ESCAPE FROM CARVER V
Note: This story is a spin-off of I, Kerensky. It takes place between Ch. 19 and Ch.20 of I, Kerensky, during which Parker was taken bondsman by the maniacal Jerome Helmer. In a desperate move, Evee joined Hanson Roughriders to raise money, and was sent to Chaos March with colorful mercenaries, unwary to death that lurked beneath the world of Carver V. This is their story.
Characters
The Cavaliers
Sebastian Knell - CO of Knell's Cavaliers of Hanson's Roughriders - Orion
Matt Mamias – leader of Scout Lance, Knell's Cavaliers - Panther
Daniel Wilks – leader of Fire Lance, Knell's Cavaliers - Hunchback
Chris Fulton - Javelin
"Psycho" – Jenner
Allison - Fire Hawk
Evee Ridinghood – Trebuchet
Ash Reeves – Clint
Kangpae - Outbound
Bill Xander – Quickdraw
Jules Hidleman – Jaggermech
Sandra Findley – second-in-command - Awesome
Shooting Stars (property of SulliMike23)
Captain Kyle Garret – Commanding Officer – Mad Cat
Leftenant Natalie Gibson – Tac Officer - Loki
Subaltern Miguel Martinez - Bushwacker
Subaltern Eric Anderson - Bushwacker
Mayor Systain – mayor of pro-Davion civilians in Carver V
Sang-Wei Wu Kan – Commanding Officer of Zhanzheng deGuang 1st Armor Brigade
Legal Stuffs
BattleTech/MechWarrior and all its components are copyright of FASA and Wizkids
The Shooting Stars and all its components are copyright of SulliMike23.
Fire Hawk and Outbound battlemechs are copyright of me, RogueBaron.
All rights reserved.
Chapter I
Harlech Loading Dock,
Harlech, Outreach,
September 12, 3059
Evee Ridinghood stood in awe in front of the Union-Class dropship, watching trucks and loaders stuffed logistics and ammunitions into the belly. Some battlemechs crept up the ramp into the bays, starting from the diminutive Javelin up to the gargantuan Awesome. Each mechs carried the horned skull emblem that was the crest of Hanson's Roughriders mercenary unit on their legs. Another crest, a soldier holding a long rifle with a bayonet, was engraved on each mech's left arm. It was the crest of the Knell's Cavaliers, the company Evee was assigned to.
Just two hours earlier Evee got herself employed by the Knell Cavaliers, a mercenary unit sponsored by Hanson's Roughriders. She was the last-minute addition to Knell's Cavaliers, a mercenary company sponsored by the Hanson's Roughriders that was going to the world of Carver V on Chaos March. There was chaos on Carver V, the outcome of Capellan – Marik invasion of Sarna March in 3057, and FedCom units were evacuating pro-Davion civilians off planet. The Knell's Cavaliers were hired to assist these FedCom units.
"Dropship command, this is Evee Ridinghood, Knell's Cavaliers. Permission to board," Evee hailed the dropship through her comlink.
"Stand by," the operator answered apathetically. "Ridinghood, you said? There's no Ridinghood on my list. Are you sure you're on the right flight?"
"I just joined this unit two hours ago. You could ask Hanson's Roughriders operatives, or CO of Knell's Cavaliers. His name is Sebastian Knell… that is K-N-E-double-L."
"I see it, Miss Ridinghood. Line up on the mech row and enter when you're due."
"Affirmative," Evee stirred her 50-ton Trebuchet on the back of the mech row. While waiting, her mind took her back to Calafell in Lyran space, the last day she saw her lover alive before he was taken by the Jade Falcon maniac. The Jade Falcon let her go because her lover, Parker, made a bold bid to save her and the entire Kell Hound crews, but he was not fortunate enough to save himself. So the Jade Falcon took him as a bondsman.
For almost a year, Evee tried to muster an army to retake Parker from the Jade Falcon. But Phelan Kell, or Khan Phelan Ward, refused to assist her after what Parker had done to him. The Kell Hounds simply rejected because Evee did not have enough money to hire them. And that was the case with other mercenary units. They demanded high price, because they had to fight the Jade Falcon where Parker was held. That was what prompted her to join the Hanson's Roughriders. Hopefully she would get enough money to save Parker before it was too late.
The dropship gave her permission to enter, and Evee parked her mech on the only empty bay left. All 12 mechs of the Knell's Cavaliers company had been loaded onto the dropship. She exited her mech, and several mechwarriors had been waiting for her on the ground.
"New recruit, sister?" a thin, dark-haired girl asked her.
"That's right," Evee nodded. "Evee Ridinghood, nice to meet you."
"Allison," the girl smiled. "This is Kangpae, and the one next to him is Daniel Wilks."
"Dan's a good leader," a medium-built man joined in. "He's the CO of fire lance. Fought in War of 3039. We'll serve the Cavaliers together under his leadership. Anyway, I'm Kangpae. I'm an ex-Solaris mechwarrior."
"Really?" Evee forged a smile. "What brought you here, then?"
"Experience. Nothing more valuable than experience on the sand of the Colliseum."
"True, true," Daniel nodded. "So what's your story, Ridinghood?"
"Well," Evee held back her words. "Nothing fancy. I came from the periphery, served with CAMR for 2 years, worked here and there, then found out that you're short of 1 mechwarrior at the last minute."
"That is true," suddenly a muscular woman with red wavy hair appeared. "Is this the new one?"
"Evee Ridinghood," Evee nodded. "And you are…"
"Sandra Findley, second-in-command. I am the pilot of that Awesome, the biggest mech in this company."
"Sandra is very proud of her Awesome," Allison explained. "She got it after killing the pilot, a Lyran hautpmann-general, with a clean headshot."
Four other men joined in. "I'm Bill Xander, these are Jules Hidleman, Ash Reeves, and Chris Fulton. Good to meet you newbie." The mercenaries offered their hands for handshakes.
At the same time, another man arrived. He was Captain Sebastian Knell, a medium-sized man with numerous wings and medals on his uniform. Upon seeing the CO, Sandra bellowed, "Officer on deck! Fall in!"
Evee and the rest of mercenaries quickly formed a single-line rank. Captain Knell issued 'At ease' command, then spoke, "Ladies and gents, we are taking off in 3 hours. We're going to Carver V. As its region's namesake, there is only chaos in Carver V. The Zhanzheng deGuang terrorist group, funded by Liao bastards, have been harassing pro-Davion civilians. We are hired to assist the FedCom to evacuate the civilians. There are some local powers on Carver V, but as far as I'm concern, there are only 2 factions down there: FedCom and bandits. Shoot the bandits! I don't care where it comes from, if it doesn't have FedCom label, kill it. We do this until all the pro-Davion civilians have been transported safely out of Carver V. Then we can go home and collect the money."
"How many FedCom units are there on Carver V?" Ash asked.
"We'll know when we make contact with them. Any other question? If not, then dismiss."
Next on Escape from Carver V:
"Alright, Scout Lance, you go first. Fire Lance, bring your lance 200 meters behind the Scout Lance. I'll watch your back."
"What? Those were Long Tom artillery! Command, somebody's attacking us!"
"Spread out and find them! Fire Lance, fry it as soon as you see it!"
"Damn! I'm hit! My mech is crippled!"
"Get out of there, man! Eject! Eject!"
"Argh! That's a no go, Sir!"