CHAPTER 5
Review Corner:
Ulquiorra9000: There will be time for R'nR. Kuritan engineers are among the best in the Inner Sphere :lol:
Jumpship Tsurezuregusa,
Ashio Orbit, Ashio Prefecture,
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine,
January 15, 3074
Uninterrupted sleep, gallons of fresh water, and proper shower put Noloty in a better mood.
The Overlord didn't have much to offer in terms of accommodation. It was just a military transport, designed to carry instruments of war. It didn't have enough elbow room to host thousands of civilians. But it did offer fresh water, which Noloty guzzled in reckless abandon. When the dropship docked with the jumpship, most civilians migrated to the grav decks of the bigger vessel for more comfort, although the jump ship didn't have much in that department, but still better than the cramped dropship. This left Noloty with some room to stretch her legs, so she just found herself a nice secluded corner in the dropship, then crashed from sheer exhaustion.
Noloty didn't know how long she was out. She woke up in one piece, unlike a few dreams which saw her being blown up to bits, and a few people laughing in her face, including the four mean cadets and the Lyran instructor. She ended up feeling sorry for herself, for carrying that memory longer than she should. She got up and found herself an unoccupied showerhead, then indulged herself in a long, overdue shower. She noticed a few people gave her that 'look', but she didn't care. Nothing could disturb her at this moment.
When her date with shower ended, she felt her stomach growling. She hadn't had anything for days. The last time she put food in her mouth was onboard the stricken jumpship, just before she was thrown into the world of Ashio. So naturally she wandered around looking for food. And it might just be coincidence she ran into Tsagoi and Oblivia at the entrance to the jumpship.
"You disappeared for a couple of days," Tsagoi quipped. "We thought you were dead."
"No, Sir, I was just catching some Z's," Noloty smiled sheepishly. "Where are we?"
"Still in Ashio System, waiting to jump."
"Last time I was in Ashio orbit, the jumpship was attacked, presumably by the mercenaries."
"The Markham's Marauders know better not to mess with Kuritan warships," Tsagoi chirped. He noticed the increasing growl coming from Noloty's stomach. "Out for some chow?"
"Yes Sir," Noloty nodded. She hadn't forgotten how physically appealing the CO of the 13th Legion of Vega was in mechwarrior gear. Now that his irresistible musculatures were concealed underneath military fatigue and camo pants, he looked every bit of a commander, but still hadn't lost his charm. She didn't want to lose her mind drooling over some hunk sitting high in military hierarchy, so she stared at her own feet, hiding her flushed cheeks which started to feel warm.
"We're just out for some snack," Oblivia said. "Come with us. We can eat and talk. That's pretty much everything we can do in this place."
"The rations are just standard DCMS issues, but it'll keep you alive," Tsagoi tuned in. "Of course, when you're hungry, anything tastes good. I suggest that you get yourself filled with whatever's available, until we come to Halstead Station. They have much better food over there."
"Halstead Station?" Noloty joined the siblings to the jumpship's mess hall.
"That's where we're going," Oblivia explained. "It's one of the staging planets to strike the Word of Blake. Some units have already stationed at Halstead Station for months."
By this time they arrived at the mess hall. Tsagoi and Oblivia didn't seem to be interested in the menu, which consisted of a bowl of rice and barley, sausage, vegetable, miso, and tea. Instead they went for a box of mocchi. If Noloty wasn't starving, she would pick mocchi too.
"So, Heishi, tell us about yourself," Tsagoi said as he sat on a bench in the middle of the mess hall. "How did you get involved in the Black Dragon Society, and what made you change your mind?"
"My father was an operative for Black Dragon Society," Noloty said as she shoveled the rice-barley compound into her mouth. "In the beginning the Black Dragon seemed to take good care of its personnel. But somebody told me that they abandoned my father to die when he was doing a mission for them. It was hard to believe, but it happened to me a few months later. I was part of a task force deep in Lyran space. The Black Dragon ordered us to assassinate a high-ranking Lyran officer. The mission was a bust. I was the only one lucky enough to survive the debacle. And the Black Dragon Society turned blind eyes on us."
