"Moving to Engage." - Regular Speech
'What now?' - Thoughts
"Roger that." - Radio/Comm Transmission
"MOVE!" - Loudspeaker
Chapter 3: Izuku Vs. Kemyi
"Compared to the Five Successor States of the Inner Sphere, the people of what would soon become the Musutafu Concilium actually lost very little in the way of technological development in the chaos and wanton destruction that engulfed the former Star League during the Amaris Civil War. This is largely due to two main reasons. First, due to the disparate nature of the refugees who would join together to form the Concilium, the people they brought with them came from nearly all walks of life, from former SLDF soldiers, MechWarriors and MechTechs, to doctors, engineers and scientists, to simple labourers and farmers. The diverse pool of people that formed the original colonists of Musutafu played a key part in ensuring that at least a basic understanding of much of what would later be dubbed LosTech in the Inner Sphere was still maintained within the Concilium.
The second factor is one that still stirs some political debate about it to this day. In the early days of the Concilium's existence, several members of the Noble Families, led by members of the Iida, Midoriya, Todoroki and Kan families, embarked on raiding parties against the remnant Star League Defence Force (SLDF) Castles scattered throughout the Periphery. The galaxy at large would later blame many of these raids on Stefan Amaris' Rim Worlds Republic (which conducted multiple raids of their own in different sectors of space), but the early Concilium was responsible for the destruction of several mini-Castles, Port Castles, and Outpost Castles, and one daring raid on a Castle Brian. These raids were always conducted using blacked-out mechs and the Concilium forces always ensured the complete destruction of the targeted fortresses to ensure no evidence was left behind to identify the attackers.
The morality of these 'Scorched Earth' raids is still being debated by some historians within the Concilium due to the amount of destruction and loss of life they caused among their targets. However, while the ethicality of how they were handled is still debated, the necessity of the raids themselves has never been in doubt. These raids provided many of the essential resources that kept the struggling colonists alive during the lean times of the initial terraforming and colonization efforts on Musutafu III.
These two factors combined allowed the Musutafu Concilium, once it was fully established, to enjoy a level of comfort, military strength and technological innovation that is unheard of outside the SLDF-in-Exile and the Clans which were later formed from them."
- Excerpt from 'An Abbreviated History of the Briar Patch' by Adam Tsunotori.
Okami City Grand Mech Arena, Okami City, Duchy of Green Valley, Musutafu III, Musutafu Concilium
Toshinori blinked in surprise as he and his team followed his old teacher and Kayama out of the tunnel, only to be met with the sight of a massive arena sprawling out beneath them. They were walking around what looked like the topmost railing of a massive underground arena, with enough seating arranged around it that it looked like it could easily seat half the population of the city above them and several massive screens arrayed over the centre of the field displaying what was presumably the arena's battleground. Looking around, his experienced eyes caught sight of several recesses where massive shutters would likely emerge if something went wrong, sealing the battlefield from the rest of the arena. An excellent safety and security precaution.
"Loud." Aizawa grunted in annoyance as the noise of the crowd gathered below started to reach them.
"Oh woooow…!" Nejire yelled gleefully, rushing to the edge of the walkway to look down at the arena below, the excitement in the air obviously getting to her…although the young lady tended to be easily excited anyway. Toshinori could easily believe Mirio's stories about her staying up for three days without sleep during their training days just to get a perfect score on a particularly difficult sim mission.
"Come along, ya bunch of greenhorns. Don't want to keep the boss waiting too long." Torino snorted as he led them across the walkways toward a large, reinforced door emblazoned with the Midoriya Duchy's crest. He quickly tapped a code into a console next to it, causing the large doors to slide open smoothly and allow them to proceed.
"Are you sure that we should be meeting the Duchess dressed like…this?" Mirai asked cautiously, absently tugging at the sleeve of his Combat Suit.
"Heh. Mirai, if there's one thing you need to remember about our boss, it's that she is a woman who happily married a Clansman and all that entails. You'd best leave your expectations from dealing with normal nobs at the door." Sorahiko advised with a snort. "She's a MechWarrior herself and a damned decent one in that Targe of hers, a capable marksman with either a pistol or a rifle, and could likely teach you a thing or two about wielding a katana."
Mirai, an expatriate of the Draconis Combine, frowned a bit at that.
"I remember hearing her reminisce on her and her husband's regular spars and training missions during their courtship." Sorahiko continued, absently waving a hand through the air. "She's more likely to respond positively to seeing you in your Combat Suits than she is if you tried to 'dress up' like you were dealing some Feddie dilettante."
The short corridor the old man led them through quickly opened up to the exclusive Ducal Box, which held a single, rather luxurious throne for the seated Duke/Duchess, a lesser throne for the consort (which was draped in mourning black) and a third for the Heir. There were also several less opulent seats set up to either side of the throne, enough to easily seat all of Toshinori's MechWarriors.
Seated on the main throne was a woman who made Toshinori gasp. While he'd noted a slight resemblance when they'd spoken over the comm-screens, seeing her in person truly showed that the Duchess was a near spitting image for Nana Shimura, his first teacher! Hell, aside from the green hair and eyes, the woman could have easily passed for Nana's daughter.
"Quit your gaping." Torino grunted gruffly, though not unkindly, as he jabbed his elbow into his former student's side. "Yeah, the resemblance is just plain uncanny, ain't it? Coulda' knocked me over with a feather when I first met her. Still makes me wonder if Nana had some roots going back to this place, girl never did like talking about where she originally came from."
Shaking off the image of his teacher as he had last seen her, Toshinori allowed Sorahiko to introduce him and his two Lances to the Duchess.
"Duchess Inko Midoriya, allow me to introduce you to the Heroic Hearts, a group of highly trustworthy and skilled mercenaries of my previous acquaintance." the old man said gruffly. "This big lug here is Toshinori Yagi, their leader and an old student of mine. Toshinori, this is your new employer, Duchess Inko Midoriya."
