Wherever the Universe Takes Me
by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter 25
Site Alpha, Vorarlberg
Free Rasalhague Republic
September 24th, 3051
This time, Chen was the observer, and he got comfortable as he watched the simpod server flip through dozens of maps at random until it settled on one. The world materialized at once.
Chen found himself in a bombed-out city, with hollowed-out and ragged skyscrapers spreading as far as the eye could see, not to mention cracked streets packed with burnt shells of cars and trucks. A number of street lights had fallen, and a few buildings had collapsed into rubble entirely. Overhead, ugly gray clouds roiled, and thunder rumbled in the distance.
"Ready, cadet Olaffsdottir?" Kathy said over the comm. "Begin!"
Chen focused his view finder on Kathy's 'Mech first, a pristine Wolf Trap. This 45-tonner was a brand new design, packing an LB-10X in the right arm and an LRM 10 launcher in the chest. Twin medium lasers served as backup. A fine machine, overall, and not too different from the new Centurions running around.
Kathy advanced down the main street at a reasonable trot, her right arm's cannon aimed and ready to fire, her 'Mech's wide feet trampling ruined cars underfoot. If any civilians were around here, they'd flee in terror.
No sign of Tsuya so far. Taking advantage of his observer role, Chen switched over to the cadet. Her Crab was slinking through narrow side streets in passive radar mode, its claws open to reveal those large laser muzzles. The 50-tonner stopped at an intersection and peeked around the corner, only to find an empty street.
"How big is this map, Sergeant?" Tsuya asked after a few minutes of this.
"Oh, I'm sure we'll run into each other soon enough," Kathy commented lightly.
Tsuya's Crab kept working its way deeper into the war-torn city, twisting on its torso this way and that, preparing for an ambush -
Crash!
Tsuya's 'Mech froze when the distinct sound of metal on metal echoed through the city, just a hundred or so meters up ahead. Chen didn't even flip back to Kathy's 'Mech; he stuck with Tsuya, curious to see what was about to unfold... and how the cadet could handle it.
"Are you here, Sergeant?" Tsuya asked tentatively. Her Crab stepped into an intersection, right where the sound had come from. But there was nothing here except ruined cars and trucks.
Crash!
This time, Tsuya's Crab sprinted right after the sound, taking the right street to catch the ruckus-raising Kathy. No doubt Kathy's Wolf Trap was throwing around car husks to draw the other 'Mech's attention, and Tsuya came hustling right over.
An I-beam extended from around the corner of a hotel.
"What the -!" Tsuya wailed. She was too late to avoid it; her Crab's left leg snagged on the beam, and her 'Mech fell flat on its chest, sending chunks of shattered pavement everywhere. The fallen Crab's joints creaked and whirred loudly as the machine tried to get back upright.
Chen nearly burst out laughing when Kathy's Wolf Trap emerged from around the corner, holding that I-beam in its left hand like a sword. Better yet, Kathy raised the beam and swung it down, severing the Crab's left arm with one mighty blow. Sparks and motor oil blasted from the maimed shoulder.
"Sergeant!" Tsuya exclaimed. "Wouldn't you use your range advantage over me with your LRMs?"
Kathy's Wolf Trap casually tossed the I-beam aside and backed up a few steps. "Don't be silly. I do what I want around here."
Chen snorted. "And you thought I was too rough on her."
"She's fun," Kathy commented.
Tsuya grumbled in Swedenese as she staggered to her feet, and she thrust out her Crab's right claw. A brilliant red laser bolt gouged a glowing scar across the Wolf Trap's chest, and a chin-mounted medium laser scored a mark on the other 'Mech's left thigh. But it wasn't enough.
Kathy aimed her LB-10X carefully, and fired a deafening blast of high-powered slugs. The projectiles chewed into the Crab's left thigh, and armor scattered everywhere. Without mercy, Kathy added her twin medium lasers to the mix, and the beams carved right into the Crab's thigh. Chen's readout showed serious damage to the 'Mech's left leg bone and myomer bundles.
