you don't sing half bad... how'dju know this song?"
"What fuckin' merc don't know Home is the Regiment?" he laughed, grabbing the outstretched bottle and examining the label, "Rockwellawan Rye? Commander, you been holding out on us?"
"Yep," Riana slurred, folding her arms and resting them on the rail in front of her, "have a drink, Kru. Then have a seat... or fuck off, whichever."
"Such a generous invitation," he grinned, "how could I refuse?" He sat down next to her and let his legs hang out in the open air, tilting the bottle back and wincing as the whiskey burned a path down his throat. "This is the real stuff, all right," he examined the bottle, now three quarters empty, "you drink all of this?"
"It's my whiskey, Todd," she snatched the bottle back out of his hand, "so yes... but not all of it tonight," she took another swig and promptly belched, "I haven't been here that long."
"So what's eatin' ya?" he asked, "sitting in here all alone..."
"Never needed much of a reason to drink alone," she took another slug before passing the bottle back to him, "but this isn't the first time I've been up here. I like it, you know? Something about just sitting here with the Mechs... but only when the techs are gone. It's peaceful."
"Yeah, it is," he took another swig, "so I guess it was youse who got up; I knew I felt someone move past."
"Been driving a heavy too long," she smirked, retrieving the bottle, "my stealth is slipping."
"Bah, I could hear a cat walk past," he bragged, "I was Solaris PD; Special Forces. Tracking down mooks what wanna sneak was my specialty."
"I'm a mook, am I?" she pulled the bottle away from his waiting grasp and held it teasingly far from him, "I'm a mook with some whiskey!" She took another draught out of turn before grinning and finally returning the bottle to him.
"Eh, gimmie that!" he said, victorious at last, "If youse don't slow it down I'll have to carry you back to your bunk!"
"Promises, promises!" she said with half-lidded eyes and a mock sultry tone, "Are you always so smooth with the ladies or maybe just with the drunk ones?"
"If you're making a pass at me then maybe I need a little more to drink!" Now it was his opportunity to drink out of turn, holding back her flailing assault with his right hand as he guzzled the bottle in his left.
"It's not like were near Rockwellawan to stop by and get more!" she protested as he finally relinquished the bottle.
"No," he conceded, "but that's where we're headed, right?" he turned serious as he gazed out at the empty bay, "So what's the deal? Isn't Detroit a little beneath us at this point? What about Artru and this Castle Nautilus? Shouldn't we be heading to that before anyone in the Directorate stumbles onto it?"
Immediately Riana's playful mood died. She stared straight ahead and let the bottle in her right hand dangle loosely over the edge. True to his vow Lord Karosas had provided a way to decrypt the LosTech drive that Dr. Murad had stumbled onto; an ancient Star League Defense Force decryption device. It had been discovered by Lord Tamati and given to Karosas for safekeeping. Now returned to the rightful heir it revealed the stunning contents of the drive: a map of the Periphery from the SLDF days, detailing military installations, fortifications, no-fly zones, the whole nine yards. Of greatest interest was the presence of a hitherto unknown Outpost Castle constructed in the Reach by the Star League: Castle Nautilus, on Artru. Hidden for centuries from prying eyes, the find was something Lord Madeira believed could help balance out the disparity in firepower between the Restoration and the Directorate. Sumire was against it; superstitious that any LosTech would bring misfortune, but the reality of Star League-era BattleMechs was too tempting. Riana, in a moment of boldness in the presence of Lady Arano, had readily agreed to the treasure hunt... on Artru.
"Whatsamatter?" Kru noticed her sudden discomfort. "Is this cause of Vamp? Don't worry about Leo, he's a tough guy. He'll pull through this, I know..."
"It's not Vamp," Riana's voice was quiet; subdued, "well, it's not all Vamp. I'm worried about him, sure, and I do wanna take a break from the war until he's better, but that's not my only reason to delay the trip to Castle Nautilus."
"What is it then?" he asked. She hesitated to answer but Kru was patient; a skill acquired during his career.
"Artru is where my father lives," she looked down, "where both my parents live."
"Your parents live on Artru?" Kru asked, confused, "Isn't that whole world nothing more than a frozen mine? Hostile to life?"
"My father owns an estate on one of the orbital habs," she clarified, "he won it in a card game and we moved there when I was a kid."
"Izzat a bad thing?" Kru's confusion continued, "I mean it sounds like a chance to get some shore leave; an estate?"
"I was banished, Kru," she said, taking another drink, "so I stole our ancestral Mech and turned pirate."
"I can not pretend to be surprised," he deadpanned.
"Don't be a dick," she cut her eyes at him, finally passing the bottle, "it's been over a decade since I've been home. Knowing my father he still owns it; there's no way he wouldn't bow and scrape to the Directorate to keep his lands. There's probably a bounty on head there."
"Ah, no shore leave then," he turned the bottle up, "well if he's on a hab there's no reason we would ever run into 'im, right? This Outpost Castle is on the surface. Say, isn't Darius from Artru as well?"
"Yeah, I think," she shrugged, accepting the whiskey once again, "to be honest nobody knows about my past 'cept you and Yang. I've never told anybody else."
"I'm playing second fiddle to Yang?" he mocked indignation, pressing his palm to his heart, "And here I thought we made a connection."
"Anyway," she pursed her lips before pressing the bottle to them again, "this break is as much for me as it is for Leonard and the rest of you; Artru isn't a place I'd ever planned to return to."
"Oh, honey," he said as he called for another drink, "I wouldn't worry about it; your dad'll probably never even know we're there. We can't risk the Directorate finding out out about us in their space so Su's gonna play it real cool, y'know? Stealth mode."
"I'll know," she countered morosely, "it's not really him that I'm worried about, shit at this point I would even return the Blackjack if I had the chance, it's more that... well that's a past life. I left it behind. Going back there is gonna dredge up some old ghosts."
"We'll be there together," he put an arm around her, "all of us. You'll see. Me, you, Leo... we got this. The only ghosts at Artru is gonna be us: we'll slip in, hit the castle, and make off with some sweet, sweet Mechs before those goons even know we're there."
"Heh," she smiled, snuggling up closer to him, "you are smooth..." she said under her breath.
"What'd you say?" he looked down at her, preparing to chide her for mumbling when she lifted her head and kissed him. The attack was sudden and he was caught completely by surprise as her warm lips connected with his. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth; in shock his eyes widened and he pulled away, putting a small amount of space between them. "Riana!" he exclaimed.
"Looks like this mook managed to sneak one by you after all, Special Forces..." she purred, moving towards him by pulling her legs up and approaching him on all fours.
"Hang on a minute," he protested, setting the bottle down and holding up both hands, "if this is gonna happen I gotta know it isn't just the whiskey talking."
"Who cares if it is?" she pulled up on her haunches next to him, her hands reaching past his defenses.
"I care!" he caught her hands and pulled them away, "This is the kinda complication that ruins business; all around! If I sleep with the boss do you realize how everybody else is gonna look at me?"
"What about how I am looking at you right now?" she said, batting her bedroom eyes.
"You're drunk," he said with finality.
"Yes I am," she shot back, frustrated at his resistance, "but I am still trying to get laid, Todd!"
"I can't do this," he shook his head, "it's like taking advantage of youse. You're gonna regret it..."
"You're gonna regret it!" her right hand shot out and grabbed him by the collar, "Todd Ryia I am a grown woman and the only person here taking advantage is me. All I am trying to do is lose myself in a little pleasure for a little while to take my mind off the fact that one of my best friends may never walk again, let alone pilot a Mech, and our next big mission will see us return to motherfucking Artru! Now you've been a solid friend these last seven months and I'm not gonna lie; I like you. You're strong, you're confident, you're handsome, and your fucking scars turn me on but if you think, for even just one minute, that this is the doorway to a serious relationship then you're drunker than I am! I value discretion in this just as much as you do and all I want right now is sex. So you need to ask yourself, Special Forces: are you up for this mission or was your plan just to drink my whiskey and toddle off to bed??"
For a moment Kru just stared at her, slack-jawed-wheels spinning, then slowly he closed his mouth and his shocked eyes solidified into the confidence she was looking for. She couldn't hide the grin as he surged forwards into her, their writhing forms melding onto the catwalk in the darkened, empty MechBay.
