Disclaimer: I don't own Mechwarrior/Battletech. I do, however, own my grand total of 16 CBT and 14 MW books as well as my 50-odd miniatures…
Kell Hound Headquarters, Arc-Royal
Arc-Royal Theatre, Lyran Alliance
5 July 3135"Hell!"
Heat washed heavily in on my cockpit as my Ares was knocked back a few kilometers by the force of STRK missiles crashing into it. Cursing violently, I punched the intercom on and snarled viciously at my opponent.
"For the love of your head, Aidan, don't hit me like that again!"
A laugh echoed back at me through my neurohelmet, the sound made scratchy by the com system.
"Don't whine at me if your little 'Mech can't handle mine, Tori."
I snarled – this time in actuality – and turned my Ares so I could pin my crosshairs on Aidan's 'Mech. He was piloting a Blood Asp, a ninety-ton monster that outweighed my sixty-ton Ares. Probably outweighed me in firepower too but I wasn't about to admit that little morsel of information.
"Oh, wanna play again, do we?" asked Aidan over the com.
"Play with this, surat," I spat at him. I kicked the Ares into its top speed and charged straight at the hulk of the 'Asp. My fingers descended down to rest on the triggers that would send my entire weapons system at him just as he started moving.
One good thing about my sixty-toner is it can move. The 'Asp, on the other hand, doesn't make speed that well.
Aidan turned his torso towards me as he began to move and I could just see his fingers dancing over the trigger of the Gauss Rifle I knew he was equipped with. 'Course, I was intending to slam him before he got a shot off at me.
Knowing how long it took the Rifle to reload was good information to know.
I was close enough that I could read the 'Mech's model number to the right of the cockpit when I punched my triggers and let loose on him. The ATM spat into the air as the machine guns on either arm shot fire and metal into the 'Asp's torso. My two small lasers and the one medium raked armor off the monstrosity, sending it spinning to the ground as ash. The missiles and guns sent more armor off and made the right arm spark as I spun the Ares away.
Sweat broke over my skin as the heat built up from my attack washed over my cockpit and I violently swore from it. Using an alpha strike wasn't my preferred fighting method but when I got pissed off enough, I let loose with it.
Turning the Ares about, I slammed the machine gun triggers down and spat metal into the 'Asp's broad back. It's torso spun towards me and it started to turn but by the time it got its weapons into striking distance I was on the other side of it.
Flicking the com up, I shot, "Having trouble, Aidan?"
"Shut up, Tori," he spat back. "God, I hate this machine!"
"I told you a ninety-toner wasn't a good idea," I said matter-of-factly as I watched my lasers recharge. "But will you listen to me? No, of course not."
"I said shut up!"
"Ooo," I muttered to myself as Aidan shut his com off. "I think I struck a nerve."
The 'Asp's torso rumbled around and I heard the alarm go off that signaled it had a lock on me. I let loose with my machine guns and lasers again with a half-lock on him as his Gauss Rifle powered up then spat a silver ball of energy out at me.
Swearing, I swung the Ares around and down, sending it crashing into the ground. Alarms screamed at me as the armor on the right arm was crushed to nothing but the Gauss blast missed me. I had myself up a moment later and swung my crosshair around so it landed on his torso. Letting loose another wash from the ATM, I kicked the Ares back up to speed and did something Aidan probably didn't expect.
I started running away.
Knowing he'd be confused and would sit there for a few minutes trying to puzzle out what I was doing, I didn't worry about bobbing and weaving. When I heard the whine of his STRK missiles, however, I decided this tactic would be a good idea.
One bob and two weaves had me turned around and heading back toward him. The 'Asp was walking slowly towards me and I figured Aidan would think I was being suicidal.
Of course, I knew that the center torso of his 'Asp had taken a bad beating and one more major hit would put the behemoth out of commission. Aidan would expect me to fire at him, but I had another idea. One he wouldn't expect.
I took a blast from his two lasers for my plan but it worked beautifully. Judging my distance carefully, I waited until I was close enough to him…and fired my jump jets. My Ares hopped up into the air and the 'Asp just couldn't move fast enough to get out from under me.
