Début
I admit it, I'm a newbie MechWarrior. Fresh out of the academy, uniform still clean, new car smell, blah, blah, blah.
I'm green. I get it.
But there's one thing I do know it's that old MechWarriors love to tell war stories and complain. Usually at the same time. And the favorite combination for those old timers is to tell you about how their first mission went all to hell, how they crapped their pants the first time someone took a shot at them, and how everyone in the unit got wiped out but them.
This story sound familiar?
Yeah, if you're like me you used to hang out in the Warriors bars when you were on leave from the academy and listen spellbound as the old, battle-scared vets would spin their yarns. I spent a lot of money buying drinks for guys like that in my academy days but I don't regret it for a moment. Every story, no matter how awful, made me want to be a Warrior even more.
So you want to hear my story? I'm not seeing a fresh beer in my hand. No drink no story. I know that too.
Ah, that's better. Okay, so it was my first mission with the Black Hurricanes. It was actually the first mission for the Black Hurricanes period. Captain Eli Blackburn had just formed the unit. He was leading the mission personally and brought Saul Harris and Ko Ran Li, the unit's two top guns, along with him. The captain was set on making sure the Black Hurricanes got started off on the right foot.
Me he'd brought along to get my feet wet. I was grateful. I knew that Blackburn had had his eye on someone else for my spot in the Hurricanes. But whoever that was got killed on the last mission they were to run before signing up.
I don't know who gave Blackburn my name. I think it was one of my instructors at the academy. Now I'm a little better pilot than your average guy just fresh off the boat. Other than that there's nothing that makes me stand out as a MechWarrior. But for some reason Blackburn decided to take a chance on me and there I was.
The job was simple enough. The Federated Suns wanted a Capellan communications center on a world called Darvocet gone. Resistance was expected to be light but our window to hit the base and get to the drop ship was hellishly tight. I was sweating the whole trip there.
The captain kept busy with the business of making sure the unit was in order while we were traveling. Whenever I saw him he was usually smiling. He wasn't worried a bit.
Harris was Eridani Light Horse. What he did to end up in a merc unit so far from the ELH's home turf must have something. No one in the Hurricanes seems to want to clue me in and believe me I asked. I still don't know but I imagine I'll find out sooner or later. MechWarriors love to yap.
Ko Ran was from St. Ives and hated the Capellans. Her folks had been killed during St. Ives' fight for independence and there was nothing she loved more than kicking Capellan butt. She spent a lot of the trip telling me her war stories and lot of bad jokes. Ko Ran has a thing for bad puns. But talking with her helped me keep my cool so enduring some groaners seemed worth it.
When it came time for action the captain didn't mince words. "I know you three are more than capable of doing this. So let's do it. Good hunting!"
As we were going to climb into our mechs Harris tapped me on the shoulder. "Remember your training, stay calm, and follow orders and you'll be fine," he said simply. Then he turned and climbed into the Grand Dragon he was using for this mission without another word.
I took that as his way of giving me a pat on the back. I climbed into my Hermes thinking that in a few minutes I'd be tasting combat and finding out if was really a man or a mouse. I tried to ignore the taste of bile in the back of my throat as we headed planetside.
Since they were aces Harris and Li got a Grand Dragon and a Guillotine respectively. I was normally part of the Recon lance so I was in a Hermes I was starting to think of as mine.
The civilian transport we'd taken had given us a 200 ton limit for our mechs. After doing the math on it, Blackburn had opted to pilot a Spider II. Normally he's in a Zeus he's had for most of his career. But Blackburn is a practical guy and loaned the Zeus to our last ace; Tony Wands. Wands was headed for a garrison contract the captain had also lined up where the resistance was expected to be heavier and was grateful to be going in an assault mech.
Before I knew it we'd touched down and had the target on our radar. My orders were to swing around, make my way through some heavy trees, and hit the far west side of the base. The captain would take the center while Harris and Li would hit the east side of the base where the comm center was.
The scans showed all that was looking after the place were three rusty mechs, a tank and three infantry units.
Pure cakewalk. Pure overkill. Pure fun.
I actually heard Harris chuckle once as I tore through the trees towards the support building that was my target. Li seemed to be having a good time as well. She cursed colorfully when there were too many trees in the way for her to get a good shot at one point. She comforted herself by sending a medium laser blast into an infantry unit. Those guys' ashes hadn't even touched the ground before Li found the shot she'd been looking for and the comm center went up in a fireball.
I'd finally made it to my position and unleashed both my lasers at the support building. The thing must have been made of sterner stuff than it looked because it took me two blasts to turn the thing to rubble.
The captain, Li and Harris, were busy taking down the rest of the support buildings and giving the mech guards a slapping around. The Hermes didn't have the armor to join in the fun so I should have hauled it to the drop ship the second my target fell. But my screens showed I had some infantry within range of my flamer and that there were too many trees in the way for them to hit me.
It was my first mission so I decided to get my first blood as well. I hit the flamer and the Cappellans got a fast, permanent tan and closed casket funerals. Feeling really good about just having burned a bunch of people alive I rocketed back to the drop ship.
I caught sight of one of the Cappellan mechs blowing up behind me as I ran. The rest of the squad wasn't far behind me and the dropship blasted us up with a beautiful roar.
No casualties, only a few scratches on the mechs and a decent payday waiting for us. Not bad for less than two minutes work. That, I tell you, is how to start your career as a MechWarrior!
Sure, I know they won't all be that easy. The captain even took me aside after it was over and said "The jobs will only get tougher from here on out." But I'm ready for it. I'm a MechWarrior. I'm a man who loves his job. And I'm off to a great start.
The End