BATTLE AGAINST THE DARK

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.

Arc 1: The Periphery.

Chapter 2: Tutorial.

All right, time to earn my bread.

I instinctively activated my heads-up display to see what I had: The handgun was actually a Gauss Pistol with a longer range and punch than the infamous Sternsnacht. The sniper rifle was a modified Extended Range Laser Rifle. My Dimensional Pocket held Power Packs, ammunitions, an advanced medical kit, an advanced survival field kit, various knick-knacks and a selection of mini-grenades. The D-pocket had a limited number of emplacements, but there was no weight limit and I could store 99 items of the same sort in one case.

Okay, very good so far.

My nano-suit had the full cloaking option with IR dampening, optical camouflage and electronic-countermeasures. The helmet was a masterpiece of optical and sound-based sensors. The boots reduced my acoustic signature and the gloves and soles helped for climbing.

I felt like the "Predator".

Well, time to test all of this. My Up-link system and the radio-detectors of my suit activated and the integrated micro-computer began to retrieve and build a coherent map of the region. Not much activity on the waves, but I had already a positive lock on the position of the pirate dropship and the Battlemech of Ysengrin Rutherford. Uh..? A Warhammer, no less.

I ran in the direction of the city-state of Wister... Wow... I was hitting 150 mph..! Ten times the average running speed of a human! And I was maintaining the speed!

It didn't take long to reach a favourable point of observation. Novo Franklin was an agricultural planet with plenty of water and arable land. The city of Wister looked like a middle-age fortified town with even a standard European castle in its centre. From the edge of the wood I was hiding in, I used my optical sensors to zoom on the Warhammer standing a kilometre away from the main gates.

Baron Rutherford was using his external speakers to talk to representatives of Wister under a white flag. They were debating about the amount of raw materials and the number of technicians in exchange of the Warhammer not flattening them.

Hum... The Battlemech, a standard WHM-6R, appeared damaged and my sensors confirmed it. One Particle Projector Cannon and a Medium Laser weren't operational, the six-tubes Short Range Missile launcher was empty and the overall armour was severely patched under its layer of paint especially around the right torso. Still, the 70 tons mech could waste the city with but a few shots.

I nodded as my computer finished its analyse of the town and the Battlemech and I activated my directional communicator and voice changer on the Baron's private channel.

"Baron Rutherford, do not acknowledge this emission. I am using the scrambler code included in your call for help. I am a scout of the mercenary group: "The Valkyries". Your request has been heard and my superiors have accepted the mission." Novo Franklin used English and I was using a male voice with a German accent. "One of our Elite squad is already on the move. Please continue to gain time as pirate scouts are watching you from the hill on your four." I detected the Jeep with two men using binoculars earlier. "If you feel the need to escalate, the extreme south tower of the castle is abandoned and I have confirmed the absence of people inside and around. We will maintain radio silence until the mission is accomplished or aborted. And don't worry, I'll be back."

I cut the contact. The Baron seemed to be trusting as he didn't reply. I sneaked around the visual range of the hill and closed on the pirates from behind. They were... ugly and repulsive. Bad hygiene, stained clothes, barely maintained weapons and they were drinking... some sort of swill from a jug. Their radio wasn't on standby and it was obvious they didn't understand the term "Operational Security".

I simply walked to them and used again my voice changer. "You are two ugly motherfuckers." Surprised they turned around just in time to see only my fists coming to them like a freight train. I rapidly bind them and took all their weapons in my D-pocket. Then I neutralized the radio and Jeep before running in a straight line to the crashed Leopard.

Activating my cloaking device I approached the downed dropship using the long rend of the crash to minimize sighting. The optical camouflage wasn't invisibility after all. Uh... the ship wasn't going anywhere, but my computer pointed me that the damage was superficial. Only a few machinery needed to be repaired or replaced. Olaf was being greedy: The Baron could have given him the necessary materials for the dropship. The Ripper stupidly asked for more than needed and thus was still stranded here.

