—==Chapter 9==—
Dropship DeLeon
Jumpship Arnhem, Sakhara Jump Point
New Samarkand Military District, Draconis Combine
August 23rd, 3145
Over the near two-month trip from Caselton to Sakhara V the cargo-bay of the Union Class Dropship DeLeon had practically become a home away from home for Elim. Other than tinkering with Caladbolg he'd passed the tripspending time with Alayneor studying, both of which he could do in the passenger quarters but did in abundance in the cargo-bay instead since at least there he could do all three sometimes all at once.
Outside of that there wasn't much to do on the long journey other than try to keep in shape in the Union's small gymnasium. Though if they were particularly lucky they might get to go aboard the Arnhem, the Invader-class Jumpship the DeLeon had been hitched to for the journey and literally watch grass grow in one of its two Hydroponics domes.
The DeLeon was a Union-class Dropship, but it wasn't like the military version used by the Fenix Fusiliers and virtually every other mercenary unit or House military in the Inner Sphere. Instead it was refitted for carrying cargo rather than BattleMechs, its twelve BattleMech stalls having been removed a long time ago for use in the family's trade business.
Though two stalls had been restored to the bay to accommodate the two Assault Mechs. After all they weren't the sort of thing one could just shove into a crate with some packing peanuts.
Elim was a Mechwarrior, not a technician, and Chief O'Bannon had assigned two of his own people to keep the Mechs in good working order on the journey before the Academy's technicians would assume stewardship. But until that time both young Mechwarriors had taken every opportunity to learn what they could about the upkeep of their Mechs from O'Bannon's staff. The tinkering did serve a purpose as well in helping both of them to grow accustomed to their new machines and their quirks.
Every Mech had its own little quirks, Cadence Kirk, the technician looking after Godhand had told them. To a tech a Mech's little quirks were like its personality. Did it have a joint prone to locking up? Was there a weapon or a system that tended to overheat for no discernible reason? Every Mech, Cadence insisted, was capable of displaying its own little personality as she called it.
Of course Cadence, and Paul—the Tech assigned to Caladbolg—didn't have to work too hard to explain the basics to the two Mechwarriors. The pair had learned basic Mech care when they were with the sibko, it was something Jhonen had been adamant about. A Mechwarrior in the field didn't have to know how to fix a Mech, but they should know how to perform basic functions and maintenance for his machine, and it was something Elim understood most academies expected as well, Sakhara among them.
After all one never knew when one might be cut off from any sort of support network after all.
He was standing by the foot of the Mech giving it a final look over before their arrival when Alayne came into the bay. She'd been doing similar work on her Godhand and it wasn't unusual for the two of them to be awake before most of the rest of the ship and already in the cargo-bay. Elim had to admit the both of them had been doting on the Mechs to no small degree. Even Paul and Cadence didn't spend as much time around the two towering titans.
"We'll be separating from the Arnhem soon, you've still got a three day trip to tinker with Cally." Alayne called out to him as she approached, clearing the large cargo-bay in long strides and asking him, "Have you eaten yet?"
"I am fine." Elim answered her.
"That's not what I asked, E." Alayne told him.
Elim smiled and said, "If you are hungry just get something."
She raised an eyebrow at him and folded her arms. "It's no wonder you're the shortest in your family, you never eat anything!"
"I am still taller than you. Not that that says much," Elim smirked at her and Alayne smirked right back.
At one point eight five she was anything but short, still due to his ancestry Elim stood over her and she reminded him,"I don't have Elemental blood so I'm actually quite tall."
"Are you certain? About the lack of Elemental ancestry I mean. Your grandmother is from a Bekker-Jorgenson line is she not? You might have an Elemental ancestor somewhere along the way which would take you back to being short."
"Seeing as I'm a head taller than my mother I think I got this way on my own." Alayne said.
"So you admit you are just some sort of genetic anomaly?" Elim asked her with a look of mock triumph.
Alayne laughed and said, "Just like you, eh? Come on, we can do this all afternoon but let's get something from the mess first."
Elim leaned against Caladbolg's foot and asked, "You have other friends, do you not?"
Alayne came over and leaned against Caladbolg's leg as well, sweeping long blond bangs out of her eyes to better give him a stern look. "What's that got to do with anything?"
