A static defensive line is always vulnerable. Once penetrated in force at any point, every other post becomes moot. Its men cannot bring their arms to bear and in fact can do nothing except wit in impotence to be overrun…..
Alexander, King of Macedon
Nerva (Setting up the shot)
Minerva Ramos hunched down in her Mongoose's linear frame as if that could make the six meter tall scout 'Mech even smaller. Below the low ridge she and the three Talon Strike 'Mechs of her lance crouched behind waited a full battalion of the Rim Worlds Huscarl Dragoons crouched like a pack of misshapen hyenas. They were prepping a strike on the rear of the 71st Light Horse Regiment. 'Nerva and her lancemates had other plans. The lightest machines in the 90th, The three Mongoose Recon Platforms and nine Talons of Puma Company, 2nd Battalion lived up to the unit's moniker of "Swift Claws".
"Puma Two-Six to Sherman six we have forty repeat four-zero big fish getting set to run. Request fire mission grid three five by one eight."
"Roger Puma two-six, Sherman six; fire mission grid three five by one eight, shot out correct as needed."
Over the line of sight laser commline Rolly, the company's First Sergeant spoke quietly.
"Got a Vamp-A here his Beagle just went active."
"Won't matter, Nerva growled, here it comes."
The Amaris Huscarl regiments represent the finest formations in the Amaris military. Well trained, with the finest equipment after ten years of access to Terran technology. Both totally loyal and utterly ruthless. A full company spread out in a formation designed to maximize their sensor arrays. Eighteen 210mm guided anti armor rounds split over a kilometer above the Huscarls. In each section of the round was guided by an AI with all the intelligence of a small rodent.
The rodent brain was programmed to seek out specific BattleMech and armor profiles and ignore the IFF signals from friendly units. While Puma company's 'Mechs were on idle their IFFs were shut down, but the Huscarls were, as a showcase unit, chock full of just what the little rodent minds were looking for. The Amaris troops had only just detected the rounds splitting apart when at about a hundred meters the submunitions detonated. In side each round the rat brain committed suicide by igniting a shaped charge that turned an ingot of copper beyond molten. The slug of copper plasma slammed straight down at the Huscarl 'Mechs. 'Nerva's eyes couldn't process this of course, but the end result was enough. Each round carried six of the lethal submunitions. In a flash of red gold light the Amaris battalion disintegrated. Out of forty hostiles only five Huscarl machines were standing after the barrage.
"Okay people finish up, 'Nerva's c/o Captain Kevin ordered.
Let's open the hole."
The Amaris machines were one leg in the grave as the Talons went to work.
As the last machine, a Great White, went down six Ripper VTOL transports flashed by at treetop level. 'Nerva knew they carried a detachment of the "Stealthy Tigers" the 90th's SAS detachment. The what and why of their mission was a mystery.
Dido (Behind the lines.)
Fort Bollenger was one of the earliest of the Castle Brians built. Designed to be a key anchor in the line of ground and aerospace defenses protecting Unity City. Nearly impregnable it housed a full brigade of troops. Almost entirely underground, the batteries of antiship lasers and missiles would make orbital support costly at best. Hidden sally points provided defenders with access to vast portions of the surrounding area. To secure the surrounding area you had to take the fort in its entirety. Under the SLDF this would have been next to impossible.
Under Amaris rule a glaring flaw came to light. Plans smuggled out by partisans employed by the Rim Worlds troops revealed a major change in the way the facility's command and control was handled. Instead of a decentralized cellular structure in which each fortress section could survive independent of the whole, command was centralized in one location. The annihilation of the 3rd Battalion, Amaris Huscarl Dragoons a week before had set up the insertion of six of the Stealthy Tiger teams. Forty two troopers, even the elite of the SAS teams may seem futile in the face of over five thousand Amaris regulars. If all went well the Tigers would do in hours what took the Rim Worlds troops two years to do.
Dido Moran led her team down the dark hole of an electrical service tunnel. Running from the edge of the town that had grown up around the fort and shared its name. The access point to the tunnel was sealed behind concrete forty feet thick. Ten years of neglect and a series of severe torrential downpours in the past three years had collapsed a section of tunnel and the RimJobs hadn't fixed it. Corporal Lindon had bypassed the sensors set up around the breach and the chameleon technology in the Tiger's uniforms did the rest.
So they can't see us Didi thought, but they sure as hell could smell us. After a week dodging patrols and hiding out in abandoned buildings and the basements of resistance fighters, showers had not been a priority. Just hope that sweet little blonde from the 71st doesn't show up with our relief. After all a girl's gotta' look her best.
