BattleTech: The Prodigy
by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter 26: Raise the Bar
LAAF recruitment center, Strantor
Lyran Alliance
June 3, 3074
For the first two years that he had spent on the Earth-like world Strantor, Lane had thought of it as only a place to receive military training. The Mechwarrior Academy had been his whole life there and he'd met all kinds of people, from the big-brotherly Boren Lorin to Boren's sister Jennifer to the surly but reliable Makoto.
Now he thought differently.
The Archon had officially supported Kommandant Skyllia's program to reboot and improve the Striking Tigers battalion, and both the Kommandant and her protege agreed to raise the bar a little. Several dropships had brought in hopeful candidates, mostly decorated LAAF warriors who ranged from grizzled Clan Invasion veterans to relatively young but highly-regarded Mechwarriors who had proved themselves the top of their academy classes.
Allison looked over each candidate's official records while Lane interviewed them, the better to know them personally and how their behavior and values would mesh (or not) with the Tigers' existing members' own.
Lane found it to be repetitive and stressful to a degree, but at the same time he relished the chance to take on more responsibility and contribute to the Lyran Alliance. Looking back, some of his own behavior made him go red with shame but he couldn't change that. Instead, he focused on what he could do now, and after a few days back on Strantor he had made some decisions.
"I found that these warriors all passed my personal examination," Lane announced when he set a stack of files on Allison's new office in the recruitment center that afternoon. He smoothed a wrinkle on his dress uniform. "Sixteen total out of nearly ninety people interviewed."
Allison nodded and stood, tossing her dark brown hair. "Good work, Lieutenant. You look a bit tired, I admit."
"Yes, sir." I wouldn't mind a quick break.
"In that case, I know just the thing." Allison cracked a smile and handed over a new stack of files. "Here's fifty more. Find me the best nine warriors out of all of them and we'll have twenty-five finalist candidates. I'll handle things from there."
Lane accepted the folders with a sense of resignation. "Understood, sir."
Allison cocked her head. "Did I hear resentment in your tone?"
"I... no, sir!" Lane said quickly, reddening. "I just thought that my interviews were all completed."
"I needed time to finish processing these," Allison explained. "But relax. There's some pretty remarkable warriors in this bunch, including some mercenaries who are interested in long-term service in the LAAF. Few mercs make it to the Striking Tigers, but if they're good enough, we'll give them a spot. Dismissed."
Lane swung open the office door and felt excitement wash away his fatigue. "Looking forward to it, sir."
*o*o*o*o*
Some of the mercenaries turned out to be pretty sub-par, but twenty interviews in, Lane did find one gun-for-hire who stood out of the crowd.
A burly, aging Chinese man seated himself heavily into the padded seat across from Lane's interview table, his graying hair shaved short and his face clean-shaven. His outfit was quite unassuming: just a pair of dark pants with boots and a white T-shirt that accentuated his well-built chest and biceps.
"So... Chen Yeung," Lane started, glancing at the man's file and back at his dark eyes. "You served in the CCAF from 3033 to 3040, when you were honorably discharged for grievous injuries sustained during battle."
"Correct," Chen nodded. "At the time it was believed that I would never recover from my injuries. I was given a medal for valor and sent home." His bitterness was impossible to mistake and Lane saw why.
"You served in the Death Commandos?"
"As a tryout warrior," Chen corrected him. "At the time, the Death Commandos were devastated from the Fourth Succession War and needed to be rebuilt. Several other warriors and I were chosen from the CCAF's ranks and given a chance to prove our worth. I was the only one in my company to survive when we were lured into a trap on our last mission."
I hope that the rebuilt Striking Tigers don't end up like that, Lane thought. Apparently Chen had jumped at the chance to join a reinvigorated unit back then, and he was doing it again now. "And you spent all your time between then and now as a freelancer?"
"I did. Took odd jobs as a hired gun and enforcer on various worlds until I saved up the C-Bills for a proper Battlemech," Chen said casually. "Took me eight years but I did it. I made sure that my Black Knight fit my philosophy of battle perfectly, and that machine has served me well ever since. That is because I serve it well."
