CHAPTER 8
Shigata, Ashio,
Ashio Prefecture, Dieron Military District,
Draconis Combine,
September 29, 3074
Keiichi massaged his temple as he circled around the Xanthos, wondering what to do with the state of the quadruped beast. The battle damage was too extensive. If, and it was a big 'if', he could fix it, it would take months and the amount of c-bills equivalent to a new mech. His first reaction as the chief technician was to scrap the Xanthos entirely, and salvage the parts for other mechs. But he knew Scarlet would decapitate him if he even mentioned 'salvage' to her. The Xanthos was her prized possession, the battlemech that define her as the commanding officer of the Ryuken-go. It was dubbed 'Titania' as an allusion to her combat prowess. She would never want to part with it, no matter how absurd it was.
"What is the cost to get Titania back online?" Scarlet's voice felt like a dagger through Keiichi's heart.
"Cost?" Keiichi chose his words carefully. "I don't even know if it is possible…"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Scarlet growled; her eyes bled malice.
"Before we come to that, you need to understand something about your mech, Sho-sa," Keiichi cringed. "Your mech is a rare gem, and as such, needs to be treated differently than the rest of the Ryuken-go machines. Your gyro is heavy duty. It's an expensive piece of hardware, if you can find it in this part of universe. Your armor… the Capellans produce it. And we are quite a few parsecs from Capellan territory. And as you can see yourself, both are broken. Some internal structures are compromised. I will need full welding systems to be able to fix them. A few myomer bundles are burnt, but we can salvage those from the few Word of Blake mechs we salvaged…"
"I'm not interested in technology lecture, Chu-I," Scarlet said halfheartedly. "When will it run again?"
"I'm afraid…" Keiichi drew a deep breath, "… I'm afraid not until we get out of this planet, Ma'am."
"Get out of this planet?!" Scarlet roared. "To get out of this planet, we have to wipe out the Word of Blake and the Markham Marauders! To wipe out those dirtbags, I need my mech!"
"I'm sorry, Sho-sa, but it is not going to happen," Keiichi winced. He was certain Scarlet would jump on him and beat him senseless for giving her bad news. "The damage is too severe. I don't have the parts, and I don't have the tools to fix it. You can… you can kill me if you don't like what I said, but it won't make it any less true."
"You can't fix it?" Scarlet paced the floor back and forth for a few seconds, trying desperately to digest Keiichi's suggestion. "You, the Chief Technician of a renowned Draconis Combine military unit, cannot bring my mech back up to speed? Is that what you're telling me?"
"I'm sorry, Sho-sa," Keiichi sank his head between his shoulders. "I'm just human."
"Sonofabitch!" Scarlet looked at Keiichi as if she was about to swallow him whole, but in the end, she knew there was nothing he could do. "Then what should I ride to war? A pony with a rainbow hair?"
"I could… restore the Marauder to working condition in 2 days," Keiichi scratched something on his notepad. "It only sustains damage from a head shot. It shouldn't be too long to rebuild the cockpit."
"Marauder… non-jumping decrepit thing of a mech," Scarlet grimaced in displeasure.
"Actually, you'll get to command 2 ERPPC and a Gauss rifle," Keiichi said. "Against a mech with Blue Shield PFD, the Marauder is the better choice. And we both know, the Word of Blake loves them electronics."
"Yeah I know that," Scarlet muttered. She threw another look at her Xanthos, standing still with the last bit of defiance in it. "Alright, I'll take the Marauder. You have one day to get it ready."
"I'll make it my priority, Ma'am," Keiichi tossed a salute then walked away from the Xanthos.
The first time Vash visited the makeshift hospital, the blonde medic already captivated him. Her big round eyes twinkling like a couple emeralds, her bright smile, her hourglass curves, and her chime-like voice ringing with hope and spirit, everything lifted up his dark and macabre mood. But he couldn't make his move. The Word of Blake war machines was coming like a tidal wave, and he had to dive into the bloodbath, otherwise there would be nothing left of him and her.