Making sure the unit was in the clear, Didi raised her visor. Wiping off her face she winced as her bandana rubbed against the bruise Sarah had left under her right eye. When Bruce had asked her to give his pet Davion some pointers in self defense, Didi hadn't figured Sarah would pick up the Escrima style the SAS troops used so quickly. Leaning back against the wall she smiled at the memory. Okay so "pet" wasn't the right word, we did pretty much adopt her.
Tommy Lindon knelt at an access terminal plugging in his pocketcomp. Didi knew he was setting up a remote backdoor to the command center's security and surveillance system. Giving the thumbs up Tommy signaled he was done. Lowering her visor, Didi marked the new icons representing Amaris troops in the hallways just on the other side of the wall. A maintenance hatch rigged with remote sensors was all that guarded the fort.
Her team spread out into position, as the corridor cleared. Tommy typed a command into his wrist computer. The access panel slid aside and the SAS teams slid inside. Each team spread out. On her visors HUD Didi saw the icons of several Amaris troops wink out. The silenced SMG's of the SAS teams began their work. Didi's team headed for their goal, the central command center. Signaling the team to set up at the corner just south of the center, Didi flipped the switch to set her Colt half rifle to constant beam. Before she could give the command an alarm began to sound.
Crap, she thought, there goes the neighborhood. Rounding the corner her gun came to life. Sweeping the Colt in an arc, its beam scythed through both door guards. The door hissed open and Michael Kelso's HK MP2 burped in response. A Rimmer officer fell back gurgling. The grizzled sergeant spat fire into the squad behind the stricken woman. Fernando Beria tossed a flash bang into the command center. Didi slipped in covering the right as Kelso took the left. A couple of quick bursts and it was over. Joanne Kimmel and Fernando took positions by the door while August Martine patched up a burn on Kelso's shoulder. Tommy was already at the console pulling aside a dead technicians body. Plugging in to the base's central computer, he ran a modified diagnostic script to bypass the Amaris technicians changes. The distinctive chatter of an Amaris RAsa-77 assault rifles sounded through the door.
"Boss, Huscarl infantry, ahh fuck.."
A burst of fire caused Joanne to duck back, and Didi leaned out and snapped a shot. The Huscarl infantry wore ceramic plate armor treated with chemical camouflage that blended in with their surroundings. Though not as effective as the SLDF troopers gear the Huscarls looked like gray wraiths in the corridor. The ceramic on the troopers armor ablated under the Colt's intense beam. The vaporized armor caused enough force to bring the man up short. As he raised his bullpup rifle Didi pumped two more shots into the Huscarls faceplate. Dropping his rifle, the Huscarl was dead even as his hands clawed at the 2cm hole in his helmet. A 9mm round whined off the doorjamb and took Didi in then side. Knocking her back from the doorway as the antiballistic mesh in the SAS troopers uniform spread out the heavy slug's impact.
Kelso clicked the tube under his carbine and the grenade launcher loaded a 20mm grenade.
"Hammer round up."
Joanne and Fernando sent a wave of fire down the hallway as Kelso swung out and pumped a high explosive armor piercing grenade down at the Huscarl squad. Much too expensive for regular use, the Hammer HEAP grenade was a smart round designed to defeat heavy personal armor like the SAS Nighthawk powersuits. At a preset moment the advanced plastic explosive detonated sending nails of hardened aligned steel that could shatter even the tough ceramic of the Huscarl body armor. As the Huscarls reeled back, Tommy called from the terminal.
"Didi we're set."
Didi slammed the hatch shut, her TACCOM alive with calls from the other teams.
"Time to finish this shit, do it Tommy."
Takeo (A view from the other side.)
Colonel Takeo Amaris, commander of the Amaris Huscarl Dragoons was going over yet another round of miserable reports when the alarms sounded. Major Billy Compton his XO ducked in before Takeo could thumb the comm unit. From the look on his subordinates face he knew the news was really bad.
"Spill it Billy."
"We're crawling with SAS, Tak they're like Apollo chiggers."
Unlike most Amaris Empire officers, Billy never tried to hide his Apollo drawl. The man's frontier to the end. Takeo knew just what the SAS troops were planning, just what he'd warned the high command about in the first place. You'd think being the Boss' son might mean something, but nooo.
"Reinforce the command center with our own guys and get me Itchy."
Ichijiro Thorton the general commanding the base had been the one to make the changes to the base's command and control. One of Takeo's fathers favorites, they'd butted heads from day one.
A squad of Huscarl infantry caught up with the two Imperial officers as they rounded the corridor from the Huscarl barracks heading for the stairs to the command level. One of the soldiers handed Takeo a comm headset. Putting it on he was assailed by panicked conflicting reports and orders. General Thorton's voice came over calmly beginning to restore order when the bang of a grenade and the unmistakable snap crack of Terran Colt's silenced him.
Bye, bye Itchy, he thought.