"I'm surprised they still have followers," Oblivia said while munching. "Their sole intention was to oppose the reformed Kuritan – Theodore, Hohiro, whatever – in favor of the more traditional leader. They just can't see beyond the perimeter of the old way."
"Or don't want to," Tsagoi added. "Some Black Dragon followers are bright leaders, like the CO of the 2nd Sword of Light," he gave Noloty a quick gaze. "They must have seen the result of the traditional Kuritan way: unnecessary loss of good personnel, lack of flexibility in the field, bad reputation… Yet in spite of that, they continued the old tradition of loyalty until death, and carrying orders without questions."
"That is the reason I am looking for a transfer, Sir," Noloty said. "I have experienced this traditional way first hand, and I do not agree with it. It cost DCMS assets, young mechwarriors with promising talents. Not that I don't want to die in the line of duty. It is an honor to give up my life for Draconis Combine, but I want it with a clear purpose."
"You'll make a good commander one day," Tsagoi put another ball of mocchi in his mouth. "Have you considered a mercenary career? Most, if not all, aspiring mechwarriors want to be mercenaries. Work with major power for a few years, then go for hire. Leading a mercenary command is a very lucrative job."
"No Sir, not interested," Noloty replied firmly. She scooped the last bit of food into her mouth, then downed it with the tea. "Nothing in that way of life can justify the money. I want to serve DCMS."
"It's good to know where you stand, Heishi," Oblivia finished the last mocchi. "We don't want to refer you to somebody only to have you leave prematurely. The CO of the Ryuken-go is a good friend."
"I hope I am not a disappointment."
"You're not," Tsagoi leered. "You're stepping into the unknown, so just show yourself and let it go."
"Thank you, Sir," Noloty chugged the last drop of her tea. Tsagoi was right, the food was acceptable at best but she didn't mind. Now that her stomach had been satisfied, she looked at the Sandokan siblings and felt another hungering itch to appease. "Uhm, we have talked a lot about me, Sir. What about you? Do you have interesting background to share with me?"
"Why are you interested in his background?" Oblivia shot a devious smile. "Checking on my brother?"
"Uhm, I don't mean… I mean, both your background, Ma'am…" Noloty felt her face burning. "I didn't suggest anything, Ma'am. Just… making conversation. We're in a long flight, so… you know... making conversation…" Her effort to minimize damage made things more awkward.
"Pardon my sister's shenanigan," Tsagoi chuckled lightly. "Nothing interesting in our background, except maybe we were born at Turtle Bay, and dodged the orbital bombardment by the Smoke Jaguars. Our parents, however, were not so lucky. They were at Edo by the time the Jaguars burnt the city."
"I'm sorry, Sir, I am out of the line, I don't mean to open old wound…" Noloty cringed.
"It's been a long time," Oblivia said. "I barely remember the explosions and the mushroom cloud…"
"I still do, but like Oblivia said, it's been a long time," Tsagoi continued. "Lucky for us little kids, we were adopted by friends of the family until we were old enough to get our own life. Oblivia became a military medic, I pursued a career in DCMS military. But unlike my sister, I was deemed too wild for a lot of traditional Kuritan units, so I switched units several times until I landed on the 13th Legion of Vega."
"Some Kuritan units still live by the old code, even though they don't openly support the Black Dragon Society," Oblivia added. "But it was for the best since the 13th Legion of Vega's lies with the people, not the ruler. The unit consists of warriors from all corners of the Inner Sphere, and all have one common purpose: to serve and protect the people of Draconis Combine. Now both of us serve in the same unit."
"That's great, Sir, Ma'am," Noloty gave the siblings a courtesy nod. "Thank you for sharing with me."
"The pleasure is ours, Heishi Noloty," Tsagoi replied casually. "If you want to share something else, just let me know."