"Oh my. You're even taller than Captain Torino said you would be." the Duchess offered kindly with a small smile as she rose from her throne.
"Your Grace." Toshinori returned with a bow. He had learned the basics of courtly etiquette many years ago, and it had come in handy more times than he'd care to admit. From meeting the First Prince of the Federated Suns, to the ruler of the occasional Bandit Kingdom. "Would you permit me to introduce my Lances?"
"Certainly." Inko nodded.
"This is my second in command, Mirai Sasaki, accompanying him are our Lance-mates Mirio Tōgata and Kaoruko Awata." the large man said gesturing at each as he named them. "My second Lance is led by Shōta Aizawa, with his Lance-mates Hizashi Yamada, Tamaki Amajiki and Nejire Hadō. Together, we are the Heroic Hearts."
"A pleasure to meet you all." the Duchess inclined her head regally to all of them. "You have arrived at an opportune time. My son is about to complete his rite of passage."
"Rite of passage?" Nejire asked curiously.
The Duchess nodded briefly before explaining. "Although we Musutafians have tried to distance ourselves from the Cult of the MechWarrior, it has been such a major part of life since even the First Star League's heyday that it has proven all but impossible to remove it completely. Several old traditions linked to the Cult still hold some strength, particularly to the more traditionalist elements of our people. One of those is that the heir apparent to any of the major Noble Families, particularly those seated on the Council of Eleven, must defeat at least a single BattleMech in combat before they depart for the Planetary Academy. While I'm sure that Vice-Captain Kayama referred to this as a simple practice match, it is anything but. They will be using live rounds and fully charged weaponry."
"That…sounds particularly risky, Your Grace. Especially considering it is your heir apparent involved." Yamada offered with a surprised frown.
"It is an old ritual dating back to the early days of the Concilium, a way that the Noble Heirs could prove to one and all that they were capable and wiling to fight for their people." Inko explained, biting her lip for a moment. "That does not take away the danger, particularly given how spotty my son's BattleMech training has been. But he insisted that he could do it, and so my hands are tied by both law and tradition."
Sometimes she wondered if she'd been cursed or blessed with having such a dutiful and observant child. Izuku knew that she was constantly facing issues with the more traditionalist elements within their Duchy and the Concilium at large due to her progressive policies. Had he refused to take part in the rite of passage, even with good reason, it would have simply given her political enemies more ammunition to use against their family.
Retaking her seat, Inko absently gestured to the seats arrayed nearby. "Please, take a seat. If nothing else, Izuku's opponent today will give you a general idea of the skill level of fresh graduates of the Academy, and fresh MechWarriors in the Planetary Army."
"So your son's opponent will be a fully-trained MechWarrior?" Aizawa asked as the Heroic Hearts took their seats, eyebrows rising in surprise. Expecting a kid with spotty Mech training to face off against a trained MechWarrior, even a recently graduated one, sounded like a recipe for disaster.
"Yes, and one of the Academy's top graduates from the most recent class apparently." Inko replied stonily. "Ah, there she is now."
On the screen before them, a BattleMech was slowly stomping its way out of the hanger to the right. Moreover, it was a BattleMech that Toshinori knew well, albeit with an unusual black and cream colour scheme he wasn't familiar with...
"Ah, the Phoenix Hawk!" he said with a smile stretching across his lips. "I remember when I piloted one of those, the good old Mighty Warrior!"
"Oh right, that one was one of your personal favourites, wasn't it Toshi?" Kayama offered with a grin.
"I managed to escape a Sagittaire Assault 'Mech in that old pile of parts." The old warhorse offered with a reminiscing smile. "It was a 3D Variant, so I managed to use the Jump Jets with the ER Large Laser and Double Heat Sinks to dodge most of its heavier fire while peppering the bastard back. I eventually managed to lead its pilot back into a trap and my employer's forces ambushed him, forcing the pilot to eject and get captured. I don't think there's another Mech around that could've accomplished the same."
"Hmm." Mirai, meanwhile, was studying the 'Mech far more closely. "That appears to be a 5L Variant, a stealth attacker and an upgraded version of the Capellan Confederation's 4L model." he offered thoughtfully as he adjusted his glasses. "I didn't realize the Concilium would have access to such a variety of BattleMechs, particularly those developed during the Succession Wars."
"While we are an isolationist state, the Concilium does recognize that we do not live in a void, so it behoves us to keep an eye on our…neighbours." the Duchess offered with a small, knowing smile. "Our Intelligence Division has several scouting and intelligence groups keeping us informed about what is occurring in the galaxy at large. They also keep us up-to-date on technological developments, which includes purchasing new BattleMechs here and there. We also get a small trickle of immigrants, though we are quite thorough in our vetting processes, and some bring 'Mechs with them. Aside from our understandable caution, we do not ignore anyone seeking a better life, no matter their origin, as long as they are willing to work for it."
She gestured at the Phoenix Hawk. "That is the BattleMech Illusory Lady, piloted by Kemyi Utsushimi, newly instated Baroness of Phantasm Ridge. And there's my son and his 'Mech."
The screen split into two halves, one showing the Illusory Lady, while the other showed a BattleMech emerging from a hanger on the opposite side of the designated arena. It was a deep emerald green, with flame patterns in a lighter green over its body.
"A Panther...huh." Hizashi offered with a blink before leaning in. "That's the 10K2 version too. That's one of the Draconis Combine's favourite versions of the Panther, isn't it Mirai?"
Mirai nodded, eyeing the newly arrived 'Mech with a professional respect.
"My Izuku did a rather through study of Light 'Mechs before deciding which he wanted to be his main BattleMech for his Light 'Mech Training." Inko offered warmly. "He's often stated that the Panther is the best Light BattleMech for what it does."