As Takeo was about to take over, the door to the stairwell burst open and six barely visible forms rushed out. Blending perfectly with the corridor the Terran SAS troops opened up on the Amaris soldiers. The Huscarls however were the best the Amaris empire had to offer. Despite being clipped by a 10mm round from a HK subgun, Billy Compton pumped a twelve gauge flechette round into one of the ghostly forms. The razor sharp tungsten needles cut through the man's body armor below his ceramic inserts and he went down screaming. While two Huscarls joined him in death their return fire sent the SAS team back into the stairwell leaving a total of three of their number down. Checking his wrist comp Takeo realized what was happening.
"Lost the link Billy, They're gonna take the base."
"The vehicle bay then?"
"Yeah."
With the infantry to cover them, the two officers made their way to the vehicle bay without incident, rendezvousing with several of his mechwarriors and tank crews along the way. Having given the order, Takeo hoped the rest of the depleted regiment was doing the same thing. Taking a moment to slag the bay doors in the open position, Takeo mounted up in his seventy ton Hecatoncheires, "General Lee".
As Billy powered up his Great White, "Tough Guy", Takeo shook his head in resignation. Damn it Pop, you've got us all killed, he thought glumly.
Bruce (Downloading.)
Strapped into the Leopard class transport Roadrunner with the rest of my command lance, I felt Hussy come alive around me. I'd been piloting that Amaris Heck for far too long. Mind you any BattleMech has roughly the same cockpit and control layout but they're all a bit different even if they have roughly the same performance profiles. Then there is the DI, the core of the 'Mech. The big brains and talking heads will all tell you that the Diagnostic Interface isn't a true artificial intelligence. Anyone who pilots the same 'Mech for several years will tell you different. Hussy knows me, anticipates my reactions.
Superstition, you say.
Well which one of us is the 'Mech jock?
At any rate my big bad Mad was the only 'Mech I'd download in.
House troops called it insanity, even regular SLDF warriors got a queasy look on their face when you talked about it. The 'Mechs aboard the Roadrunner and her sister ships all had the ABP-23 strap-on thruster packs mounted on their legs. Normally used to slow a 'Mech down in an orbital drop, the disposable thrusters made by Rolls-Royce produced enough thrust to slow even an Atlas to a relatively safe landing. It wasn't gentle or pretty but landing the transports under fire from enemy troop wasn't an option and any high altitude traffic would be downed by the Unity Line's aerospace defenses. Tanks can't do it and infantry just doesn't have the push to handle it alone. It was one of the reasons why 'Mechs work as a combat machine.
Over the TACNET Captain Persaud of the Roadrunner gave us the ok to move to drop position. Now a successful download requires a skilled DropShip crew as much as it does excellent MechWarriors. Having up to four hundred tons of metal moving around in your ships belly as it flies at nape of the earth takes a steady fast hand on the stick. As we reached our jump positions I checked our status. "Rat in his Bombardier, "Stormy", the Terrible Two Hatchiwara Yuri and Iuchi Kei, the only two of the Ryukaze to have downloaded in Marauders. All Royal machines. I nodded in satisfaction.
"'Rat, All set?"
"As ready as I'll ever be Bossman."
'Rat hates downloading.
"Kei, Yuri?"
"Give the word, Boss"
"Hai!"
Kei and Yuri love it.
But 'Rat's sane, the Terrible Two definitely aren't.
As for me, well, It IS fun .
Captain Persaud cut in;
"Thirty seconds Major Gilmour"
"We're ready Geoff."
The bay doors open. The roar of the wind load even in our cockpits. I extend Hussy's arms rotating the vambraces to use the built in climbing claws. Mad's don't have hands, the cost of such heavy firepower in the forearms. The designer Melissa Christie, had been a Mech jock back in the day however. Built into the insides of each blocky forearm were four spade like claws that retracted flush with the Magna Hellstar's reaction chambers, the strongest point on the forearm. Works pretty well. Kinda figures, her umpteen great-granddaddy invented the tank suspension that's been standard on tanks for a thousand years.
"Twenty seconds to drop."
The thrum of Roadrunner's energy weapons was echoed by bright flashes from Skirtchaser the Leopard visible through the bay doors. The Leopards would clear the drop zone, suppressing enemy defenses.
"Ten seconds."
I coiled the myomer fibers that make up Hussy's muscles.
"Drop."
Surging forward in the linear control frame, I send the seventy five ton coiled mass of fusion powered malice out the bay doors. The wind hits you immediately. You have to judge your jump so you clear the ship but have enough time to slow down with your jets. Thumbing the auxiliary button on my joysticks the sudden hammer blow of the big Rolls-Royce engines slams me back into the frame's cushions. The ground hits almost immediately and Hussy shrieks throwing up sparks as she skids across the tarmac.
