AN: Yeah, it's me again. Just the standard disclaimer here. I don't own anything other than the original characters and the plot…otherwise it belongs to someone else, like Microsoft, FASA, WizKids, or whoever else has the rights to Battletech/Mechwarrior nowadays.

----Chapter 9----

Downtown New Pontiac
Marduk, Draconis Combine
February 10, 3059
1030 hours

Explosions rippled throughout the Combine portion of New Pontiac. Windows shattered, showering scared people with torrents of glass, injuring and killing many. Buildings toppled, cars were crushed and exploded, adding their own shrapnel to the growing carnage. Gas lines were ruptured and caught fire as underground explosions sent manhole covers flying.

Within the space of a minute, the portion of New Pontiac most inhabited by people of Combine heritage lay in ruins. Thousands lay dead and dying on the streets or in the rubble that, mere moments before, had been stores and office buildings. Police, Fire and EMS squads were quick to respond to the devastation. There was little that could be done. The gas line explosions had also destroyed many of the underground water-mains in that portion of the city. Police did what they could to control the crowds of shell-shocked civilians that had no idea what to do or where to go. EMS was completely overwhelmed. Dead bodies were everywhere and there were even more wounded that needed medical attention in order to have a chance at surviving.

It was as if a natural disaster had struck New Pontiac. If only that had been the case. All areas of the city outside the Combine sector had been left untouched, spared the destruction that scarred most of downtown New Pontiac. As with the aftermath of most disasters, natural and manmade, there was panic and riots. Tensions that had been building up for months began to come to the surface as gangs of Davion loyalists and Combine citizens clashed in the streets, leaving more people dead and injured. The gangs looted stores and set fires where they could. This violence only subsided around 12:00pm as Militia soldiers, tanks, and battlemechs took to the streets in an attempt to restore some semblance of order.

By mid afternoon, a large swath of New Pontiac, stretching from downtown to the southwestern suburbs, lay wreathed in flames as fires spread unchecked. Fire Department squads were able to prevent the blaze from spreading elsewhere, but the underground explosions had destroyed the water supply to the Kurita portion of the city, dooming it to death by fire. The only thing that Police and the Militia could do was evacuate as mech people as possible before the flames got to them, while mechs knocked down buildings in an attempt to create a firebreak.

----.-----

Thermopylae Base
Marduk, Draconis Combine
February 10, 3059
1400 hours

"Chief, chief! Turn on the vid-screen quick!" shouted Rommy as she burst into Ice's room, only to fin him getting dressed, apparently after a shower. "Oh dear god, I did not want to see that! I'm sorry! I'll be out in the hall" she said as she hurried out of the room to cover her embarrassment.

"SHIT!" yelled Ice as he covered himself up. "Damnit Leslie! Knock before you come in. Give me just a second. Alright, I'm decent. Now just what is it that is so important?" Not bothering with a response, Rommy walked over and turned on Ice's vid-screen. The screen came on and Rommy turned it to the news:

"We bring you more on today's deadly tragedy" said the announcer. "Early this morning at 10:30 AM, explosions ripped through the Combine portion of downtown and suburbian New Pontiac. Police and paramedics are still responding to the incident. The gang violence that ran rampant earlier this afternoon has been quelled by the New Pontiac police with assistance from the Marduk Militia. Firefighters, unable to battle the blazes inside the devastation zone due to ruptured water-mains, have been helping to evacuate civilians from the projected path of the fires.

Dead and injured are still being pulled from the rubble of downtown. So far the death toll has topped 10,000 and continues to rise as the search for survivors continues. Hospitals all across New Pontiac are being filled to the brim with injured and patients are being transported to outlying towns and cities for medical attention. Governor Adkins has listed New Pontiac as a disaster area and has issued orders to bring in aid and supplies from other cities across Marduk. The Marduk Militia have instituted Martial Law in an attempt to quell remaining pockets of gang violence and looting. All civilians in New Pontiac outside the fire-zone are urged to return to their homes and remain there if at all possible. Curfew has been imposed and set at 8:00 PM. Anyone found outside after that hour without reason or purpose may be subject to arrest until the crisis is over.