Lane as impressed. Many warriors saw their 'mech as a mere tool, but Chen saw his as a trusted partner, like a faithful hound. "What exactly is this philosophy of yours?"
Chen folded his arms. "Restraint. Control. Precision. All the fundamentals of Wing Chun, the combat style I learned at the Capella War College. Some think that martial arts are useless to a Mechwarrior. I found my training highly educational."
"You know, the Tigers hired a mercenary a while back who's similar to that," Lane admitted. "A certain Zack Mackenzie. That man fights just as easily and often outside the cockpit as in it. He's not modest about it, either."
Chen shrugged. "I don't boast. I am confident in my abilities and experience, and let them speak for themselves."
Now Lane's curiosity was piqued. In his mind he already gave Chen Yeung a "pass." Now to see what else this old CCAF vet had to offer. "If you were to brag, what would you say?"
A grin broke Chen's stony expression. "That Mechwarriors today are soft and don't know what a realwarrior has to go through in order to earn that title. Martial prowess has to be earned, and I have most certainly earned it, both as a Battlemech pilot and as a man."
"You think you could take Zack Mackenzie in a fight?"
Chen raised his eyebrows. "Beg your pardon?"
"You have passed this part of your tryout," Lane admitted. "I think there's something different about you, Chen, something that makes me want to get you into the Striking Tigers no matter what. I'd like to see how deep it goes. Meet me in the PT hall in the Academy in twenty-four hours. I'll bring a little company."
"Xièxiè. Thank you." Chen stood and left the room.
*o*o*o*o*
Physical training hall, Mechwarrior Academy, Strantor
Lyran Alliance
June 4, 3074
"So this Chen Yeung is really that good?" Allison asked Lane as she met him in the Academy's PT hall. In the long, rectangular room lay countless boxing rings, wrestling mats and dummy targets. For now Allison had reserved the room for the match that Lane had set up.
Lane nodded once. "Yes, sir, I believe so. He easily made it into the nine warriors that you wanted. Out of all fifty, he was the best. At least in my eyes."
"Mmmmm." Allison offered no comment, but Lane was sure that she'd be impressed before long.
"Oi! Where's the Capellan bloke?" Zack called loudly as he walked in through the doors. He wore a simple gray tank top, sweatpants of a similar color and ordinary basketball shoes, all borrowed from the Academy's PT storage lockers.
"He should be here any minute," Lane called back. "Are you ready?"
Zack rubbed his hands together as he slipped into a boxing ring where Allison and Lane could easily see him. "He'd better be good. I haven't had a real match in years! Gets boring being the best."
Boasting like usual, Lane thought. Meanwhile, Chen Yeung was, in some ways, Zack's polar opposite. The Capellan didn't brag or waste a single word.
"I'm here. Am I late?" Chen asked as he walked in through the same doors as Zack. He was dressed the same way.
"Just in time," Lane called out. "Are you ready?"
Chen nodded as he approached Zack's ring. "Yes. He'd better be good. I haven't had a real match in years."
Allison stifled a laugh as Lane rolled his eyes. Or maybe they're the same after all, he thought.
"Okay, guys. Just one round. Fight clean," Allison announced as both men took up their corners in the boxing ring. She held up a whistle. "If I blow this, you break. Understood?"
Both men agreed.
"In that case... begin!"
Zack went first. In just a few steps the old veteran crossed the ring and spun around as he delivered a mighty kick at Chen's head. In a movement just as quick and fluid, Chen dropped and wrapped his burly arm around Zack's leg, trying to heave the other man away and throw him off-balance.
The ploy only partially worked. For a second Zack stumbled and fought for balance, then he wrenched his leg free and landed a resounding blow to Chen's jaw. The Capellan's head snapped to the side.
"Méiyǒu shānghài," Chen grinned once he turned his head back. He raised his fists.
Zack drew back half a step. "You've got something to say to me?"
"That didn't hurt me as much as you'd like to think. And I'm just getting warmed up."
Again both men flew into action, and this time Chen took the initiative. He blocked or evaded Zack's furious blows and connected his fist with Zack's sternum, then a kick to the knee nearly sent Zack sprawling. Just in time, Zack recovered his balance and drove Chen back with a few quick jabs.