Then it's over. Fort Bollenger, meet the Black Cats, Black Cats meet Fort Bollenger.
Bravo and Charlie Lances hit almost simultaneously. Five Bombardiers and seven Marauders, we make up the Thirteenth Assault Company of the Black Tigers. My Company.
Behind us three Fury Infantry transports repeat our maneuver dropping a mix of jump troops and Nighthawk equipped SAS. Resistance is scattered and disorganized. A Manticore MBT rolls out from behind a bunker right into my sights. I can see the tank commanders shock as he spots me. My fire washes over the big tank. PPC fire lancing into a hole opened up by my gauss slug. When the haze of sublimated metal and burning rubber smoke clears in the wind it's as if he transformed into a blackened stick figure. Only his helmet protected head fixed into a permanent scream resembled anything human.
Didi Moran came over the TACNET with the prearranged signal for success. Our SAS troops had overridden the security systems and locked down Fort Bollenger, sealing the Amaris troops in their barracks and duty stations and deactivating most of the fort's defenses. Tommy Lindon, Didi's slicer or computer whiz, had also activated the internal security grid and released enough knockout gas to put down a small city.
"Stealth two six, this is Cat six, sitrep."
"Stealth two six reports mission success twelve KIA, ten wounded, request HazMat support."
"HazMat?"
"Confirmed Cat six, RimJobs replaced kicker fourteen with sarin-k."
Sarin, fucking nerve gas, a cold pit settled in my stomach.
"Roger Stealth two six, HazMat enroute."
Now I'm no saint, you all know that, but five thousand men trapped like rats and gassed, even after the garage incident, gods above. And it could have been our troops walking into that. Over a private channel I called Didi.
"Di its B, talk to me."
"We didn't know B, and even if we did…."
"You safe?"
"Yeah, listen B, Harry says he spotted Takeo Amaris near the vehicle bays and we ain't got 'em on any of the security cams."
"Gotcha Di, be safe."
Switching channels I got to the rest of the task force.
"Cat six to all Cat elements, be advised locked down buildings are nogo. Sarin-k present.
Also be advised, Huscarl Dragoons may be present, Including c/o."
"Look sharp people, I finished up, Takeo Amaris may be out here and I want his punk ass."
Takeo (Can't get no love.)
Takeo led the way out of the bay, his ears ringing with the choking cries of the men and women left behind. General Lee's sensors were alive with signals. Too many of them the red of enemy forces. As his ad-hoc company spread out into the base's quad, he got his first look at the enemy. A black Marauder pumped fire into one of his Manticore MBTs. As the tank brewed up Takeo lined up his sights on the SLDF heavy. The machine's markings sent chills through him. One of his Shark pilots cried out;
"God's above it's the Tigers, Hell's Own's come to play."
"Fine so lets send 'em back to Hell." Takeo growled as he pulled his triggers.
Fire lanced out from the General Lee, spiking the raptor shaped enemy mech along its dorsal armor as it twisted to meet him. Even as the lead machine reeled under his fire, its lancemates returned fire concentrating on Billy's Tough Guy, the biggest target on the field. The Bombardier crouched on its back canted legs arms held out for balance as it spat out thirty Artemis guided Phoenix missiles. As soon as the warheads cleared the two flanking Marauders crossed in front of the smaller machine drawing the Huscarl's fire and spitting out lightning and hypersonic slugs of metal. Thrown to the side by a violent explosion Takeo noticed the blue dot representing Billy Compton wink out. With the Great White's death taking the heat off him the enemy leader had recovered. The hulking 'Mech moved with a grace Takeo had never seen before. Striding forward it leapt up on the four meter height of a bunker, looking like some prehistoric monster as it flashed fire down on him. As General Lee shuddered around him, Takeo saw two more heavy lances moving to flank his position.
"Ripper six to all Ripper units fall back, they're trying to overrun us, don't let them pin you down."
Takeo sent another burst from the 120mm cannon in the General's right arm at the enemy machine punching into its hip as he ducked back around the vehicle bay. Jon Brannigan one of his original command lance pilots sent a ruby pulse from his Shark's left arm into a parked fuel truck just inside the bay. The resulting smoke and fire creating an obscuring wall between the two forces. Fire from his seven remaining manticores mauled a Bombardier and a Marauder from the lance on the Amaris right. The SLDF troops ducked for cover and the respite gave Takeo a moment to clear his head.
Goodbye Billy, he thought, I'll see you in Hell.
Bruce (Shark Hunting)
Shit, I thought as the Huscarls slipped away. The fire from the burning fuel truck had touched off ammunition in the bay itself. This in turn blew the bay's inner wall. Which of course released the sarin laced air inside. The Tigers' HazMat alarms began going off almost as soon as the Amaris 'Mechs disappeared in the smoke. While all it took was a flip of a switch to set the 'Mechs and Nighthawks to internal life support, the shock stopped the Tigers for a critical moment.
