"Moving to Engage." - Regular Speech
'What now?' - Thoughts
"Roger that." - Radio/Comm Transmission
"MOVE!" - Loudspeaker
Chapter 2: Emerald Heart
"Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, Iida, Todoroki, Yanagi, Chisaki, Kaibara, Shishida, Tokage, Kuroiro, Kan, and Shūzenji, more commonly known as the Twelve Founding Families or simply The Twelve, have long produced many of the most prominent men and women in the Musutafu Concilium and are highly regarded by most of the people they rule over. However, several of the darkest moments in the Briar Patch's recorded history are also closely linked to these twelve families as well. The most prominent being the Fall of House Chisaki; where the former High Councillor Gorō Chisaki attempted a coup d'etat to install himself and his family as Musutafu's permanent rulers.
Through the combined efforts of the remainder of The Twelve, the attempt was thwarted and the remnants of House Chisaki and their loyalists were forced to flee using a recently built JumpShip. Remnants of the former noble house started to re-emerge roughly fifty years later in the form of various pirate bands, the largest and most enduring being known as 'The Precepts of Death,', and to this day they remain the largest threat to the safety and security of the Musutafu Concilium and the Briar Patch as a whole. They are to be offered neither clemency nor quarter in battle, as decreed by High Councillor Eiji Yaoyorozu in the aftermath of the first raid by them into the Briar Patch."
- Excerpt from 'An Abbreviated History of the Briar Patch' by Adam Tsunotori.
The Next Day
Midoriya Family Private BattleMech Hanger, Green Valley Grand Castle, Okami City, Duchy of Green Valley, Musutafu III, Musutafu Concilium
"Izu!"
The green-haired young man known as Izuku Midoriya, Heir Apparent to the House of Midoriya and future Duke of Green Valley, looked up from the data-pad he'd been studying before the sudden call, only to flush bright red and look away a moment later.
"Mei! By all that is sacred and holy, will you please remember to wear a bra!?" he shouted as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying desperately to dispel the image of the girl's (young woman, she was the same age as him) energetic 'bouncing' as she ran toward him; the loose tank top she wore under her unzipped work-suit doing absolutely nothing to restrain the very energetic D-cups she sported.
"Bleh, don't make me wear those stupid things." Mei Hatsume was many things to Izuku. One of his precious childhood friends. His partner when it came to MechTech engineering and analysis. The Heiress to Hatsume Innovation Industries. And the source of as many headaches for him as smiles. "They crimp my boobs something fierce, I can barely breathe when I'm wearing one of those torture devices."
"That's because you're still buying C-cups." Izuku groaned, deeply regretting that he knew so much about his friend's personal issues. Someone had to keep track and Mei could never be bothered to care for things as petty as 'clothes' or 'hygiene.' "Your breasts didn't stop growing until the rest of you did, Mei. Just go shopping and get some D-Cup sports bras and I promise you'll be far more comfortable."
"Alright fine, if it bothers you so much." the pinkette stated with a shake of her head, obviously still not seeing what the issue was.
'And I'm supposed to be the socially awkward one?' the Ducal Heir thought dryly. Thanks to the various issues that his bastard of a grandfather had caused him and his mother when he was a toddler, Izuku had been forced to grow up largely isolated from others, save a few noble families that served their family, particularly when it came to the MechWarriors that were supposed to make up the Ducal Guard. That had changed recently with several of his mother's new appointments, but years of isolation didn't vanish overnight.
Mei was one of the few people he'd always known and could count as a true friend. Not only were the Hatsume Family old and steadfast allies of House Midoriya, but Mei herself cared little for things like social niceties and customs, speaking and acting as she pleased. She'd recognized a fellow 'Mech enthusiast and tinkerer in Izuku at a young age and hadn't left his side since.
Izuku let out a deep breath, mentally counting his blessing that Mei was at least 'mostly' clothed this time. There had been times when she'd walked around completely topless or without anything on under her protective bodysuit, simply because she 'didn't want to have to deal with cleaning anything other than herself.'
"So what has you so excited anyway?" he prodded lightly, getting back to the matter at hand.
Mei's eyes lit up at that, a manic grin spreading on her lips. "Oh yeah! Those new mercs that Auntie Inko told us about should be showing up within the next couple of days!" she offered excitedly, a far too familiar glint entering her bright yellow eyes.
Izuku huffed out a breath, best to head her off early before his friend caused another incident.
"Mei, remember that you're not allowed to just poke around other people's 'Mechs, particularly when they're coming in from the Inner Sphere." he gently, but firmly, reminded her. "Not only will they have their own MechTechs, but those 'Mechs will likely be their own personal or family 'Mechs, and you know how some offworlders can be about their machines."