"You son isn't wrong, milady." Toshinori agreed with a nod. "The Panther is a damned good light scout and is perfect for hit-and-run skirmishes. Though, I'm not certain how it will avail itself against a Medium 'Mech, particularly one that has both Stealth Armour and a Guardian ECM Suite."
"I wouldn't count my son and his Emerald Flame out quite so quickly." The Duchess offered, her eyes hard and determined as she watched the screen. "He may just surprise you."
With Izuku
Cockpit of Emerald Flame
Absently adjusting his helmet as he let his Panther come to a halt, Izuku could only frown as his scanners kept coming back with only blurred images of his opponent. It was odd, the Cat's Eye 5 Targeting and Tracking System that his Panther was equipped with might be a fairly old model, but it still saw regular use because of its reliability and resilience. He and Mei had even customized his personal system, and it had been working perfectly during their earlier tests.
"Stealth Armour?" he mused aloud as he adjusted his scanners again fruitlessly. The Stealth Armour that had been originally created by the Capellan Confederation before it spread throughout the Inner Sphere might be a poor imitation of the First Star League's Null Signature System (which could completely hide all emissions from a BattleMech) but it was still a dangerous tool for ambush and scouting 'Mechs. With a functioning Stealth Armour system active, the equipped BattleMech it was equipped with become nigh impossible to detect most normal scanners and heat sensors, meaning that opposing pilots had to visually confirm their targets.
That would render the Emerald Flame's PPC, his best weapon, almost useless at long range.
On the flip-side, the Guardian ECM Suite had to concentrate most of its processing power on running the Stealth Armour while it was active. That meant that missiles, like those located in his Panther's chest-mounted SRM Launchers, were going to be worth their weight in gold.
"This is Exercise Coordination, calling Emerald Flame and Illusory Lady." a brisk female voice suddenly called over the radio. "Both pilots, please confirm that your 'Mechs are ready for combat."
"This is Izuku Midoriya, piloting Emerald Flame." the Ducal Heir called back. "All systems nominal. Ready for combat."
"Kemyi Utsushimi aboard Illusory Lady. All systems are go." another female voice immediately called in after he spoke.
'Utsushimi…rulers of the Barony of Phantasm Ridge, under the Yaoyorozu Family.' Izuku immediately placed the name thanks to his lessons on the various other noble families of Musutafu III. 'They have a history with the Stealth and Recon Unit, and a notable flair for ambushes and guerilla tactics. Their ancestral BattleMech is a Phoenix Hawk…Oh hell, I'm fighting a Medium. This just got tricky.'
Normally, barring exceptional luck, it'd take an entire Lance of Light 'Mechs to take down a Medium BattleMech if the pilot was in any way capable, and even that was largely dependent on just what kind of Medium you were facing. The Phoenix Hawk was one of the most popular Medium 'Mechs in the wider galaxy for several reasons; it was jump capable, as fast as several recon-type Light 'Mechs, well-armed, and had an excellent electronics suite for use as a command 'Mech.
'Someone deliberately picked a BattleMech that hits on nearly every weakness in my training and my 'Mech. The question is, is this a test or someone's attempt at sabotage?' Izuku pondered. It could be either. Izuku knew there were a lot of people among his mother's political enemies who wanted him to fail his Rite, and this kind of deck-stacking seemed like an obvious (albeit legal) attempt to make sure he failed. On the other hand, it could just as easily be a test of his capabilities by his mother's newest political ally, Planetary Marshal Nezu. The man was already becoming infamous for using these kinds of tests against both his allies and his enemies.
Well, either way he was just going to have to show whoever had planned this how a Midoriya overcame adversity, wouldn't he?
"Both participants have confirmed they're ready." the professional voice of another of his family's vassals came over the radio, Baroness Mika Jirō of Singing Canyon, came over the radio. "At the count of ten, a firework will be detonated over the centre of the arena, signalling the start of the match. A lockout on the cockpit and reactor of your opponent's 'Mech has been emplaced in your respective targeting systems. This match shall end when one side is forced to eject. May our ancestors smile on the victor and defeated alike."
"For our honour and ancestors." Izuku muttered in response. Ancestor worship was the most common form of religion on Musutafu, along with Shintoism, with a smattering of Christianity and Buddhism as well. Kacchan had always scoffed at it, but went through the motions to keep his mother out of his hair. Izuku's own beliefs were a bit more…complicated.
As the firework went off, Izuku slid his helmet's visor down and ordered, "Initiate Enhanced Imaging."
The Enhanced Imaging Display was the most basic of the Enhanced Imaging technology developed by the Clans during their time away from the Inner Sphere. Utilizing sensor data from friendly units, in combination with pre-loaded terrain data, it essentially created a more detailed 'virtual reality' heads-up display.
It was tricky to get used to and hard to master, but Izuku had been training with an EID Helmet since he'd first learned that his father had used one. It was one reason he had been able to get the Flea working for him so quickly.
"Well, it's time to hunt." he muttered, and set his Panther to advance at cruising speed.
With Toshinori
"Well, Young Izuku seems to have at least some skill in piloting his 'Mech." the old warhorse remarked absently as he watched the two BattleMechs start to move.
"A bit stiff, but he seems to be competent enough." Mirai judged evenly.
"I'm afraid most of his piloting training has come from me, and both of us have a number of duties that have interfered with the amount of time we've had to train." Inko offered with a sad sigh. "Until recently I haven't had any capable pilots that I could trust his training to. Captain Torino, Vice-Captain Kayama and some of the other new recruits have helped over the past half-year or so, but they are still adjusting to life on Musutafu and their new duties."
"If you'd like, I can loan out Young Mirio, Young Nejire and Young Tamaki to assist with that while we old folks handle the paperwork." Toshinori offered. "They may only be a few years older than your son, but all three are capable pilots in their own right."
