Speculum
Techs swarmed all over the No-Dachi II, working under the masterful supervision of Falls, whom Jun had come to find out was the main driving factor behind the extensive modifications and designs of the mechs Han-Xin had worked on with Kaiden. Kaiden had said that the man was a genius, having graduated with the highest honors at twenty-two. Jun had then commented that the age wasn't a sign of genius, when Kaiden had added that at that age Falls had finished his Engineering major as the last of three majors he had taken during the four years he had spent studying at that level.
The man that stood before him was now just over forty, a little younger then his father. He noted that genius was far more impressive when the person in question was young, but in the end, he decided, the experience and wisdom added to that genius was truly far more formidable. He knew that if Falls had been born during a time when war was the norm, whoever had his services would have had an edge. He reflected somberly on that line of thought, wishing instead that he hadn't thought of it.
Dark times are coming, no doubt about that.
The 'mech bay was busy now with his arrival, Kaiden's rule about no one touching the precious battlemechs now rescinded since Falls and his expertise was taking care of them, the battlemech expert's watchful eye making sure that all the modifications and repairs were proceeding without fault.
"It is good we are all here. Han-Xin always did seem to have a sense of premonition. He had begun calling his comrades to meet with him just before the blackout of communications. It is fortunate." Kaiden spoke softly, as he observed the flurry of work down below.
"So des ka…" Jun murmured. "I had wondered why people were coming in like this, it seemed so convenient."
Kaiden shrugged. "Maybe your father had an inkling of what was to come. As I said, he always was a perceptive man you know. Or maybe it was just luck." He let himself smile a bit. "Han-Xin loved tormenting Cheng about that."
"I would think so." Jun replied. The young man remained silent for a while longer, then turned to Kaiden and began to say something when he saw a man of the security force come running towards them
The man came up to the older man and whispered a few words to him. Kaiden nodded, saying, "Excellent, have them proceed to the command center immediately."
Jun looked at Kaiden, "The reconnaissance team has returned, I presume?"
"Indeed they have, they just arrived a few minutes ago. It seems they have much to tell us of what has transpired over the past ten days since we have left Addicks." The old mechwarrior told Jun, beginning to move along the catwalk towards the corridor on the other end.
"I see…let us waste no time then. I have little doubt as to what Tomark's plans for Addicks are though." Jun shook his head, a dark expression clouding his face. Unbidden, the image of his father's assassin, Zentoshi, arose in his mind. He quickly shut it out, focusing his attention on what he was going to do. He did not need to remember that he had killed that man, and how he had done so. Losing his father was enough of a horror to deal with.
The pair came to the wide doors that were the entrance to the Damocles moon base's control center, and Kaiden placed his hand on the control panel. The doors slid open after confirming his identity, revealing a room filled with communication, control and command or C3 equipment. Kaukatsu stood inside, the leader of the three-man team that had done a covert insertion on Addicks to gather information on the actions of Tomark's force on the planet, among other things.
"Kau, glad to see you have returned unharmed. What news from Addicks?" Jun greeted the man.
Kau nodded, and turned to the main viewscreen. The screen lit up, and images appeared, showing the planet Addicks. "We have more detailed information encoded in data cards and discs, but for now I'll give you a rundown on what we've discovered. As we have gathered from initial reports, the HPG blackout is indeed more then just in this sector. It's a complete, system-wide blackout. Nothing is getting through anywhere, what we had hoped against. But that's nothing really new; we all knew this even before the attack anyway.
"Now we get to the real meat of what we've found out. Tomark has declared herself a Duchess claiming her 'noble' lineage and has formed, for the lack of a word, a separatist faction calling itself the Dragon's Fury. She's thrown any pretenses aside, and seeks to claim as much of the prefecture as she can. She is most certainly a threat, with at least three regiments at her command. Admittedly, the Order of the Five Pillars isn't a true combat regiment in comparison to the other forces she is fielding, but it is potentially the most dangerous opponent we have. I should know." Kaukatsu's voice trailed off a bit at the last, but quickly gathered up where he left off for a moment.
"But fortunately, we are not the only group standing against her. As of now, on Addicks, another military group under the authority of acting-Prefect Tara Campbell is attempting to hold Addicks against any 'enemy' forces, which would be in this case Tomark's Dragon's Fury. The Dragon's Fury force would have been enough to squash the planetary militia and local defenses long before now, but the Highlanders are putting up a very spirited fight, so the Fury is having a harder time then I think they expected."