:
Glitch clutched at her throat and made a choking sound. As the rest of the crew watched angry red welts appeared on her face. "Jess??" Riana exclaimed, moving to her side, "Jess, are you okay?"
Her struggle for breath was her only response as she spit out the remainder of the colorful fruit. "My throat," she rasped, clawing at her neck with her fingers, "I can't breathe!"
"Get the MedTechs!" Riana ordered angrily, but Jester was frozen in place. All around him the crew scrambled but he was rooted to one spot, staring in horror at what was unfolding. "She's going into anaphylactic shock," Riana said as she used her forearm to clear the table, easing Glitch up and onto the table and turning her onto her left side to help keep her airway open, "get some epinephrine! Where the fuck are those MedTechs??" A few tense minutes later the techs arrived and administered the shot. Within a few seconds Glitch's airway opened again and she gulped in mouthfuls of air. All around the cafeteria the crew pushed their trays away, the undulating, multi-colored fruits on them remaining untouched.
: "How was I supposed to know?" Jester protested, "the guy at the market said they were a delicacy! He didn't say anything about how to prepare them!" he changed tack and pointed a finger at Riana and Darius accusingly, "You were the one who gave the go ahead to pass them out to the crew!"
"This isn't really about the fruit incident, Jeremiah," Riana sighed, "that was an accident and Glitch is recovering. This is more about you." "What about me?" he asked, defensively.
"Lately it's like you're jinxed," she began, "the mission on Kimi..."
"Was not my fault!" he protested, "I did my part! I got the scientists and the tech out in one piece!"
"You also gave away our position prematurely," Riana growled, "which has become habit as of late!"
"The resulting destruction and repairs ate heavily into our pay," Darius glanced down at the datapad in his hand, "we went into the red on that mission; like we paid to be there."
"Not to mention Sly and Vamp's injuries," Riana glowered at him, "this was Leonard's first mission back. It was supposed to be a milk run..."
"You can't blame me for that," Jester stood his ground, "missions go sideways all the time!"
"Missions do," she nodded in agreement, "so they damn well don't need the help of an overzealous Jenner pilot running ahead and alerting three full lances to our presence!" Her voice raised in anger, she stood up and met his defiant gaze, "we were lucky to get out without any casualties!"
"Still not my fault!" he yelled back at her.
"Well what about dereliction of duty?" she sneered at him, "you've turned down two missions since the fruit incident..."
"From the sound of it that's no skin off your nose!" he shot back.
"Actually not at all!" she confirmed, "Medusa did fantastically in the Jenner; he's gotten good enough that he can lock a sensor trace and then move out of the way! That tactic alone saves us money! I'm starting to wonder what we pay you for?"
"Well it's certainly not enough to stand here and listen to this shit!" his face reddened, "Look, my father ran his own mercenary company and that's what I'm gonna do some day! Looks like maybe that day is now!"
"We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors," Darius said smoothly, "I'll have Ms. Meyer drop you at the local Hiring Hall."
:
"You didn't have to fire him," Glitch lowered her head in guilt.
"It wasn't because of the fruit," Riana reiterated.
"Mr. Bloodstone came to a mutual agreement with Riana's Revenge," Darius interjected, leaning against the holotable, "it was time for him to pursue other interests."
"I get it," Kru offered, "we're all mercenaries... professionals. Even I plan to move on someday."
"I don't like it," Vamp shook his head, "Jester vas like family. Vat could be so bad to make him go? Vat about ze Jenner?"
"I'll pilot the Jenner from now on," Medusa answered, "I was always better at it anyway."
"I kinda liked the little guy," Sly shrugged, "but I gotta admit: Kimi was a rookie mistake."
"A rookie mistake that cost us almost six hundred grand in repairs," Darius added, "not to mention injuries."
"That's bullshit and you know it!" Yang said angrily, his arms folded, "Fucking shit happens! It's impossible to lay the blame for one bad mission at any single mechwarrior's feet!"
"Yang, it's like he was jinxed," Sumire withered under his glare as he turned to face her, "I mean the guy..."
"Had a string of bad luck??" Yang finished her sentence, "And we fired him for that??"
"Yang, we didn't fire him," Riana stepped into the center of the room, "at least we didn't get the chance to. We called him in to talk about his shortcomings and, yeah it got a little heated. By the end of the conversation it was his decision to part ways."
"His shortcomings... hehe," Sly snicked to himself.
"You think this is funny??" Yang screamed at him, pointing with his cybernetic arm.
"Chief, that's enough!" Darius pushed off of the holotable, "Employment is at the discretion of the Commander and First Officer! Jester was becoming a drain on company finances and Riana and I discussed it and came to the conclusion that Mr. Bloodstone needed to either shape up or ship out! He appears to have preferred the latter. That is the end of the discussion!"
"Like hell it is!" Yang, too, stood up, "Jester bled with us! He deserved better than to be cast out over a few mistakes and a case of food allergies!"
"Look," Kru began, the timber of his voice calling attention from everyone except the XO and the Chief; still staring each other down, "I'm afraid we have a more pressing problem," he walked over to the center of the CIC and stepped in between Oliveira and Virtanen, "while I, too, liked Jeremiah there's an angle to this youse guys may not have considered."
"Yeah?" Yang was still snarling, "What's that?"
"There exists a possibility that we all just got played," he let that thought hang for a moment before he continued, "think about it; Jester's big goal is to captain his own merc company, right? That's his dream."
"Yeah, so?" Yang snarled.
"Ve all have dreams, right?" Vamp added.
"Yeah, sure," Kru shrugged, turning and gazing around the room, "but starting your own company is crazy expensive. He couldn't have made enough working with us to buy more than maybe one medium-class Mech. That's great for a freelancer looking to join a merc company, but if he's gonna start one he's gonna need more mechs... now I wonder where he might find some of those? Hmm..."
Riana looked over at Darius. In unison they both exclaimed: "Fuck!"
"What?" Glitch asked, genuinely confused.
"Ze outpost castle," Vamp's expression changed to one of shock, "he vouldn't..."
"Oh, he would," Kru nodded, "even if he just planned to sell the location of the castle and just use the money to buy mechs, what do you think a Star League-era Outpost Castle just brimming with tech is worth? What would it be worth to the Directorate?"
"That motherfucker..." Riana's face contorted in rage as she looked over at Darius, "so that's why he had the defenses turned up to eleven!"
"We've got to get to Artru," Darius looked over at Sumire who seemed to pale as he spoke, "we need to set course now."
"Surely he wouldn't do this," Yang's anger deflated as he considered the possibility, "he was like a part of our family."
"People will do all sorts of nasty things for money," Kru shrugged, "especially if it leads to realizing their dreams of power."
"And that goes double for short-man syndrome," despite his comment Sly appeared dead serious, "I don't think we can take the chance."
"I know the Arano Restoration can't take that chance," Lord Madeira said as he walked into the CIC, "my sincerest apologies for eavesdropping, I know this was an internal matter, but I was coming to see if you were finished when I overheard; we can not take this risk. All allusions to the character of Jeremiah Bloodstone aside I must insist we set our course now." He turned to regard Riana directly. "High Lady Arano has indulged your need for recuperation with exceeding patience but you agreed to the mission to take Castle Nautilus. Now that one of your crew has departed with the knowledge of the location of the castle this must be our priority."
"I am inclined to agree. Contact Lady Arano and inform her we will be en route," Riana turned to Sumire, who was practically cringing, "set our course for Artru."
"Commander," she started, clearly uncomfortable, "I would just like to reiterate my stark opposition to any plan involving meddling with LosTech."
"Noted," Riana replied gruffly, "contact a jumpship and set course. You have your orders."
"了解," she sighed, turning to leave the CIC.
"Any other questions concerning Jester?" Riana looked around the room, "Good. This matter is closed. It's gonna be a long trip," she turned to Yang, who looked positively miserable, "have your crew prep for inspection tomorrow. I want to go over possible refits before we arrive."
"You got it, boss," he said somberly as he headed out of the room.