Mei pouted a bit at that, but nodded reluctantly. Mei was a rather extreme case of Musutafu's disregard for the Cult of the MechWarrior going a bit too far. Even if most Musutafians didn't share the ingrained idolization of MechWarriors that many other cultures held, they still had a healthy respect for how powerful and destructive BattleMechs themselves could be, particularly the sanctity and respect shown to the Family Mechs passed down through the Noble Houses.
To Mei, a machine was a machine, whether it was an Aerospace Fighter, an Armoured Fighting Vehicle, a BattleMech or a DropShip. If she could get her hands on it without being yelled at, she'd happily disassemble it and put it back together several times over just to make sure she understood everything about how it worked.
Then…then she'd start working on improvements.
These bouts of exploration and innovation were, of course, constantly accompanied by explosions….oh so many explosions…!
For Musutafians, it was an annoying and somewhat discourteous quirk that could get her in trouble at times. For those from the Inner Sphere, it would be something close to sacrilege and would likely get her shot.
Luckily, both her parents and Izuku's own mother had been able to drive in the fact that Legacy and Heirloom 'Mechs, and anything belonging to someone from outside the Briar Patch, were strictly off-limits and that touching those without permission would see her banned from so much as touching a tool or entering a 'Mech Hangar for a full year.
She'd broken that rule only once, when she'd been nine, and the punishment had been very much real, so she knew better than to break it again.
That…had been a very difficult year for Mei, one that had taken Izuku a lot of effort as her best friend to get her through sane (or as close as Mei got to sane) and whole.
"Poo!" the young MechTech pouted in protest.
Izuku just rolled his eyes at his friend's childishness, before turning his attention to briefly glance at the three BattleMechs that took up half of the Mech Bays in the hanger.
The first was the old Flea FLE-14 that had been in his family since one of his ancestors had bought it straight off the initial production run back in 2519. They'd upgraded the armour several times over the years, but it was still an 'ultralight' mech, trading stopping power and armour for speed and jumping ability. The name had been changed a dozen times by the few pilots in his family that had learned to handle it, but he'd personally dubbed it the Emerald Spark.
The next machine was Izuku's current 'Mech and his personal favourite at the moment, a Panther PNT-10K2. It was, in his humble opinion, the best model of the Panther for what it was designed for, a swift hit-and-run combat scout. With twelve double-heat sinks to help deal with the PPC's heat generation and an additional SRM-4 launcher built into the chest armour, it was well worth the loss of armour in exchange for the extra fire power. Izuku had named it Emerald Flame to honour his father and his Firebreather.
Lastly was his mother's pride and joy, the 'Mech that his father had given to her as a wedding gift, a Targe TRG-2N(C). His father had personally customized the refitted Targe in order to remove the biggest point of contention on the TRG-2N model, the missile ammunition being located in the legs. It had taken a quite a bit of reworking to maintain the CASE protection, and thus limiting the amount of extra armour available for the 'Mech, but Izuku personally thought it was a worthy trade-off if it meant that a MASC overload couldn't accidentally set off the missile ammo and either cripple or completely destroy the 'Mech. His dad had named it Shield of the Innocent, which Izuku agreed suited his mother very well indeed.
"You know Mei, you really need to settle on your own personal BattleMech pretty soon." Izuku pointed out thoughtfully. "We've only got a few more months before we need to ship off for the United Alliance Academy and your secondary training is as a MechWarrior."
"Aw, but how am I supposed to choose!? All of my babies are so wonderful!" Mei declared proudly. Hatsume Innovation Industries not only produced the Marlfox MFX-2A7 that was so popular among the various Militia across the planet, but they were also on of the largest producers of a variety of Light and Medium BattleMechs for the Planetary Army, as well as a sparse handful of Heavy BattleMechs. As the company's heiress, Mei had been given free reign to pick whatever kind of 'Mech she wanted for herself.
"Well, have you figured out what you want out of it at least?" Izuku asked patiently. Mei was a brilliant inventor, but her eccentricities when it came to her tech meant you sometimes had to deal with her one step at a time.
"Probably a Medium." the MechTech offered with a shrug, which made her braless chest move in very interesting ways. "Lights are a bit too fragile for me, but Heavies are too slow. I want something that can still jump worth a damn."
"That narrows it down a bit at least. How about a Dervish then?" Izuku hummed thoughtfully, bringing up an image of the 'Mech in question on his data-pad. "It's the same kind Ochako uses. They've got excellent jumping capacity and they can fight at all ranges."
"Nope, don't wanna copy her." Mei shook her head sharply.
Izuku sighed. Mei and Ochako, his two closest female friends, had had a bit of a low-key rivalry/frenemy situation going on for a couple years now, and neither would tell him what had started it.