The image on screen shifted to reveal an aerial view of red-colored units moving towards the city limits. Jun could make out the trails of fire erupting from the red line. The view zoomed in to focus on a lone Arbalest leading the attack, no doubt the commander of the force, the Dragon's emblem easy enough to spot on it. The scene zoomed out again slowly, to reveal return fire from scattered forces in the militia colors and from elements in greens and browns. Jun did not miss the lone battlemech that fought against the advancing waves of bright crimson, faring not too well against the heavy firepower that had been brought against them, but under the circumstances, it was doing good enough. A few explosions rocked the thin lines of dark red and green-brown mix that were the Republic's defenders.
The Highlanders I presume.
"We have been monitoring transmissions from the planet, and the Highlanders are suffering heavily from the attacks." The vid clip stopped there, and recycled then replayed itself all over again. "We will not be able to get into Neo Carthagia or any of the official fields with easy drops anytime soon." Vincent added, breaking Kaukatsu's report only briefly.
"We've also reports that Tomark isn't the only one leading a separatist group out there. Apparently, some of these groups have been preparing military forces for quite some time. Few, if any, can stand a chance against them. Even Campbell's group realistically won't be able to do too much, seeing as her party is the only loyalist one I've heard of so far." Kau began again, picking up after Vincent. "At this rate, the strife could tear apart the whole Prefecture, if not the Republic, should this spread." Kaukatus shook his head somberly. "And violence has a bad quality of being infectious."
Jun shook his head. "Stone would be turning in his grave, if he was dead. Right now our primary problem is that planet that lies closest to us, and what we can do about it. Tomark is attacking the planet, and we will do all we can to stop her from getting what she wants." Jun stood up from leaning on the table, and rested a hand on Kaukatsu's shoulder. "I thank you for being able to gather so much, I know you must be tired. I am already satisfied for now with what you've told me." He gave Kau a look. "Get some rest, we can get a more detailed debriefing later."
Kau gave Jun a small smile, then stood at attention. "Thank you, Jun. If you need anything, I've given what other information we've managed to secure to Vincent here. He should be able to enlighten you some more." With that the man left, the doors hissing behind him.
"War, war, and more war. Finally, something better then hiding behind shadows." Vincent chuckled, a feral grin on his face.
Jun looked at the clan warrior oddly, "And you're happy about this state of affairs?"
"Jun, even if I had been bondsman to your father for years and in this relatively peaceful Republic," he paused and held that animal grin on his face, "…I am a Trueborn. War is my blood, and it shall always be. I am a warrior born of the iron wombs, and battle is what I am bred for."
"He's just justifying his bloodlust." Kaiden interrupted, causing Vincent to shrug nonchalantly. "Fact remains that from all evidence, the Republic will be experiencing some military struggles soon, and not just from Tomark I fear. These Highlanders seem to be the only 'loyalist' forces, besides the actual RAF troops of course. But the RAF presence here in Prefecture III is weak, at best." Kaiden smiled grimly. "And laughable, in most cases."
"We are not saviors Kaiden, please. I love the Republic as much as any citizen, and we can think about that later, but for now I want to frustrate Tomark's designs here and now. Once we deal with Addicks, then we can turn to looking at what we can do. After all, even just a single lance of battlemechs is a potent force nowadays." Jun turned to Vincent with a weary smile. "Quiaff?"
"Aff!" The clan-bred mechwarrior smiled. "Good choice of words, whelp!"
Jun ignored the last, and turned back to Kaiden. "But we shall still need some cover, if we are to directly involve ourselves." They grew silent for a moment, before Jun turned to Kaiden, after a few moments of thinking.
"Mercenaries." They said together, much to the horror of Vincent, who also said the same thing though in a very different tone of voice.
"Well, you'll get your chance to fight as much as you want." Jun pointed out. "And we won't be tied down to a single planet, if we negotiate right. I don't want to become another power-grabbing faction right now, even if our loyalty lies more with keeping the Republic together, then otherwise."
"True." The clan warrior grew silent, pursing his lips.
"So, we shall become mercenaries. What shall we name ourselves, leader?" Kaiden asked Jun.