"Mechwarriors," she glanced around at Kru, Sly, Glitch, and Medusa, "I want you all to put in at least thirty hours on the simulators on the way there. I do not want to be caught lacking; Artru is deep inside Directorate space on a hostile, polar world. Vamp, Glitch; you two first, I want you to get started. Medusa, Kru; you two catch some R&R while you have the chance."
"Shouldn't we train as a full Lance?" Glitch raised her hand.
"Later," Riana said dismissively, "chances are conditions will be low visibility. I'd rather prepare for the possibility of separation."
"You got it," she slapped Vamp playfully on the shoulder, near a large new scar, "c'mon big guy. Let's get to it!"
"I'm gonna call down to the Hiring Hall," Darius said as he walked past her, "see if Jester has registered. If he's there we may have gotten lucky but if he's really planning something we may need to talk to Dr. Murad about squeezing a little more out of the Argo's power conduits or possibly upgrading the drive system."
"Do it," she nodded as he exited the room. She watched as Medusa slipped out of the room quietly, 'probably headed for the MechBay,' she grinned, 'got to see his lady friend before Yang pulls everyone for inspection.'
"So, uh," Kru walked up next to her, one hand running through his hair as he spoke, "I might have laid in on a little thick about Jester," he admitted, "it's just things was turning kinda ugly and I wanted to help youse out."
"No, that's okay," she said, a lop-sided grin pulling at her lip, "why don't you head down to the gym in Beta Pod. I'm planning a surprise inspection of the showers there and I might need your... assistance."
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Post by endorbr on Jul 9, 2018 17:08:29 GMT
No shooting but a lot of action this time.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 9, 2018 17:46:55 GMT
No shooting but a lot of action this time. Oh there was shooting....
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 9, 2018 18:27:19 GMT
No shooting but a lot of action this time. Fun part is whereas the medical part and the sex are complete fiction the fruit situation, the Jinxed tag it applied, and Jester's firing all happened in game.
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Post by endorbr on Jul 9, 2018 18:41:37 GMT
No shooting but a lot of action this time. Fun part is whereas the medical part and the sex are complete fiction the fruit situation, the Jinxed tag it applied, and Jester's firing all happened in game. That's so odd ball. It's a game about fighting giant mech suits and they throw in a plot thread about a guy slacking off on the job and almost poisoning the crew with bad fruit. I assume so they can make the suspicions about him going turncoat for his own interests the next part of the story. Essentially taking one of the team and turning them into the enemy.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 9, 2018 18:54:32 GMT
Fun part is whereas the medical part and the sex are complete fiction the fruit situation, the Jinxed tag it applied, and Jester's firing all happened in game. That's so odd ball. It's a game about fighting giant mech suits and they throw in a plot thread about a guy slacking off on the job and almost poisoning the crew with bad fruit. I assume so they can make the suspicions about him going turncoat for his own interests the next part of the story. Essentially taking one of the team and turning them into the enemy. Well the scenario unfolded like he bought a bunch of their weird fruit and it was my call to say no (and possibly hurt morale) or say yes (and cause the scenario depicted) or, if the random dude in question had a certain background tag (Periphery, which he didn't) there would have been another, probably better outcome. There are a lot of these little events and, sadly, most are repeats of the same two or three. (I wrote about one: the holovid night) so I was excited for this one... til it leveled that Jinxed tag. It read: Nothing goes right for this pilot) Considering this is a game of dice rolls I figured it best to cut my losses and I fired Jester. Also fun fact: that song snippet? It exists in the lore. Came from a book. (I didn't write that crap)
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 10, 2018 2:31:09 GMT
Fun part is whereas the medical part and the sex are complete fiction the fruit situation, the Jinxed tag it applied, and Jester's firing all happened in game. . I assume so they can make the suspicions about him going turncoat for his own interests the next part of the story. Essentially taking one of the team and turning them into the enemy. Oh just In case you’re wondering the supposition that Jester is a turncoat? That’s all mine. My plot device. Not in the game. Worked nicely though.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Jul 30, 2018 19:04:10 GMT
ARTRU ENTERING ORBIT - DEEP IN DIRECTORATE SPACE The last two weeks had been tense for Hysteria. They had rendezvoused with the ARS Revanche and the ARS Delfinas, along with five supply ships provided by Lord Karosas, above Smithon. While the Delfinas and its fleet would accompany them High Lady Arano transferred aboard the Argo directly, intending to join them for the mission to take Castle Nautilus. It was not that long ago that such an arrangement would have thrilled and excited Riana beyond measure, to be so close to Kamea for so long, but in the wake of their dispute over Victoria Espinosa and complicated by her failed attempt at kissing her coupled with the secret tryst with Death Krusade she had instead felt nothing but stress.
And Yang had noticed.
“There’s nothing to tell,” she insisted, working her way around the MechTech, “I’m not avoiding anybody.”
“You literally just avoided me,” he turned to follow her, “literally and figuratively if you count the fact that you won’t talk to me.”
“You don’t count!” she snapped.
“Wow,” his voice flattened, “thanks for that.”
“That’s not what I meant!” she countered, turning around to look at him, “I mean I am not avoiding Lady Arano! That’s who we’re talking about!”
“You have barely spoken a word to her since she came aboard,” Yang reminded her, “and you always seem to find a reason to leave when she enters a room. That is very out of character for you.”
“I am on my way to talk with her right now!” Riana protested, “What do you call that?”
“Briefing?” Yang answered sardonically, “We’re already here, at Artru!”
“Has it occurred to you that I was banished from Artru, Yang?” she narrowed her eyes at him, “Honestly I can’t think of a place in the ‘verse I’d rather not be than right here.”
“Is that how you’re going to play this?” he asked, lifting one eyebrow, “Daddy issues?”
“Fuck you, Yang,” she pushed her middle finger close to his face, “You have no idea what this is like for me.”
“Riana,” he gently pushed her hand to the side, “come on… it’s me. It’s not like I tell anybody about the stuff you say. You’ve got me worried is all. Ever since Weldry your heart has practically pounded out of your chest in Kamea Arano’s presence; now you’ve been on the same ship with her for two weeks and you won’t so much as give her the time of day. What gives?”
Hysteria sighed, a pensive look crossing her features as she pursed her lips in frustration. “It’s complicated, Yang.”
“Fixing Mechs is complicated, Riana,” Yang folded his arms, “talking is rather simple.”
“Can this shit wait?” she asked, spreading her arms wide, “Can you maybe put a pin in this curiosity? We are about to go down to the surface of a frozen hellhole and try to break in to a Star League-era Outpost Castle and I would kind of like to not be an emotional mess, okay?”
“You already are an emotional mess, Hysteria,” Yang countered, “I’m trying to untangle that mess.”
“No,” she shot back, “you are fishing for secrets, Yang Virtanen!” She shook her finger in his face and fixed him with an angry stare. “Do you realize you may have invented a lot of this drama in your head? I never actually admitted to this crush you assume!”
“Oh,” he snorted, arms still folded, “it’s like that, is it?” he deflected her gaze with a knowing smirk, “alright then; who is it?”
“What?” she asked, genuinely confused, “Who?”
“Who’d you replace her with?” Yang let a bemused smile creep across his face, “This is classic rebound; your crush didn’t work out so you’ve picked the low-hanging fruit. Are you going to tell me who it is or do I have to figure that out on my own?”
“I…” Riana began, subconsciously blushing as she looked around, finally snatching up a nearby wrench, “I am gonna shove this so far up your ass...” Yang began to chuckle, his face split by a smile, “sideways, motherfucker!” she jiggled the comically large wrench as Yang bent over, laughter spilling out so freely that she couldn’t help but join in, “It’s not gonna be funny, Chief, when you have to fart to unscrew shit!” Now they were both fully laughing, Yang reaching up to put a hand on her shoulder to steady himself. “Yang,” she began after they caught their breath, “are we done with this for now?”
“Yeah, we’re done,” he straightened up, wiping at his eyes, “for now. But I’ve got my eye on you.”