Silently deciding that it wasn't worth banging his head into right now, Izuku moved on and selected a different model. "How about a Cicada then? The CDA-3F model is the best variation your family makes and it's jump-capable. The Extended Range PPC is great for ranged fighting and the two Medium Lasers…"
"Too vulnerable up close." Mei quickly decided with a shake of her head.
"Okay, then our last option will be a Shadow Hawk." Izuku stated, pulling up the file. "It's one of the more commonly used 'Mechs in the Inner Sphere from what I've heard, but that is due to its reliability and diverse fire power. I'd say the best choices would be either an SHD-7M version or maybe an SHD-5M if you prefer a higher rate of fire."
"Oooh, the 7M is the one with the railgun thingie right." Mei muttered, leaning in with wide, excited eyes.
"Ahem!" Izuku coughed as he felt two large, soft objects press into his back as Mei leaned over his shoulder. "A Light Gauss Rifle, you mean."
"A railgun's a railgun." Mei dismissed the argument, still pressed close to him.
Izuku just rolled his eyes. "Fair enough then. The only real downside would be that the 7M downgrades the LRM-20 of the 5M that it's based on to an LRM-15 to make more room for the Gauss Rifle. Other than that, it's got an arm-mounted Medium Laser and a head-mounted Streak SRM-2."
"Decided! That's the baby for me!" the mechanist declared.
"You'll have to come up with your own name for it." Izuku reminded her.
"Can't I just call it Baby #299?" Mei asked, tilting her head in incomprehension.
Izuku snorted. "Depends, are you alright with someone calling you 'baby' over the comms system?" he asked rhetorically. A little flare of possessiveness flared up at the thought, quickly snuffed out under his willpower.
Another key difference between Musutafu and the Inner Sphere, Clans, and Periphery was in the way they determined call-signs. Each BattleMech was named and the MechWarrior used that name as their call-sign while piloting. This was very different from the Inner Sphere, where it was the MechWarrior's call-sign that designated the BattleMech. The Clans, from what his father had once told his mother, didn't use call-signs.
"…fair point." the pinkette grumbled. "I'll start thinking."
Letting out a small prayer of thanks that he'd learned how to get her to listen over the years, Izuku returned his attention to the file he'd been studying before Mei had arrived. A file detailing his family's Heirloom BattleMech, the Centurion CN9-D.
House Midoriya had been a fairly minor noble house in the Federated Suns, with holdings near the old border with the Draconis Combine. When the moron known as Amaris had decided to start a civil war that would see the largest civilization in human history fractured into a hodgepodge of Successor States, his ancestors had quickly noticed their former neighbours hungrily eyeing their small sector of space. Seeing the writing on the wall and knowing that fighting to hold their land, let alone conquer new ones, would be an impossible task, the Midoriyas had fled their territory carrying everything they could claim, leaving the rest for the jackals to fight over. This had included a pair of DropShips and a single JumpShip, all of which were loaded with as many of their subjects as they could convince to come with them, along with as many BattleMechs and various other forms of technology as they could fit.
His family's Centurion had originally been a standard CN9-A, but it had been destroyed several times over the following centuries and had been retrofitted and upgraded into several new configurations. The last time it had been destroyed was during an attack by the Precepts of Death when his (bastard of a) grandfather had still been its pilot. Afterward, the man had ordered the entire 'Mech rebuilt to higher specs, refitting it from a CN9-A to a CN9-D
As much as he hated the man for what he'd done to his mother and father, Izuku couldn't argue with Rekka Midoriya's taste in BattleMechs.
An Endo Steel chassis, a GM 300 extra-light engine to increase its top speed to 97.2 km/h, an LB-X Autocannon 10 replaced the standard Autocannon 10, the LRM Launcher had an Artemis IV Fire Control System added to it and the formerly rear-mounted Medium Laser was switched to the front.
"You looking forward to the Academy, Izu?" Mei asked suddenly, drawing him from his musings.
"Kind of." he answered with a shrug and a sigh. "I'm looking forward to having some more solid training in 'Mech Piloting and Engineering, but I'm not happy about leaving my mother alone on the other side of the planet. Why do we have to go all the way to the Planetary Capital in order to attend the Academy anyway?"
"Probably has to with that whole 'socializing' thing my parents are always nagging me about." the pinkette responded, completely unconcerned. "You probably have to deal with the whole 'Duke' thing when you graduate right? Maybe part of it is so you can learn to deal with the other Dukes and lordy people."
"That…is actually fairly insightful, Mei." Izuku blinked at her in mild shock. "And you're probably right about it as well. I know Mum plans on passing the title down to me once I graduate, and she's mentioned that the rest of the Council of Ten will all have heirs or scions attending this year as well."
"Meh, I'm just going because the MechTech Labs there are supposed to be some of the best on the planet. I'M GONNA' BUILD ME SOME BABIES!" the inventor cackled maniacally; her eyes gleaming.