"You're holding back," Zack huffed. "I can tell."
"That is Wing Chun. Restraint and flexibility, like a reed," Chen explained. "Must be a foreign concept to a straightforward brute like yourself."
They sure talk the talk, Lane reflected as both men launched back into action. Or maybe they're just enjoying this.
Again Chen proved his Wing Chun principle with flexibility and adaptability that Zack lacked. Although Zack's blows hit harder, Chen's loose style quickly frustrated the other warrior. Several times Lane watched Zack try to grapple or pin his opponent into submission, but Chen's style allowed him to slip away and break Zack's holds. Bruises and scrapes soon covered each man's upper body and they fought for breath as the match wore on, but neither was willing to yield.
"They won't stop until they tear each other apart," Allison commented with an edge of concern in her voice.
Lane watched Zack deliver a heavy punch that sent Chen sprawling. "Are you going to stop them, sir?"
In the ring, Chen sprang to his feet and sent Zack reeling with a terrific kick to the chest. "All right, that's enough," Allison called out, raising the whistle to her lips. By the time she blew the whistle, both Zack and Chen were in the middle of grappling each other furiously, giving up on traditional moves.
"I... I've almost got the bloody bastard!" Zack grunted as he fought to get Chen off of him. "Give me more time, Kommandant!"
"I need another minute... to teach this ape some humility!" Chen also grunted, his face red from exertion as he strained to pin Zack down.
Allison blew her whistle again and waved her arm. "Break it up! Now! I've seen plenty." Once the two men complied, Allison's face broke into a smile. "More than that, actually. You both fight better than anyone I've ever seen. I don't know who was best."
"I was," Zack and Chen said at the same time. They glared at each other.
"I think they've attacked each other enough," Lane put in. "Kommandant, I suggest that we try them in the simulators together and see how they do as a team." Already, the twenty-five candidates had been tested in the simpods but Lane was dying to see what these mercenaries could do together instead of against each other.
Allison motioned for Zack and Chen to get out of the ring. "Take ten minutes to catch your breath, then follow me to the simulators."
*o*o*o*o*
During his first few months with the Striking Tigers, Lane had been drilled in the use of various Battlemechs in the simulators so using a Warhammer against Zack and Chen was completely fine with him. Seated in his simpod, Lane surveyed the digital terrain around him: rocky, dry earth with a few bumpy hills, a few scattered ponds and impact craters from meteorites. A yellow sun shone overhead and the ambient temperature was a manageable 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
Along with Lane's Warhammer walked Allison's orange-and-black Awesome, loaded for bear with its trademark triple PPCs. Put together, Lane and Allison could deliver serious long-range firepower at the expense of heat, and Lane was eager to see how he could handle the challenge.
"Here they come, bearing 32.8," Allison warned. Her hulking Awesome marched over a hill and torso twisted a little to face the two incoming 'mechs. Lane positioned himself at a good vantage point and switched on his optical zoom. From 900 meters out, he saw a jet-black Black Knight and a forest-green BattleMaster racing toward him with all guns raised. From here, Lane could tell that Chen's Black Knight was the standard model, meaning that it too had long-range laser and PPC weaponry.
Zack went first. From his 'mech's right torso streaked a blinding blue ER PPC beam that slashed armor off the Awesome's left torso. Melted armor leaked from the wound as Allison lurched her 'mech to the right, waiting for Zack to get into effective range. A few seconds later, she released both arms' PPCs. One flew past Zack's BattleMaster while the other scored a direct hit on the assault 'mech's chest.
For his part, Lane carefully lined up his crosshairs and triggered his left arm's PPC. The azure lightning leaped from the Warhammer's long gun arm and pounded Chen's Black Knight right on the hip. The Black Knight stumbled and waved its arm for balance, but once Chen recovered, his own PPC tore into Lane's center torso and destroyed a small laser.
What accuracy! Lane stared in awe as he moved his Warhammer to a different vantage point. Makoto was a good shot but Chen's PPC seemed to be magnetized to its target. For a few seconds, all four warriors kept their 'mechs moving and held fire while they bled away excess heat. Then they resumed the PPC slugfest.