“Honey, all eyes are on me,” she mocked a sexy pose, now let’s get this treasure hunt underway, shall we?” She turned and confidently led the way towards the CIC but her mind was racing; Yang now knew something was up. He’d be snooping and watching her like a hawk. ‘I’m gonna have to distance myself from Todd,’ she thought. The idea wasn’t terribly disappointing, she realized, in fact she’d grown somewhat weary of all the sneaking around. She was more concerned that he might have grown attached and that a purposeful insertion of space between them might lead to hurt feelings. When they arrived the CIC was practically full. Darius, Lord Madeira, Sumire, and Dr. Murad were all in their usual places but also crowded into the room were Medusa, Glitch, Big Sly, Vamp, and Death Krusade. The latter smiled at her as she entered but Riana failed to notice; her attention was drawn to the figure of Kamea Arano, standing proud and straight in the center of the room near the holotable. Their eyes met briefly and Riana thought, just for a moment, that she saw pain in them but if it was there is melted away quickly.
“Good, we can begin,” she intoned, her voice all business as Yang slid over to his usual spot. She let her gaze fall to her right as Lord Madeira brought up an image of the frozen world they were now orbiting. “There it is; Artru,” she let it sink in for a moment: they were deep in Directorate territory, alone and vulnerable on a desperate mission to raid a Star League-era castle, “a more foreboding hunk of ice I’ve never seen.” Riana detected a mix of disdain and fear in her voice and immediately felt a sense of shame. She had grown up with the frozen landscape of Artru below her and, when she felt temerarious, would wind her way down into the bowels of the hab with a telescope and try to spot mining vehicles and structures on the surface, always imagining that she could make out actual people there. For her, a child, Artru seemed like the ultimate adventure. She had often imagined what it would be like to be on the surface, exploring. She had heard of how inhospitable the planet was but, from fifteen-hundred miles above it, it looked rather peaceful. Soon she would finally be on Artru’s surface, a childhood fantasy, but to hear the disgust in Kamea’s voice made her feel both embarrassment and a little angry. “You were born in this system, were you not,” Riana’s eyes widened and her head snapped up but then Lady Arano added, “Mr. Olveira?”
“Yes, Lady Arano,” Darius answered as Riana tried to cover her shocked reaction with a yawn, “I grew up on Nassau Heights, one of the orbital hab stations above the planet’s surface.”
‘Nassau Heights,’ she thought, nodding to herself imperceptibly, it was one of the larger commercial stations; a major import/export hub with corporate executive residences at the top and a stratified hierarchy existing underneath. She had spoken with Darius before and knew his family lived on Deck 28, just two levels from the bottom. Escaping the life of a deckhand is what drove him to become a MechWarrior. ‘Compared to Nassau Heights,’ she mused, ‘my father’s little plantation is a speck.’
“Nobody makes landfall except for the surface mining teams,” Darius added, “and they only stay for month-long shifts. It’s too dangerous for permanent habitation.”
“Vhat is so dangerous about it?” Vamp asked. He was still in a full leg brace but otherwise had responded to Dr. Foster’s treatment excellently with a prognosis that would see him fit to return to duty in the near future.
“Mostly it’s the temperature,” Darius offered, “average surface conditions barely creep above two hundred kelvin,” he paused when he noticed Kru’s confused stare, “that’s about a hundred degrees below.”
“Below… zero?” Kru asked.
“Temperatures like that, a human can survive for about three to five minutes,” Sumire said.
“Three to five?” Glitch’s voice piqued with curiosity and concern.
“It depends on how long you can hold your breath,” the pilot explained, “breathing at temps like that can do serious lung damage. The thin tissue in your lungs will freeze solid with every breath. Pretty soon the action of breathing itself will cause the frozen tissue to crack and leave fatal tears… even if you warm right back up you’ll have collapsed lungs that won’t be able to hold air.”
“That’s not even considering the wind,” Darius interjected, “gusts on the surface can drop that another fifty degrees in a matter of seconds.”
“I remember an old folk story that originated with those mining teams…” Lady Arano touched her chin with her left hand, “my father shared it with me when I was young. ‘The Locura’ I think it was called.” Darius rolled his eyes. “If memory serves it was about an ill wind that would howl through the canyons, killing engines and scrambling computers. The stuff of nightmares on such an inhospitable world.”
“Yes, Lady Arano, it’s a gremlin story…something the miners can blame when they pass out drunk with the headlights running;” Darius said sardonically, “The Locura killed my engine, I barely got out alive!” He snorted derisively, “Not our proudest achievement, as a culture, but apparently it gets around.”
“Any real threats down there?” Kru asked.
“Not unless you get out of your BattleMech,” Darius answered, “I wouldn’t recommend that, by the way, for all the reasons Sumire illustrated.”
“How likely are we to run into those surface miners you mentioned?” Sly raised his hand, “Wouldn’t do to have a bunch of civvies piling into the castle behind us.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t,” Darius assured him, “not where you’ll be dropping. Surface teams tend to cluster around the rocky outcrops that ring the planet’s equator. That’s where you find all the really good stuff; the platinum, the ruthenium, the rarer exotics. You’ll be well clear of the mining zones.”
“Not a great vacation spot, got it.” Riana spoke for the first time, her arms folded and frustration evident in her tone, “Let’s continue on.”
“Well,” Darius hesitated, taken aback by her abrupt mood, “as you know House Karosas has provided us with five supply ships to carry whatever we find on the surface. Captain Grigas of the ARS Delfinas will serve as our point of contact for the fleet.” He motioned to Farah standing behind him, “After Dr. Murad finishes interfacing with the Castle’s computer she’ll pop the doors and we’ll run a threat assessment. Then, if everything looks clear, we’ll have Sumire set you down on the ground.”
“Hey guys,” Sumire was looking at her datapad, “I hate to interrupt but I’ve got a sensor blip on my screen. It’s a dropship, can’t make out what kind.” The room grew appropriately quiet as all eyes turned to the pilot. “She’s heading for the planet’s surface. Looks like her point of origin was Artru’s second moon.”
“Miners?” Medusa asked.
“That’s… strange,” Darius stood up, a look of intensity in his eyes, “Artru’s moons are uninhabited.”
“Sure ‘bout that?” Glitch asked, “I mean a lot can change in the time you been away.”
“And we’re looking at some pretty compelling evidence that someone was on that moon!” Sly added.
“Is that a Directorate ship?” Darius asked, moving over to stand next to Sumire and catch a glance at her datapad.
“Still too far out to say,” she pointed at the pad, allowing him to look, “at their current rate of speed it’ll be at least an hour before I can give you a positive I.D.”
“We can’t wait for a threat assessment,” Riana unfolded her arms and placed them on her hips, “If we’re going to do this then now’s the time.”
“You’re right,” Lady Arano nodded, “the last thing we need is a Directorate patrol dropping on top of us while we’re loading the armory.” She looked around at the others, “If we act quickly we stand a chance of getting in and out clean. We don’t have time to play this safe so we’re dropping now. I want our Mechs on the ground when the doors open. I’ll inform Captain Grigas of the change.”
“Our Mechs?” Lord Madeira stammered, “You can’t go down there in person, Kamea… and certainly not before we know it’s safe!” He shuffled around to her left, a look of grave concern in his eyes, “You’re the leader of the Restoration! We can’t afford to lose you on a salvage operation!”
“It’s her call, Lord Madeira,” Riana growled, “Not yours.”
“Thank you, Hysteria,” she proffered a genuine smile at Riana, full of warmth, “and this isn’t just about salvage, Alexander… you know that! My father spent the last half of his life dreaming of the Argo and her secrets. This is one of those secrets. I will see this through, for him and for myself.”
“As… as you wish, my lady,” Lord Madeira deflated. He had known her long enough to understand the finality of her tone.
“Now,” Kamea continued, “it will take time and expertise to get whatever BattleMechs we find in the Castle’s armory up and running again. Lord Karosas sent us a recovery team and I want our best MechTech on the ground leading them,” she turned to Yang, who was visibly surprised, “That’s you, Mr. Virtanen. You’ll be riding with me.”
Yang’s gaze shifted between both Lady Arano and Riana. “You can’t be serious,” he said flatly, but one look in Kamea’s eyes and the unyielding nod of Hysteria told him all he needed to know, “Guess I’ll go warm up the rumble seat,” he said pensively, “y’know the only other time I’ve sat in one of those things was on St. Loris… and I got my arm blown clean off for my trouble!”