Regrouping, we stalked off after the Huscarls. The last hit from that Heck threw a hitch in Hussy's step. The network of bunkers and weapons emplacements that made up the surface of the fort played havoc with our sensors. Crossing a wide avenue between sections of the fort 'Rat takes down a Shark. Gracie Liu, newly promoted to Lieutenant and running Deuce Lance reports downing a D model Heck.
Then it happens, Jack Benning leading Trey Lance gets a fix. Pounding around the corner with Ace Lance behind me, I come face to face with a mixed company of blue and gray machines. Kicking aside a Manticore I core a Vampire at less than sixty meters. The light 'Mech falls like a puppet with its strings cut. 'Rat, Kei and Yuri pick out their own targets as Deuce and Trey Lances converge on the Huscarls.
In a normal (if there is such a thing.) 'Mech battle both sides will battle each other for an eternity, say ten minutes, with no loss in performance. Then, suddenly units on both sides will begin dropping from even minor hits. Because of their construction and the similarities to living beings that allows them to dodge fire and maneuver in ways conventional armor can't means that competently piloted BattleMechs fight on even in the face of catastrophic damage. The point of failure is called a units combat loss grouping or CLG. I've seen calculations used in simulators that claim to be able to predict any 'Mech fight's outcome.
They always leave out the human element.
In a fight like the one at Fort Bollenger it's the human element that counts. The Huscarls are the elite of the Rim Worlds forces. Before the coup, they were the most likely troops to be found in any Rim Worlds contribution to the Star League Defense Force. And these guys were veterans of the coup on Terra. The Tigers under my command from 'Rat to the Terrible Two are arguably the best in the regiment. Several, like Gracie and me, are gunslingers. Imagine a knife fight, between special forces, in a small well lit room. Very messy.
'Mechs start going down almost immediately. Concentrated fire snaps off limbs and shatters cockpits. Widows of opportunity open and close almost too fast to follow. Kei and Yuri combining fire to take out a Great White, then Yuri has her legs cut out by two Hecks and a Manticore. I charge into one of the Hecks, bowling it over and kicking in its cockpit. The Heck later identified as Takeo Amaris decapitates Jack Benning's Bombardier and then cripples my right leg. My gauss slug cuts off his arm mounted autocannon, its last chambered cassette firing off wildly as the limb spins away. A pair of Sharks entwined with Kei's Marauder knock Amaris out of my sights so 'Rat and I shoot them off her.
And then it's over.
The Huscarls still standing broke contact slipping back into the base. Regrouping I took stock of what we had left. Seven of our 'Mechs were still standing. Jack Benning, who'd survived the drop on Manhattan and the push across the country was gone. So were Kevin Poulson and Dana Maldonado. Kevin was one hell of a poker player. Dana sang in the regimental choir, to hear her sing almost made me believe.
Yuri's Marauder was down and not going anywhere, I knew she was okay by the stream of vulgar Japanese coming over the comms. Dion Mitchell's Bombardier stood motionless. I'd thought he'd bought it too, but he was just down with a concussion. All of the rest of us had major damage, our 'Mechs looked like they'd stumbled out of a junk heap. From the wreckage, it looked like maybe seven of eight Manticores littered the field. Three Hecatoncheires a half dozen Sharks and a second Great White were strewn like discarded toys about our route.
None of the Amaris pilots survived, make of that what you want.
As I began to give the order to continue pursuit, Didi came over the comm passing the order to stand down. The rest of the regiment was arriving with support from the 151st Light Horse. The Light Horse would take up pursuit.
To this day it still makes me uneasy to admit it; but at that moment I hated them.
Takeo Amaris was mine.
George (Politics: Ur doin' it wrong)
…so I can't speak as to Director Donner's motivations, or the SEP's reluctance to accept our aid, but I would like to reassure the people of Terra that the Federated Suns will continue it's relief efforts both here on Terra and across the Hegemony.
We Davion's never forget our friends."
"Thank you Lady Sarah for your candor, and I can tell you as a journalist; the people of Terra won't forget either.
Could I ask a personal question?"
"Of course Dianna."
"You made quite a splash at the Jocasta premiere with a certain 'MechWarrior on your arm, are you…?
(Laughter)"Let's just say we're happy, Uncle John told me I've broken hearts all over New Avalon…
George Donner clicked off the Tri-d irritably.
Enjoy your moment in the sun, princess, this war won't last forever.
Across the room, Elias Bruenig chuckled at his boss irritation. George glowered at his aide, but the man remained unfazed.
Elias isn't afraid of anything, but then that's why you hired him.
