Forward Headquarters, Second Amphigean Light Assault Group
Tillerbee Jungle
Marduk
Draconis March
Federated Suns
September 16, 3028
The oppressive heat of the jungle seemed cool in comparison to the cockpit of his battlemech, but Carl Torren was still sweating heavily, despite the fact that he was only wearing his combat clothes - a pair of shorts and his cooling vest, along with calf high boots.
At least part of the sweat was due to the heat within the light tent. The rest was due to the man standing before Carl.
Though Carl was a head taller than the man before him, there was no question of who was in control. Tai-sa Narimasu's appearance was as fearsome as his personality. Prematurely bald, Narimasu had elected to shave all his body hair, including his eyebrows. Combined with his gaunt yet compact frame, it almost gave him the appearance of some supernatural being. His blue eyes lent themselves to the rumor that his clan was related to the Kurita clan, the rulers of the Draconis Combine.
In spite of their difference in height, Narimasu gave the impression that he was looking down upon Torren from a great height. Narimasu was silent, as he considered Carl's report.
At dawn, Torren's company had been dispatched to locate their lost reconnaissance lance. Their position had last placed them some distance to the south of New Pontiac. It had taken most of the day, but eventually Torren's company had found the sight of the battle. The gutted remains of the Chu-i Gundersen's Griffin had been found slumped face down, covered in charred timber and scorched vines.
It was clear from the beginning that Gundersen's lance had been ambushed by similar force. Little could be discerned from the scene, except that all the attacking 'mechs had been humanoid and at least one of them had mounted a large caliber autocannon. The most disturbing evidence of all had been found in the shattered remnants of armor that littered the battlefield.
Tai-sa Narimasu closed his eyes for a moment and lowered his head. The fury he was feeling inside was made plain by the harsh tone with which he addressed the tent's third occupant.
Seated in a camp chair in a corner of the tent, David Kaliba sat, his hand idly stroking his chin. His amber eyes were heavily lidded, and seemed almost lost in his deeply tanned skin. He was dressed in the field uniform of a DCMS soldier, but the slovenly way in which he wore it belied his non- military character.
"You said that Marduk was garrisoned by militia," Tai-sa Narimasu said, slowly measuring his words.
"Yes, I did," Kaliba said, not bothering to sit up. He stopped stroking his chin, however, and moved his fingers to stroke his heavily waxed short mustache.
"You said that all Federated Suns line units were engaged elsewhere. That forces were diverted to aid in the offensive against the Capellan Confederation."
This time, Kaliba didn't even deign to respond. He let the question and the implied insult breeze past him as if they had never been spoken.
Torren stiffened. ~Even this ISF fool should know better than to antagonize the Jaguar like that,~ he told himself, using the units' nickname for its commander.
Narimasu's hands tightened into fists on the tabletop and began to shake. The knuckles stood out white against the Tai-sa's flesh, but his voice remained steady.
"Explain how the vaunted ISF managed to bungle their intelligence gathering so completely," Narimasu instructed. There could be no question in Kaliba's mind that this was NOT a request.
Silence dragged out for a few moments. Reluctantly, and with an exasperated sigh, he sat upright on the camp chair.
"Tai-sa, I understand your concern, but it really is unfounded," Kaliba said slowly. He seemed bored of the whole exchange, and terribly put out. "What you have are a few scraps of paint, nothing more. For all you know, the 'mech from which they came could be simply someone who retired from one of the Deneb Light Cavalry regiments. It doesn't indicate the Light Cavalry is deployed to Marduk. Our sources indicate that no more than a handful of militia units defend this world. The only other unit reported on planet - a training unit - was due to ship out weeks ago."
Kaliba's gaze finally turned to Torren, and the Mechwarrior was surprised to see humor in the ISF agents' eyes. "It seems clear to me that Chu-i Gundersen's lance was simply caught with its pants down. He should have been more careful. Even ancient warriors can be dangerous."
"Then how do you explain the disappearance of the battlemechs from Norse's facilities?" Torren snarled, taking offense at Kaliba's casual denigration of his soldiers.
"Simply bad timing. Knowing of the offensive into the Confederation, the Fox Prince must have ordered production stepped up. Those machines are probably in transit to Sian as we speak. It is immaterial. The few battlemechs that we might have captured could not have held a candle to the prize of the plants themselves."
"But the records show that no 'mechs have been shipped off in months!" Torren shouted, his face florid. He had disliked Kaliba from the time the man had joined the Light Assault Group a year ago.
"Records can be faked, Tai-i Torren. Those 'mechs probably were shipped out months ago. We are not yet finished sifting through Norse's computer systems."
Torren opened his mouth to speak again, but Narimasu's upraised hand silenced him immediately.