Now that the Word of Blake had retreated, Vash revisited the hospital hoping to reignite the flame. His bandage, wrapped around his upper right arm, started to smell like cheese. He had to have it changed it before he got an infection and lost his arm. But it was not the only reason. He had not had sex for a while, since the one where his dick was pointing at, a dark-skinned young lioness named Noloty, was seemingly immune to his charm. The blonde medic gave him a preview of what was in store for him, if he could play it right.
Vash waited until the medic was done with a patient, then swooped in and took the seat in front of her. As soon as she saw him, her exuberance was sucked out of her. Her eyes turned dark, her face became somber, and her voice disappeared. She started unwrapping the bandage on Vash's arm but she kept looking at the floor, as if Vash's injury was too putrid to look at. And Vash knew it wasn't the case. She was a medic; she was trained to tend hideous wound.
Vash hadn't got the scantest idea what he did to piss her off.
"Thank you for taking care of my men," Vash tried to break the ice.
"Just doing my job, Sir," the medic sullenly replied.
"The world is a better place if everybody does his job to his heart's content. I appreciate it that you do."
"How about you, Sir? Did you put your heart in your bullets when you gunned down unarmed POWs?"
Vash looked at her and for the first time he saw fire in her eyes. "They were Word of Blake operatives," he muttered indifferently. "They were a threat to my men."
"They were unarmed non-combatants," the medic stood up brusquely. "You killed a nurse in cold blood as she answered your call for help."
"She was a Word of Blake operative."
"She was a nurse! She had nothing to do with war! You did not have to kill her!"
"I'm not taking that chance," Vash rose from the chair and met the nurse's belligerent stare. "We are fighting a war like we have never fought before. The Word of Blake is breaking every rule of engagements known to men. Do you not know what happened at Capella War College in '73? The Word of Blake brainwashed civilian POWs into sleeping agents to stab troops from behind. The Liao lost a lot of good men."
"Is that the reason why you put us on curfew?" the medic folded her arms around her chest. "Because we are threats to you?"
"I am protecting my men, soldiers who follow me into the valley of death and trust me to keep them alive. I will not breach that trust. I'll do whatever it takes to keep my men safe. I have to make sure the Word of Blake has not turned you into walking time bombs."
"And if we are, are you going to purge us the way you purged the Word of Blake non-combatants?"
Vash looked into the nurse's green eyes. "For you, I'll make an exception. It'll be a waste to see those pretty green eyes fade."
"What are you saying?" the medic puffed. "Are you going to spare me even if I have been 'reeducated'?"
"What would you do?" Vash flashed a smile. "If you see a diamond in the mud, wouldn't you save the diamond, no matter how disgusting the mud is?"
"I do not believe in killing," the medic softened up, with a hint of blush on her cheeks. She grabbed a fresh roll of bandage and started wrapping Vash's arm. "I do not believe hurting people is the way to solve a conflict. I want to be a doctor to help people, to liberate the sicks from their sufferings, to make this world a better place to live. I believe there is good in all humans, no matter how evil they seem. And that good is worth conserving."
"I think we misunderstand each other," Vash said. Arguing about the philosophy of their jobs defeated the purpose of him coming to this place. "I guess we get off on the wrong foot. So let's just start again. My name is Vash, Tai-I Vash, CO of Ryuken-go infantry company, but you can call me Duke."
"I know who you are," the medic replied coldly, still standoffish.
"Then you have me at a disadvantage, since I don't know your name."
"Risa," the medic finished up wrapping his arm. "My name is Risa. You can call me Risa."
"Well Risa, it is nice to meet you," Vash offered a warm handshake. "You may see me as a heartless bastard, but I do it to protect those who mean to me. People like you. I'm not a monster. I'm a shepherd, a protector that protects people who need protection. One day I'll show you a world without war, as a token of my gratitude and respect for what you've done for my men."