That any his lack of anything resembling morals.
"What's so funny?"
"She always gets your goat, boss"
George shrugged, another thing about Elias, the man didn't allow any illusions.
"Can't control her, or that boyfriend of hers."
"Sure you can."
George looked up, surprised.
"Think it through boss, you turned off the TV too soon."
Of course, George thought.
"Our little princess is in love with a soldier in a war zone."
Elias nodded a small smile on his face.
"And with all she's lost, who'd blame her if she hightailed it back to New Avalon, he finished.
"Two birds with one stone." George smiled. "I like it."
"I've got just the bunch to handle it too."
His aide's smile dropped then.
"Out with it El."
"Sarah Davion is the least of our problems, those two girls.."
George groaned in irritation; not this again, and said as much.
"Boss they've seen too much, plus you're ham handed attempt to silence them…
"Hey that almost worked, until Captain Hero got involved."
George shook his head, Damn Tigers again.
"Now they're firmly ensconced in the camp of a bunch of people who'd kill you as soon as look at you."
"Ahh, for Christ's sake, a pair of drugged up teenaged whores, who'd believe them?"
Elias fiddled with the remote bringing up the 'net connection. Reaching a local blog by a soldier in the 90th HAR he followed a link.
The video that came up documented the activities of the Tigers' medical team. On the screen a young black woman was organizing the setup of a forward aid station, in the back ground a petite blonde also in SLDF fatigues was accepting the delivery of a pallet of medical supplies. Both women exhibited a cool confidence as they went about their duties.
"Any one look familiar?"
As the video continued to a point apparently a few days later, the aid station was in operation. An all too familiar, longhaired captain entered to check on one of his troopers. He stopped on the way out to share a laugh with the two young women.
"Don't look like teenage whores to me boss. Elias quipped, Plus one word to Captain Hero.."
George sat back a cold pit forming in his stomach.
"He won't need proof will he."
Elias shook his head grimly.
Alex (Dreaming of a better time.)
"Base jumping Angel Falls."
"Too much like work."
"Do The Tourist thing in Paris."
"Not bad."
"Same thing only in Rome."
"Not much left."
"Damn Greenhaven bastards."
"Colonists got no respect, uh, sorry my lady."
"No biggie, Gracie, it's Sarah, now don't hog the bottle."
Alex came around the scaffolding around Hussy's left leg, the banter of familiar voices like a siren song. Master Technician Misha Vinson was handing a tool up to Bruce, who was buried to the shoulders in the Marauder's knee. Gracie Liu, 'Mech Rat , Iuchi Kei and to his surprise Sarah Davion were passing around a bottle of California's finest, offering advice (helpful or not), and wishful thinking about what to do after the war.
Gracie smiled wickedly saying;
"I'm gonna find that actor Malcolm Farrell and kidnap him for a month."
Sarah piped up.
"Only a month?"
"Yeah, I bore easily."
"Still, he is cute…" Sarah trailed off grinning impishly as Bruce came half way out of Hussy's knee to give her a mock glower.
"…not that you've got anything to worry about honey." She finished.
Turning back to his work Bruce gave a grin.
"Hell Gracie you'd break that turtle, oh hey Al."
"'Zup B, Sarah, when did you get in?"
Sarah handed him the bottle, motioning to the field outside.
"Couple of hours ago, General DeChevalier didn't want to ok the trip, but Aunt Gladys intervened."
"Really?"
"Well after all I'm in the safest place on Earth. "
Alex raised the bottle and took a swig to a chorus of "Hear, Hear and Damn Straight."
"Besides, she motioned to the SLDF fatigues she was wearing tied off at the waist and the olive drab T-shirt, I blend in."
Kei choked back a laugh through a mouthful of wine.
"What?" Sarah asked innocently.
Grinning Bruce looked a question at Chef Vinson, who checked the readout on his pocket comp.
"Tension's good, we've got it this time, Captain."
"Then we're officially off duty, Chief, the younger man smiled handing over another wine bottle.
"Thanks, what about you, after the war, I mean?"
Bruce looked over at Sarah and smiled.
"At least a month in Tahiti, then well, I'll figure it out as I go along."
Sarah returned the look solemnly.
"Yes we will." She said.
"Hey Sarah, when you're picking out the bridesmaid dresses, be kind." Gracie laughed.
"Oh, don't worry, Gracie I'm sure you'd look fine in Davion Green taffeta." Sarah shot back.
"Gaah."
"You staying with the service B?"
His friend shrugged.
"Haven't thought about it, probably, I mean being a 'Mech Jock's all I know, and Terra's gonna need all they've got."
He shook his head, glancing back at Sarah.
"Like I said we'll figure it out later, you?"
"Nah, I'm done, I've gotten some feelers from TerraGov."