"You do remember that you're going to have classes other than your MechTech ones, right?" Izuku deadpanned, though a small grin was on his lips. "And that trying to blow them off, ignore the teachers and/or barricade yourself in the labs will just get you kicked out faster than you can say 'baby.'"
This earned him another (cute) pout. "Poo."
However, Mei quickly bounced back to her usual level of energy. "So, I've got no clue on what to call my Hawk baby? You got any idea what you're going to name the Centurion once it's transferred to you?"
Izuku smiled a bit absently. "Well, Mum named it the Flame of Remembrance when she claimed it, in memory of my father, but I've already got my Panther to remember him by…so I guess I'll keep to my normal naming pattern."
Changing the image on his data-pad from rows of text and statistics to an image of his future BattleMech itself, the Ducal Heir gazed down at it with a soft, soulful look in his eyes; completely missing the hint of red that appeared on Mei's face as she watched him.
"How does 'Emerald Heart' sound to you?"
Several Days Later
Okami City Spaceport
The silhouettes of two Leopard-class DropShips began to grow steadily larger as they broke through the atmosphere of Musutafu III, heading toward the large open area of concrete that took up a large portion of the land just beyond Okami City's eastern gates. One was stylized with red and white stripes on a blue background, while the other was decorated with patterns of dark green, yellow and black. Both bore the same emblem across their sides and fronts, a capital 'H' superimposed over a flaming heart, the symbol of the Heroic Hearts mercenaries.
In almost perfect tandem, the DropShips activated their landing thrusters, touching down on the surface of Musutafu III in near perfect synch, spaced far enough apart that there was a solid Leopard-length of space between their wing-tips.
With a slight groan of metal and the hiss of hydraulics, the side doors of both DropShips began to slip open, allowing the BattleMechs they carried to emerge from their carriers. From the American Flag-themed ship emerged a massive Heavy BattleMech, an Axeman, painted in the same colours as its DropShip. Unlike the standard Axeman, however, it didn't carry a massive MechTech Hatchet in its right hand, instead both of its hands had been modified to include Battlefists, which enhanced the 'Mechs unarmed striking power considerably.
Next to emerge was a Nightsky, a medium 'Mech and follow-up to the Axeman and its Medium equivalent (the Hatchetman). Unlike the Axeman, its colour-scheme matched the second DropShip and it still had the hatchet built into its right arm.
The Nightsky was quickly followed out by another Medium Mech; a Sentry decorated in steel-grey and navy blue. Both arms were covered in several weapon barrels as its unique head design moved to scan the surroundings as it emerged.
Following swiftly behind it was a Light BattleMech, a sea-blue and white coloured Hornet. The armless, urban recon 'Mech quickly moving to join up with its larger comrades.
From the other Leopard, four more 'Mechs quickly emerged to join their compatriots. An urban camo-patterned Stealth, a black and yellow Chameleon, a white, gold and black Raijin, and a sea-green, periwinkle, and royal blue Lynx.
Soon the two Lances of BattleMechs were marching in the traditional diamond-formation of parade Lances and started to move forward towards the large military complex that took up most of the eastern district of Okami City, particularly the massive fortress that covered nearly a full quarter of the city and was the obvious hub for the defence of the Ducal Capital, and likely the Duchy in its entirety as well.
All the 'Mech Pilots could easily make out the multitude of weapon emplacements covering the fortress's walls, ranging from missile launchers, PPC batteries and laser batteries to anti-infantry machine guns and wide-coverage explosive flak cannons. Several of which had obviously moved to lock onto the approaching 'Mechs, though thankfully none seemed to be readying to fire just yet.
"Damn, that's one heck of a fortress." Hizashi whistled in appreciation from his Chameleon, the President Mic. "Don't think I've seen a place like this outside the Successor States back in the Inner Sphere."
"It's also pretty damn obvious, it's like they're showing off a big damn target for everyone to see." Aizawa pointed out from within his Stealth, the Eraser. "Any WarShip could hammer the place to pieces from orbit, or a decent Aerospace Fighter Wing could likely paint it without too much trouble."
"A fighter wing would be shredded before they got within bombing range, or did you miss the AA cannons and missile batteries built into several rooftops across the city while we were descending?" Mirai pointed out dryly as he manoeuvred his Nightsky, the Nighteye. "And the planet's orbital defences are even more impressive if the briefing materials we received are anywhere close to accurate. These people have been building and preparing to defend themselves from an invasion for close to four centuries now; they've built their defences to last."