Narimasu raised his head and opened his eyes, gazing balefully at the ISF agent. "You speak of suppositions and deductions, Kaliba-san. You will provide me with hard facts before the end of the week."
Kaliba actually laughed. "You forget yourself, Tai-sa," Kaliba said. It was as far as he got.
Narimasu's left hand lashed out, catching Kalibas jaw in a backhanded slap that sent the ISF agent crashing over the back of his camp chair.
Kaliba stood, clutching his jaw, his face a mask of fury. Before he could speak, Narimasu held up a warning hand.
"Speak again, before you have that information, and I will kill you."
Torren looked at his Tai-sa with horror. Narimasu had just forfeited his own life, striking one of the Indrahar's agents. But the Tai-sa didn't seem to care.
"Leave us," he said still glaring at Kaliba.
Blood trickled from Kaliba's split lip as he left the tent in silence.
It took a few moments for Kaliba's footsteps to die away, and in that time Narimasu seemed to regain control of himself. His fury was still barely contained, but now that the object of his ire had left his immediate vicinity, he was able to speak again.
"You are wondering if I have just killed myself," Narimasu said, sitting down on his own chair.
"Hai, Tai-sa."
"Shikata ga nai. The ISF does not control this unit. Though we may be out of favor with the Dragon, he is still the Dragon. Wakarimasu-ka?"
"Wakarimasu." Torren answered. He didn't quite agree with Narimasu on that point. Torren himself often questioned why any loyalty should be given to a lord who couldn't be bothered to notice his warriors. In spite of that, he didn't want the ISF running the unit any more than his commander did.
"We must step up our patrols, especially in the Southern sectors. I believe that the ISF has made a grave error in its force estimates." Narimasu continued, his voice still hard.
"Your company will go out again in the morning. You will patrol this sector," he said indicating an area well to the south of New Pontiac on the map.
Torren looked at the area. It was densely covered by the jungle, and the symbols for swamps were present as well. It would be a morass even for light 'mechs, but that was the point. As he looked at the area on the map, examined it from the defender's point of view. It was a good position with limited avenues of approach from the north and west. What appeared to be steep, jagged mountains too sheer for battlemechs to scale protected it from the East. To the south, the swamp continued along the base of the mountains for several kilometers, until it merged with Lake Morad.
~Yes,~ Torren said to himself as a plan began to form itself. ~It would make a good place to set up a temporary camp. It would also make an excellent trap.~
Tillerbee Jungle
Marduk
Draconis March
Federated Suns
September 16, 3028
The oppressive heat of the jungle seemed cool in comparison to the cockpit of his battlemech, but Carl Torren was still sweating heavily, despite the fact that he was only wearing his combat clothes - a pair of shorts and his cooling vest, along with calf high boots.
At least part of the sweat was due to the heat within the light tent. The rest was due to the man standing before Carl.
Though Carl was a head taller than the man before him, there was no question of who was in control. Tai-sa Narimasu's appearance was as fearsome as his personality. Prematurely bald, Narimasu had elected to shave all his body hair, including his eyebrows. Combined with his gaunt yet compact frame, it almost gave him the appearance of some supernatural being. His blue eyes lent themselves to the rumor that his clan was related to the Kurita clan, the rulers of the Draconis Combine.
In spite of their difference in height, Narimasu gave the impression that he was looking down upon Torren from a great height. Narimasu was silent, as he considered Carl's report.
At dawn, Torren's company had been dispatched to locate their lost reconnaissance lance. Their position had last placed them some distance to the south of New Pontiac. It had taken most of the day, but eventually Torren's company had found the sight of the battle. The gutted remains of the Chu-i Gundersen's Griffin had been found slumped face down, covered in charred timber and scorched vines.
It was clear from the beginning that Gundersen's lance had been ambushed by similar force. Little could be discerned from the scene, except that all the attacking 'mechs had been humanoid and at least one of them had mounted a large caliber autocannon. The most disturbing evidence of all had been found in the shattered remnants of armor that littered the battlefield.
Tai-sa Narimasu closed his eyes for a moment and lowered his head. The fury he was feeling inside was made plain by the harsh tone with which he addressed the tent's third occupant.
Seated in a camp chair in a corner of the tent, David Kaliba sat, his hand idly stroking his chin. His amber eyes were heavily lidded, and seemed almost lost in his deeply tanned skin. He was dressed in the field uniform of a DCMS soldier, but the slovenly way in which he wore it belied his non- military character.
"You said that Marduk was garrisoned by militia," Tai-sa Narimasu said, slowly measuring his words.
"Yes, I did," Kaliba said, not bothering to sit up. He stopped stroking his chin, however, and moved his fingers to stroke his heavily waxed short mustache.