The Battlemechs however were in a very poor shape. They managed to get them out of the cargo bays and were attempting to make jury-rig repairs. There was a Stinger without legs, a Firestarter without a cockpit and a Locust where the two pirate Mechwarriors, the dropship crew, minus the captain and an operator, and their technicians were concentrating. According to my sensors, the gyroscope was fried and the shielding of the fusion engine was barely functional.

All right, decision time. Should I kill them all or capture them. Hum... the two technicians looked to be Kuritans, were without weapons and showed signs of recent beatings and malnutrition. The Mechwarriors lorded over everybody and were simply screaming at the crew to repair their mechs or if not... The crew were visibly pirates and I saw one kicking a technician after a particularly vicious insult from one Mechwarrior.

Decision taken.

I reached into my D-pocket and took a handful of sleeping gas grenades and stun grenades. I programmed them with my Up-link and gently rolled them around the exterior group and the dropship. I then silently entered the Leopard through a bay door and found my way to the cockpit. The captain and the operator were lounging on the deck, the communication console was on standby along with their sensors. Ha, a little professionalism, at last.

I drew my Gauss Pistol and dialled it to subsonic mode. "Knock knock." The captain jerked and reached for his handgun as the operator gasped at the fringe from my optical camouflage. I shot the operator first and drilled his neck. I then adjusted my sight to the captain who was still attempting to retrieve his gun from a stained holster and put a projectile between his eyes.

Ignoring the cooling bodies, I accessed the main console with my Up-link, cutting through its defences like a hot knife through butter and downloaded all their logs. I then re-cloaked and took a position near the bay door. I activated the speaker near the main forward hatch and selected another rough male voice.

"Pirates! This is the Law. Surrender immediately or we'll use lethal force." The pirates scrambled for their weapons and began to surround the forward hatch. "You have been warned: You have now twenty seconds to comply."

One of the Mechwarriors sneered. "Ha! What you gonna do? There's eleven of us and I bet you're just two inside. And when you come out, we'll just blew the fuck out of you."

Of course you will. "Ten seconds to comply."

He gestured at the group and they all drew a bead on the hatch. "Fuck you Lawman. You've got five."

Thanks for warning me. I activated the grenades. Clouds of yellow gas billowed around them and choked their lungs meanwhile the stun wave ensured that no one could mount an effective resistance. I rushed out of the bay and economically shot all of them, ensuring that only the Kuritans technicians were spared.

One interesting feature of my D-pocket was that anything organic inside was put into stasis. I grabbed the two technicians and put them into my pocket: I intended to free them later. I put all the corpses in a shallow depression, looted them and then turned to the Locust. A simple search for the parameters of my pocket to confirm something and "yoink"! I stored the Battlemech inside it. I laughed and checked for the Leopard and the last two mechs. Yes, Quest Items could be stored in my D-pocket and didn't take any place or weight!

All right, time for the main quest. Consulting my map, I dashed to the city-state of Durk.

Durk was... anachronistic. The overall technology level was early 19° century. The roofs were thatched, the sewers barely sufficient and electricity was restricted to the castle. I knew that it was normal for the Inner Sphere in 3025, but it was a shock nonetheless. The castle road was specifically built for the Baron's Warhammer and I could see the special hangar right outside the castle walls.

The population was frightened because of the situation. It seemed that Lady Diana Rutherford was better at Public Relation than her father. The peasantry loved her as she cared about them. They were scared for her. I listened intently and quickly discovered that the castle had been evacuated by the staff and the soldiers and that the pirate platoon was occupying it. Lady Diana was rumoured imprisoned inside the dungeons and the terrible Olaf the Ripper had killed a great number of people already.

Still under cloak I avoided using the rooftops to move and proceeded to the castle via the little alleys. The castle was protected by walls and a moat. I also saw sentinels on the rampart. Hum... I needed a blind spot and found it between two guerites. Using the gripper gear of my nano-suit, I rapidly reached the top of the rampart.

The pirates were confident, but were still patrolling regularly. I waited for one binomial to pass and sneaked between two patrols. I entered the interior of the castle undetected so far. I didn't like what I saw. The pirates had piled about dozens of corpses in the court and there was many blood traces around.