In his Axeman, Toshinori suppressed a smirk at his second-in-command's respectful tone. Mirai may be a bit of a stubborn paranoiac himself, but he always appreciated solid planning, logical forethought and multiple redundancies; particularly when it came to planned defences. Remembering the number of times the younger man had nearly blown his top at the poorly planned or downright ludicrous defences some idiots had tried relying on before they'd hired them always brought a smile to the aged MechWarrior's lips.
And Musutafu was nothing if not well-prepared. The only reason that the Precepts of Death were such a serious threat to the planet were their knowledge of the inner workings of many of Musutafu's oldest and most relied on defences and their access to not only a WarShip, an aged Essex 1-class, but four Fortress-class DropShips.
That kind of firepower was not something Toshinori wanted left in the hands of a group of pirates, particularly not ones that were as ruthless as the remnants of House Chisaki seemed to be from Nezu's reports on their previous raids. He had to wonder just where they were getting access to their tech. Had they found a cache of First Star League machinery somewhere or…?
"Oh wow! This place looks super, super interesting!" Nejire gushed from her Lynx, the Little Nejire, as she looked at the approaching cityscape and fortress. "I can't wait to start exploring!"
"We're going to get dragged along with her, aren't we Mirio?" Tamaki groaned from within his Raijin, the Suneater.
"More than likely." the muscular blonde agreed cheerfully from his Sentry, the Lemillion. "Should be fun!"
"'Become a mercenary' they said. 'It'll be fun' they said...why me?!" the socially awkward man bemoaned.
"Movement ahead!" Awata called from her position at point, her recon Hornet, the Bubbles, being able to respond the best to any sudden hostility. "The hangar's main access gates are opening; it looks like we're being invited inside."
"Well then, we shouldn't keep our clients waiting." Toshinori offered with a grin. "Move to single file formation, quickest to slowest."
With a series of manoeuvring done with a smooth, professional precision that would make most military regiments weep in envy, the two Lances shifted from a double-diamond formation into a single straight line, with Aizawa leading the way followed by Hizashi, Tamaki, Mirai, Nejire, Mirio, Awata, and Toshinori.
Once inside the entry hangar, the two Mercenary Lances quickly stomped their way through the BattleMech-sized corridors and elevators, following a commed-in set of directions to their newly assigned Mech Bays. Locking their 'Mechs into the docking bays, they quickly began to dismount, leaving their machines to cool down and await their MechTechs, who were finishing prepping most of their supplies and tools so that they could start taking care of their 'Mechs while planet-side.
"David and Melissa are going to flip at the facilities we're being offered now." Toshinori stated with an amused chuckle as he took in the hangar. It was a large area, easily capable of holding a full battalion of mixed 'Mechs. The sheer amount and quality of the equipment seemed to match anything he'd seen from the Clans or Core Worlds over the years.
"Glad to see our hospitality is being appreciated." a female voice spoke up from behind him, causing the blonde warhorse to turn and catch sight of someone he hadn't seen in years. "Good to see you alive and well, Toshinori."
"Nemuri Kayama, as I live and breathe!" Toshinori let out a bark of surprised laughter. "You're looking better than ever, my dear."
Indeed she was. Even dressed in a MechWarrior Combat Suit, it was obvious that the young woman was looking far healthier and less stressed than when he'd last seen her just over five years ago. Her sky-blue eyes were still as sharp as ever and her long black hair looked clean and well taken care of.
More than that, there was something new about the way she carried herself, a solidity that hadn't been there when he'd last seen the young woman.
"That would be Countess Nemuri Kayama of Somnus Point to you, peasant." she sniffed with a faux-haughtiness, though the grin on her lips easily ruined the joke, before she visibly relaxed. "Good grief, it's been over five years since I last saw you, hasn't it? I'm honestly amazed that you managed to keep the company alive and mostly together through all the chaos that's been wracking the Inner Sphere. Nezu tells me you had at least a couple of nasty run-ins with Clan Jade Falcon?"
"A rogue element, but a dangerous band no less." the large man grimaced. "Suffice it to say, that's part of the reason I've decided to make this my final contract. One too many brushes with the reaper and all that."
"Rogue Falcons, that does not bode well." Nemuri shook her head with a frown. "Well, I'm sure you can give me more grey hairs later. For now, let me show you something that Nezu got me from my old homeland as a signing bonus!"
She quickly led him, and the rest of his Lances after greeting and introductions were made, to the ninth bay, where a Medium BattleMech, painted in a sharp mix of black, white, burgundy and red, was docked. It was a type that Toshinori didn't see all that often, mostly because the Capellan Confederation had a bounty on his head and the Magistracy of Canopus tending to avoid hiring male-heavy mercenary units.
"That's a Calliope isn't it?" Mirai asked curiously.