“Here’s hoping that you don’t go two for two,” Darius jested, “good luck down there, all. I’ll be keeping an eye on you from up here.” He turned to Riana, “I need to know who’s going so I can call down to the bay and get the Leopard loaded.”
“We’re not expecting any real trouble, provided we can get in and out before that dropship arrives,” Riana thought for a moment before turning to her right, “Leonard, you think you can drive your Cent with that brace?”
“Can do, Kommander,” he smiled, “I’ve been stir crazy for months now!”
“Riana, you know Dr. Foster won’t approve of that,” Darius scolded.
“Dr. Foster is not a Mechwarrior,” Riana said dismissively, “this is a low intensity mission and a good chance for Vamp to get back into practice. He’s been sidelined for over three months now. Think of it as therapy.”
“Alright,” her XO relented, “but when time comes you’re going to deal with him, not me.” She nodded. “Okay; one more spot. Who’s it gonna be?”
She turned and considered for a moment. Kru was already smiling and pushed himself off the wall, moving towards her. “Sly,” she said, meeting Kru’s shocked gaze, “I want you in the Quickdraw for this one.”
“Not the Shadowhawk?” he asked, oblivious to Kru’s bewilderment.
“No, the QD is a laser-intensive Mech,” she continued, “and a heavy. If something does happen Artru will be the perfect place for it.”
“You’re the boss, boss.” Sly saluted and got up, turning and almost bumping into Kru, who was still standing slack-jawed. “Heh,” Sly snorted as he dodged left, then right, “care to dance?” he asked with a chuckle before he slipped around him and left the room.
“Alright Darius, I leave it in your hands,” Riana turned and walked right past Kru, “Su-chan, you know the drill. We’re on a tight timetable here.” Death Krusade angled himself so that she couldn’t exit the room without passing by him but just as she turned towards him…
“Hysteria,” Lady Arano called, “can we talk?”
Riana froze and made direct eye contact with Kru, who merely sighed with resignation and turned around to leave. “Of course, my lady,” she said as she turned back to the holotable. All around them the crew filed out of the CIC, Lord Madeira last, until eventually it was only Riana and Kamea left. “How may I serve you, my lady?” she asked, coming to parade rest with her hands clasped behind her back.
“Please stop,” Kamea said in a low voice, reaching out with her right hand to touch Riana’s shoulder, “I know you’re cross with me and I understand why but you’ve barely said a word to me since I came aboard,” she looked directly into Riana’s eyes, her own misting over, “I cannot bear this. You’re like a sister to me.”
“A sister…” Riana choked down the emotions that threatened to well up, tilted her head, flared her eyes, and focused only on being denied revenge, “Lady Espinosa… was like a sister to you, my lady. I was your Royal Guard; the direct subordinate of Sir Raju Montgomery, whom your cousin murdered.”
“Riana, please…” a tear suddenly formed and slid down her cheek.
Frozen in place, her muscles tensed and still at parade rest, Hysteria narrowed her eyes. “I wonder if Sir Raju ever uttered the word ‘please’ back on Weldry,” she hissed.
Slowly Kamea lowered her arm, followed by her head. “That’s not fair,” she sobbed quietly for a moment and then lifted her flooded eyes, “that’s not fair! I have to be a beacon of justice, Riana! I cannot emulate my uncle!” An angry look washed across her face and her dark eyes burned with righteous indignation, “If I am to restore the rule of law I must exemplify the rule of law! Do you think I don’t want to kill her for what she did?” she snarled the question and came almost nose to nose with the ex-pirate, “She betrayed me, Riana! She betrayed me and stole my throne on my coronation day! She’s murdered countless Aurigan people, even members of our own family, and yes… she tortured and murdered Sir Raju!” Her voice dropped to a hiss as she spoke her next words: “And I hope you’re not insinuating that I did not love Sir Raju, nor care to avenge his death! I considered you a sister because I considered Sir Raju a second father!” Both women glared at each other now, each trying to hold back a tsunami of emotion whilst appearing fierce. “I want you to hear this loud and clear, Riana Klaue, because I will not say it again… this is the last time you get to use Sir Raju’s name or my own words against me. Do you understand? I have been exceedingly patient with you because I know you’re hurting and I know that I hurt you but you need to realize that we are in this together. If you want to take revenge for Sir Raju and the Aurigan people on my uncle and his Directorate then I need you to be my friend and ally, not a vengeful pirate!”
“Understood, my lady,” Riana stared right through her with a military-like thousand yard look in her eyes, “permission to prepare for the op, my lady.”
The sarcastic tone and her refusal to back down worked a charm of rage on Kamea. She slapped Riana on her left cheek, just hard enough to shock her, but the ex-pirate refused to move. She regained composure almost immediately and maintained her stare. Lady Arano snarled, her nose crinkling. She suppressed the desire to strike her again and, instead, seized her head with both hands and suddenly pulled her face forward until their lips came together. All stoicism immediately dissipated in Riana as Kamea forcefully kissed her, her tongue seeking out its companion. Riana’s knees threatened to buckle and her arms involuntarily wrapped around Lady Arano as Kamea pressed her chest forwards, tilting the former pirate off balance. Time seemed to stop as the kiss lingered and Riana’s head spun as she felt herself sink to the floor. When she regained her wits she was on her knees at Kamea’s feet, the High Lady towering over her in a position of dominant confidence, looking down the bridge of her nose at the Commander. “You are dismissed,” she purred, stepping over Riana on the way to the door, “I’ll see you on deck.”
(To be continued…)
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Aug 6, 2018 18:11:57 GMT
ARTRU
Planet's Surface - near Castle Nautilus
The snow swirled as the Leopard backed away into the sky leaving four BattleMechs; Kamea’s Kintaro, Vamp’s Centurion, Hysteria’s Jagermech, and the Quickdraw piloted by Big Sly. As the DropShip arced away into the sky Sumire’s voice came across the Op channel: “Good luck down there, all. I’ll be cruising in the upper atmosphere and monitoring your progress, just in case.” “Roger that, Ms. Meyer,” Kamea replied, “Dr. Murad, have you had any luck connecting with Castle Nautilus’ computer?” “Already on top of it, Lady Arano,” Farah responded from her place in engineering aboard the Argo, “The handshake is already established and I have command-line access. Door control is being a little finicky though.” “Work fast, Doc,” Yang spoke from his position behind Kamea, “Riding in this rumble seat is like sitting on a jackhammer… in a sauna… on the sun. And Lady Arano’s piloting is… aggressive.” “Would you prefer I cracked a window?” Kamea asked him sarcastically. “Not really,” Yang answered, “I’m pretty sure all my sweat would immediately freeze and I’d be sitting on a buttsicle, but would it hurt to turn down the heat just a little bit?” “Poor you,” Dr. Murad interrupted, unable to hear their in-cockpit conversation, “not to worry though, I think I’ve found a workaround for the problem. Get walking toward the main door and I’ll have them open by the time you get there.” “Understood, doctor,” Kamea ignored Yang’s request, “do whatever you have to do. Lady Arano out.” “You know, you might wanna use a code name or something for the radio traffic,” the MechTech offered, “you never know who might be listening.” “Sound advice,” Lady Arano admitted advancing her Kintaro through the driving cold, “but other than our uninvited guests on approach who is out there to hear?” “Does it matter?” Yang asked, “Ideally we’re in and out of this thing before anybody even thinks we might be here. Leaving a calling card would be outright foolish.” He absentmindedly looked around the cockpit, touching various knobs and controls within reach. “When we’re deployed Riana always uses codes based on roles; like CC for ‘Close Combat’ or Foxtrot Sierra for ‘Fire Support,’ we try never to use our names or what kind of Mech we’re driving.” “Seems silly,” Kamea said dismissively, “your MechWarriors all use callsigns anyway. What’s the purpose of further obfuscation?” “Let’s take Anvelt for example,” he explained, “if Lady Espinoza had heard ‘Hysteria’ over the comms don’t you think they would have directed all fire towards her?” “Anvelt was tactical brilliance,” Kamea admitted, “but all that went over an open channel. Our Op channel is secured and encoded; a direct tight-beam signal between us,” she turned slightly to look over her shoulder at the MechTech, “even if our inbound intruders pick up our signal it would take days and quite a bit of luck to decode it.” “Thing about people,” Yang stared out the small port window to his left, “we’re creatures of habit. Especially in stressful situations, if you can learn to do it the safe way, the right way then you don’t have to worry about slip-ups when it really counts.” “Okay Chief,” Kamea chuckled, “you win. You’re absolutely right,” she keyed her mic, “All Lance switch to code designations for the remainder of mission.” She turned and looked back over her shoulder as the rest of the team acknowledged and grinned at Yang. “Is that better?” “Yes, my lady,” Yang fidgeted in his seat, “that’s at least one less thing to worry about.” “Okay,” Dr. Murad’s voice cut in, “the standard approach isn’t working; I’m inputting a valid ID but, for some