"You said that all Federated Suns line units were engaged elsewhere. That forces were diverted to aid in the offensive against the Capellan Confederation."
This time, Kaliba didn't even deign to respond. He let the question and the implied insult breeze past him as if they had never been spoken.
Torren stiffened. ~Even this ISF fool should know better than to antagonize the Jaguar like that,~ he told himself, using the units' nickname for its commander.
Narimasu's hands tightened into fists on the tabletop and began to shake. The knuckles stood out white against the Tai-sa's flesh, but his voice remained steady.
"Explain how the vaunted ISF managed to bungle their intelligence gathering so completely," Narimasu instructed. There could be no question in Kaliba's mind that this was NOT a request.
Silence dragged out for a few moments. Reluctantly, and with an exasperated sigh, he sat upright on the camp chair.
"Tai-sa, I understand your concern, but it really is unfounded," Kaliba said slowly. He seemed bored of the whole exchange, and terribly put out. "What you have are a few scraps of paint, nothing more. For all you know, the 'mech from which they came could be simply someone who retired from one of the Deneb Light Cavalry regiments. It doesn't indicate the Light Cavalry is deployed to Marduk. Our sources indicate that no more than a handful of militia units defend this world. The only other unit reported on planet - a training unit - was due to ship out weeks ago."
Kaliba's gaze finally turned to Torren, and the Mechwarrior was surprised to see humor in the ISF agents' eyes. "It seems clear to me that Chu-i Gundersen's lance was simply caught with its pants down. He should have been more careful. Even ancient warriors can be dangerous."
"Then how do you explain the disappearance of the battlemechs from Norse's facilities?" Torren snarled, taking offense at Kaliba's casual denigration of his soldiers.
"Simply bad timing. Knowing of the offensive into the Confederation, the Fox Prince must have ordered production stepped up. Those machines are probably in transit to Sian as we speak. It is immaterial. The few battlemechs that we might have captured could not have held a candle to the prize of the plants themselves."
"But the records show that no 'mechs have been shipped off in months!" Torren shouted, his face florid. He had disliked Kaliba from the time the man had joined the Light Assault Group a year ago.
"Records can be faked, Tai-i Torren. Those 'mechs probably were shipped out months ago. We are not yet finished sifting through Norse's computer systems."
Torren opened his mouth to speak again, but Narimasu's upraised hand silenced him immediately.
Narimasu raised his head and opened his eyes, gazing balefully at the ISF agent. "You speak of suppositions and deductions, Kaliba-san. You will provide me with hard facts before the end of the week."
Kaliba actually laughed. "You forget yourself, Tai-sa," Kaliba said. It was as far as he got.
Narimasu's left hand lashed out, catching Kalibas jaw in a backhanded slap that sent the ISF agent crashing over the back of his camp chair.
Kaliba stood, clutching his jaw, his face a mask of fury. Before he could speak, Narimasu held up a warning hand.
"Speak again, before you have that information, and I will kill you."
Torren looked at his Tai-sa with horror. Narimasu had just forfeited his own life, striking one of the Indrahar's agents. But the Tai-sa didn't seem to care.
"Leave us," he said still glaring at Kaliba.
Blood trickled from Kaliba's split lip as he left the tent in silence.
It took a few moments for Kaliba's footsteps to die away, and in that time Narimasu seemed to regain control of himself. His fury was still barely contained, but now that the object of his ire had left his immediate vicinity, he was able to speak again.
"You are wondering if I have just killed myself," Narimasu said, sitting down on his own chair.
"Hai, Tai-sa."
"Shikata ga nai. The ISF does not control this unit. Though we may be out of favor with the Dragon, he is still the Dragon. Wakarimasu-ka?"
"Wakarimasu." Torren answered. He didn't quite agree with Narimasu on that point. Torren himself often questioned why any loyalty should be given to a lord who couldn't be bothered to notice his warriors. In spite of that, he didn't want the ISF running the unit any more than his commander did.
"We must step up our patrols, especially in the Southern sectors. I believe that the ISF has made a grave error in its force estimates." Narimasu continued, his voice still hard.
"Your company will go out again in the morning. You will patrol this sector," he said indicating an area well to the south of New Pontiac on the map.
Torren looked at the area. It was densely covered by the jungle, and the symbols for swamps were present as well. It would be a morass even for light 'mechs, but that was the point. As he looked at the area on the map, examined it from the defender's point of view. It was a good position with limited avenues of approach from the north and west. What appeared to be steep, jagged mountains too sheer for battlemechs to scale protected it from the East. To the south, the swamp continued along the base of the mountains for several kilometers, until it merged with Lake Morad.
~Yes,~ Torren said to himself as a plan began to form itself. ~It would make a good place to set up a temporary camp. It would also make an excellent trap.~