"Leader?" The young man looked at the old man. "You mean me, right?"
"Of course, don't you remember why we are contemplating this in the first place? You are the most important unifying factor here, otherwise we would all be taking our vengeance on Tomark in our own ways." Kaiden pointed out. "You see, even I would have difficulty controlling all your father's friends. I have certain conflicts with some of them. You on the other hand can draw on your father's name, so while they won't be doing it for you at the start, it is as good as anything right now."
Jun nodded, he knew about this, ever since the day he had left, but had only given much thought to it when Vincent had arrived. "Well then…we shall need to act to establish this, won't we?" He smiled faintly at the last few words. "The information we have, we shall need to make it known to our people."
"What? So soon?" Kaiden asked. "Are you sure about this, news of war is not something to be treated lightly."
"Kaiden, if we are going to involve ourselves in the war, then what use is hiding information from the people we will need to trust our lives too?" Jun countered. "Do it, and summon the people around afterwards. Give them a few hours to mull over this, but we need to act quickly."
The man nodded slowly, and said, "True." The word came from his mouth as if he was thinking still whether to disagree over what Jun had said. "Very well, I shall take to this task." He straightened slowly, and then turned to leave.
"If this were the Dominion, or any of the Clans a simple Trial of Position would settle all this." Vincent snorted disdainfully. "Nonsense Spheroid politics…"
The murmurs of the few hundred people, the whole of the small force of people gathered on the moonbase, filled the 'mech bay. It was the smallest chamber where he could speak out loud without volume amplifying equipment, and where everyone could fit. He looked at his hands, and found to his annoyance that they were moist with sweat. He shook his head, and steeled himself further for what was to come.
It was his idea after all, this little thing. With Kaukatsu's report done, Jun finally realized the scope of what was happening. The Republic, or at the very least Prefectures III and IV, were experiencing the first major battles in decades, and the beginnings of a war. He breathed deeply and relaxed himself, much like in the way he did before performing his rigorous katas. He opened his eyes slowly, when Kaiden's hand touched him on his shoulder, and nodded.
It was time.
He gave the old man a weak smile, and climbed up on the side of the quartet of ammunition crates that served as his stage. He idly thought that this could quite literally blow up in his face, or rather under him. The fact of this was hardly lost on him, and his heart literally began to pound.
What am I doing? This idea of me being a leader is ridiculous! I'm hardly even of age yet!
But then the image of his father projected itself harshly into his mind, the faint smile and sparkle of Han-Xin's eyes in his mind's eye memory. He remembered the blood that covered his hands, the rust-red colors seeping into the floor as his father's last words came to him.
"Jun…make me proud. I'll always be watching you."
The words rang in his head, and it was all he needed. He didn't care if he failed, he would try again, and again. He would make his father proud of him, and age mattered only to further that pride. He whispered a quick, silent prayer in his head for his father, and then rose to his full height on the impromptu platform. He looked first at the ranks nearby, finding Kaiden and his closest friends, those he knew were loyal to his father and him, most especially the old mechwarrior and Kaukatsu. He gave both of them an appreciative smile, drawing strength also from the knowledge that he had their support fully.
He walked to the center of the platform, and clasped his hands behind his back, his stance revealing as little of his nervousness just moments before. The silence that began to descend told him that they had noticed him, and turned their attention to the young Koshimitsu. Jun's hair bristled a bit, the sensation of knowing that hundreds of eyes were now turned and focused on him.
"Jun…make me proud. I'll always be watching you."
The words rang again through his mind, and finally pushed him into the breach.
"I am Koshimitsu Jun." The words were spoken loudly, clearly. They had heard him. He swept his gaze over the crowd, taking in each and everyone present.
"I was born a child of Devlin Stone's Legacy, the Republic of the Sphere, the child of Koshimitsu Han-Xin, the son of the mechwarrior once known as the "White Dragon" who was loyal to the ideals of Stone and refused the carnage that separatist factions and forces are now bringing to the Republic." He looked around him, his voice becoming stronger still as he spoke, capturing more fully the attention of the people before him.
"For that, he was killed, and I have taken up his legacy, to refuse the anarchy that Katana Tomark, his murderer, and many others would spread." He raised up his hand and clenched it into a fist. "We have few allies, many potential enemies." The hand fell, then rose to point upwards and away, signifying those he spoke of."