reason, the door won’t budge.” “That’s disconcerting,” Kamea replied, “what are we going to do?” “I think I’ve found a work-around though,” Farah answered, “It’ll just be another moment…” “Hey, uh, Lady Arano?” Yang began, wiping the back of his sweaty neck with a rag he kept in his pocket, “Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?” “Is this really the time, Chief?” Kamea asked. “Forgive me,” he mumbled, “I just don’t usually have time alone with you,” his eyes widened and he straightened in the rumble seat, “That came out wrong! That isn’t what this is about!” Kamea giggled, “Relax, Chief Virtanen. Ask your question then.” “Have you,” he began, pausing for a moment and searching for a better approach, “These past two weeks… they’ve been pretty tense, huh?” Kamea sighed. “That they have been, Chief.” “Listen, it probably isn’t my place to say and feel free to tell me to mind my own business,” he began, “but don’t take Riana’s attitude to hard. She’s been going through a lot and there’s probably a lot of stuff that you don’t know…” ‘There’s probably a lot of stuff that you don’t know,’ Kamea thought to herself. “… but she’s actually completely dedicated to your Restoration.” Yang continued, “And I mean that. Sure she may have a bit of a checkered past but she’s completely devoted to you… to your cause… the Restoration, I mean.” Yang blushed unintentionally. “I’ve never doubted her a moment,” Kamea interjected, “and I admire your loyalty to her. You care for her a great deal, don’t you Chief?” “Hell yeah I do,” Yang answered immediately, “she brought this company back from the brink of ruin after we lost Commander Markham when the Capital District got bombed. I’ve watched her grow from this morose, near-suicidal pilot to a capable mercenary commander.” Yang’s tone was honest, if not a bit indignant, “We’re a family, my lady, no doubt. She’d put her life on the line for any one of us and we’d do the same. She’d do it for you too,” he paused a moment and then added, “and not just because you pay her.” Kamea smiled. “I believe that, Chief Virtanen, I do. Sir Raju spoke very highly of her character when he suggested I take her into my guard and she hasn’t disappointed me.” Her smile faded as her thoughts drifted back to her coronation day. “She could have turned on me, after all she was a pirate at one point, but she stood with me and Sir Raju against impossible odds… never wavering.” “I understand why you didn’t let her have her revenge,” Yang said softly, “just… be gentle with her. She’s got a lot of emotional baggage to unpack. She needs to avenge Sir Raju. If Lady Espinoza doesn’t face justice or gets off light then she’ll never be able to accept it or grow past this trauma.” “I suppose she earned the callsign ‘Hysteria’ for a reason,” Kamea quipped. “Heh,” Yang chuckled, “the Hysteria is the name of the Leopard that Sumire pilots.” “Are you kidding me?” Kamea exclaimed, turning to look back at him. “Serious as can be,” he laughed, “we haven’t had the heart to tell her.” “She doesn’t know?” Kamea smiled, her mouth open wide. “Nope, not yet,” Yang said, “one day the bank may call in the note on Hysteria and she’s gonna be so confused.” “Aaaaaand I’ve got it,” Dr. Murad’s voice came over the channel again, “Okay, hang on a second. I’m going to try something.” Suddenly a squelch of static burst across the comms. “Dr. Murad, what did you do?!” Darius’ voice was full of static, “The lights are flickering… my screen is dead…” His voice was suddenly cut off as the entire com went to white noise. “Dr. Murad?” Kamea inquired, pressing the com, “Mr. Oliveira? Can anybody hear me?” “We’ve got you,” Sly replied for the team. “I can’t go direct with Actual,” Hysteria spoke for the first time, “Envoy, can you read us?” “I can hear you,” Su’s voice lent them a measure of reassurance, “but the whole Argo’s gone dark! I’m not picking up a drive signature either… whatever Farah just did it must’ve knocked out her engines!” “This is bad, bad,” Yang shifted nervously in the rumble seat, “if her engines sputtered before she died they could be in a decaying orbit!” “We may need to abort,” Kamea admitted, “our priority has to be the Argo. We may need to get you back up to her…” “Worry about it later!” Yang exclaimed, pointing past her head, “Those vents, in the rock! They’re spilling out drones!” He grabbed his headset and keyed his mic, “Be careful of those things; they’re armed to the teeth and coming in fast! And there are probably more where they came from!” “Shit just got real, people,” Hysteria’s voice was cool and calculating as she assumed command, “Whatever Dr. Murad did it’s on her to fix it. Our priority is to get to those doors and protect Phoenix… at all costs. Understood?” “Are those SLDF drones??” Sly exclaimed, “They still work??” “Don’t really want to stick around and find out,” Hysteria moved her Jager out in front, “now MOVE!” As the Lance moved to obey radar signatures began to appear, tallying no less than half a dozen drones. “Striker can you get a sensor lock and get a feel for what we’re up against?” No sooner had she spoken than two PPC blasts came streaking in, narrowly missing Vamp’s Cent in the lead, but pelting it with long range missiles all the same. “Oh that’s bad,” Sly reported, “that damn thing is eighty tons and has almost as much armor as I do!” “Stay on mission,” Hysteria commanded, swiveling her Jager around to attack position, “I’ve got the rear.” She fired an alpha strike at the heavy drone that just took a shot at them. The AC/20 impacted first, tearing through the thing’s armor, and the AC/10 managed to get internal, destroying the drone. “Well, this might not be as bad as I thought!” “Revenge, don’t get cocky,” Kamea reminded her, “just get to the doors and we can lay down suppressing fire until Actual gets them open!” “I can take the hits,” Hysteria reassured her as a hail of pain streaked towards her. PPC shots, lasers, AC rounds, and a storm of missiles rained down on her, shredding armor and threatening to unbalance her. “She needs help,” Sly turned to attack position, lighting up one of the drones but failing to destroy it. “Zere’s only five of zem,” Vamp turned his Centurion around, “to ze Kommander!” Kamea turned as well, all of them ignoring Hysteria’s pleas to continue to the door. The drones turned their guns on the rest of the lance, focusing especially on the two lighter Mechs; Kamea’s Kintaro and Vamp’s Cent. “We can’t stay out here in the open!” Yang protested, “If we don’t find harder cover we’re gonna get swamped! So what’s the plan?” “Fall back and find an extraction point,” Sumire’s voice came over the Comms, “I’m getting you the hell out of there!” “No!” Kamea protested, “We have to push forward to the doors; our only way out of this is through them. Dr. Murad will fix this; believe it!” “But Phoenix,” Su began, “the Lance has already lost a ton of armor…” “She’s right, Envoy,” Yang cut in, “an Outpost Castle like Nautilus could bring down a dozen Leopards; probably all at the same time. If you try to extract us it’ll blow you out of the sky. Instead try to get to Actual and find out what the hell is going on! If it really is gonna crash they will need emergency evac!” “Damn it!” Sumire cursed, “you’re right. Stay alive down there! I’ll keep trying to get Farah on the comms. Worst case scenario I can get a lot of people out on the Leopard… I just hope it doesn’t come to that.” “Do that!” Yang swiveled to get a better look out of the cockpit, “For now we’ve got to get our heads back in the game!” Within a few moments only one heavy drone remained… and it was at distance. “Everyone, fall back!” Hysteria ordered, “I will post up here and wait until it gets into range.” “Zat monster has two PPCs,” Vamp warned her. “I know, CC,” Hysteria said as she lined up a shot from her AC/10, “I just need him to get in range of the Kaliyama and his ass it mine!” “Hysteria,” Kamea’s voice was full of concern, “let him come to us. Take cover back here by the door, there’s no need to stand in the open.” “I’ve got this, Phoenix,” she said as she lined up her shot and waited for it to approach, “I’ll take it out and be to you in a second… trust me.” “Let her do it,” Yang counseled off the air, “this is her way of trying to make things right with you. She wants to protect you, to defend you…” ‘She wants to love you,’ both of them thought at the same time. “Alright, Chief,” Kamea said, reluctantly taking cover near the door, “everyone, get in cover, just in case.” The moment the heavy drone pulled into range Hysteria let another dual AC/20-AC/10 strike fly. It was overkill, but effective. “Tango down,” she grinned with satisfaction, “Alright, I’m coming to you. Hold position.” But no sooner had the words escaped her lips than the vents opened once more. “Look, over there!” Yang cried out as the pillars they were hiding behind began to shift and move, “The damned castle is activating turrets!!” “Commander there’s a shitload of new drone activity erupting out of those vents,” Sly warned, even as he repositioned away from the turret that emerged next to him, “you’ve got to get out of there… NOW!” “I see it,” Hysteria grimaced. Her ammo count was starting to dwindle and the armor on her entire torso and arms was almost entirely gone, yet out from the vents new enemies flooded. In moments another half dozen drones were bearing down on her, “Take out those turrets!” she commanded, spinning around, “I’m coming in full sprint!” “Roger zat, Kommander!” Vamp backed away and leveled one turret. Across the field from him Sly struggled to take down another. “We are getting zem clear now.” “Hurry home, Hysteria,” Kamea turned and fired at an elevated turret above the door, “it’s getting cold out.”