Zack's ER PPC punched into Lane's right thigh and boiled away armor, but even that deadly blow turned out to be a mere distraction. Fifteen LRMs roared from the BattleMaster's right shoulder, cascading onto Lane's Warhammer like a hailstorm. Smoke and fire blinded Lane while he watched armor vanish from his damage tracker.
"I've got him, don't worry," Allison's reassuring voice spoke in Lane's helmet. The Lieutenant couldn't see a thing, but he heard the distinct sound of PPC bolts striking home. When the smoke cleared, Zack's BattleMaster quickly retreated with chunks of armor missing from its chest.
Chen wasn't content to be ignored. He sprinted his heavy 'mech into Allison's flank and gouged a glowing trench into the Awesome's left arm, nearly exposing the titanium bones. Allison tried to twist her Awesome's torso to hide the wounded arm, but Chen was faster. The Capellan vet scored two medium laser hits with razor-sharp accuracy, sending the green beams right into the arm's wound. Fire bloomed from the Awesome's arm and the whole limb was ruined.
"Bloody brilliant!" Zack hooted on the comm. His BattleMaster's LRMs crashed onto Allison's Awesome and left jagged, smoking holes on its upper torso. In retaliation, Lane triggered his right PPC and vaporized the rest of Zack's left torso armor.
Again the four huge 'mechs took a quick breather, holding fire while each Mechwarrior assessed his or her opponents. Lane found it frustrating to use PPCs with regular heat sinks, but maybe using the double-strength types in his Mad Cat had spoiled him a bit. He remembered what Chen had said yesterday: "Mechwarriors today are soft and don't know what a real warrior has to go through in order to earn that title."
After a short but tense cease-fire, the four big 'mechs filled the battleground with fire. This time, Zack and Chen sprinted toward their foes at full speed, suppressing the Warhammer and Awesome with PPC fire. Lane managed to evade the beam directed at him and Allison similarly dodged a shot, but then Zack's short-range firepower came into play. The right arm, which usually housed a PPC in most BattleMasters, instead packed an Autocannon 20. A loud whine of depleted shells shuddered the air as the munitions tore into Lane's hapless Warhammer. Chunks of ruined armor blasted into the air and Lane fought his controls to keep the 'mech upright.
Again Allison had him covered, and her chest-mounted PPC slammed into the BattleMaster's vulnerable left torso. Smoke billowed from the assault 'mech's chest and the BattleMaster reeled from the blow, but its work was done. Chen's large lasers dug into the AC 20's damage and tore apart Lane's innards, destroying the remaining lasers and a few heat sinks too.
"Warning. Damage critical," spoke the Warhammer's computer voice.
"I know," Lane muttered as he lined up another shot. If he could score a critical hit on Zack's BattleMaster, he might pull this off. Holding his breath, Lane released his left arm's PPC and sent the beam right at Zack's 'mech.
It wasn't enough. The BattleMaster moved at the last second and Lane's PPC missed the assault 'mech's exposed left torso, instead flaying armor from its center torso. Molten armor oozed from the BattleMaster's chest but Lane knew that he'd blown his last chance.
Allison's PPC punished Chen's center torso but the Awesome was pushing its heat limit and the Black Knight had some fight left in it. Once the heavy 'mech took a few seconds to cool off, it sliced the Awesome's chest open with its large laser. Sparks showered from the wound.
Before Lane could do anything to help Allison, Zack marched his BattleMaster over to Allison's 'mech and unleashed another deafening Autocannon 20 blast. The shells tore into the Awesome's ruined chest like piranhas, shredding the assault 'mech from the inside. With fire bursting from its ruined chest, the Awesome fell face-first with a loud thud.
Lane's PPC breached Chen's left shoulder and mutilated the Black Knight's inner components. With a surge of sparks the 'mech's whole left arm went offline, but it was too little too late. Both the BattleMaster and Black Knight cornered Lane's Warhammer and disintegrated it with their PPCs.