"Mh-hm, I've modified it a bit, adding a Battlefist to the left arm for instance, and adding a couple of Small Lasers to help subsidize for the Plasma Rifle's limited ammo capacity." Nemuri stated proudly. "My dear Midnight here has been quite useful on a number of missions throughout the Briar Patch. We're still having issues wiping out the last remnants of that pirate band that killed the Ducal Consort. Bloody cockroaches."
"The reports we read gave the impression that Hisashi Midoriya managed to wipe out the entire band before he was KIAed." Aizawa grunted, not looking particularly happy to be dealing with Nemuri again. She was the kind of person who drove him up walls at time, always thinking with her heart more than her head.
"Hisashi managed to wipe out their entire raiding force on his own, including the then-current leader." the former mercenary agreed. "Their landed DropShip was destroyed by the static defences, and their main JumpShip was destroyed by an arriving Warship near the end of the battle. Unfortunately, they had a secondary JumpShip that managed escape, though not before taking heavy damage. Our best guess says its Jump capabilities were half-crippled and it can't make it out of the Briar Patch without some serious time in a dry dock. From what we've managed to gather, they've got, at most, a couple dozen fighting men left, with only a Lance of mixed Light and Medium BattleMechs available now, along with a rundown Union-class DropShip and the heavily damaged Merchant-class JumpShip."
"And the military hasn't managed to hunt them down and finish them yet?" Mirai asked septically.
Nemuri grimaced. "Despite the Duchess's own desires and the urgings of a lot of the military, the majority of the Council of Ten are maintaining a policy of not allowing any armed forces to go out too far beyond Musutafu III unless a direct planetary threat is detected or an authorized mission is required, like protecting mining and survey expeditions. They're simply not convinced going after an already half-dead enemy is worth the risk."
"A fortress mentality." Aizawa snorted in disgust. "How illogical."
Nemuri shrugged. "No place is perfect, and the Musutafians do tend to take a very…defence-oriented approach to conflict."
"Given that these people were initially fleeing from the Succession Wars, then stayed hidden through the Clan Invasion and the Word of Blake's Jihad, its honestly not surprising that they're pretty dead-set on keeping their home as safe as possible." Hizashi put in thoughtfully. "Not to mention there was the Aurigan Civil War back in 3025. That was practically on their doorstep, wasn't it? That might be another reason they're playing turtle."
Nemuri nodded. "Nezu's working to try and alleviate that a bit, he's hoping that with you all here to shore up the defences, some of the regular forces will be permitted to be dispatched and deal with them soon enough." the young woman let out a sigh. "Duchess Midoriya has been low on proper MechWarriors since she had her father imprisoned and a large portion of the Ducal Guard proved to be more loyal to him than to her and the family as a whole. Until recently she's been forced to lean on her allies to help supplement her own forces."
The eight mercenaries grimaced at that. The briefing packet that Nezu had provided had been blunt and utterly unvarnished when it came to the inter-generational power struggle that had happened between former Duke Rekka Midoriya and his daughter Duchess Inko.
Rekka had apparently been a prominent member of the Planetary Military in addition to serving as Duke of Green Valley. However, he'd begun acting increasingly heavy-handed when wielding his authority, to the point that many started to fear he might attempt a repeat of House Chisaki's attempted coup. In the end, the Council of Ten had subtly and gently forced the man to step down from his position as Duke in favour of his more even-tempered daughter, something that the old MechWarrior had deeply resented. He'd at first attempted to control his daughter and rule through her, only to fail dismally before being outraged when she'd married Hisashi Jade Falcon.
Inko had later proven that he'd orchestrated the entire pirate raid. Purposefully organizing the scheduling snafu that had left the majority of the MilitiaMechs inoperable before taking the Ducal Guard on a wild goose chase, all while 'leaking' the Duchy's defenceless state to the pirate band.
All in order to either kill or discredit his son-in-law.
Duchess Inko had responded with a degree of ruthlessness that could only be attributed to a woman scorned. She'd personally had her father brought before the High Council and had him stripped of all honours and titles before throwing him in the depths of the Ducal Dungeons for the rest of his natural life.
When a large number of the Ducal Guard had protested this treatment of a man who was formerly a war hero to many of the Duchy, many going so far as to resign in protest, she had formally disbanded the Ducal Guard, banishing those who'd shown themselves more loyal to a man than the law from the Duchy of Green Fields, which took up the entirety of the second-largest continent on the planet.
"Speaking of Her Grace, are we going to have a chance to meet her at some point?" Toshinori asked, deciding to be direct about it. So far, he'd only spoken to the woman once over a comm link during his initial meeting with Nezu, and he far preferred meeting his clients in person before any contract truly began.
"Oh yes, I'd nearly forgotten about that." Nemuri gasped, ducking her head slightly in embarrassment. "Yes, Lady Inko wants to meet with you all as soon as possible. She's currently overseeing her son's 'Mech training right now, a practice match if memory serves. Follow me."
