My Father's Friend
Chapter 7: Mopping Up
Yodima's Bar and Lounge, Grain Town,
Draconis Combine,
June 22, 3076
Jenna thought it might be fun to relax in a bar with the other Wolverines, but that proved to be a mistake.
"Yeah! So I... I had my Chimera, right, I a-tore my way through a million Combine goons and jumped so high in the air I boarded their retreating dropship! I really did! Wahahaha!" one of the Wolverines boasted loudly from one of the lounge couches, waving his drink enthusiastically to the amusement of the other Wolverines and lounge girls. Everyone cheered and clapped in a haze of alcohol, but one of the other Wolverines topped him. "Oh yeah? There was a time I put jump jets on an Atlas and jumped through the sky until I boarded a jumpship!"
This earned him even more applause, and the attention of the busty Japanese bar girls too. Jenna shied away from the scene, repulsed.
"Hey, Danny boy!" the second Wolverine twisted around in his seat to face Jenna, a blankly happy look on his face. He had to shout over the music and general chatter in the bar. "Why so shy? Get yer butt over here and have a drink! The girls here are really nice, you know."
"N... no thanks," Jenna refused, shifting her gaze elsewhere.
"But... why don't you want to enjoy the awesome bar girls here?"
Because I'm a girl too, damn it! Jenna didn't let it show on her face, however. "It's okay. I'm just tired. I'll be going back to our motel early tonight."
"Fine. Suit yerself, Danny boy," the Wolverine grinned, turning back around. Heaving a sigh, Jenna shuffled away from the lounge area, passing by the bar en route to the front doors. On the way there, she spotted Craig at the bar, his wide back facing her. Curious, Jenna approached him, hoisting herself onto the bar stool next to him. Craig was hunched over, contemplating a full shot glass that he held in his fingers, staring deep into the liquid in thought. He looked over at Jenna, then brightened a little. "Good evening, Mr. Cooper."
"Evening, sir."
Craig set down his shot glass, grinning and gesturing with both hands. "Off-duty, it's just 'Craig' to you, okay?"
"Right," Jenna nodded, refusing the bartender's offer for a drink. "So... what's going on with you?"
"Nothing personal, in particular," Craig offered, sitting up and picking at a spot on his sleeve. "We got paid a pretty handsome sum for that last assignment, protecting the Nakako factory back there. Had to brave Manei Domini and a tornado, but we did just fine."
"I had never seen a tornado before," Jenna admitted.
"Nor I," Craig added, staring at the shot glass but not taking it. "But really. Nithis is dead, and our contract is done. We're going to leave Mazashi pretty soon and look for any new contractors."
"Will we go after the Word of Blake again?"
Craig heaved a sigh, placing an elbow on the bar and resting his head in his hand. "Believe it or not, Mr. Cooper, Jon and I can't find any more contracts nearby that deal with the Word. The Blakists have pretty much been driven out of this joint of the Inner Sphere, and this strike against Mazashi was a last-gasp effort on their part. For a while, we'll just take sides in local rebellions, raids, what have you. Won't pay as well as anti-Blake missions."
"But we did get paid well in that last contract, right?"
"That we did, as I said. We can afford to put weapons on The Beast soon," Craig said brightly, raising his head and lowering his arms. "Even after only two good missions, we're gaining momentum, Mr. Cooper, and if we can keep this up, well, we'll be a force to be reckoned with around here. The hardest part was getting the Wolverines and our equipment together, and Jon and I got past that part just fine."
He went ahead and took the shot glass, downing its contents in one gulp, grimacing slightly from the alcohol. He smacked his lips and set the glass down with a chuckle. "We can actually afford some stuff now, Mr. Cooper. Might even replace some of the 'mechs on Pounce Lance with heavier designs, if Jon thinks it's a good idea. I've always liked the looks of the Jenner."
"Yeah. It's a nice 'mech," Jenna had to agree, picking at her sleeve. Craig grinned.
"Even if not a Jenner, Mr. Cooper, we can at least afford to buy you some clothes that fit better. I think your current clothes are wearing you!"
Jenna shook her head. "Don't worry about that, Craig. I'm okay." She wore loose, oversized clothing to hide her feminine figure and keep her disguise intact. Craig shrugged. "Have it your way. But still, in future endeavors as Carter 's Wolverines... let's hope for the best, huh?"
"Yeah. I'll look forward to fighting under your lead, Craig," Jenna smiled, then got up and turned to leave.
"Good to hear. Good night, Mr. Cooper."