"Hmm…that sounds like a lovely idea." the Duchess offered with a smile, before turning her attention to the three younger pilots. "Would that be agreeable for you three?"
"We'd be happy to, ma'am." Mirio beamed.
"Sure!" Nejire chirped happily.
"Er...since Mirio and Nejire are, I suppose..." Tamaki mumbled.
"Young Tamaki is a bit on the shy side, but you can trust that he'd a dependable and capable pilot." Toshinori offered reassuringly.
"My Izuku is much the same." Inko offered, smiling kindly at the shy teen, causing his to turn scarlet and duck his head. She then turned and glanced slyly at Nejire. "Particularly when it comes to pretty girls."
Nejire's cheeks pinked at the compliment, but the entire group was quickly distracted when the two 'Mechs on the screens began to clash. Emerald Heart fired the first round, shooting its PPC at the Illusory Lady from a concealed position within the forested section of the arena and landing a solid hit on its left arm. Through the electric blue crackle of energy, the MechWarriors could clearly see the Stealth Armour covering its arm start to bubble and boil off as the superheated plasma round did its work.
"And it looks like first blood goes to Heir Midoriya." Mika announced over the arena's speakers. "He must have managed to manually aim that shot, since his opponent's Stealth Armour has been going strong since before the match even began."
Kemyi wasn't about to just take that lying down though, as the Illusory Lady quickly twisted around, raising its arms to direct the ER Medium Lasers mounted on both its forearms toward the sector of woods where the PPC shot had emerged and opening fire.
However, Izuku had wisely decided to not remain stationary after firing his first shot, causing the green lasers to pulp random trees rather than his 'Mech.
"Hm, kid has least has some logic to him." Aizawa acknowledge from his own seat. "His opponent has more armour than he does and he has to rely on manually aiming his best weapon, so his best bet is to hit and run until he can deal some real damage. Still, trying to fight a Medium 'Mech with a Light one is simply illogical."
"Almost none of this years' graduation class makes regular use of Light 'Mechs; they all tended to focus on Medium and Heavy models." Kayama informed him. "It wasn't something any of the Founding Families were happy about either."
"Then why wasn't Lady Utsushimi provided with a Light 'Mech specifically for the match." Mirio asked curiously.
"Tradition and politics." Inko spat the two words like they left a foul taste in her mouth. "Because of some of my earlier decision after I first took the throne, I've caused quite a bit of turmoil and a lot of the more traditionalist elements in the Concilium are unhappy about it. As such, to keep them placated and prevent them from causing me any more headaches I've been careful to observe any non-harmful traditions. Even with that, there are still some who are calling me the 'Radical Duchess of Discord' or some other such drivel."
As they spoke, their attention never wavered from the screen showing the two BattleMechs constantly manoeuvring around the battlefield, exchanging fire every now and again. Illusory Lady, as a Medium Mech, obviously had the advantage when it came to weight of fire, with a Plasma Rifle and two ER Medium Lasers to the ER PPC and two SRM-4 launchers of the Panther. It also had the defensive advantage, having eight tons of Stealth Armour compared to the six and a half tons of regular armour of Emerald Flame.
The experience of the two pilots was also sharply skewed. Kemyi Utsushimi was a fully trained graduate from the Planetary Academy; while Izuku had even less experience than a normal pre-academy student due to the numerous issues that had plagued his family due to his grandfather's actions.
By any stretch of logic or reason he should be losing…badly.
And yet here he was, holding his own against a larger 'Mech and far more experienced pilot with a level of skill that was honestly impressive. He was taking full advantage of his PPC's range while also using his double heat sinks to quickly disperse the heat after each attack and fade back into the woods. Most rookies would have tried to bury the opposing 'Mech under the weigh of fire, trying to use the PPC's range to rain fire down on their target before they could counter, which would have quickly left them with an overheated gun and made them a walking target for their opponent's ER Medium Lasers and Plasma Rifle.
"It looks like Utsushimi's starting to get frustrated." Hizashi pointed out as he noticed the movements of the Phoenix Hawk were starting to get faster and sharper. "She's starting to push her 'Mech more and more to try and catch up to that Panther. While the Phoenix Hawk might be able to match it on base land speed, it's still a Medium and far heavier than a Light Mech like the Panther. Even Endo Steel will start to strain if you push it too hard."
"She's trying to get him into range for her Plasma Rifle." Mirai deduced clinically. "A single solid hit from that and any section of armour on the Panther will be completely obliterated, leaving his internals vulnerable to her lasers."
"Yeah, but the kid obviously knows that too, see!" Hizashi offered excitedly as for the first time in the match, the Emerald Flame took to the skies using its jump jets, Izuku quickly firing another shot with his ER PPC the moment he landed again, scoring a direct hit on the Phoenix Hawk's left knee. "Your son has got good instincts, ma'am."
"Thank you." Inko replied proudly. "He has always been good at thinking and adapting on his feet."
As the Panther quickly started to move away from its firing position, the Illusory Lady lit up its own jump jets and soared after him, lasers lancing out from its arms. A couple of the beams managed to hit, scoring lines across the Light 'Mech's right arm."
"Ouch, that hit likely took out most of the armour on his arm." Toshinori stated with a wince. Six and a half tons of armour might sound like a lot, but it really wasn't, not when spread over a thirty-five-ton BattleMech.
Seemingly unperturbed by the vulnerability of his 'Mech's arm, Izuku turned the Emerald Flame around and launched a barrage of SRMs at the landing Medium 'Mech. Eight missiles roared across the space between them, all slamming into the left side of the larger 'Mech's torso. With an explosion, the entire side of the torso was ripped to shreds, the Mech's left arm falling uselessly to the ground.