"But we will win, for we must."
He paused to let this sink in then continued, saying, "For our families, our people, our Republic, and the ideals of the legends that was and is Devlin Stone and my father, Koshimitsu Han-Xin, I will fight to the end."
"I will become, the Legends' Pride."
He stopped then, and looked over the crowd of people. Nothing, but a silence filled the air. He had failed then, he thought. He shrugged mentally, he would just have to find another way to convince them, to earn their respect and loyalty beyond what he could claim by being the son of his father. He knew it would be a long process, and could only hope for the best.
Then he heard it.
One by one, beginning not with his closest friends, but with the people he hardly knew, they began clapping their hands. He began to smile and the clapping grew more widespread, and when he heard not a few cheers interjected into the growing noise. Caught up in the moment, Jun raised his hand in a fist and pumped it into the air, a broad grin on his face.
"On the planet Addicks, Katana's forces savage those who seek to defend the Republic and its sovereignty. They seek to destroy the peace that people like Stone worked and bled for, the peace that now is being shattered by the pressures of war, the ambitions of power-hungry people like Katana Tomark.
"But we will show them, the Republic still has people who are willing to fight against the chaos such people would bring, we will show them the strength that runs through us all. And we will begin, on Addicks!"
Kaiden smiled up at the young man, his hands just one of those clapping. When you really thought about it, Jun was far too young to be the leader of the potential power he was tapping right now. But then again, when times changed, did age really matter? No, it didn't. The old man smiled sadly, the feeling bittersweet. He knew that if the young Koshimitsu would keep on this path there would be much pain, much suffering, and much death. He could only hope that at the end of the day it would be worth it.
"I guess it went well enough, didn't it, Kaiden?" Jun smiled broadly at the silver-haired man, as he came of the crates.
"Indeed, young Koshimitsu. You will do well." The old man smiled, nodding his head in approval.
It had better be worth it.
Jun smiled, faintly. It seemed funny, that the teachings and lessons of a man over two thousand years dead could still be effective. Sun-Tzu, the young Koshimitsu decided, was most definitely a genius. It was too bad he wasn't alive and aiding him now. But the youth figured that applying his gems of wisdom was just as good.
He thanked his father silently, as he manipulated the controls of the loader mech, that he had made the young Jun so interested in such stories as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and with treatises like Sun-Tzu's Art of War, and so many other books. What he certainly lacked in experience, he hoped that his knowledge could cope up with for now.
He smoothly turned the tight corner of the armory materiel bay, where various spare parts and equipment were stored. He could hardly believe that his father had so much influence! What was Koshimitsu Han-Xin anyway? With the influence he had, even taking into consideration that his father was a former military officer of rank and the former owner of Dynasty-Technologies Unlimited, it was a bit of a stretch to see how Kaiden could draw on his name to get them so much. And so quickly as well, it seemed quite suspicious.
Everything just seemed to fall into place, and while it was certainly good for his goals, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something behind this. He didn't even know why this feeling came about. He had only begun feeling this since the other day, when he'd made his move and truly broken free from his shell.
It seemed so fast. Just less then two weeks ago, Katana Tomark had broken into his life, and shattered the peace on Addicks. Ten days ago, Jun had found that his father was far more then he had seemed to be, a man of many secrets, not even the least was having a full lance of battlemechs hidden underground in his estate. And finally, two days ago, they had discovered from transient merchants and other space-farers about the possibility of more separatists wreaking havoc in the Prefecture and somehow galvanizing Jun into acting.
He set the crate down carefully, the heavy metal container shuddering slightly as it rested on other metal containers. "It this the last of them?" He called into the small communicator that was clipped to the side of the small 'mech's cockpit.
The small thing crackled softly; before a voice came out of it saying, "Yes sir, that's the last of them. Your help is much appreciated, sir."
Jun sighed, and shook his head as the mech he piloted walked backwards cautiously. "All right then, I'm coming out." He still was not used to the fact of what he did. They were acting though, and he did not deny that. In less then twenty-four hours, they would be taking the 'mechs down back onto Addicks, to strike out and weaken the Dragon's Fury. He only hoped that they hadn't decided too late, to stop the Dragon's Fury that was now waging a war of conquest on Addicks against its defenders. The massive storms that they had detected moving in had delayed the would-be conquerors greatly, since they were unable to move up to the northern continent.