"Night, Craig."
*o*o*o*o*
Chacharo Peaks plain, Mazashi,
Draconis Combine,
June 24, 3076
"I mean no disrespect, sir, but it seems that you spoke too soon about the Word of Blake," Jenna couldn't help herself on the Wolverine battle comm. The Beast had touched down on a grassy plain near the base of a mountain range, all of its Battlemechs deployed and ready to go.
"I... I guess so," Craig admitted with a quick laugh. "Just get in formation with your Lance, Claw Four, and get ready to rumble."
"Listen up, Wolverines!" Carter barked on the comm once everyone was in formation and following his lead toward the mountain base. Carter's freshly-repaired Argus quickly and easily bound across the hilly plain, leading the Wolverines and leaving The Beast behind. "There's a mining complex up ahead that the Word of Blake captured, after they destroyed the defending force. Our mission is to help the local militia take it back. We thought the Blakists were gone from Mazashi, but we were wrong. They've got a little defiance left in them yet, and we're here to crush it for good."
The Wolverines filled the channel with their excitement, eager to mop up the Blakists once and for all on Mazashi. Two Lances of local militia 'mechs tagged along to fight alongside the Wolverines, mostly medium 'mechs with a couple of heavies. They had arrived in a Fortress-class dropship, the same kind as The Beast.
The Beast steadily grew more distant as the 'mechs advanced, but the mountain range and the mining complex drew nearer and nearer, and Carter sent Pounce Lance ahead to make the first move. The Locust, Commando, and two Wasps of Pounce Lance scampered ahead, using their Beagle Active Probes to detect the Word of Blake defenders at extreme range.
"Fang One, we've got two Level II units of Battlemechs and one Level II unit of tanks," the Commando pilot reported. "Orders?"
"The usual: plant NARC's on the heaviest targets, and Claw Lance will set up a heavy LRM barrage to soften them up and cover our approach," Carter answered. With that, Pounce Lance zig-zagged across the field, dodging the PPC's and ER lasers that the Blake forces were now firing. Weathering the storm, Pounce Lance's 'mechs launched their NARC beacons, and the Lance Leader confirmed that all four had hit something.
At Carter's order, Filip told Claw Lance to open fire. Jenna pressed a button on her dashboard, activating her optical zoom to find the opposition. She immediately saw a cluster of large 'mechs and tanks guarding the huge mining complex, all of them firing missiles and lasers. Swallowing hard, Jenna got a hard lock on an enemy Toyama with a NARC beacon on it and pressed her finger on a joystick button, triggering her LRM 10. Her missiles streaked after the distant Blakists, joining those of the rest of Claw Lance. The Blakists tried to scatter, but the NARC's made sure that some of them got hit. The Toyama's ER large lasers raked the militia 'mechs, but it was quickly engulfed in a swarm of missiles, blasting chunks of armor everywhere.
Carter let loose a war cry as Fang Lance got in close with the enemy, firing lasers and Autocannons. Claw Lance's LRM launchers recycled and fired again, hammering the Blake 'mechs with swarms of LRM's, destroying armor and distracting the 'mechs at the same time. A Blake White Flame took a salvo of LRM's to its front left leg, the quadruped shuddering. Carter and Craig pounced on it, their combined Autocannons shredding the White Flame's center torso armor to pieces. The White Flame hit back with its lasers, but a flurry of missiles from Claw Lance blew the White Flame apart, forcing the pilot to eject.
Once the Blake 'mechs and tanks recovered from the initial assault, they mounted a fearsome counter-attack, even stronger than Jenna expected. The tanks, a huge Brutus, Glory, and four Goblins allrolled forward, sending their hot red lasers everywhere and melting the armor of Fang Lance and the militia 'mechs. The other Blake 'mechs, angry that the Wolverines had ganged up on one target, showered their munitions on a militia Chimera, tearing it to flaming chunks from a combined assault. Dodging further fire, Fang Lance and the militia 'mechs spaced themselves wide, trading fire evenly with the Blakists. Carter's Argus was particularly ferocious, its LBX-20 tearing nasty wounds into the armor of the enemy 'mechs.