I came down right on top of him, crushing his Gauss rifle into nothing and smashing what was left of his torso armor. One of the Ares' feet smashed in the cockpit and crushed armor on the shoulder before bouncing off. I landed hard and stumbled but the neurohelmet fed my sense of balance into the gyro and I was up and running before the 'Mech's reactor went off.
Shards of the 'Asp pinged across the Ares' cockpit and I grinned widely before I reached up and shut down the simulator. Immediately all my screens went dark and the coolant that had been rushing through my cooling vest faded away. I unplugged the neurohelmet slowly, placing it back above the command couch before unhooking the safety webbing – which wasn't need in the Sim but did make it more realistic.
As I climbed out of the Sim, I heard Aidan cursing from the one beside me. He obviously hadn't taken my beating him again very well.
Standing there in only a cooling vest and a pair of shorts, I listened to Aidan in amusement and waited for him to pull out of his own Sim. As I stood there, my cousin decided to pop up and see how we'd done in the Sims.
"How'd the new system work?"
I turned and grinned at him before replying, "Great. Felt like actually being in a 'Mech rather than just a Sim."
"Good. So what's the twerp grumbling about?"
I laughed brashly at that and got an odd look before I responded.
"I DFA'd him."
My cousin laughed merrily at that and made much commotion about it – mainly slapping his thigh several times. He was still doing this when Aidan, looking quite perturbed, finally made it out of his Sim.
"I hate you," he snarled at me, dark curls clinging to his forehead as he glared venomously. If looks could kill, I'd have been pulp right then.
Thankfully looks can't kill and I wasn't dead. So instead of being dead, I grinned at him and said, "Hey, all's fair in love and war."
"That's a load of crap."
"Actually it is," said my cousin. "But beyond your little argument, how was the new system?"
The question took Aidan's ire off of me and pooled it into attention for my cousin. He smiled politely and said, "It was perfect, sir. Just like being in a 'Mech – at least I figure so."
"It is," I said with confidence, which made Aidan level another glare at me. I just grinned annoyingly back at him, knowing that I had more experience with real BattleMech's since I was five than he had had since he'd turned eighteen.
Having the commander's of two mercenary units as parents and another as a cousin had its benefits.
"So," I asked, turning towards my cousin, "how's business?"
My cousin just grinned in response, which I took as a sign of good business. That was generally how he said business in his company was good. William Baxter was an odd man but his Outraiders were some of the best you could buy – and bought they were. Last I'd heard, Will and his 'Raiders were hired by some small company on Odessa to fend off a band of pirates. Apparently it hadn't taken much as they were back within five weeks of heading out.
Giving Will an amused look, I turned to Aidan and said, "Next time run a lighter 'Mech. That 'Asp has got the power but it doesn't have good speed. If you didn't notice, my Ares was running circles around you."
Aidan just snorted and glared before turning and stalking off. I sighed as I watched him go then said to Will, "He just never learns."
"Still thinks bigger's better?" asked William as we turned and started to walk in the general direction of my quarters.
"Same old Aidan," I responded. "I'm surprised he didn't take one of the programmed Atlas' into battle. Or one of the Daishi's."
"Hmm. He was running the Blood Asp, wasn't he?"
I nodded and replied, "Yeah. Monster, it's called. And what a monster it is. For a second or two I thought my Ares was going to be sheet metal."
William frowned and gave me a funny look at that.
"I don't remember an Ares being programmed into the Sims."
"It wasn't till I put it there. It's kind of my 'Mech, being as I've got it password protected."
A glint started in William's blue eyes and he said, "Bet I can crack it."
I laughed at that as I thumbed the switch to open the door to my room.
"If you can break my password, I'll eat Father's beard."
"Now, now," said William with a laugh as he followed me into my room. "Uncle Thomas would find that rather annoying. It's a well known fact that he likes his beard."
I snorted at that then proceeded to strip off my cooling vest, revealing the skin-tight shirt I'd worn underneath it. The garment was drenched with sweat due to the heat system in the Sim and my shorts weren't in much better condition.
Grabbing up a pair of black leather pants that had been a birthday gift from William and a baggy T-shirt, I slipped into my cubicle of a bathroom to change. When I emerged a few minutes later and tossed my sweat-soaked shirt and shorts into my makeshift laundry basket, I found William seated on my bed. He had a book in his hands and was giving me a very odd look that was annoying.