Elim shrugged and said, "You could ask Cadence to join you for lunch."
Alayne laughed and said, "You know very well that I don't spend time with you due to a lack of better options, E. Anyway Cadence and Paul aren't getting off on Sakhara with us, but me you're stuck with. Now are you going to come with me, or am I going to drag you?"
Elim sighed and said, "All right, I will go. Truly though, why does it matter?"
"Because you're as nervous as I am about finally reaching the end of our journey. When you're nervous if I don't make sure you eat something you'll forget to eat anything."
"Those are Marcus's words coming out of your mouth." Elim scoffed. His older brother liked to interfere and poke his nose where it didn't belong, but it seemed even being off-world wasn't enough to escape Marcus's incessant mother-henning.
"I've known you long enough now to have picked up on it for myself," Alayne told him. "Anyway if it weren't true I wouldn't have to listen, would I?"
Elim sighed again and allowed, "Perhaps. But truly I am not that nervous. Not about Sakhara at least."
"You're not?" Alayne asked him.
Elim shrugged and told her, "This is going to be the first time I set foot on a planet other than Caselton . . . but it is at a time when Caselton's future is so uncertain. What if in two years when you and I are headed home . . . it is not there anymore? I mean what if the Confederation takes it?"
"Or the Combine." Alayne nodded in agreement. "Trust me, I've thought the same thing. We just have to hope for the best for those back home and do our best here."
"Well said, but still I cannot stop thinking when I look at Caladbolg that Caselton would be a lot safer if she were back there. It is one thing to show the flag and impress future clients but it is another to waste such a war machine when it could be leading from the front."
"Remember, these Mechs are just Mechs," Alayne told him. "They're powerful but they're not invincible. They can neither take nor defend a world on their own. If Caselton is going to stand or fall it'll be because of a lot more than one Daishi. Aunt Lindsay will do fine with her Victor and more importantly her regiment."
Elim smiled and nodded. "I will try to keep that in mind."
"And try not to worry so much?"
He nodded again and confirmed, "And try not to worry so much."
Alayne rolled her eyes and said, "Liar."
He smirked and got up and Alayne took his arm and started to lead him out of the cargo-bay towards the DeLeon's mess hall, though they hadn't yet left the bay when the door slid open again and Cadence came running in.
Unlike Elim—and Alayne for that matter—Cadence was of a reasonable average height. Her brown hair was cut short she said so it wouldn't get in the way when she worked on the Mechs, which Elim highly respected and though she was several years their senior she had a youthful energy and outlook that made her feel more like a peer than Paul who was actually closer to their own age.
"H-hey," She called to them, stammering and nervous, "the Captain t-told me to find you two, he uh . . . he needs you on the uh . . . the bridge! Right away!"
"What happened?" Alayne asked with clear concern in her voice no doubt at the sight of seeing Cadence looking so nervous and speaking in a manner that Elim could only really describe as distracted.
It made him uneasy, but he had to wonder if it were some sort of joke. If the captain wanted them why not call for them over the ship's internal Comm?
Cadence gulped audibly and whispered, "There was a . . . uh . . . you guys, there was a . . . a warship guarding the jump point. Cap'n says they're already launching fighters."
"A what?" Alayne gawked, "Why would a warship launch fighters at us?"
"It's a Drac ship," Cadence said, "It looks like Sakhara has been taken."
It took a moment for Elim to process what she'd said, but Alayne responded immediately asking, "Aren't we safe? This is a merchant vessel."
"They may not kill us outright, but I would not expect them to just let us go on our merry way," Elim told her. He turned to Cadence however and asked, "But what does the Captain expect us to do?"
"This is a Fenix ship, and you two are members of the Fenix Household, maybe he figures you can talk some sense into the Dracs, I don't know." Cadence said seeming to focus up a bit she suddenly whispered, "What if they want to seize our cargo?"
It was Elim's turn to audibly gulp, looking back at his ancestral Mech and realizing he'd die before he let some random Combine soldier lay a finger on her.
But it was Alayne who said, "If they think they can take our Mechs I'll prove myself wrong about these Mechs not being enough to take a world on their own."
DCMS Planetary Headquarters
Memphis, Sakhara V
New Samarkand Military District, Draconis Combine
August 26th, 3145
Takumi kept his face stern as the band of mercenaries approached him.