Stubborn as an ox, Tsuya stumbled back and got her machine back under control, then fire her large laser again. This time, though, Kathy juked to her right, and the laser bolt flashed through empty air.
Tsuya's 'Mech was running hot, and it wouldn't get far with that compromised hip. Before Tsuya could even try and escape this situation, Kathy sprinted forward and took a flying leap (at least, as good as the Wolf Trap could jump). It landed right on the Crab's left side, and the sheer weight easily snapped the Crab's weakened thigh. It crumpled flat to the ground, with the Wolf Trap standing over it in triumph.
"I concede!" Tsuya cried.
The screen faded to black, then returned to the 'Mech lobby. Chen had a hand over his mouth to stop him from laughing.
"I had no idea you could fight like that, Sergeant Bliss," Tsuya said meekly. "You took me by total surprise."
Kathy chuckled. "Welcome to city combat, kid. BattleMechs are actually out of their element, with close quarters everywhere. Look, if you're fighting urban, watch your surroundings for traps, ambushes, infantry with Inferno rounds... the works. Everyone wants to take BattleMechs down a few pegs, and a city is the best place to do it."
Tsuya sighed. "I have a lot to learn, don't I, Sergeant?"
"All in good time, cadet," Kathy told her. "Now, it's about time you returned to your bunk."
"If it is permissible, sirs, I would like to continue. Perhaps for one or two more matches?" Tsuya asked. "I am learning so much."
"Well, you're an eager student," Chen told her. "I don't suppose cadets Gustafso and Svennog would also be interested in simpod duels like these?"
"Sergeant, they would love it," Tsuya assured him. "If they can get over the shock of this sort of fighting, that is."
Chen thought back to cadet Gregoro Gustafso's strong words, of his dream to help forge and protect a freer and more prosperous Free Rasalhague Republic. And he and Mikael had fought him bravely during the live-fire exercise earlier today, too. "We will see."
Sure enough, Tsuya fearlessly faced Chen and Kathy again until it was time for her to retire. She hadn't yet won a match, but she was perfectly optimistic about her progress, and that was good enough for everyone. Tsuya made a friendly wave right before going into her bunk.
Kathy slapped Chen on the back as they headed back to their own room. "Girl's got a little crush on you, Sergeant."
"Oh, please. She's just glad to get some real training."
"I dunno, Scrappy. I didn't think I'd get jealous of a 19-year-old."
Chen gave her a funny look. "You're shitting me, Kath."
"Can't fool you, can I?"
"And I'm not fooling you when I say that cadet Olaffsdottir sees you as her new mother around here. I'll help fill out the adoption papers."
Kathy snorted and cuffed Chen's shoulder. "That cadet couldn't handle my kind of household, believe me."
"Neither could I."
"Don't we know it..."
That didn't stop them from sharing a sweaty, passionate night in the bunk, though.
*o*o*o*o*
Training Fields, Vorarlberg
Free Rasalhague Republic
October 18th, 3051
Chen's shiny new Black Knight patrolled the makeshift battlefield as a light drizzle tickled the pine forests around him. "Cadets, what you are about to do today is the closest to a real battle you have yet experienced," he told twenty-four MechWarriors in training. "This is neither a game nor a simulation nor a sport. It is battle, it is you and your machine vs theirs, it is your sharply-honed will and skill matched up against theirs. Today, Sergeant Bliss and I will see which of you have the potential to be true warriors... and which will take the next bus back home."
No one dared say a word. Chen could picture each and every young adult here tensed up in their machines, clinging to his every word.
Chen used his Black Knight's left arm to point up and at a large, abandoned oil refinery three kilometers to the northeast. "Assault team, your company is tasked with securing the enemy base. Three 'Mechs inside the perimeter qualify as a capture, and anything short of that within the allotted time frame is defeat. Defender team, you are to render the assault team incapable of victory via the destruction of their 'Mechs, or hold them off until the two-hour time limit passes." He grinned wolfishly. "Therefore! The assault team shall use cunning and maneuvers to win, or perhaps sheer firepower to breach the defenses. Or perhaps the defenders shall give the assault team no opening through which to infiltrate? Which is it going to be, cadets?"