"At least one of those must have hit a weak point in the armour." Mirai stated with a slight wince. "That is going to be an expensive repair job."
"The Midoriya Family will be covering the cost of Utsushimi's repairs, so she won't need to worry about it." Inko stated absently.
"That is quite…generous of you." Mirai offered, blinking in surprise.
"While our lands might be lacking in military strength at the moment, the Duchy of Green Valley is still one of the largest suppliers of food, lumber, and similar resources on the planet. Our family is easily the third wealthiest of the Founding Families, with only the Todoroki and Yaoyorozu being wealthier." the Duchess stated proudly as the Illusory Lady staggered to the side, barely managing to stay standing after being hit by the shockwave that had robbed it of its arm and half its torso.
"Well that's good at least, I can't image a fresh graduate, even one from a noble family, could easily pay for those kinds of repairs." Toshinori offered with a nod. "Back in the Inner Sphere, fixing that much damage would have cost at least 4500 C-Bills."
"We use the Ryo here, and I believe the current exchange rate with the C-Bill is at a roughly 2 to 1 rate in favour of the Ryo." the Duchess informed him absently, wincing as her son failed to pull back fast enough, likely shocked at the damage his missiles had managed to cause. Now his 'Mech was being peppered with fire from Illusory Lady's remaining ER Medium Laser, rounds from its Plasma Rifle still missing widely, but getting closer with each shot. "The sub-unit is called 'Mon' with one-hundred Mon equalling a single Ryo."
"Wow, I can't believe that actually worked!" Nejire cheered out as Izuku fired his PPC at close range, managing to blast a hole in the Phoenix Hawk's chest armour, swiftly followed by another barrage of SRMs that pushed the larger 'Mech back and left it reeling.
"I'm honestly surprised that he managed to hit anything." Aizawa remarked gruffly. "PPCs are infamous for shooting wide when you try and use them in closer ranges, and the ER models are supposed to be even worse."
"I'm afraid it was mostly a lucky hit. Izuku was aiming for the legs." Inko pointed out, indicating a slow-motion replay of the shot, showing the barrel being aimed low only for it to kick up from the shot's recoil.
"Heh, luck's just as important as any other skill in a MechWarrior's arsenal. If it works, it works." Hizashi offered with chuckle. "Can't imagine that Utsushimi is feeling all that happy right now."
Cockpit of Illusory Lady
"Dangit!" Kemyi Utsushimi, newly minted Baroness of Phantasm Ridge, half-cursed as she fought to restabilize her BattleMech. "This kid is actually pretty dang good. I'm going to find whoever wrote up that dang briefing and slap them stupid for this. My poor Lady hasn't taken a beating like this in ages!"
When the headmaster of the Planetary Academy had assigned her to be the one to face the soon-to-be Duke Midoriya for his Rite of Passage duel, she had honestly been expecting a fairly easy win. Everyone on the planet knew that Izuku Midoriya had been taught almost exclusively by Duchess Midoriya and thus had little actual combat experience.
Even she had done combat patrols around her family's Barony before she'd left for the Academy.
And yet this kid…he was fighting on the same level of nearly any second year at the Academy, maybe one of the top ten in the year even. Granted his movements had been a bit stiff at the start, but afterwards he hadn't made any of the mistakes she'd been expecting from a rookie with no combat experience. Instead, he'd been methodically chipping away at her armour and had even managed to take off one of her arms using those dang SRMs!
'Thank the ancestors that it's tradition for the hosting family to pay for any repairs to the visiting 'Mech during the Trial.' she thought, letting out a slight breath of relief. She'd, rather stupidly she'd admit looking back now, burnt through most of her discretionary fund in a rash of end-of-Academy spending. It would have been painfully embarrassing to show up for duty as a freshly-minted Second Lieutenant with a busted 'Mech.
"Alright kid, no more Miss Nice Lady. You wanna play hard to get? Well, let's see if I can return the favour!" she said as a feral smile made its way onto her pouty lips.
Quickly checking her Plasma Rifle's Ammo stores, she noted she still had shots left, more than enough to rip an ordinary Panther to shreds, but she'd quickly realized that this 'Emerald Flame' was no ordinary Panther.
Raising the Plasma Rifle secured in her 'Mech's remaining arm, she opened fire on the nimble Light 'Mech, only to miss by a hair again! Why couldn't she score a solid hit on that thing!?
'Wait, a minute…that green of his 'Mech blends in with the surrounding forests…basic camouflage. I've been falling for one of my family's own tricks, dang it!' Kemyi realized, almost slapping herself in annoyance. Her family had been ambush specialists for generations, they used basic camo all the time. 'Alright, this kid is smart and a lot tougher than I gave him credit for. Time to put my game face on. Since I can't get a lock on the agile little bastard at range, it's time to get up close and personal!'
Holstering her Plasma Rifle, she started pushing her Lady into full combat speed. The sudden acceleration managed to get her in close before the kid could pull back and she drew back her 'Mech's arm and launched a blow right at the Emerald Flame. (She actually like the look of it, but right now that was drowned by her desire to smack it one!) Her fist connected with a tremendous clang of metal on metal as it slammed into the lighter machine's left arm, sending the Panther staggering for a moment.
Then the cheeky little bugger unloaded another barrage of SRMs from near point-blank range!
"Ah come on!? Not again!" Kemyi eeped out as the missiles slammed into her Mech. Thankfully, the close-range firing left the missiles fairly spread out across her Mech's body so the armour loss was minimal, but it had still managed to destroy one of her heat sinks. She'd already lost one when that first barrage had wrecked the left half of her 'Mech's torso, so that left her with seven left; which wasn't good when her best weapon was as heat-intensive as a Plasma Rifle.