God damn it... All right, first prioritize and then iced them.

I began to methodically explore the castle. I needed to know where the pirates were and what they were doing. Half of them were patrolling the castle and looking if the town-people did something "stupid". The other half were pillaging the castle and emptying the pantry. Well most of them...

She was a beautiful blonde girl, just a teenager and the laughing pig hauling her in a bedroom was certainly no prince charming. I didn't hesitate: I entered the room, closed the door and reached for his neck. A simple twist and that was all.

I dropped my cloaking, opened my helmet and dropped to her level. "Continue to scream."

Her eyes widened and despite the situation, something strengthened her and she screamed like before I killed her aggressor. I pre-selected a male voice sounding like the dead pirate. "All right, I'm going to imitate his voice to shut you up. Follow my lead and everything will be all right." I positioned the corpse inside the bed and then screamed with the generic male voice. "SHUT UP BITCH!" I slapped vigorously his cheeks and the girl immediately closed her mouth. Despite her tears she smiled at my ruse.

I obtained precious knowledge from her and hid her in the space between the ceiling and the upper floor.

I visited the castle armoury and descended in the dungeons. Only two guards at the main gate. I dropped my camouflage and planted my Wakizachi and Katana through their guts and the near wall "Stick around, guys!"

I opened the cell of the black-haired Lady Diana who first was surprised at my appearance and then alarmed. I raised my hand to her. "Come with me if you want to live, Milady."

Using her speechlessness to my advantage I gently guided her into another cell far away. I explained my plan to hiding her until me "Bright Raven" and my partner codenamed "Terminator" dealt with all the pirates.

After leaving a weapon with her I then used the fact that there was only one access to the dungeons by condemning it using a thermite charge to fuse the keyhole mechanism. It would take my strength or a demolition charge to open the gate.

And now it was time to let go the stealth and to slaughter them. I recuperated my swords, put back the Katana in its sheath and drew my Gauss Pistol. I didn't reactivated my cloak but put my voice changer on automatic to alternate between my real voice and male voices. My helmet closed and briefly my optical sensors flashed red.

It was a massacre: I ran in the castle and systematically butchered every pirates encountered. I didn't used grenades, only sword, gun and Hand to Hand. Confronted to a black avenging angel, the pirates panicked. Only a few binomials managed to take a position that stymied me a few instants before I used my inhuman agility and speed to bypass it. My nano-suit stopped a few bullets and knife cuts. No problem with that, my heads-up display showed a few bruises at worst.

Olaf the Ripper seemed to barricaded himself in the throne room. He was screaming in the radio net, but few could report correctly to him. I watched coldly men dying at my hands until a counter finally reached 28. The voice of Olaf was still saturating the waves and I established a contact.

"I'm listening." The random voice was rather iconic and appropriate.

"Who the hell are you?!"

I waited one second and whispered viciously. "Your worst nightmare." There was no more contact until I arrived at the throne room.

Of course he blocked the gate and was waiting for me to try to enter either via the door or the windows. And what did I do? I simply used a secret way that the young blonde teenager, member of the castle staff knew about.

Olaf was a red-headed and bearded big man clad in a ballistic plate armour, a two-handed axe clasped on his back and was holding a Rorynex sub-machine-gun. My Gauss Pistol shot it from his hands and announced my presence.

He snarled and roared at me, drawing his axe. "You bastard! Drop dead!"

I holstered my gun and Wakizachi, opened my helmet and stepped out of the shadows as I draw my Katana. "I don't do requests."

His eyes widened and he gasped in sheer incredulity. "A... cunt..!? I'm gonna carve your heart out! Then slaughter your little chicken of partner and THEN I will rape your corpse!" He roared like a bear charged me in a berserker-like trance.

I waited calmly for him in a medium guard. I could have easily deal with the idiot like Indiana Jones, but I felt something more should be done. As he reached my position with his axe raised up, I acted.

I was suddenly behind the two halves of him sliding down the floor. My strike had perfectly cut him diagonally along with his armour and axe. A vibro-Katana is a very dangerous weapon, almost the equal of a lightsaber.

I won.