"YOU HAVE BEEN DEFEATED," scolded the simpod's screen as Lane's 'mech took fatal damage, and with a numb feeling the Lieutenant climbed out of his pod and ran a hand through his sweaty red hair. "You guys fight really well," Lane commented once the others joined him.
"Most exciting simulator match I've had in a decade. Or two," Zack grinned widely. "Beating self-proclaimed aces in gambling halls ain't the same as this."
"You fight with grace and strength worthy of a Wing Chun master," Chen told Zack with unmistakable awe.
"Now you're just flattering me," Zack commented. "But yeah, I think I could take you on."
"Is that a challenge?"
"Get back in the pod and you'll find out."
"Now I'm intrigued. Let me put you in your place, Mackenzie."
"All right, that's enough," Allison declared, hands on her hips. "Chen Yeung, welcome to the Striking Tigers. You're in Alpha Company with my lance."
Chen bowed his head. "I am honored."
*o*o*o*o*
That evening Lane thought that he'd spend the evening alone in the recruitment center's cafeteria, but just as he settled into his dinner Jennifer came into the room. She wandered over and asked, "Mind if I join you?"
Taking a big bite from his sandwich, Lane nodded and motioned at the chair opposite his.
"I hear that you helped Kommandant Skyllia recruit some interesting new talent to the Striking Tigers," Jennifer mentioned. She folded her hands together on the square table's surface.
"Yeah. Earlier today I helped the Kommandant test out a Death Commando veteran," Lane said excitedly, vividly remembering the brutal simulator match. "He and Zack toasted me pretty good in the simpod."
Jennifer leaned forward slightly, her eyes wide. "A Death Commando vet?"
"Well... he told me that he'd joined the Commandos in 3040 as a trail warrior, but he was honorably discharged after his company was wiped out."
"My goodness." Jennifer sat back in her seat. "I suppose we'll need that kind of talent when we head back into the Periphery."
Lane knew exactly what the other Mechwarrior meant: general support for the anti-Triumvirate campaign had mushroomed after Ras' death and the devastating losses that the Striking Tigers had suffered. William had inadvertently rallied an army against him. "I have to agree," Lane said at length.
"You know, I bet Ras would be proud," Jennifer said tenderly. "You've done a lot for this battalion and now you're the Kommandant's student."
"I just hope I'm worth it," Lane admitted. "I've made a lot of mistakes too."
"I know, but personally, I think you've learned a lot from them."
Lane stiffened his back. "I'll make sure that I don't let the Kommandant down."
"You do that." Jennifer looked away for a second, going slightly red. "And I was thinking... well, that is..."
"What is it?" Lane felt himself go red too. He hadn't had a chance to talk privately with Jennifer for a while, and now that he did, he remembered what he was missing.
Jennifer cleared her throat and looked back at him. "I know it's against regulations, but I've, uh... taken a personal interest in you. As a warrior, and as a person." She squirmed a little in her seat, but Lane could tell that she was determined to tell him this. "I'm really glad I met you, and, uh... oh, what am I saying..."
"It's okay, I don't have much experience with this either," Lane said with a nervous laugh. He had taken an interest in a few girls back in high school, but Jennifer was something else entirely. "I've never even been out with a girl."
"I haven't either. With boys, I mean," Jennifer said quickly. "But I felt like I owed you the truth, just so you know that at least one person is very proud of you and will always be there for you."
Are we awkward or what? Still, Lane had been privately hoping for this. He hadn't figured out a way to express himself to Jennifer yet, but this was as good a chance as any. "Well..." He cleared his throat. "When this is all over, or when the Striking Tigers aren't direly needed, maybe we could take a little time for each other."
Jennifer's eyebrows met. "What do you mean?"
Lane wasn't entirely sure either, but he plowed on. "I'll have to figure that out. But somehow, someway, I definitely want to find a way to make this work out." He smiled. "As long as you do too."
For a second Jennifer thought it over. Then she rose from her seat and motioned for her lancemate to do the same. Just before Lane asked what she was doing, Jennifer leaned over, closed her eyes, and kissed him.
"Don't worry. I do." With that, she turned and walked away.