"What?" I asked snappishly as I sat down at the other end of the bed and tugged on a pair of socks.
"You have a book on the Clans."
"Yeah. So?"
There was a silence in the room that was only broken by the sound of me lacing up my boots then William spoke again.
"Why?"
"'Cause I find them interesting," I snapped as I stood up. Jerking the book from his hands, I returned it to its spot on my shelf then left before my cousin could browse at my other reading material. I don't think he'd have found it very reassuring to know that half of what I read was on the Clans.
As I strode away from my room with William hurrying to catch up behind me, I thought of what my parents thought of my little obsession with the Clans. My mother was of the same opinion as William but she hadn't attempted to thwart it thanks to my father, who thought of them in about the same manner as me. I'd inherited my father's stubborn nature and my parents knew from that fact that they'd never be able to change my mind on much.
They had tried once before when they'd tried to get me away from becoming a mercenary like them and the rest of my family. My mother was already intending to hand over the reins of her company to her second-in-command once they returned from their current mission on New Exford so she could spend more time with me and my younger siblings. Try to keep my sibs from turning Merc, she claimed.
Seems it's a bit late to keep me from that fate.
I've always been obsessed with BattleMech's. My father took me out in his Wolfhound when I was five and I've loved them ever since. Mother blames him for my love as she tried in vain to keep me away from them.
But when you've got two Merc company commanders as parents you just can't avoid 'Mech's.
My younger siblings weren't as exposed as I was since my mother learned from that mistake. She kept them as far from 'Mech's as she could and kept me from discussing them. Just so little Justin and Lividia wouldn't turn out like their big sister.
Humphf. As though she could stop our bloodline from finding 'Mech's! We've been Mercenaries since before the FedCom Civil War! 'Mech's and Merc commands are just in our blood.
"Hey, Vic, slow down! Victoria!"
I sighed and slowed down so William could catch up with me without running. Despite being twelve years older than me, we were both the same height. 'Course, what was average for me as a female was short for him as a male.
At 5'4 ½, I'm leanly muscled and fairly skinny with shoulder-length, wavy chocolate brown hair that frizzed in heat or rain and expressive gray eyes. My complexion could only be described as pale and it wasn't from lack of sunlight – it just was so. Lips that I'm told would be sensual if I didn't constantly have them twisted into a smirk round out my oval face and give me an appearance that's turned more than a few heads.
Opposite me, William's 5'5 exactly with about the same muscle mass as me. He's built stocky, however, which is something he inherited from his father and not from the blood we share through his mother – my aunt. His hair is the same color as mine, only it masses in curls that give him the look of a Chia Pet, an old plant growing device created ages ago on Terra. Blue eyes that are generally opaque offset his dark-colored, square-jawed face with its rough line of stubble that seems to always be there. He's turned a few heads as well and likely has a few illegitimate children wandering around on more than a couple of planets.
"What?" I asked irritably as he caught up, turning to glare at him.
William blinked then sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before saying, "Look, I'm sorry for blowing up on you. It's just…the Clans are bad news, Victoria. You know that."
"They fight honorably," I spat back at him.
"Honor!"
"Yes, honor," I said stonily. "Father taught me that honor is important."
"Maybe. But if you hadn't noticed, most of them haven't stuck with that."
"A few small incidents reported during the war with them don't count, Will!"
"Small! A bunch of Falcon's got toasted because they ignored their supposed honor."
Growling, I rounded on my cousin and hissed, "Look, let's not argue about this. I don't want to drag Aidan into the Sims again just so I can unleash my anger and I don't need to be angry when I go report on how good the new systems worked to Father. You know how he'll get if I am."
"Yeah," said William, "I know. Just be careful, Vic. The Clans are bad news."
I chose to ignore that comment and simply forced a smile at my cousin before turning and continuing on towards the main 'Mech Bay. My father was supposed to be there today overseeing the work on his company's 'Mech's. Their last mission had beaten them up pretty badly and the smaller 'Mech's in their outfit had just barely made it back. I'd heard that one of their Uller's had nearly lost both its legs and had lost its left arm as well as most of the armor off that side. The pilot was also lucky his 'Mech had survived as it had earned a gash in its side that a well-aimed laser could have hit the machine's reactor through.