He let the com flood with many excited voices, each promising to impress the two sergeants. Chen felt like a proud man indeed; he and Kathy had honed these kids into some fine cadets, and a few weeks of training under their watchful eye proved even more lucrative than Overste Bjekkon had hoped. So, the Overste had granted Chen his choice of 'Mech, and should Chen deliver on his promise, he'd leave Vorarlberg with this Black Knight to call his own.
But there was work left to be done.
Chen switched to the assault team's channel. "Now, assault team, we need a command lance."
At once, Gregoro Gustafso stepped forward and saluted with his Centurion's left hand. "Cadet Gustafson here, volunteering for command."
Not to Chen's surprise, there were no objections. By this time, Gregoro, Tsuya, and Mikael had proven themselves a "dream team" on the battlefield, and Chen was sure that the assault team was in good hands. So, Chen had taken the liberty of adding a troublesome fourth lancemate, a certain Lukas Abbantuj. Cadet Abbantuj had gotten himself kicked out of a police academy for insubordination, questionable methods in training sessions, and generally antagonizing everyone around him. Why not see if the dream team could handle that?
"Just give me a target," Lukas told Chen from the cockpit of his Crusader. "I can take 'em."
"That's Sergeant Yeung to you, cadet," Chen told him, aware that Lukas would absolutely not care. "You're part of the command lance. Make sure to work with your lance and your company for maximum combat effectiveness."
Lukas grunted and clenched his Crusader's fists.
Chen shrugged. Perhaps he'd just wait for Gregoro to prove his worth today, and earn a cohesive lancemate along the way. The command lance was made up of each cadet's preferred 'Mechs: Gregoro's Centurion, Mikael's Griffin, Tsuya's Crab, and now Lukas' Crusader. Could they handle what was to come?
Now, Chen moved on to the defending team's channel. "I need a commander on this team. Who will it be?"
"It will be me. Cadet Brennoff," a pompous cadet spoke up. He piloted the biggest machine among all the cadets: a Grasshopper. "I won't let the assault team get anywhere near this base, Sergeant Yeung, Sergeant Bliss."
"I hope you're right, kiddo," Kathy said lightly. "Terrain like this favors the attackers. I hope you're takin' that into account?"
Cadet Brennoff hesitated slightly. "Of course, Sergeant."
Chen wasn't sure what to make of this guy. He was Darren Brennoff, the son of a minor noble here on Vorarlberg who grew tired of the rich life, and all that. Pretty routine... except that the kid could really shoot, and he easily gave the dream team a run for their money. Now this should be good.
"Ready... go!" Chen declared.
At once, Gregoro got his lance moving. He took the lead in his hulking Centurion, carving a path through the forest toward the enemy base's location, but with some room to break away if the enemy's defenses proved too tough. Good. Move in for the action, but don't commit yourself too hard to the assault if you're not 100% sure of the outcome. Meanwhile, Gregoro ordered the fire support lance to climb atop the largest hill, and two Whitworths and two Trebuchets dutifully got into position. The hilltop was bare, but these four 'Mechs could give better than they got if the enemy opened fire from such a distance.
"Not bad, huh, Scrappy?" Kathy asked brightly as Gregoro's three lances moved out.
"His tactics are conventional, but there's room to improvise," Chen noted. "I'd do something similar."
"Hey, look at that," Kathy added. "See his scout lance?"
"Oh. Yeah." Chen noted the scout lance, which consisted of two Cicadas, a Wasp, and a Clint. The four lights were angling right for the defenders' main formation, as though they were the assaut lance.
Chen had a few ideas on what Gregoro was doing, and sure enough, the scouts didn't just report the enemy force's formation. They started harassing, acting as though they were about to get backup. Act tough, look big, draw the enemy's attention.
"I think it's working," Kathy commented as the four light 'Mechs kept up the assault. Medium lasers, AC rounds, and SRMs chipped at the nearby defenders, using the forest's edge as cover to avoid the worst of the return fire.