"No Shit!" Gracie burst out..
Bruce busted out laughing.
"Sorry Al, you a politician?"
Alex smiled ruefully.
"Looks like, I mean we've got a lot of work to do." He said seriously. "The Cameron's are gone so some one else is going to have to restore the executive branch."
The others got quiet then, unanswered questions and fears suddenly brought into the open.
"Maybe Kerensky will step in." Gracie shook her head. "Hell at least there'll be a line of succession."
"He'd get a lot of support here, and the other States wouldn't dare object."
"Who say's we need anyone to step in, Kerensky or some lost Cameron, Bruce said leaning forward, It's not like we need a royal family."
Both Sarah and Kei looked shocked, the others uneasy.
"Look, we have a working framework in place the Hegemony can govern itself." He paused then, took a breath and pushed on. "After all it was the Camerons' who got us into this mess in the first place."
In the quiet that followed Alex mused, ten years ago he'd have gotten his lights punched out.
Now however…
"How many people warned Richard about Stefan Amaris, You've all seen the Intel. Bruce went on. "This one guy doesn't listen and there's no oversight and where the hell are we now."
Sarah spoke up then, "Who would be First Lord then, The House Lords wouldn't accept a committee." "Besides, she went on, you underestimate the effect the loss of Terran legitimacy."
"The First Lord should be separate from TerraGov anyway, so sure Kerensky, or maybe one of the older Noble Families. Bruce answered. Who ever Terra supports, both the Lyrans and Prince John should back as well," Sarah nodded.
"Now you've got the Cappellans, the Combine and the League."
Alex nodded, "And the Liao's hate Kenyon Marik."
Bruce raised four fingers.
"That's four either directly supporting the First Lord, or at least neutral, now add in us."
"Huh, wait a minute Gracie chimed in, us?"
"The SLDF, Kei answered her, neither Kenyon nor the Coordinator would risk a war with the largest most battle hardened military force the human race has ever seen."
She leaned over to Gracie and patted her knee.
"Y'know us."
Misha spoke quietly; "The guns of the Tigers are gonna put down a tyrant."
He looked up; "It's not unthinkable those guns will hold the Star League together."
As they all looked up at Hussy, Bruce spoke up;
"And there it is."
Alex laughed, "Maybe it's you who should be the politician, B."
His friend smiled sadly; "No way, I'm just the tool, not the hand that welds it."
Alex looked at Sarah in mock disbelief.
"Hey B, I may be the politician, but you're gonna be royalty."
Sarah took Bruce's hand in hers, a huge grin on her face.
"I am eleventh in line for the throne."
"I thought you were twelfth?" Alex asked.
Sarah shrugged, "Reynold Davion passed away last month, heart problems."
She turned back to Bruce a wicked smile on her face.
"I think Uncle John has a Barony in mind for you."
Bruce started to speak, but only a squeak came out.
"Oh my God, Sarah he's speechless."
"I know, Kei said thickening her light Combine accent, Captain be First Lord, we fix it no problem, you see."
Bruce fixed her with a sour stare.
"Fine, he said, put me in the bullseye."
"Better you than me Lord Bruce."
A voice interrupted from behind them.
"Am I missing something, Major?"
Recognizing a tone in Samuel Winter's voice the group, even Sarah rose, the Tigers saluting.
Colonel Samuel Winter stepped around the boxy myomer calibration computer a fifty something officer at his side. Everyone recognized General Aaron DeChevalier. Returning the Tigers salute the General smiled and reached for the bottle of wine Bruce was holding.
Taking a pull, he passed it to Samuel.
"Good stuff Sam, DeChevalier said, but I think your Tigers are planning to choose our new First Lord for us."
Bruce looked like he was going to melt, Sarah looked amused.
Kei grinned proudly and burped.
Alex just wanted to disappear.
"You might want to check with us first Major, Samuel quipped enjoying the moment.
"Umm yes sir."
DeChevalier nodded to the group as the two officers walked off.
"Lady Sarah good to see you again.'
"And you General"
"And if it would be no trouble, Lord Gilmour, could you join us at 0800 tomorrow, I have a job for Captain Gilmour.
"Yes sir!"
When they were gone both Alex and Bruce sagged with relief.
Kei however was put out.
Catching Bruce's eye she said solemnly,
"Tono, the General stole our booze."
Samuel (Looking at the big picture.)