"Full-on punching it is!" she decided grimly. Only much to her surprise, her opponent seemed to have had the same idea, the Panther bursting through the fading smoke from the missile detonation to launch its own punch. Its right first slammed into the Illusory Lady's lower torso, managing to punch through the weakened armour there and pierce straight through.
It was a serious blow to her 'Mech, but what surprised Kemyi was that it somehow managed to start some kind of chain reaction, red lights flashing and a klaxon wailing in her cockpit!
"Warning: Critical Heat Overload! Eject Immediately!" the computer warned her in a dull voice, even as she tried to prevent it.
"Shit!" Kemyi scrambled for her comm. "Midoriya, fall back! My 'Mech's about to overheat! Punching out now!"
Flipping up a protective cover, Kemyi slammed her fist down on the big red button that every self-respecting MechWarrior knew and hated to use.
Gritting her teeth as the sudden G-forces hit her, she knew that her 'Mech's entire head had just blown itself free of the rest of her 'Mech. The Full-Head Ejection System might have been a rougher ride than a normal ejector seat, but it also offered her extra protection for something like, say, a whole 'Mech going critical for no good reason.
Stabbing a button to turn on the camera beneath the head, she winced as her beloved Ancestral BattleMech's body detonated in a fiery blast as it collapsed on its back. Thankfully, Midoriya had managed to retreat far enough via his jump-jets that all his 'Mech was likely going to suffer from was some burnt paint.
"This is gonna be a pain." she sighed as her cockpit landed on the ground and she settled in to wait for the retrieval teams to fetch her.
Later
Private Audience Chamber, Green Valley Grand Castle
"I, like, totally don't understand it, Your Grace." Kemyi offered miserably. As soon as she'd been pulled from her cockpit and cleared by the medics, she'd been 'escorted' to a private audience with the Duchess, who was very clearly Not Happy. "The place your son managed to punch through shouldn't have had any systems that could lead to that kind of reaction; that overload just shouldn't have happened."
"I'm aware." Inko offered neutrally from her Ducal Throne. She had already personally reviewed the plans for a Phoenix Hawk PHX-5L after the explosion and they had all confirmed what Kemyi had just said; there was nothing in the area that Izuku had struck that linked to either the heat sinks or main reactor. Izuku's blow shouldn't have been able to cause that kind of Critical Overheat.
"Your Grace." her majordomo, Miyagi Daikaku, a portly, older man with slicked-back, straw-coloured hair and square-rimmed glasses, offered a formal bow as he entered the room. "Chief MechTech Majima is here to see you."
"Send him at once, please." Inko replied immediately, hands gripping the armrests of her throne. If Majima was here already, then he'd obviously found something noteworthy amidst the wreckage of the Illusory Lady.
Majima stepped through the doors a moment later, and it was obvious he'd come to see her straight from the Mech Hangars. The man's shaggy bright orange hair was still mostly concealed under the yellow helmet he constantly wore, and his short, skinny frame was mostly hidden under his usual overalls and the heavily-reinforced gloves he favoured when working his trade.
Majima had been her husband's personal MechTech while he was alive, and Inko trusted the man's loyalty and professionalism implicitly.
"Your Grace, we have a problem." he offered without preamble, merely offering her a short, shallow bow in greeting. "That explosion was no accident. Once we'd gathered the remnants of the Phoenix Hawk, my scanners immediately started picking up fragments of an unknown device implanted into the Illusory Lady that do not match any device corresponding to the machine's regular schematics. My crew is already attempting to reconstruct it, but for now we have no clue what it was doing. Though given the reaction it caused, I'd bet my helmet that it was designed to destabilize either the reactor, the heat sinks or maybe even both. The Young Lord smashing the thing must have triggered a collapse of the entire system."
"But…I only arrived in Okami City this morning, and only my own MechTechs have been near my 'Mech since we arrived!" Kemyi protested. "You can't be suggesting that they had anything to do with sabotaging it?"
"No, milady. That's not what I'm suggesting." Majima agreed with a quick shake of his head as he pulled out his personal data-slate. "According to the work logs I retrieved from your Techs, none of them went anywhere near the area where the device was implanted during their pre-battle maintenance checks, and our own camera logs from your hangar confirms it. However, I've been going over your records and I noticed something. You had a full overhaul performed on your 'Mech just a few days after the Graduation Exam at the Academy, is that right?"
"Uhm, yeah." the young Baroness replied thoughtfully, wracking her brains for a moment to remember everything. "I'd gotten knocked around something fierce during the Final Exams, so I wanted to be sure that the Illusory Lady was back at 100% by the time I got my first assignment. I remember being relieved that I'd already put her on the maintenance list when I was informed I'd be coming here to take part in a Rite, didn't want to take part in something that important unless my 'Mech was back in top shape. After that, I left her stored in the Student 'Mech Hanger until the Ceremonial Walk Out to the Spaceport."
"And you immediately boarded a shuttle to transport you and your 'Mech here the next day." Inko finished with a nod. "So, if I understand what you're implying Majima, then you believe that this device was installed into the Illusory Lady sometime after the full overhaul, specifically after it was decided she would be my Izuku's opponent during his Rite. That would imply that someone not only managed to break into the Academy, but also left no traces that her team of MechTechs could discover during regular maintenance."
"That sums it up quite nicely, Your Grace." Majima agreed with a sharp nod. "This entire thing stinks of an assassination attempt, with Miss Utsushimi and her 'Mech being used as an unknowing and unwitting cats-paw."
"Yes, that was my feeling as well." Inko agreed gravely before turning her attention to the young MechWarrior and bowed her head slightly to the younger noble. "Baroness Utsushimi, I believe that this exonerates you of any wrongdoing in this matter. You have my apologies for the inconvenience."
Kemyi seemed to wilt in relief.