“As you command, my lady,” Hysteria’s voice practically purred, “Revenge is yours.” Suddenly her Jagermech jolted followed by an ear-splitting report. Alarms went off all around her cockpit as the reactor beneath her exploded. All around her shrapnel erupted through the cockpit and before she could get her wits about her, her Mech sailed, face first, to the planet’s surface. “COMMANDER!!!” Sly screamed, torn between rushing to her aid and finishing off the turrets, “Phoenix, she’s down… she’s down hard!” “Hysteria!!” there was a desperation in her voice as Kamea roughly shifted her Mech around one hundred-eighty degrees and took off at a sprint, throwing Yang back hard into his seat, “Get those turrets down I’m going to get her!” Despite collective protests of ‘My lady’ Kamea silenced them with: “That’s an order!” as she continued to charge, headlong, into fire. “Phoenix, I’m reading bingo life support,” Sly said grimly, finally eliminating one turret and turning on the final one, “if she’s still alive she’s gonna freeze to death if we don’t get her out of there!” “Finish up and then move to cover me!” Kamea commanded as Yang pointed out six incoming bogeys. She switched over to her direct channel with the Jager, “Riana!! Riana, my god, are you there? Can you hear me?!” “Here,” came a weak reply, full of static, “busted up good. It’s so cold.” “Thank god!” Kamea exclaimed, sliding to a halt just in front of the ruined Jagermech, “Can you get out or do I need to come get you?” “Caught a lot of shrapnel,” Riana struggled with her harness, “but the impact knocked out my ferro-glass entirely. I can crawl out.” “Well hurry up!” Yang yelled, no longer able to contain himself, “we’re still under heavy fire!” He started to fumble with his own harness, “Open up, I’m going after her.” Kamea guided her Kintaro into a near-squatting position, “This is going to be cold, Chief, you sure you don’t want me to get her?” “You hold off those drones,” Yang squeezed next to the pilot’s seat, ready to move with a purpose, “she’ll never make this climb on her own and I can move faster with this cybernetic arm.” “Go get my girl, Chief,” Kamea’s eyes were misted, catching the MechTech off-guard, “she can’t die here!” “As you command,” he nodded resolutely, taking a deep breath as Kamea opened the front of the Kintaro. Without fear he leaped out, using his mechanical arm to slow his descent, sparks flying off as his hand slid down the structure of the BattleMech. He landed in the snow and immediately sank to his waist, charging ahead anyway. As he approached he saw Riana emerge from the Jager. She was clearly disoriented and the rivulet of blood running down her face crystallized before his eyes. She stumbled forwards and inhaled, her hands immediately going to her throat as the pain of the frozen air sent daggers of pain down her windpipe. Yang threw himself forwards, practically bulldozing through the snow as explosions and lasers flew all around them. He finally got close enough to grab her, wrapping his natural arm around her as he turned and raced back though the path he’d made. The heat from a missile impact against the Kintaro’s torso was both welcoming and worrisome until Yang realized that Kamea had resealed her cockpit after he jumped out. “Hold on tight,” he said with the last of his air, trying to slowly inhale another breath but the stinging pain of it was almost unbearable. Reaching as high as he dared he jerked both of them upwards as Kamea opened the cockpit once more. Together they leapt up to the top of the Mech’s knee and he grabbed for another handhold, pulling them up to the landing created by the open pilot’s bay. “Riana!!” Kamea cried as Yang pulled both of them up. She began to unbuckle her harness but Yang waved her off so instead she waited, impotently, as the MechTech squeezed by her, towing Hysteria behind him so that he could cradle her in his lap. She turned and reached out to the mercenary commander but, for her part, Riana was in shock and unresponsive. Her eyes were glazed and she struggled weakly for breath. “Close up and get us out of here!” Yang said in a hoarse voice, his face pale and covered in frost. Kamea turned and moved to close the hatch but gasped at the incoming salvo of missiles streaking towards them. “Oh shit!” she exclaimed, grabbing the stick and swiveling to the right just as the first of the missiles impacted. “PHOENIX!!” Sly screamed as he charged towards the fray. As he watched the entire front of the Kintaro was covered in a fiery explosion and the Mech pitched backwards, crashing down to the ground on its back. “LADY ARANO!!!” he cried, “LADY ARANO!! CAN YOU HEAR ME??!!”
(To be continued)
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Aug 23, 2018 13:25:38 GMT
ARTRU
Planet's Surface - Outside Castle Nautilus
That was pretty dramatic, wasn’t it? I’m sure some of you wonder how much of this is purely invented just for the story but I can assure you; everything described in-mission is based around actual events. Naturally the tale is driven by my own personal head-canon, including all the inter-personal relationships, but when it comes to actual events… You see Hysteria really was bringing up the rear. I waited on that final drone to get into range, never expecting a half dozen more to flood out. So when they did I was well and truly screwed. Sprinting back I didn’t quite make it before they took the Jager out. At that point it was partially due to my head-canon that I selected Kamea to move to the actual spot where Riana lay to try and hold off the enemy; in a desperate situation like that leaving a pilot down would be a death sentence, right? Even though Riana cannot die due to her status as the main character. I could have focused all remaining fire on the turrets and just waited out the slowly approaching drones, but I also knew I would be missile fodder if I did that. Vamp’s Cent was missing an arm and Sly’s Quickdraw was about to lose one. Kamea’s Kintaro was the only Mech I had that had relatively little damage, so there was a practical reason on top of the emotional one: I needed a decoy.
Vamp’s Cent, even one-armed, was pretty effective at knocking out those turrets. The Quickdraw was not. As a result the Kintaro was forced to stand and trade for longer than I would have liked and became the main target of 6 drones’ worth of missiles. In addition to all the armor she was shedding it wasn’t long before she was unbalanced and knocked flat on her ass. Which appears to be where we last left our heroes…
“Phoenix!!” Sly slid to a stop just to the right of her fallen Mech, firing a salvo at the closest drone, “Phoenix do you copy?!”
“I am enroute,” Vamp’s voice sounded strained, “ze turrets took off an arm but I still have my veapons.”
“Don’t get dead,” Sly warned as he took the brunt of the incoming drone fire, “which may be a pretty tall order…” he added as fresh alarms went off all around his cockpit.
Inside the Kintaro the lights were just coming back on as the Mech’s systems completed rebooting. Kamea reached forward and silenced numerous alarms and flipped various switches as she felt the Kintaro shudder to life beneath her. “That’s my good girl,” she murmured as the comfortable vibration of her sticks indicated the return of control.