"Stay back, Claw Lance. Remember that we're the fire support," Filip reminded his Lance firmly as his Lancemates tried to rush forward to aid their besieged Wolverine allies. Jenna frowned, watching the Blake 'mechs and tanks destroy another militia 'mech and injure a Centurion from Fang Lance. Well, I can snipe, too! She lined up her crosshairs onto an enemy Goblin tank that was twisting its turret to shoot at Craig, who was already distracted with a Blake Thug. Jenna carefully slid her crosshair onto the Goblin and squeezed two buttons on her joystick, and her Hellspawn's arms spat out bright light. Her ER large laser and Light PPC streaked across the battlefield with deadly precision, burning off the Goblin's turret in a burst of fire. The tank stopped dead, and the crew all scrambled out of their mount before a Centurion from Fang Lance destroyed the Goblin with a thundering Autocannon 10 burst.
"Nice one, Claw Four," Filip praised as his LRM 15's streaked toward an enemy Lightray. His missiles went wide, however, and hit a different target: a gigantic Vanquisher that was approaching the battlefield from the near distance. Jenna felt a thrill of dread upon seeing that 100-tonner approach.
The Vanquisher's pilot's voice crackled onto the comm, seething with fury and contempt. "I am Adept V Sarah Merlington. I recognize you military scum as Carter's Wolverines. You destroyed Specter Adept Nithis in battle a few days back, did you not?"
Carter's Argus stepped back from an injured enemy Commando. "This is Jonathan Carter of the Wolverines. I took great pleasure in destroying your cyborg friend! And I will enjoy taking you apart, too."
Sarah Merlington barked her laughter. "Such foolishness! I will be the one to avenge Nithis' demise. You will not leave Mazashi alive, unbeliever."
This spurred Carter to fight even harder, joining up with Craig's Quickdraw to take on Merlington. The injured Centurion of Fang Lance and a Wasp on Pounce Lance had gone down by now, but none of Carter's momentum was lost. He and Craig shoved past the enemy 'mechs to confront the Vanquisher, Carter's MRM 20 and Craig's large pulse lasers showering the Vanquisher in fire. The huge 'mech rattled a little, but only its outer layer of armor was damaged. The 'mech fired its ER lasers to distract Craig and Carter, then its arms recoiled as its twin Light Gauss Rifles fired.
Carter's Argus was slugged on the shoulder, its armor crumpling from the impact. The 'mech spun around from the sheer force, smoke pouring from its maimed shoulder. Craig's Quickdraw had evaded the other Gauss slug and its twin Autocannon 5's chipped at the Vanquisher's armor, but the enemy Brutus tank rolled forward and burned the Quickdraw with its large laser turrets, sending molten globs of the Quickdraw's armor dripping to the grass. The Vanquisher added its own ER lasers, striking Craig's left arm and Carter's right leg.
"Claw One, I have to help them!" Jenna cried to Filip, her heart racing.
"What? We've already got enemies over here, Claw Four," Filip answered tightly, his LRM 15's fending off an enemy Lightray. The Whitworth of Claw Lance had gone down, and two more militia 'mechs had been reduced to scrap under Blake fire. Four of the Blake 'mechs and two of their tanks lay in ruins, but the Blakists fought well.
Jenna ground her teeth. "That Vanquisher could tear us all apart, and Craig and Carter are our best assets. I can help them!"
"Okay, Claw Four, but only with my help," Filip admitted, his Trebuchet leading the way. He fired an LRM 15 at the enemy Brutus tank, but his missiles went wide, exploding on the ground with a blossom of fire. Meanwhile, the Brutus' SRM's hammered Craig's Quickdraw as Carter's LBX-20 maimed the Vanquisher's left leg, making little progress against the 100-tonner and its tank escort. Jenna slipped in closer with her Hellspawn, 500 meters away from the Vanquisher. Just as the enemy 'mech adjusted its arms to strike down Carter with its Light Gauss Rifles, Jenna sent her LRM 10 streaking after it, aimed right at the torso. The missiles did little damage, but did catch the pilot's attention. Filip took his chance to hit the Vanquisherwith his LRM 15's, adding to the damage.
When the smoke cleared, everyone was alarmed to see the Vanquisher step forward with only moderate damage on its huge torso. "Not good enough," Merlington taunted the Wolverines, then her Light Gauss Rifles fired at Jenna. Both slugs flashed through the air with silver light, striking Jenna's Hellspawn on the torso and thigh. She clenched her jaw to fight back a shriek as her 'mech was shaken, armor chunks flying everywhere and alarms going off in her cockpit. Smoke leaked from the wounds, her 45-ton 'mech unable to handle such huge firepower. Jenna's crosshairs slipped off the Vanquisher, robbing her of a chance to hit back.
Then, the Brutus' SRM's and large lasers fended off Craig and Carter, and Sarah's ER lasers destroyed the torso-mounted LRM 15 on Filip's Trebuchet, sending the 'mech staggering back from the explosion.