"Sadly," Inko continued, her voice causing the young Baroness to tense up again, "this attempt has damaged your BattleMech to a remarkable degree; it goes well over the usual limit on how much a Founding Family is to pay to repair a 'Mech after the Rite of Passage, I'm afraid."
"Oh...? By...by how much?" the girl asked with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Majima pulled another file on his data-slate and then handed it to her. Seeing the number made her blanch.
"It's basically a full-rebuild." the MechTech informed her stoically. "We're replacing every piece of machinery inside of the frame, and even the Endo Steel skeleton will need checking for distortions. Just about the only original part we can reuse is the head, so knock off maybe ten percent of the final total."
"I..." the blonde girl bit her lip. "I'm going to be temporarily one of the Dispossessed like this, I see."
While the Cult of the MechWarrior was far less prominent on Musutafu III, being Dispossessed, a MechWarrior without a 'Mech, was still seen as something of a black mark on any MechWarrior's reputation.
"Well...given that this was not in any way your fault, I believe we can make an arrangement." Inko offered with a smile. "Service in my Ducal Guard in exchange for your 'Mech being fixed up as good as new, no charge. How about it?"
"Er...I'm already enlisted, Your Grace." Kemyi answered nervously. "I'm due to report for duty at the 7th Planetary BattleMech Regiment's HQ in a week's time."
"I know Marshall Nezu very well. I'm confident I can swing you being assigned to my Guard as a 'liaison' or some such thing." the Duchess answered with a wave of one hand. "And I'm not asking for a lifetime's service; merely five years."
"Five years..." the Baroness bit her lip as she considered the offer. She was over a barrel, there was no mistake about that. Her fief wasn't a large or wealthy one, particularly compared to some of the richer areas under the Yaoyorozu Family's rule, and trying to fund her Mech's rebuild herself would completely drain their coffers dry and likely still wouldn't be enough to fully rebuild her 'Mech, even with that ten percent reduction.
Putting her career on hold for a few years so she wouldn't have to start it off with the stain of being Dispossessed didn't seem like a bad trade-off.
"Very well." she nodded. "I suppose I'm at your disposal, Duchess Midoriya."
"Wonderful. Daikaku, please see Baroness Utsushimi to her quarters while I make arrangements for her temporary transfer to the Ducal Guard." Inko said. "Oh, and send for the Seamstress of the Ducal Guard to take measurements for her ceremonial uniform as well."
"Yes, Your Grace." the portly man nodded and beckoned Kemyi to follow him.
Once the two were alone, Majima turned to face Inko once more. "Should I start work on the repairs then, Your Grace."
"Yes, please do." the duchess agreed with a nod. "I assume that little Mei has already claimed Emerald Flame for her exclusive care?"
"You know her far too well, Your Grace." the Chief MechTech agreed with a tired growl. "I swear, that girl is gonna give me a heart attack before I'm out of my forties."
Inko merely laughed at her friend's misfortune. "Mei is a true Hatsume through and through; you would never guess that they're a Noble Family almost as old as mine. Though, even I'll admit that Mei takes her family's…uniqueness to an extreme."
"Your Grace, if it wasn't for the Young Lord, that little gremlin would have already blown us all sky high several times over by now." Majima replied with feeling. "He's literally the only person that can wrangle her these days, not even her parents have as much control over her anymore. If you don't want her to end up blowing the whole Duchy to kingdom come someday, you're going to have to at least ensure the boy takes her as a mistress."
"Her parents have already made that point abundantly clear to me." Inko replied dryly. "It's one of the reasons why Mei is only the Heiress to the company while her older brother remains the Familial Heir, despite the Hatsume being traditionally matrilineal. There's also an agreement in place to ensure that her brother Otto's future children will have first claim to taking the CEO position rather than Mei's."
"And is she aware of this agreement?" Majima asked curiously, honestly a bit stunned that his concerns seemed to have been addressed long before he could bring them up.
"Quite likely, which is why she's got a rivalry with the daughter of the Uraraka Barony; Ochako is Izuku's closest friend aside from Mei." Inko sighed and shook her head fondly. "Those two have been butting heads over my boy since they first hit puberty. A shame they haven't the sense to read up on the old rules from the days of the initial wave of colonisation, the ones that still apply to the First Founding Families. Mei I'm not surprised by, but Ochako is somewhat blinded by her rivalry. Silly girls."
"Most people are monogamous, Your Grace." the MechTech said dryly.
"Only because of silly leftover cultural taboos from back before the first JumpShip was built." Inko shook a hand, airily dismissing such useless ancient things. "Had Hizashi and I found a woman that suited us both we would have invited her to join us."
And now she was looking all depressed again; thoughts of her dearly departed husband often left the good duchess feeling melancholy.
Majima sighed to himself, the Midoriya Family were good people, but they were an emotional bunch.
"Beg your pardon, but I should be off, Your Grace." he offered with another shallow bow. "That 'Mech won't put itself back together all on its own, and you need to call Marshal Nezu."
"Oh, yes...of course." Inko shook herself out of her melancholy quickly, quickly refocusing her duties. "Have a good day, Majima."
"Your Grace." the Mech Tech said gruffly before leaving, eager to get started on his new project.
The widowed Duchess sighed before picking up her personal date-slate from the table next to the throne and composed a message to Toshinori Yagi, explaining the alarming conclusions that Majima had come to, as well as all the information regarding the now-wrecked Phoenix Hawk and its sabotage.
'Yokumiru Mera may be the Headmaster of the Planetary Academy, but the one who running it most of the time would be the Dean, Tsunagu Hakamada.' Inko considered as she sent the information via the Grand Castle's intranet. 'Mera is an extremely capable bureaucrat and thus handles the day-to-day minutia along with the legal and political matters, while Hakamada deals with security and most of the actual running of the school itself. Nezu considers both of them to be trustworthy so I highly doubt that they're directly involved with the sabotage of Baroness Utsushimi's 'Mech. Those working beneath them however…I sincerely hope that Nezu will have some answers for this.'