“Thank God,” Yang said from the rumble seat, Hysteria’s unconscious form cradled against his body, “get us the fuck out of here! We’re sitting ducks!”
“Working on it, Chief,” she said as her coms suddenly came back to life; repeated hails from Sly getting increasingly desperate, “Phoenix online,” she called, “the impact forced a reactor reboot; fail-safe disconnected it to minimize damage. We took a hit but we’re all okay,” she planted an arm and started to push herself back to her feet, “all three of us,” she added to the others' relief.
“Hysteria’s alive?” Vamp’s voice queried as he raced past the rising Kintaro and stomped on one of the drones, “Zank goodness!”
“Phoenix, we’ve got to get…” Sly was cut off as his right arm exploded at the shoulder, the detonation nearly sending his Mech crashing into hers, “Oh boy, that hurt,” he said as he staggered on his feet.
“You’re both missing arms!” Kamea exclaimed, “Double time! Get into cover near the doors! Go, go, go!” She gasped as she looked at her HFORS display of Vamp’s ravaged Centurion. It had no armor, seemingly anywhere, and the damage was critical virtually everywhere. “How is he even piloting that?” she asked out loud.
“Leonard’s got nine lives,” Yang offered, “but by my count he’s now in debt for about 13!”
“I can see that,” she moved the Kintaro forward, falling in directly behind the fleeing Centurion to provide cover… and took two salvos of drone attacks for her trouble. New alarms went off.
“Our rear armor!” Yang exclaimed.
“I see it, Chief,” she cut him off as all three Mechs sprinted for the door. Suddenly her com flared to life with static.
“…-ady Arano? Lady Arano, do you read me?” It was Darius’ voice.
“Darius!” she exclaimed, unable to hide the relief in her voice, “Thank the gods! Tell me what’s going on up there!”
“Doc Murad must’ve poked her nose into something she shouldn’t have,” he spoke through heavy static, barely readable, “Everything’s going haywire up here… Doc’s putting out literal fires as we speak.”
“XO you listen to me!” Yang wrestled his headset back on, “You tell Doc Murad that if she doesn’t get these doors open right fucking now, Lady Arano is dead. We all are! Hysteria is down, out of commission and probably bleeding internally. We’ve got three Mechs and four arms, do you understand? If those doors don’t open inside of thirty seconds we are all well and truly fucked!”
“I’m well aware of that, Yang!” Farah’s voice now was barely audible above the static, “Working on it now… just… out a little longer… working… it…”
“We’ve lost contact again,” Sumire’s transmission was much clearer, “Keep yourselves alive! I’ll call out new contacts as I see ‘em.”
“Well, hope was nice while it lasted,” Sly quipped, taking cover behind one of the turret pedestals nearest the doors, “I’ve still got a bit of armor on my left side but I’m most worried about those missiles.”
“I’m bingo armor,” Vamp offered, “everywhere.” He took cover behind the other pedestal near the door, “I can still target with LRMs but if I take anozer hit I am toast.”
“Stay in cover,” Kamea said, moving behind one of the forward pedestals, “There’s only five of them left and the lead two are missing a lot of armor. We still have a fighting chance.”
“Heads up,” Sumire’s voice came over the comms once more, “You’ve got more of those little bastards coming in from the vents in the rock!”
“Greeeaaaat,” Sly moaned in exasperation, “if we live through this I wonder if they need more staff in the cafeteria?”
“I have a plan,” Vamp interjected.
“No heroics from you,” Kamea chastised him, “if I let you die Hysteria will never let me live it down!”
“Heroics is vat I do,” he responded with a dangerously serious tone, “if I don’t zen Hysteria and you may die.”
“Vamp, old buddy,” Sly began, “what are you doing?”
“I absolutely forbid it,” Kamea said forcefully, “whatever it is!”
“Zen if I live you must punish me,” he said ominously, “I am ze fastest and only I can pull zis off!” Suddenly he sprinted from cover and raced across the field, moving as fast as his Cent could go. Predictably the drones all targeted him and opened fire. “Now!” he screamed, bolts of energy narrowly missing him as missiles exploded all around him, “Use zis distraction! Kill as many of ze bastards as you can!”
“You wild and crazy fuck,” Sly chuckled, breaking cover and lighting up the closest drone with an Alpha Strike, “Home is the Regiment, the price of glory high!” he sang loudly as the drone exploded into shrapnel.
The shock of the maneuver behind her, Kamea swiveled out and targeted the next closest, “We stand with brothers at our sides,” she began to sing but soon she was joined by Yang and Vamp as well, “to pay the price and die!”
“Ze blood of comrades cries to us,” Vamp bellowed as he turned and sprinted back towards his original cover. A salvo of missiles caught him in his right shoulder, taking off his arm in a violent explosion but still he charged ahead, “long after glory’s past…” he continued.
“Home is the Regiment, across the sea of stars!” Kamea screamed it now, at the top of her lungs, as Sly took cover and fired LRMs but she stood, defiantly, unloading on a doomed drone as a fresh wave of attackers appeared on her screen. Suddenly her left shoulder was hit and the battery of SRMs there detonated. “Oh!” she exclaimed, moving quickly to keep her feet even as she tried to shake off the effects of her head being slammed into the cage.
“Lady Arano!” Yang yelled behind her, his voice ringing in her ears. He yelled something else too but she couldn’t make it out.
“She’s in trouble,” Vamp said over the open com, “I am going back out…”
“IDENTIFIER CODE : ACCEPTED. AUTOMATED DEFENSES DISENGAGED. WELCOME, ARGO.”
“Is that?” Sly began, but Kamea’s voice cut him off.
“Thank the gods for that!” she stood her ground tentatively as the approaching drones’ guns went silent, “Dr. Murad, I need a status report; what the hell is going on up there? What did you let loose on my ship??”
“I,” she stammered, “I don’t know. Something they were researching there. It’s malicious code of some kind. I think I inadvertently let it out of quarantine.” Her transmission was still full of static.
“Yeah,” Yang chimed in, “and you tripped an alarm while you were at it!”
“Look,” she snapped defensively, “the good news is that I’ve got it contained. Ninety percent certain. But it’s caused a lot of damage up here…” the transmission fell to static before picking up again, “communications… patchy… main drive… off-line… we’re floating dead in space. Lots of superficial damage too…” suddenly she was lost in static again.
“Envoy,” Kamea called, “see if you can work a relay; try and clean up her signal and give it a boost.”
“I’m already doing that,” Sumire responded, “but hang on; let me try something.”
“Anyway I’m working on it,” Farah’s transmission cleared significantly, but it was still filled with white noise, “but I could use more hands on deck… anyone who can follow basic instructions will do… Argo… enormous ship and that code made… absolute mess of her.”
“Understood,” Kamea replied, “Envoy, I need you to fetch our people; everyone but Yang and myself. Get Hysteria to medbay and everybody else to wherever Dr. Murad needs them.”
“了解, 女王様,” Sumire began, “I’ll be there in a moment. Tell the lance to prepare for extraction.”
“Uh, Lady Arano,” Yang said once they were off the air, “what are we doing?”
“What we came here for,” she replied coolly, moving her one-armed Kintaro towards the now-open doors, “we’re going inside. I didn’t bring us all this way to leave empty-handed.” She keyed her com on the fleet channel, “Phoenix to Delfinas Actual.”
“This is Delfinas, standing by,” came the reply, “What are you commands, my lady?”
“Captain Grigas,” she said with relief upon hearing his voice, “are you and your ship ready?”
“Aye, my lady,” he replied with confidence, “The Delfinas is fully loaded and ready to drop.”
“Good,” she said; her own confidence returning in a great swell, “Meet us at the north entrance… and hurry. We don’t have much time before our unwelcome guests arrive.”
“Affirmitive,” he responded, “recovery team inbound. House Karosas is proud to serve the Restoration, my lady.”
“Thank you, Captain,” she turned her head, “Ready yourself, Chief Virtanen. We’re going to make sure Hysteria gets evaced and then I’m taking us inside.”
(To be continued)
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