With that, they set off at a brisk pace through the fortress's corridors. They'd all receive their own authorizations later, but for the moment Nemuri was using her own security clearance to get them through the various locks and checkpoints.
"You never did say what you were doing here?" Toshinori mentioned as they were waved through another checkpoint, the guards quickly recognizing Nemuri and treating her with a great deal more respect than Toshinori had expected for a newly appointed Countess.
"Oh, how silly of me." the woman replied with a light blush. "I'm currently Vice-Captain of the newly reformed Green Fields Ducal Guard. Duchess Inko has been working to rebuild it for the past couple years now, bringing in both those who were loyal the House over the former Duke, and anyone that Marshal Nezu recommends from the people our scouting teams have brought back with them. You'll be named a Captain in the Elite Forces, with your Lances acting as your own unit most likely Toshinori."
"Given that the Duchess hasn't seen any of us in action yet, that seems like an unlikely level of trust, Nemuri." Mirai pointed out, eyes narrowing as he adjusted his glasses with a single long finger.
"Marshall Nezu, myself, and the current Captain of the Ducal Guard have all vouched for Heroic Hearts when it comes to both your character and ability, Mirai. And we've all earned Lady Inko's trust." Nemuri pointed out a bit aggressively. "I don't doubt that she'll want to test you all, but right now she is more concerned with her son's imminent departure to the Planetary MechWarrior Academy. His education as a Mech Pilot has been plagued with incidents due to Rekka Midoriya's lingering influence on the local MechWarriors. Even the few remaining MechWarriors that proved their loyalty to House Midoriya are still a bit leery of Inko and her son. It's the reason she's recruited so many offworlders. So far we've done fairly well, but I was only given my new position a few months ago and I'm the longest-serving member of the new Guard after the Captain."
"And who's the Captain then?" Aizawa asked, privately wondering who could put up with this irrepressibly illogical woman as a subordinate.
"Toshinori! What kept you, ya damn bum!?" a loud voice suddenly called out to them.
Toshinori Yagi was a veteran pilot, a survivor of battles and conflicts of all sizes and scales. He'd once faced down a Sagittaire Assault BattleMech while piloting a Phoenix Hawk PXH-3D on his own. He had faced down the worst forms of scum and monsters that inhabited the galaxy without flinching.
And that voice immediately made the giant of a man want to cower under his bed like a frightened child.
The next thing Heroic Hearts knew, a short old man had blitzed down the hall and punched their leader right in the solar plexus, driving him to his knees.
"Hrggh…!" the blonde behemoth grit his teeth with a grunt. "H-Hello to you too…Torino-sensei."
Sorahiko Torino smirked as his idiot pupil managed to work his way back to his feet after a moment. "Bah, near-on a decade since I last saw you and you're still too green, kid. What's this I hear of you almost losing to a Jade Falcon Star Colonel, of all people?"
"Considering the man was piloting a Warhammer IIC Assault OmniMech, and my Axeman was already missing an arm by the time he showed up, I think managing a victory at all is worth boasting about." Toshinori grunted dryly, getting a better look at his old teacher. The old man had shrunk, again, and was now barely over four and a half feet tall. His face was even more wrinkled as well, though his eyes were still sharp and clear. And if that punch was anything to go by, age hadn't managed to slow him down by much. "Good to see you're still around busting heads, Torino-sensei."
"Bah. As if I'd let any of you young fools throw me into some retirement home like a damn invalid. I'll die in my 'Mech before I let that happen." Sorahiko scoffed. "I've still got more than my fair share of pep left in me. More than enough to teach you and your gang of pups a thing or two and get you lot back into fighting trim after all the lazing around you've been doing on cakewalks the past few months."
"We've been working to integrate our three newest pilots fully into their respective Lances, Sorahiko." Mirai interjected sharply. "Unlike you, we do not consider throwing someone headfirst into a planetary civil war as a 'warm-up exercise.'"
Suddenly Mirio, Tamaki and Nejire felt a sudden surge of pity for their seniors, and a profound sense of relief that the crotchety old man hadn't been their trainer.
"Feh, you're still a damn hand-holder, Mirai. My methods worked well enough for this bum after all." the aged MechWarrior scoffed. "Anyway, you lot ready to meet the boss lady and her son?"
"Indeed." Toshinori agreed, eager to get his teacher off the subject of 'remedial training.' "What can you tell us about Young Izuku? I'm afraid there wasn't much about him in our briefing packets."