Chen watched as Darren sent his medium lance to deal with these harassers, and the four 'Mechs opened fire in earnest. The harassing lights, meanwhile, didn't change their tactics, aside from focusing all their fire on the other lance. They were brave... or foolish.
"They're not giving up," Kathy noted. "I think the light lance commander is desperate to draw more than a lance to their position, but it's not working."
"Yeah," Chen added. "I think Darren saw through the deception. The lights really don't have the backup that their tactics suggest they have. Gregoro had better adjust fast."
The four light 'Mechs kept it up, but they were starting to take return fire, and one of Darren's 'Mechs, a Crab, scored a nasty hit on a Cicada. Molten armor sheared right off, and the 'Mech wobbled from the awkward loss of mass. Quick like panther, an opposing Wolverine took aim and punished the Cidada with its SRM 6 pack. Every single missile plowed right into the Cicada's molten wound, and the explosions threw the machine against a tree with a nasty, metallic crunch. The whole tree shuddered from the kinetic force.
"Oh, there they go," Kathy commented as Gregoro's light lance finally called for the retreat. All four of them scampered deeper into the woods, and to Chen's amazement, Darren's Crab pilot took aim and fired twin large lasers with deadly precision. The beams slashed the damaged Cidada's left leg clean off, and the 40-tonner pitched right over, thrashing around its remaining leg.
"That had to hurt," Chen commented as the Cicada skidded to a halt in the forest underbrush. No doubt the pilot voiced his or her surrender, since Darren's lance ceased fire and walked away. Officially, that Cicada was out of action.
This wasn't for nothing, though.
"Whoa! Scrappy, look!" Kathy hollered on the comm.
"I see it too," Chen said with amusement as Gregoro's lance entered the fray. All four 'Mechs now engaged Darren's fire support lance at a range that favored them, and the defending fire support 'Mechs were scrambling to mount a defense. It was no good; Gregoro, Tsuya, Mikael, and Lukas ran in a zig-zag pattern to throw off the enemy's LRM volleys, coming within 150 meters of the defenders. The defending 'Mechs, a pair of Trebuchets, a Dervish, and a Rifleman, bunched up for defense. Not that it would help.
Gregoro went first. He fired his LRMs, and the missiles, aided with Artemis IV FCS, clobbered the enemy Rifleman, throwing the machine off-balance. Gregoro's LB-10X muzzle flashed, and the high-powered slugs savaged the defending machine's upper right chest.
No quarter was given. Tsuya took her turn to open fire, and her Crab's large lasers cored the Rifleman's injured chest, and smoke billowed from the wound. Once Mikael added his Griffin's PPC to the mix, the Rifleman was thrown right onto its back from the loss of mass, and its pilot surrendered.
Kathy whistled on the comm. "Are these really the same kids who couldn't hit a target a month ago? Scrappy, we oughta give them more credit."
Chen grinned. "I'll gladly compliment these kids if it flatters us."
Kathy chuckled. "You need to get your ass kicked in the simpods ASAP before your head gets too big for a neurohelmet."
"Feel free to try and beat me."
"Just try, huh?"
Meanwhile, Gregoro pushed his advantage, and now his lance got to work on the enemy Dervish. Mikael's PPC wounded the 55-tonner's leg, and Gregoro added his LB-X rounds to the mix. The defending 'Mechs mounted a proper response this time, though, and their combined medium lasers lit up in a brilliant light show. Eight different lasers scoured Mikael's Griffin, and the 'Mech was covered in glowing scars from head to toe. It staggered on its feet, fighting to stay balanced after losing all that armor.
"Whoa. Here comes the cavalry," Kathy commented as Darren's own lance charged in. But Darren's lance wasn't performing a headlong rush; rather, the four 'Mechs scattered and used the terrain for cover, making an erratic approach that even Chen couldn't read clearly.
The defending fire support lance backpedaled at top speed, and the machines slipped into cover in the forest. And now, Darren's lance came to the fore.
Darren's Grasshopper was a 70-ton beast with jump jets and lasers galore, and it vaulted into the air in a graceful arc. The machine lit up its large laser and two mediums, and while a medium narrowly missed the Centurion's shoulder, the other two beams savaged its right shoulder.