We made the walk to the 'Mech Bay in an uncomfortable silence, William and I. I was sad that such a little thing like the Clans had come between us but I should have known. His family on his father's side had lost a good bit of itself to the Clans over the years and they'd never forgiven them for it.
Why they held that grudge for so long escaped me but hey, if they wanted to hold a grudge, more power to them.
Our arrival in the Bay didn't garner much attention – and I hadn't expected it to. The Tech's were too busy trying to repair the 'Mech's in my father's company to notice us and the few pilots that were present were either talking to the Tech's or shooting the breeze.
We found my father right where I knew he'd be, which was sitting in the cockpit of his Wolfhound. He seemed to be pulling various system's up then yelling down to the Tech's who were standing on the scaffolding around the 'Hound's right leg. I could see the armor on the leg had been shredded down to the myomer muscles and winced, knowing one more hit on that leg would have had my father's 'Mech downed on the battlefield.
Waving to the Tech's, I left William to talk to them and made my way up onto the scaffolding. At the top of it, I jumped up and grabbed at a small hook in the 'Hound's armor. Catching it, I heaved myself up and proceeded to make my way up the side of the 'Mech in a rather spider-like fashion.
Once I reached the open cockpit, I swung halfway inside and wedged one boot in a space between two consoles. With one hand steadying myself, I knocked on the top of a console with the other and gained my father's attention.
Now, my father is a tall, silent man in his late forties with auburn hair and a deceptively youthful face. That face is partially hidden by the scruffy beard he insists on keeping despite Mother's best efforts to relieve him of it but is offset by his sharp gray eyes. Most would think he's not as brilliant as he is and he promotes that thought with vigor. It allows him to fade into the shadows and surprise people, he says.
And surprise is the best thing Thomas Kell does.
"Hello, pet," he said at the sight of me, his gray eyes warm and welcoming. "How was the Sim? Did William's update make it any more realistic?"
"Loads," I replied. "Now we can actually get good heat in there as well as a well-working coolant system. He's also got it rigged so you feel every jar and bump."
"Wonderful. Now…how badly did you beat Aidan this time?"
"Father!"
He smiled warmly at me and I couldn't help but return it. Those smiles were hard to resist and I should know. They're what got my mother to marry him.
"So? How badly?"
"I DFA'd him."
Thomas blinked then eyed a system screen as it flicked on and off before asking, "What were you both running?"
"He was running the Blood Asp and I pulled up the Ares I logged into the system."
"Good Heavens, child. You butchered him, didn't you?"
I shook my head and replied, "Not really. He slammed me hard enough that I had yellow armor all over the place. My right arm ended up in red but that was because I grounded myself dodging his Gauss Rifle."
Thomas shook his head at that then flipped the switch that shut off the Wolfhound's engine.
"The things you do, child, the things you do…"
"I'm your daughter, remember?" I shot at him with a grin.
"I know," he shot back, smiling at me. He then reached out to lightly ruffle my hair and said, "My Victoria, all grown up and looking for a fight."
"Not yet. But soon."
My father laughed and climbed out of the cockpit with me, daring me to race down the side of the 'Mech as we stood atop it. I, of course, accepted his challenge and very nearly ended up beating him down. Another few seconds lead and I'd have done it.
But I didn't and it didn't matter.
The Tech's smiled at our antics whilst William nearly had a heart attack at the sight of the commander of the Kell Hounds and his eldest daughter racing down the side of the Wolfhound. He looked like he was going to give us a scolding but apparently decided against it when he saw the breathless yet happy expressions on our faces.
Shaking his head, he said, "You two amaze me sometimes."
"Nice to see you too, William," said my father as he flung an arm across my shoulders and then his nephew's. "Now come. I'm starved and I bet my little 'Hounds feel the same way. Join us for dinner, Will?"
"Don't mind if I do, Uncle Thomas."
"Very well then! Dinner it is!"
William and I laughed as we allowed my father to march us from the 'Mech Bay.
Little did I know this would be one of the last times I'd be able to enjoy the company of my father and cousin.
Author's NoteIf I get something wrong, please for the love of Kerensky, correct me. Be it a 'Mech name or a location or even how a type of weapon acts. If it is wrong, help me make it right. Thanks.
saerry