A group calling themselves 'The Order of Saint George' has claimed responsibility for this attack. Named after the Saint of lore known as 'The Dragonslayer', they claim to be freedom fighters, battling the Dragon for Marduk. Mere moments ago, they released a tape to the media. We go now to the recording:"

A shrouded figure appeared on screen and began to address the camera. "Citizens of Marduk, we are the Order of Saint George. For decades now we have been kept under the tyranny and oppression of the Dragon. They have repressed our rights, our heritage, and our destiny. For centuries Marduk was one of the gems of the Federated Suns. House Davion acknowledged Marduk once as one of the most valuable worlds in the realm. House Kurita has used us. We are nothing but expendable resources fueling the Kuritan war machine with Mechs and equipment. For the past 26 years we have been feeding the very tyranny that has been oppressing us and silencing our voice through one means or another, just as they have in recent months. Now! Now is the time for us to throw off the cloak of oppression. The Order of Saint George fights for the freedom of Marduk. We have the resources. We have the manpower. Rise up with us and we will have freedom! We shall reclaim what is rightfully ours and return our planet to what is once was and what it shall be once more. War is coming to Marduk. There will be no neutrality. There will be no mercy. Today's attack on the plague that tarnishes our planet is but the beginning. Stand with us to fight the menace, or stand against us and fight side by side with our oppressors. War is coming and Marduk shall once again be free…"

The news anchor came back on the air. "There you have it folks, a statement directly from the Order of Saint George claiming responsibility for today's horrific attacks. We now go to our camera crews inside downtown New Pontiac…"

Rommy turned off the vid-screen. "That is what was so important, Jake. We've just been dealt a Declaration of War by some jackass hiding under a tablecloth. They killed over 10,000 civilians for God's sake!" she said as she paced angrily around the room. "I know the news hasn't picked up on it yet because of the local crisis, but our intel assets and Sat-Com have picked up small-scale attacks on other planetary centers of Kuritan authority. We have attacks on pro-Kurita police stations, police officers, and politicians all over the planet. Satellite pics have shown tanks and mechs reoccupying the New Baltimore garrison post. They're showing a color scheme that we're not familiar with so it might be these St. George assholes."

"Alright, get me what info you can and meet me in the CIC in 30 minutes. I'll need to talk with what's her face from Norse…Morimoto…Relina I think it was. Whatever, just get the techs patched up and in contact with the Norse Supervisor. From the few talks I've had with them, Norse personnel don't pay much attention to what's going on outside the walls unless it threatens them, so they might not know about all this shit. If you get a chance within the next hour, talk with Toriyama. I want to know if there's anything he needs us to do, even if we're not the biggest hit in New Pontiac right now. Now get outta here and let me finish changing. I'll be over as soon as I can."

----,----

"Ms. Morimoto, it's a pleasure to speak with you again" said Ice as be bowed slightly to the vid-screen.

"As it is for me, Captain Olsen. I take it our pet project was completed without any problems?" replied the Norse Battlemech Supervisor.

"It was completed without a hitch, ma'am. And it appears to have served its purpose since no one has confronted us on it yet. However, I have another issue to talk to you about. I take it you have not heard the news?"

"No, Captain, I have not."

"The Kurita quarter of New Pontiac was attacked this morning by a group calling itself the Order of Saint George. So far over 10,000 civilians dead and they're still pulling out bodies. We have a revolution starting here and from the message they delivered to the media, it sounds like Norse may be in their crosshairs for supplying Mechs and weapons to the Combine. I'm advising going to Yellow Alert and stepping up perimeter patrols. Late last week there was an incident with a lance of Militia Mechs from the New Baltimore garrison. They've been declared rogue and the remaining garrison is hiding somewhere up in the woods to the north. We haven't found where, nor do we have the manpower to search for them, but if they're with these St. George people then they're a threat."

"Duly noted. If you find yourself in a tight situation, call me and you can access up to a company of our mechs and armor for assistance. Any more than that and we would begin to compromise Norse's security. Although sometime down the road, if you get an open day, I would like to ask you to stop by our facility. I have something to show you that you might find very interesting."

"I will be sure to do so Ms. Morimoto."

"Oh, before I forget, Captain. Your cousin has been in touch with me regarding certain matters." Jake raised his eyebrow at this. It wasn't usual for Frank to contact someone that was practically next door and forget to contact him as well. "My family has been one of the three that have overseen the construction and operation of Norse Battlemechs' Marduk facility for centuries. We have talked the issue over and have decided to expand our production lines and output. If you have any spare mech pilots, we have back-stock on Griffin chassis that we would gladly loan our new partners."