Come on... focus! Jenna strained against the Hellspawn's lurching, fighting the joysticks to get her balance back. Craig recovered first, his twin Autocannon 5's shredding armor from the Brutus. Jenna heaved herself forward, her LRM 10 adding to Craig's Autocannon damage and tearing a hole into the Brutus' nose armor. Not wasting a second, Jenna fired her Light PPC at the wound, but the azure bolt missed and hit the tank's tread instead, immobilizing the vehicle. Then, the Brutus and Jenna fired their lasers at each other at the same time.
Jenna couldn't help herself this time; she shrieked as the Brutus' twin large lasers burned into her LRM 10 launcher, the hot beams torching the ammo stored there. A vicious explosion ripped through Jenna's Hellspawn, then another and another as her LRM warheads exploded. Smoke poured into Jenna's cockpit as warnings blared in her ears, and she coughed against the acrid smoke trying to enter her lungs. Her own laser had hit near the Brutus' armor breach, but failed to penetrate the tank's inner systems.
"Not so fast!" Carter howled as the Brutus tried to aim its turret at Jenna to fire again for a killing blow. Carter's lasers and vicious LBX-20 flared up, showering the injured Brutus in heavy fire. The tanks was enveloped in fire, disappearing in a huge fireball that buffeted the nearby Vanquisher. The Vanquisher fired its ER lasers at Carter, melting away the last of his right arm's armor. In response, Filip's remaining LRM 15 exploded against the Vanquisher's left torso, staggering the 'mech to keep it from firing its Light Gauss Rifles.
Sputtering against the smoke, Jenna squinted and activated her zoom, focusing on the giant Vanquisher's left arm. Her crosshairs fell into place, and she quickly mashed her triggers. Jenna's laser and PPC struck dead-on, slicing right through the weakest joint on the Vanquisher's left arm. The limb was seared right off, dangling by the 'mech's side only by a few myomer fibers. The sudden shift in mass threw off the Vanquisher's other Light Gauss Rifle, causing the slug to fly off in a harmless direction.
"Hot damn! Your aim is really something, Claw Four!" Filip cheered, his injured Trebuchet raising a fist in excitement.
Jenna hacked and coughed against the smoke, her cockpit growing agonizingly hot from her energy weapons and the fire in her ruined LRM launcher. "N-n-no, it was just a l-lucky shot!"
The Brutus hammered Craig with its LRM 20 and the Vanquisher drove Carter back with its ER lasers, and the Wolverines prepared to hit back, desperate to finish off their Blake opponents. Before they could, however, a large new contact arrived that captured the attention of everyone on the battlefield. Every surviving 'mech and tank ceased fire and looked up to see a Union-class dropship descend toward the battlefield, drifting a few hundred meters to the side. The dropship touched down, powering down its engines just enough to deploy four fresh Battlemechs, led by a solid black No-Dachi, carrying its signature sword. The Lance approached the battlefield in a tight formation.
Carter was quick to hail the newcomers. "Who are you? Are you mercenaries sent to help -"
The No-Dachi's male pilot interrupted, his voice smooth with a French accent. "You all are Carter's Wolverines, oui?"
"Yes, we are," Carter answered warily. "Tell me, who are -"
"Is Mr. Daniel Cooper here?" the No-Dachi pilot cut Carter off again, beckoning with its gun arm. "I am here to conduct business with him."
Jenna swallowed and stepped forward in her badly-mangled, smoking Hellspawn. "I am Daniel Cooper. I insist, who are you? And how do you know me?"
"I was sent for you, Daniel," the man answered with unexpected mockery in his tone. "I won't let these Word of Blake forces harm you anymore. You're coming with me."
Carter's Argus took a heavy step forward, its LBX-20 gun arm raised. "Now just a minute! What are you –?"
"Now, Adept!" the No-Dachi pilot barked, and the Vanquisher and the rest of the Blakists opened fire once again, ignoring the newcomers and showering the Wolverines and the militia 'mechs with intense fire, sparing only Jenna. Caught by surprise, a militia 'mech collapsed in flames, and Filip's Trebuchet was engulfed in fire and was torn into flaming pieces, not even giving him time to eject.
"No! Claw One!" Jenna howled, tears welling in the corners of her eyes and her throat tightening. "Filip!"