The room was crowded with officers way above his paygrade. At least everyone here smokes Samuel thought, puffing on his Havana. The holographic table in front of him was centered on Vancouver Island. Clustered around the south east edge of the island in a broken series of concentric circles the icons of fifty two known Amaris divisions, air and naval units swarmed like bright red ants. Strong points and natural barriers showed in red and orange. To the south the age old radiation symbol marked the Gorst Flats and the grave of the Royal Black Watch. Seventy four SLDF formations of varying size stood facing them. Twenty more symbols representing units in transit straddled long green arrows from all over the globe. A smaller globe hung in mid air, in red three locations in central Asia, and one in the Congo showed Amaris strongholds yet to be reduced. Surrounded and isolated they were now the sidelines. Here, in North America, was the Big Show. From the edge of the Rockies to several hundred miles out in the Pacific scattered red flares showed current skirmishes.
East of Mount Reinier , Samuel spotted the Tiger insignia of the 90th Heavy Assault turning back a probe by Takeo Amaris' Huscarl Dragoons. Zooming in he watched the tail end of the battle. Worries about his son who had the command in his absence and the unit in general must have been plain on his face. Colonel Ezra Bradley, commander of the Eridani Light Horse and fellow West Point graduate, put his hand on Samuel's shoulder.
"They're doing fine Sam, Alex has good officers under him and you've trained him well."
Samuel nodded in response, Ezra knew the worst fears of any father and commander. His son, Davis, had been lost with the whole of the 19th Strikers at the beginning of the liberation. On the screen the last of the Huscarls retreated behind the umbrella of their artillery. The fast strike companies of Isokoru Sato's re-formed 2nd Battalion broke off, using their speed to out pace the Rim Worlds Artillery.
"Just a little pissed, lost two companies to DeChevalier's big secret, plus all my Nighthawks."
Ezra rolled his eyes then looked around lowering his voice to a whisper.
"They nabbed a mixed battalion from us."
"Still not telling us why though."
"Nah, its Kerensky's baby though, the pressure's mounting to end this, the damn politicians are crawling out from under their rocks."
"Save their necks and five minutes later they think they run the show."
Ezra smiled sadly.
"Don't mean nothin'." He said quietly.
"Not a thing." Sam finished the age old soldiers phrase.
A commotion at the entrance signaled the arrival of both Aaron DeChevalier and the man himself.
General Aleksandr Kerensky had not aged well over the two years it had been since Samuel had last seen him. The weight of seeing his nation and the family he served torn apart had taken its toll. Kerensky's voice, always strong and confident, had a resigned tone to it that troubled Samuel. As the General outlined the plans for the assault and liberation of Unity City a growing unease gnawed at the back of Samuel's mind. As the briefing progressed, Kerensky's voice regained its familiar tone, the trusted and honored leader, the Liberator of Terra. But the unease remained.
The plan's solid, plays to our strengths. Samuel thought, but something's wrong.
He kept coming back to the Kerensky's eyes.
Cold, distant, resigned.
He's lost hope, Samuel realized, for the Hegemony, the League or both.
God help us, he prayed.
Pete (Teaching 'Mechs to swim.)
"Time!", called Brevet-Major Bruce rockstar fucking primadonna Gilmour.
Light flooded the simulators cockpit as newly promoted Captain Peter Altescu pulled off his neurohelmet.
"Thirty two minutes, twelve seconds, said Erika Von Manstien, the captain from the 151st Royal Division (George S. Patton) who Gilly had picked to be his exec. Inwardly Pete smiled at his private nickname for his new c/o. The transfer from the 71st Light Horse hadn't known what to expect when he'd heard about who'd been given charge of the adhoc 'Mech battalion. Oh, his creds were strong enough. After all they don't just give out Gunslinger medallions, and the SAS troopers respect him. But with his eye patch and that hair the man looks and sounds like a bandit out of a bad holodrama. How the hell did he land a chick like Sarah Davion. To make matters worse half his company are Snakes. OK, four but still….
"Six more than the last time."
The man in question closed his eye and said in that soft cold voice of his.
"Okay Erika, set it up."
He looked up. "We'll run it again."
Pete coughed loudly.
Gilly looked up.
"Yes Captain?"
"Sir, Pete said drawing himself up, we've run this set six times, how.."
The Tiger officer smiled coldly.
"We run it Captain Altescu until your Horsemen make the run from the DZ to the beach in twenty minutes."
Gilly shrugged.
"I know you're capable of it, you guys forded the Ohio River on our left flank just fine."
Peter looked at him uncertain of his earlier opinion.
"Yeah, Pete, I recognized that 'Hawk of yours."
"Where were you, if I may ask sir?"
"In the black and red Heck holding the far bank."
Grinning wickedly he went on;
"Now my Black Cats did this run in fourteen minutes five seconds, and we drive, whaddya call 'em?
The tension broken, Pete chuckled, relating the Horsemen's' term for any 'Mechs over fifty five tons.
"Thunder thighed elephants sir."
"Give me Twenty minutes then Captain Altescu."
"Sir!" Pete snapped a salute turning to his troopers
"We'll give you ten."