They had struck just when storm seasons on Addicks had kicked into high-gear, the few of the more significant battles, like the one that had taken Neo Carthagia a few days ago, were fought when the storms had passed on. A lighter storm was now moving in, and from what reports they had of the Highlanders, they were digging in until it passed.
He set the mech down to shut down, as the cockpit hissed and popped open. The young mechwarrior pushed it fully open and jumped out the small cargo mech and landed lightly enough on the ground. He nodded to the techs that had come up to help him down, and waved their assistance away, then turned to run for the command center.
He arrived shortly later, what little sweat he'd worked up drying off somewhat, to find Kaiden and Vincent poring over the latest information they had from Addicks. Jun came over silently, and let his eyes go over the holos that floated in the air. "So they're forcing them back, huh?"
Vincent nodded, and shifted his hand to press a few keys. "Forcing indeed, the Highlanders and their allies are not faring well. Although they did manage to capture and destroy quite a lot from the gamble that the Dragon's Fury commander tried, we have identified her as Tai-I Danni Haag, the Fury is still pushing forward. Miss Bishop failed to prevent the remnant of the Dragon's Fury troops from gathering their forces. A mistake, she should not have made."
The Clanner shook his head, and turned up some more video feeds. "We managed to get this, from on-planet. Tai-I Haag's strategy seems simple, with her forces readying like this, its obvious that she is planning a full and all-out assault on the Highlanders. The loyalist troops will be hard pressed to keep the Tai-I from breaking through towards the oil field refining centers. Once Haag has that, she can force a choke-hold on the planet, and with her control of the spaceport as well, can hold the planet in thrall for Katana Tomark."
Jun nodded, and turned to Kaiden. "This will be the final battle, yes? Can we intercept the Fury troops in time?"
The old man's face was set in a frown, but he nodded slowly. "Yes…yes. If we try for a hot drop into the battle-zone, we could intervene in time, if but barely. It will be cutting it close though.
Jun nodded, "Do it."
Bonus:
Profile
Name: Koyakawa "Tsunami" Kaiden DOB: 04/03/3058
Faction: Legend Pride Hair: Silver
Mech: Shadow Cat Eyes: Black
Description
Once known as the Tsunami in his younger days, Kaiden disappeared from sight after the Republic had been formed in 3081. He has only now resurfaced, it is unknown from where from, again taking the name he held in his prime. Although he is by now well into the sunset of his lifetime, his age does not prevent the old wolf from being a fearsome foe. He brings to the field deadly skill tempered by experience by living through the Blakist Jihad and the border wars during the formation fo the Repulbic, both as a lone mechwarrior and as a tactician. Even off the field the man, while still more comfortable in a military environment, can easily adapt to any situation that demands either forcefulness or élan. Whatever has happened during the two decades he vanished, it has only turned an already deadly sword into a more dangerous weapon.
Mech Commentary
Kaiden's Shadow Cat is a mech that has been personally worked on by himself and his now-deceased companion Koshimitsu Han-Xin. The Shadow Cat is a fast, hard-hitting battlemech, and the model that the Tsunami pilots is a deadly sniping mech, using Light Gauss rifles built with Clan-tech aid, and also sports two LRM-15s and a set of lasers for close range combat.
Reviewer Responses
TNG
Hey, thanks for the Review! I suppose I was a bit free with the J.Edgar throw, but I wanted a vehicle that was heavy enough to make a huge dent, but light enough that with a bit of a stretch would be doable. And its all Clan-tech of course. After all, this is MW:DA so I think Clan-tech would be a bit more easy to get by now then otherwise. As for the newcomer ages, well…I'll have basic profiles up now. Thanks for the praise, but I know I still have a long ways to go.
MarwynnI made a few mistakes here and there with the designs…hehe, anyways. My excuse is that the sim version is a different model Jun tinkered around with. The "basic" version and the one he'll be using for the story is the one I put down. No Jumps, only one ER-PPC etc. Does that clear things up? ^_^
Fblue
Thanks! But try say more please? Thanks!
Unarmed Bystander
I'm trying dude. Keep me up if I still seem to lack details though!
Endo
Its not just a kid with his dad's battlemechs. There's more under the water than can be seen, trust me.
Remember, review! More reviews, more work done faster! Thanks!