They were ten Mechwarriors in total, a diverse group led by a man of mixed heritage a couple of decades Takumi's junior but already sporting gray strands in his long chestnut hair and a square chin covered in five-o-clock shadow. The Mercenary Mechwarrior wore a gray jumpsuit with the upper body portion unzipped and tied around his waist showing off a muscular chest covered only by a cooling vest, his bare arms were thick with muscle and folded over his chest.
It was not an unusual tactic among Mechwarriors to wear lighter clothing under uniform jumpsuits. The cockpit of a BattleMech was not a cool place and Mechwarriors could often be found in scant clothing. A t-shirt and bike shorts sufficed for many, Takumi included.
However it would be shameful, even disrespectful to go around a military base dressed like that normally thus the jumpsuits. In the event that they might need to take to their machines the suit could easily be stripped and discarded so that the Mechwarrior wouldn't be hindered by it.
However wearing it the way this man did defeated the purpose and the coolant vest was no doubt a gesture to make sure everyone who laid eyes on him knew this was a Mechwarrior.
It was pointless puffery and the very sort of thing that would have to end now that this former Mercenary was Takumi's third company Tai-i.
"Ohayou Gozaimasu, Ryouku." Takumi greeted.
"Ohayou." Ryouku nodded casually. "We have been waiting for you, old man."
"Old man?" Takumi smiled in spite of himself. He was hardly a spring chicken but he wouldn't go so far as to call himself an 'old man' just yet.
"I said it, did I not? A warrior does not speak idly." Ryouku said boldly.
Takumi shrugged and said, "Very well. Report Tai-i, what is the status of our new equipment?"
"The Mechs you mean? They are all operational. Some parts were scavenged by other commanders headed to the Suns front but I managed to get what we needed by dropping your name and rank a few times."
"You did not use your own?" Takumi asked.
Ryouku shrugged. "Surprisingly the name and rank of Star Captain Drummond does not hold much sway these days."
"Your real rank, your real name." Takumi said sternly.
"I am not a Tai-i until I accept your deal and let you conscript my binary, and though there may no longer be a Clan Nova Cat to bestow the Blood Name on me I am of the Drummond bloodline."
Takumi raised an eyebrow and asked, "A word in private then, Star Captain?"
Ryouku shrugged and said, "What you have to say to me you can say in front of my warriors, Sho-sa."
"Very well then. You are not of Clan Nova Cat, and that sort of talk is liable to get you in trouble seeing as there no longer is a Clan Nova Cat. You serve the Dragon and my House, as did your father before you and that is the reason you are still alive." Takumi warned Ryouku.
But the younger man shrugged again and asked, "Is that so? I would argue that Clan Nova Cat is still alive so long as there are those who follow their traditions and honor their memory. Besides that, Sho-sa, I have not yet accepted your deal to join the Legion of Vega in exchange for your covering my unit's debts."
"Because I offered no deal. I told you how things would be and you wisely accepted matters such as they were." Takumi told him sternly.
Privately however he thought, You have no choice, and you know it. You let your fool self fall for the Company Store tactic, now you can accept my offer or you and your warriors can see your Mechs stripped away from you as property of the DCMS. At least under me they'll be put to good use where the Combine and the Dragon need them most.
Ryouku's expression fell a bit, his dark brown eyes seemed almost to recognize the words Takumi hadn't spoken and finally the Mechwarrior nodded. "I suppose that is true, Sho-sa. The mercenary life has been . . . freer than you might imagine, and has left me with a loose tongue. Please accept my apologies."
"None are required if we understand each other now," Takumi told him.
"We do." Ryouku nodded.
"Then carry on." The Sho-sa ordered.
The Tai-i nodded again and said, "Very well. All twelve Mechs are accounted for and ready to be moved, though I understand it will be a few days before we can depart. An Overlord Dropship could be available to take us to Shinoha within the week but it seems there aren't any Jumpships available for nearly a month. The push to New Avalon is too important."
Takumi had heard that the Jumpship situation might be different in a couple of days but for the time being he only said, "Understandable, though unfortunate. What is your opinion of the Mechs, Tai-i?"
"Trash by my reckon," Ryouku told him, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to indicate one of his Mechwarriors he added, "but Koukin says they are, what was it? 'The best thing to happen to the Hunchback since the IIC?'"