It might be just an innocent banter, but Noloty's heart skipped a beat. Was that an 'invitation'? Her mind shot up miles ahead, to a hypothetical place where pleasure was the common denominator… She felt her knees wobbled and her back lost its support. She didn't understand why she was losing control. She felt her face turned warm again, and she decided to leave before she embarrassed herself further. "I uh… I would like to visit the mechbay. I will see you around." She shot a small smile, then rushed to leave the Sandokan siblings, before she made a fool of herself.
"Share something else?" Oblivia shot a dirty look at her brother. "You're suggesting something?"
"None beyond what's dictated by DCMS Doctrines of Warfare," Tsagoi replied halfheartedly.
"Bullshit!" Oblivia scoffed. "I see how you look at her, and I know what you're thinking."
"Well, she's a very attractive woman, I don't deny that," Tsagoi cleaned up the crumbs on the table. "But if you think getting into her pants is all I think of her, you're sadly mistaken." He got up and threw the leftover to a garbage bin.
"I see how she looks at you, and I'm blind if I can't see what's on her mind. And I know you know it too, and I think you're going to take advantage of it."
"She is a talented mechwarrior," Tsagoi said without missing a beat. "Raw, but talented. Polished, she can be a lethal weapon for DCMS. There is a bigger fish to fry, my dear sister. Don't let petty things like sex make you lose focus."
"I hope you practice what you preach," Oblivia smiled. "Where are you going?"
"She left in a hurry," Tsagoi replied with a wink. "I'll see if she wants to share something else… in private."
It took a while for Noloty to regain composure. She rushed to the mechbay, hoping that the scene of war machines would take her mind away from the mechwarrior hunk. But she regretted that decision, and wished she hung out with the Sandokan instead.
At the corner of the mechbay stood her mech in a state she had never seen before. What was smooth-contoured armor plating now left jagged-edged metal scrap. Internal structures peeked from horrible gashes all along its body. Gear fluid mixed with coolant, oozing from holes and pockmarks like blood. They dripped into a pool of greenish sludge by the feet of the mech. It was so heartbreaking she cringed and covered her mouth with her hand.
"Not a good thing to see after a meal, isn't it?" Tsagoi suddenly appeared.
"No Sir," Noloty sighed. "This is hard to take."
"DCMS has many brilliant chief techs across the Inner Sphere," Tsagoi said. "And even if none of them are capable or willing to work on a Davion machine, I have connection with a few FedSun operatives that can lend a hand. Don't worry, we'll get it fixed."
"Thank you, Sir. I love my mech. He is not just my battlemech. He is my lucky charm." She took some deep breaths, looking at the mech as if it was her pet. "Rumor has it said that this mech killed 4 of its mechwarriors. The third one actually managed to kill another mech with him, but got tagged with a headshot in return. He gained reputation as a cursed battlemech. But I only have good fortune with him. Twice he kept me alive against overwhelming odds. I don't believe in Fairy Tail, Sir, but I do think my mech and I are meant to be together."
"I can see that," Tsagoi gave her a smile that melted her heart. "To fight Jormungandr and live to tell the tale, you must be very, very lucky."
"Jormun… what, Sir?" Noloty stood dumbfounded.
"Jormungandr. The Bull Shark that shredded your mech to pieces." He pulled out a compact holo-projector and showed the 3D image of a Bull Shark battlemech. "The Wolverines designed it to be their battlemech killer, capable of making short work of any war machine ever conceived. Not many of them are still operational, and Jormungandr is close to becoming a legend in its own right. Whenever it appears, bloodshed follows."
"I've never known there is a mech called Bull Shark," Noloty mused. "I've never heard of it at boot camp, and even my mech's computer couldn't ID the Bull Shark."
"I'll make sure your database is updated with the information about the Bull Shark," Tsagoi turned off the holo-projector. "You might find it handy next time."
"I hope there is no 'next time'," Noloty cringed. The thought of going head to head with the Bull Shark gave her some chill.
"Oh yes, there will be," Tsagoi looked at Noloty in the earnest. "You are returning to Ashio, and you will fight Dultom Markham again. Only this time, you are ready for him." He switched his sight over to the Sagittaire, bleeding oil and coolant in the distance. "The reign of Jormungandr is over."
Noloty's smile was infected by angst.