Ever since her father's betrayal, Inko had been dealing with a not-unfounded sense of paranoia, seeing possible betrayal around every corner. She'd admit that it had played a large part in her banishing of the majority of the Ducal Guard when they refused to leave their barracks in protest of her handling of the matter involving her husband's murder her subsequent treatment of her father afterwards.
While a large number might have been acting out of loyalty to her father over loyalty to their Duchy, there had been many that were simply protesting her airing her family's dirty laundry to the entirety of the Council of Ten just to spite, punish and humiliate her father. They felt that the matter should have been kept private and handled internally to preserve her family's, and by extension the Duchy's, good name. And yet she'd punished them all the same, regardless of their reasons.
It was, she'd admit now with the benefit of hindsight, a rather severe overreaction on her part and one that was still biting her in the backside to this day.
It was the smarter and more spiteful ones, the ones that had kept their mouths shut and their heads down during the whole affair, that had proven the more troublesome. They were the ones that had worked to sabotage Izuku's earliest training as a MechWarrior. It was only the actions of a single remaining loyal member of the Ducal Guard, who had brought word of their attempts to her directly, that had prevented their sabotage from killing her son early on. All of the malcontents involved had been subsequently arrested and banished from Green Valley. None would get a 'Mech job involving anything but AgroMechs for the rest of their lives.
Even the sole loyal member had requested permission to retire quietly after that, citing that while he refused to go along with the treason of his former comrades, that did not mean he agreed with Inko's other actions regarding his other comrades or her father. Inko had, rather generously she'd considered at the time, not banished the man for his sentiments. The last she'd heard, the man had become a Captain in a local MilitiaMech unit.
Now it seems that her actions were coming home to roost. In exiling the majority of the Ducal Guard, she might have allowed the worst of them time to plan and take the long route in gaining revenge for their former master. Sabotaging the 'Mech that was to face him in his Rite of Passage was a far more subtle tactic than she'd have expected of her father's loyal dogs.
Standing up, Inko Midoriya, known by her peers as the Duchess of Velvet Steel, hastened towards her office so she could comm Nezu and get the ball rolling on discovering who had tried to murder her baby boy.
With the Heroic Hearts
"I've just got confirmation from Lady Inko." Toshinori stated gravely. "This was almost certainly an assassination attempt on the Ducal Heir, Izuku Midoriya."
The mercenaries were currently gathered in the, quite spacious, room he'd been provided; seriously discussing the rather odd twist to had had been a legitimately entertaining match between young MechWarriors.
"Still, for an assassination attempt it seems a bit…slapdash." Mirio frowned once they'd finished going over the details Toshinori had received. "If Baroness Utsushimi's MechTechs had done a more thorough check of the 'Mech before the match, they'd have likely found the device."
"Agreed, this reeks of an attack of opportunity. Whoever is behind this likely found out about Heir Midoriya's chosen opponent and took advantage of the situation to make an attempt on his life. That indicates that the culprit is both highly placed and has some form of access to the Planetary Academy." Mirai stated thoughtfully, a frown crossing his lips. "That does not bode well for things to come when Young Midoriya departs for the Academy, particularly considering that the Academy is in the Planetary Capital and a mere ten minute walk away from the Guard Tower, Nezu's own Command HQ. That someone was able to pull this off right under his noses is most concerning."
"There's also the method they used." Aizawa put in, looking grim. "At the very least, if this had gone off without a hitch, Utsushimi would have likely been killed in the blast as well. That means that whoever tried this either also had a grudge against her, or they more likely simply don't care who else gets caught in the crossfire."
"Good point, but what can we do about it?" Kaoruko offered. "Our contract was to assist with the defence of the Duchy of Green Valley, we're not chartered for work in the Planetary Capital."
"First, we'll do as we discussed with the Duchess earlier. Young Mirio, Young Nejire and Young Tamaki, you're to assist with Young Izuku's Mech training and do some light bodyguard work while you're at it." Toshinori stated. "If nothing else, the boy may have some insights into this mess that his mother has either missed or overlooked. Try and befriend the kid while you're at it, from what I've heard he could use a few extra friends."
The three younger pilots nodded.
"I'll also call Nezu in the morning and see if he can send us a copy of the Academy's standard security protocols. Mirai, Aizawa; I'd like the two of you to give them a once-over and see if you can find any potential flaws or holes our assassins might try and take advantage of." the large, blonde man continued. "If Nezu's work is anywhere near its usual level, its not likely you'll find much, but better safe than sorry."
"Understood." Mirai agreed with a nod, Aizawa nodding his own agreement.
"The rest of us will start our work on the main job and begin integrating into the local command structure. Let's let the locals see a bunch of 'dumb mercs' rigidly following the orders of their contracts and nothing more." Toshinori grinned knowingly at the others. The number of times they'd managed to pull the 'dumb merc barbarian' routine against regular military personnel was really quite astonishing.
They talked things over in finer detail for a while longer, before the group broke up, the rest heading back to their rooms. Toshinori stayed up a bit longer and looked into the night sky through his window.
'Mugen Shigaraki is out there somewhere.' he thought with a scowl. 'He was likely badly hurt when I crushed his cockpit, but the Clans still have the best medical technology in the Inner Sphere, so it's possible that he survived. Wherever you are, stay a cripple for the rest of your life. I'm washing my hands of you, Star Colonel. By defeating you in battle, I have avenged the murder of my friend, Eizō Tanuma. Rest eternally, ghost of the Jade Falcon.'
Shaking his head, the old warhorse turned and headed to bed, tiredness falling over him all of a sudden.
Outside the stars glittered menacingly, as if to mock him.
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Next Chapter: Daily Duty and 'Mech Training
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