Koukin was a man Takumi knew well with shoulder-length raven hair and green eyes. He wore a gray jumpsuit like Ryouku, but it was fully zipped and lacked the outline of a coolant-vest beneath it. The man's face was more angular than Ryouku's, with features similar to Takumi's own though younger.
Of course it was not unusual for sons to resemble their fathers. Takumi smiled at the younger Saeki and asked, "Is that so, Koukin?"
"Hai. The Mech is exceptional, though it lacks the stopping power of the AC 20 that the Hunchback is so well known for it more than makes up for it in other ways. It carries a Beagle Active Probe and an Angel ECM suite, it is fast and yet still as well armored as a Mech of its size can be. With four ER Medium Lasers and twelve Short Range Missile racks once it gets in close it will deal serious damage and with its speed it will have no trouble getting in close."
"Well perhaps you can be assigned to one." Takumi told him.
"I would not go that far, Sho-sa, my Vulture serves me well enough for my tastes and talents. Unless you are prepared to hand down Kodachi." Koukin said naming their family's ancestral Atlas, Takumi's personal Mech.
The Sho-sa shook his head and said, "I'm afraid not."
"Pity." Koukin shrugged.
"Just as well, the Atlas would hardly fit with the rest of our binary . . . or I suppose I should make that company." Ryouku said.
"Only technically," Takumi said, "Truthfully you will still operate as if you were a binary."
"I do not understand, Sho-sa." Ryouku admitted.
Takumi nodded slowly and said, "The truth is that there was a reason your unit was subjected to the Company Store tactic, you employ a large number of Clan Mechs."
"Almost our full roster," Ryouku said proudly.
Takumi smiled, "Yes. Well there is a reason Tai-sa Tsukamodo and I were able to arrange things for you the way we have. Clan Ghost Bear shows no regard for the typical honor and rules of the Clans when launching these border raids of theirs. We believe that by having a force present posing as representatives of Clan Nova Cat the Ghost Bears might be more inclined bother issuing Batchalls or to properly adhere to Zellbrigen, giving us useful information on the forces they're using for these attacks and possibly more favorable odds in combat."
"It sounds like a long shot to me," Koukin admitted, "the Clans at large consider Inner Sphere forces to be Dezgra, and the Nova Cats were seen as practically as bad for siding with them."
"Still the Ghost Bears were largely Wardens before they became isolationists so they might not view the Nova Cats in the same negative light. It could work, but we will not know until we try it." A Mechwarrior that Takumi knew to be Ryouku's sister Kaori said, folding her arms.
"So we carry on as we have from the founding of our unit, but now it is the Coordinator paying your checks instead of me." Ryouku said with a smile, "I cannot say I am displeased."
"I will be plain," Takumi added, "your force is likely to face harsher opposition than the rest of the Seventh Legion. By posing as Nova Cats we are hoping that the Ghost Bears will see you as worthier adversaries and send their finer units against you leaving their inferior warriors to deal with the Legion."
Whom the Clanners seem to regard with a disdain even greater than what we face from the Combine at large, Takumi thought.
"We will welcome that challenge." Ryouku nodded.
"And I will be eager to see your forces in action as you bloody the Bear's snout," Takumi told him, "Perhaps we can even have an opportunity at an early demonstration."
"What do you mean?" Koukin asked.
Takumi answered, "A Davion merchant vessel jumped into the system the other day. Our forces seized the Jumpship and their Dropships were ordered to turn over their cargo."
"Unfortunate for them." Kaori shrugged.
"Indeed. Because they say they are trade-configuration Unions it would seem Command has deemed their refit for military service more trouble than it is worth so the unfortunate merchants will keep their vessels themselves if they truly are what they claim to be."
"There is reason to believe they are not?" Ryouku asked.
"There is no reason to believe they are. Not until our troops have inspected them that is. Command fears some Davion attack, or an attempt to sneak supplies to local guerrillas. As such they have requested that we be present in the event that those Dropships contain any Federated Suns forces out for blood."
"So we get security detail because the local forces don't want to waste their time with it, and if there is a threat we're on the front line." Koukin reasoned.
Takumi couldn't help but smile ruefully as he said, "Welcome to the Legion of Vega."