The newcomer 'mechs opened fire too, not giving the Wolverines or militia 'mechs a chance to fight back. Jenna fired her ER large laser in anger and burned a hole in the No-Dachi's chest, but the 70-ton 'mech only leaped forward and pounced on Carter. Carter's Argus looked up just in time to see the No-Dachi's blade descend, and Carter's LBX-20 quickly fired while there was still time. The gun released deafening fire as the cluster rounds tore through the No-Dachi, but one of the No-Dachi's allies struck Carter with its PPC, sending the Argus reeling. The No-Dachi recovered and swung its blade down, hacking off the Argus' LBX-20 arm, making the 'mech wobble from the loss of mass.
"Retreat! Break contact and get back to The Beast! Double time it, Wolverines!" Carter bellowed on the comm, and the few surviving Wolverines slipped out of the battle and made a break for The Beast, but the combined enemy force wouldn't allow it. None of the militia 'mechs were left.
"They're getting away, Francis!" Sarah Merlington shouted on the general comm. "You said this would be the perfect trap!"
"It is, my dear," the No-Dachi's pilot responded. "They will not escape! Spare the Hellspawn, but destroy the rest. They are not our concern."
This Francis guy is working with the Word of Blake to capture me! This whole assignment was a trap! Jenna's mind span as she tried to figure out what was going on, but there was little she could do except make a break for The Beast. She, Carter, and Craig evaded the enemy fire, but the enemy fire took down the surviving Wasp on Pounce Lance, and then the surviving Centurion on Claw Lance, leaving only Jenna, Carter, and Craig. After a few more minutes of frantic running and dodging, the three Wolverine survivors got close to The Beast, but the enemy force had other ideas. Their PPC's and LRM's streaked toward The Beast and the militia dropship, ripping apart the engines of both dropships in sheets of flame and sparks.
"N... no! My dropship!" Carter howled his agony on the comm, but there was nothing he could do now. He wheeled around to face the incoming enemy horde, prepared to fight to the death even without his LBX-20. Jenna and Craig whirled around too, staring down the incoming horde.
Then, yet another force made itself clear.
"Multiple contacts!" Jenna exclaimed, her radar showing a handful of new Battlemechs detected just under one kilometer away. They steadily came closer, and more and more of them appeared on the radar until an entire Company came bearing down fast. The new force opened fire as it drew closer, with PPC's and LRM's showering the Blake-Francis force. The heavy fire took down a few of the injured Blake 'mechs and slowed down the advance of Francis' 'mechs, buying enough time for the new group to get in close. The new 'mechs all had the same color scheme: blue and gold.
Carter's Argus whipped around to regard the newcomers. "Who are you? Answer me, damn it!"
The lead 'mech, a blue and gold Toyama, struck down an enemy Dragon with its twin ER large lasers. "I am here to help you, Carter's Wolverines! These men you face are my enemies, too. Quickly, get into my dropship. It's your only chance! It's an Overlord class. It's back in the direction my group came from."
At this, Carter hesitated. Could this be a trick, too? Then again, these newcomers were giving heavy fire to the Blake force, and this offer was the only chance to escape.
"There's no time, Wolverines!" the Toyama's pilot gritted. His LRM 20 pushed back the No-Dachi. "Either trust me and get on board, or die out here! I can hold these guys off for only so long! They want you, Daniel Cooper, for terrible reasons, but I am here to protect you. I can explain everything when we get out of here on a jumpship. I promise."
Jenna's eyes widened as she listened to the man speaking. D... do I recognize that voice? I don't know. But I have to follow his lead if I want to survive to see anything more! "Fang One, Fang Two! We really should cooperate."
A Blake PPC grazed Craig's Quickdraw's shoulder, prompting him to agree. "Yeah. Come on, Jon. We don't have time for this. Let's get aboard. It's better than dying out here."
Jenna could actually hear Jon grating his teeth on the comm. "Fine!" he snapped. "Let's go, Wolverines." His Argus slipped past enemy fire and ran off in the direction that the Toyama pilot had spoken about. As the three surviving Wolverines continued across the plain, they could clearly hear the battle rage on, but the fires died down rather quickly. The Toyama pilot reported in. "They're in full retreat! Take it easy, Wolverines. We're home free."
With that, the three Wolverines and the blue/gold 'mechs hopped on board the Overlord dropship. Once they were safely secured in the 'mech bay, the dropship rumbled and took to the skies and accelerated, propelling it higher and higher into the atmosphere until it reached silent space.
*o*o*o*o*
A/N: I'll be going out of town soon, so chapter 8 will be posted a few days early, probably on the 11th of March.