I contacted the Baron while walking to deliver Lady Diana. "Baron Rutherford? This is the Valkyries' scout codename "Uller". Mission accomplished. I am patching you with my commander." I waited a few then switched back to my normal voice. "Greetings Baron Ysengrim Rutherford. I am Bright Raven, commanding officer of the mercenary group "the Valkyries". All the pirates are dead save the two prisoners near you on the hill and your daughter is safe and all right."

I heard the sigh of relief. "This is Baron Rutherford of Durk. Acknowledged, Commander Raven. My profound and personal thanks for your exploit. Do you wish to arrange a meeting for your reward?"

"Negative, Baron. The Valkyries engineering team advised me that the looting of the pirates was largely sufficient for our current needs. Instead of a reward, I would ask two favours of yours."

"... I am listening, Commander."

"The commando team rescued two technicians enslaved by the pirates. Their knowledge is not adapted to our equipment, so I would ask that you take them under your protection." I extracted the two Kuritans from my D-pocket, ensured they were still sleeping under the influence of the gas and put them inside a cell.

"Two... technicians..? Are you sure you don't need them, Commander?"

"Affirmative, Baron. My second favour would be your permission to recruit among your population. I need to replenish a few free positions."

"I'm afraid I can't afford to loose any soldiers at this conjecture, Commander... However, you're free to ask any peasants if you want."

"Thank you Baron, I will do just that. Live long and prosper."

"Uh..? Yes... of course... Live long and prosper you too..."

"Thank you Baron. The proper answer is "Peace and long life"." I had reached Diana's cell and gave her a spare radio-set from the pirates. "Your father awaits for you, Milady."

She briefly hugged me and I let a smile broke through my military mask. "Thank you! Thank you for everything you did. I am in your debt. If I can do anything for you..?"

I raised my hand in a very specific and iconic salute. "I left two slaves rescued from the pirates in a nearby cell. If you could keep an eye on them until the sleeping gas I used dissipate? For the rest, just be the best leader you can be to your people. Any leader is first a servant to those he or she leads. Without them he or she is nothing but one person. Farewell Lady Diana, Live long and prosper."

She beamed at me and imitated my salute. "Peace and long life, Commander Raven."

Okay, last lap.

I found her waiting for me at the castle gate. We hugged each other and I let her cry in my arms. I then examined her: She was perhaps fourteen, fifteen at best with grey eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair. She had the silhouette of someone who worked in the field and have regular food. Her eyes shone with intelligence and a determined flame. I took my decision.

"I am Bright Raven, Commander of the mercenary group "the Valkyries."

She nodded. "My name is Evangeline Leyte, a humble maid of Durk Castle."

"Evangeline, I am recruiting with the permission of your baron. Would you join me, even if it means plunging into war?"

"Yes Commander! I want to join you even... Even if I can't do much..."

I smiled and handed her another spare communicator. "Gather your possessions, go to the exit of the town and contact me. I will ensure your transport." I frowned. "Make sure that all your affairs are done with since we won't come back here for years if ever. I will have a contract for you ready."

She giggled and dashed away to prepare for her new life. I really hoped I didn't condemn her to an early death.

It was when I was leaving the city-state under cloaking that he contacted me.

"Well done miss Raven. You successfully accomplished all the quests including the side-ones. The time was average, but that's normal since you did everything."

Why, thank you ROB. And now?

"Oh yes... Hum. Hum. Commander Bright Raven finished the Tutorial Quest. Gain one fully repaired and provisioned standard Leopard with an all-female generic average crew. Gain one choice of a fully and provisioned Battlemech among a LCT-1V Locust, a STG-3R Stinger and a FS9-H Firestarter. Gain Evangeline Leyte, potential pilot. Gain attention of COMSTAR. Gain a two levels Contact with Lady Diana Rutherford, Heir of the city-state of Durk. Gain one level of Good Reputation. Gain all personal loot from pirates fully repaired."

I blinked. I stopped. There was only one word: "HOE..!?"


Notes: I know: Too much puns...

Or maybe not enough..?

Next chapter is about the reactions of some people.