"That's probably Inko and that crazy rodent Nezu's doin'. They probably wanted you to come in without any biases about the kid or some drivel like that." Sorahiko scoffed absently as he started to lead them onwards. "I've helped a bit with his training since I started working with the Duchess, and he's certainly not a hopeless case. Kid's smart, crazy smart even, and he's a bit of nerd when it comes to BattleMechs. He's training to be a MechTech as well as his MechWarrior training, if you can believe it, and he's got a damn sharp eye when it comes to analysing opposing 'Mechs. His actual 'Warrior training has got more holes in it than a block of Old Earth Swiss cheese, but he's damn quick on the uptake. He can make a Flea dance better than some pros twice his age and he's damn good in his Light 'Mech as well. He's about ready to start training with his family's 'Mech, a Centurion, and should take to it well enough, provided he's got someone competent with Medium 'Mechs teaching him properly."
"I'm still not sure why the former Duke seemed to hate his son-in-law and grandson so much." Nemuri put in.
"Way I hear it, the old fuck was a human purist." Sorahiko grunted in distaste. He'd never been able to stomach rats. "Supposedly, he had issues with anyone who had genetic engineering done to them for whatever reasons. With Hisashi Jade Falcon being a Freeborn member of one of the Clans, he was pretty much the spawn of the devil himself as far as that old fool was concerned, which tainted Izuku in his eyes as well." Sorahiko paused to spit to the side. "Hypocritical old bastard. From what I've heard, everyone on Musutafu III had to have some gene therapy done to them when they were first terraforming the planet to help them adapt quick enough to survive. The Midoriya's green hair and eyes are supposed to be a side effect of that no less."
"Green hair? That's a fairly unusual phenotype." Awata blinked at that. "Are those kinds of unusual colourings common around here?"
"You're more likely than not to find something a bit odd about the folk around here, gene therapy wasn't as clean back then as it is now and the Midoriya's are actually a fairly mild example." the old man answered with a sharp bark of laughter. "There's a minor noble family under House Midoriya called House Ashido and they've all got bright pink skin and hair. Then there's another one of the Council of Ten, the Kuroiro Family. They've got skin so black its like you're looking out into the starless void. I'd advise you lot not to get caught staring, it'll make people think you're tourists.
"Noted." Hizashi put in dryly. This wouldn't be the weirdest planet they'd landed on, but it certainly sounded like the variety of oddities would be interesting enough.
The familiar sound of a BattleMech's engine roaring as it started up echoed through the tunnel.
"Looks like the kid's ready." Sorahiko grinned. "Be interesting to see how he does."
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Next Chapter: Izuku versus Kemyi
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MechWarrior Files!
Name: Sorahiko Torino
Location of Birth: New Avalon, Federated Suns
Age: 72
Profession: Federated Suns Regular Forces (Former), MechWarrior Mercenary (Former), Captain of the Green Fields Ducal Guard
BattleMechs Piloted: Locust LCT-1M, Stinger STG-6S, Raven RVN-3L, Jenner JR7-K, Hammer HMR-3C, Hussar HSR-500-D, Javelin JVN-10P, Spider SDR-8R.
Opponents Fought: Lyran Alliance, Free World's League, Draconis Combine, Capellan Confederation, Word of Blake Remnants, Federated Suns, Clan Jade Falcon, Ghost Bear Dominion, Free Rasalhague League, Clan Wolf, numerous Periphery States and other mercenaries.
Enemies: None living.
Brief Summery: Sorahiko Torino was born on New Avalon, the capital planet of the Federated Suns. Not a noble or from a wealthy family, he nonetheless signed up for the Federated Suns Armed Forces as soon as he was of age and was accepted as a MechWarrior trainee. His skill and flair for Light BattleMechs, especially when using hit-and-fade tactics, became self-evident and he was quickly posted to a suitable position. His record of over twenty successful engagements against the enemies of the Federated Suns, be they Blakist remnants, pirates, or one of the other Successor States, was upheld as an example for other MechWarriors.
It is at this point, three years into his service, that the record becomes heavily redacted, with events unknown. The ultimate result was Sorahiko taking his 'Mech, a rare Raven, and striking out as a mercenary after formally leaving the service. Interestingly enough, a rather arrogant nobleman was admitted to the hospital several days before that.
Tracking a lone mercenary is famously problematic, but he was reported to have fought across the length and breadth of the Inner Sphere, even in the Clan-occupied areas. His path becomes more easily tracked when he started to mentor the young Toshinori Yagi once the younger man joined the mercenary Lance that Sorahiko was a part of.
After a decade as Lance-mates, the two separated, with Sorahiko almost vanishing from all recorded history, aside from the occasional sighting, each time in a different BattleMech and fighting alongside different mercenary crews. Interestingly enough, several prominent MechWarriors and MechTechs mysteriously left their companies not long after Sorahiko did and vanished as well.
Well known for his blunt and forthright manner, but rigidly strong moral code, Sorahiko Torino is well known as a fixer who will take almost any job if the price is right.