It was all Ice could do to keep his jaw from dropping at that statement. The Spartans? Partners with Norse Battlemechs? It was practically unheard of for Norse to partner with anyone. If the track record for companies trying to lease or purchase the rights for Norse designs was any indication, it was almost impossible without Herculean effort.

Relina continued, "Your cousin has put forth a convincing argument and proposal and the families approved. Norse will expand the smelting facilities and add another line to build another chassis type on Marduk. You and your Spartans will be building and operating factories to produce tanks and armored vehicles on the surface and in the upper level caverns of the mine, though you will leasing the space from Norse an paying us for the . Also, your cousin asked me to relay a message to you. He sends his congratulations on the new lance and that the first wave will arrive sometime in the last week of the month."

Ice just smiled and shook his head. Leave it to Frank to know everything that goes on before he even gets official word. Heck, leave it to Frank to hammer out a deal with Norse in record time for probably one of the best bargains that he had ever heard Norse giving, even if 'Spartan Inc.' would have to lease the land and buy most of the materials from Norse. The tank/armored vehicle industry was a solid market to be involved in, even if they were no longer kings of the battlefield. A well made and well armed formation of tanks could give mechs a run for their money and could still pack some nasty surprises for overconfident opponents.

"Thank you Ms. Morimoto. I am honored as it is to be working for you. It will be even more of an honor to be working with you once the facilities are complete. My thanks to you and your generous partners for this opportunity. And I thank you for relaying the message from my cousin. I'm afraid that I must cut this call short for now. With the chaos that is overtaking Marduk, I need to be briefed by my intelligence officers and see what needs to be done to protect Norse and the rest of the planet."

"May luck smile down on you in your endeavors, Captain." With that Relina ended the connection and Ice made his way back to the center of the CIC and gazed upon the holographic planetary map that took up most of the large center table. Bright blue dots marked Thermopylae Base and Norse Battlemechs, as well as Tai-sa Toriyama's Militia Base outside of New Pontiac. A black and grey haze hung over a portion of New Pontiac, signifying the fires that were still running unchecked. A technician pointed out the red triangles in and around New Baltimore and mentioned they signified the force believed to be the Order of Saint George. Another larger red circle with a hazy border lay on the map to the north-northeast of Thermopylae Base, standing for the general area the missing New Baltimore garrison was believed to be in.

Ice stood and studied the map for hours. In that time he watched as icons of crossed swords popped up all across the planet, marking attacks and assassinations carried out by the Order of Saint George and any other terrorist group taking advantage of the chaos.

"Leslie, any word from Toriyama?" asked Ice as she walked into the CIC.

"Yeah, though I had to go through Chu-sa Yuki to get an answer. Toriyama is out in the city with a battalion of mechs and a battalion of infantry trying to restore some order and get those civilians evacuated before the fires get to them. Yuki told us to stay put. There's too much chaos in the city as is and having more mechs and troops down there right now would just make it even harder to coordinate and get under control. She said she'd get Toriyama to call us back whenever he gets back into the base."

"Shit. I really wanted to get more of an answer from them on what we're needed to do and what in the hell is going on down there" replied Ice. "Oh well. We'll just deal with crap as it comes up. I think you were right about those unknowns in New Baltimore. They look like they're digging in to stay for awhile, and that is one of the most defensible bases on planet aside from this one. It had to be an inside job. There's no other way that the New Baltimore garrison would go rogue and disappear like that so soon to these attacks if it wasn't."

"I know chief" Rommy responded. "I don't doubt that it was an inside job. There's nothing we can do about it now. As you so bluntly told me last week, we don't have the manpower to do anything about it yet."

"Just give it a few weeks, Rommy. Relina relays a message from Frank when I talked to her earlier. Apparently we have some help arriving by the end of the month. To top that off, Relina has offered the use of up to a company of mechs and/or armor if and when we need it. If those cowards think they're going to have a pushover just dealing with the Militia, they've got another thing coming."

-------End Chapter---------

There you have it people. Chapter 9 in its glory. I'll try to keep these coming at around a chapter a week, but that might be give or take a few days since I have a lot of school projects coming up for my summer classes. Hope y'all enjoy.

-AP