Gregoro turned to face this threat... only for the Grasshopper to come right down on it. And deliver a midair kick.
Kathy burst out laughing. "Holy shit, Scrappy! I've never seen anything like that!"
Chen stared in shock. "Darren... what...?"
The bizarre maneuver paid off, and the Grasshopper landed solidly on its feet as the Centurion went sprawling on its back. Meanwhile, Phoenix Hawk on Darren's lance descended on its jump jets, a thick tree branch held in its left hand. The 'Mech descended upon Tsuya's Crab and delivered a mighty swing that blasted the Crab right off its feet. As the Crab fell awkwardly onto its back, the Phoenix Hawk pilot fired the 'Mech's large laser, and the beam sliced into the Crab's right shoulder. Two more medium lasers fired up, and the beams relieved the helpless Crab of its arm entirely.
Lukas, meanwhile, backed up a few paces and launched his twin LRM 15 launchers. Of all the missiles, about two-thirds of them peppered Darren's Grasshopper, and the 70-tonner weathered the storm without too much trouble. In retaliation, the Grasshopper pointed, and Darren's third lancemate, piloting a Centurion like Gregoro's, pounced on the Crusader. The smaller 'Mech was also carrying a tree branch, and it had gone through the trouble of snapping off the smaller branches to form it into a smooth spear.
What the devil?! Chen stared in shock as the Centurion's pilot first softened up the Crusader's thin rear left armor with two medium lasers, then stabbed the huge tree branch right into the molten wound. At once, sparks and smoke blasted from the injury, and the Crusader staggered forward, the whole thing trembling and creaking. The tree branch had skewered it all the way through, and the Centurion let go of it and backed up a few paces.
Chen switched to the defending team's comm. "That's too far, cadet! You're aiming to shut down enemy 'Mechs with weapons fire, or knock out a leg. You could kill someone at this rate!"
The cadet's voice piped up at once. "This is within the mission parameters you set, Sergeant Yeung," he said.
Chen scowled. "I know I was a hardass at first. But if you -"
He was cut off when Gregoro's Centurion sprang to its feet, took aim, and spat out LB-X 10 slugs that went right for the other Centurion's head. Despite being powered-down shells, the ballistic projectiles dealt a nasty blow to the offending Centurion, and it staggered, clawing at its face with its free hand.
"Shit! Kathy! On me!" Chen roared. At once, they both sprinted across the battlefield in their Black Knights, Chen mentally cursing in the most bitter Mandarin he could think of. He and Kathy had honed these cadets into potent weapons... but neglected to teach them a little restraint. If this kept up -
"AAAAAAARGH!" the pilot of the defending Centurion wailed. Gregoro had closed the distance between their 'Mechs, and had delivered a savage punch to the opposing 'Mech's chin. The defending Centurion stumbled back and fell, its head a mangled mess of metal and broken glass.
"STOP THE FIGHT!" Chen howled on the comm. "Mission over! All cadets, stand down!"
"Sir -" Mikael started.
"Shut it, cadet Svennog!" Kathy snapped. "Someone could have gotten killed here. Everyone power down until we can assess the damage. I've already radioed for an extraction chopper. You little bastards had better fucking pray there wasn't a fatality."
Most of the cadets were too shocked to bother arguing. They all shut down as ordered, and Lukas (when ordered) knelt in his Crusader and opened the hatch. Kathy stepped forward and offered her 'Mech's left hand, and Lukas stepped onto it. Kathy lowered him safely to the ground, unwilling to keep the cadet locked up in such a badly damaged 'Mech. Damn, it was going to be a pain in the ass to extract that makeshift spear and repair the 'Mech. Chen was willing to bet that the Crusader was beyond repair, period.
Finally, a single Soar VTOL arrived on the scene once the cadets powered down their machines. The little chopper landed by the fallen Centurion, and the crews managed to extract the young pilot and carry him away on a stretcher. Chen stood stock-still in his shiny new Black Knight as the watched the VTOL take off again, realizing that if that cadet's life was snuffed out... so were his chances of leaving this planet a free man.