Risa stood still for a while, pondering if she should take Vash's offer or stay away from the cold-blooded murderer she believed he was. In the end she grabbed Vash's hand and gave him a small small. "That is very nice of you. I am sorry, it is not my place to judge you. I should've said thank you for liberating us from the Word of Blake reeducation camp."
"None required. Now we are on the same page, how about we get to know each other over dinner?"
"Sorry, I can't leave this premise. Your own curfew."
"Then I'd say you're no longer a threat to the Ryuken-go, so you can go anywhere you want." Vash gave her a jovial wink. "You've been eating below-standard DC rations for a while. I have access to hot soup and fresh vegetables."
Risa let out a soft giggle. "I have to tend injuries until 6."
"I'll be back before 6," Vash bowed his head. He walked away from the sick bay toward some tank crews who were chatting by their parked vehicles. "Hey! Does anybody have extra condom? I'll pay double!"
Iscariot, Ashio,
Ashio Prefecture, Dieron Military District,
Draconis Combine,
September 29, 3074
The assertive trots of the Bull Shark seemed to hypnotize the Word of Blake warriors, so much they backed up, clearing the way for the fearsome assault mech to approach the Ragnarok near the command center. The Bull Shark's escorts, a Wakazashi, a Highlander, a Catapult, a Rifleman, and a Longbow, followed their commander in a vee formation.
"I have terminated your contract," Precentor Mordecai's voice reverberated through the Ragnarok's external speaker. "Your service is no longer needed."
"You deviated from contract," Dultom Markham replied with bile in his voice, "and in doing so, voided it."
"Deviate?" Mordecai raised the arm of the Ragnarok to the Bull Shark's cockpit level. "You don't know the meaning of 'deviate'! You don't even understand the contract! You let the Reeducation Camp fall into the hands of the Kuritans!"
"Which put the Kuritans right in the middle of Shigata," Dultom chuckled. "They have dug their own graveyard. I have positioned my lieutenants to cut off their supply routes. We would crush them within two months, a combination of famine and overwhelming firepower. But you just had to take your force to attack the Kuritan stronghold without my consent, and proved us and MRBC, if you choose to do so, that you lack the discipline to govern a planet, and the absolute need of a veteran mercenary unit. Now tell me, Precentor, what would it make you if you terminate the contract with Markham Marauders?"
"It doesn't matter," Mordecai raised both arms, aimed at the Bull Shark's cockpit. "I will kill you right here, right now!"
"Right. Go ahead. Kill me. My lieutenants will leave Ashio. Do you think, after all the resources you've wasted, your superior will send you reinforcements to relieve your troops? You're lucky if he even answers your call. You're alone in this world, Precentor. The Kuritans will eat you alive."
Mordecai didn't reply. Slowly he lowered the Ragnarok's arms. "MRBC will hear everything! Your mercenary career is over, Dultom Markham!"
"MRBC is a fool, but in the end, it is a board for mercenaries. In all grievances between employers and employee, it never takes the employer's side." The Bull Shark turned around and walked away from the Ragnarok. "Accept it, Precentor. You've bitten more than you can chew, and the Markham Marauders is your best bet to get out of here alive."
"I'll give you one more chance to finish your job before I go to MRBC and have your license revoked," Mordecai said, trying to save his dignity. "If you fail, I'll make sure you are not getting mercenary job ever again!"
"I look forward to it," Dultom replied with a wry chuckle. "I'll deliver the head of the Kuritan CO to you myself. But interfere with my plan again, and I'll take all assets off world. You can deal with the Kuritans yourself, if that's what you'd prefer."
The Marauders mechs followed the Bull Shark until they were out of the Word of Blake camp, then Behemoth called Dultom. "So… what now?"
"What now? Go back to your post!" Dultom replied halfheartedly.
"The precentor said we're terminated," Glitch tuned in. "We're not doing this for free, are we?"
"Terminated? Pfft," Dultom snickered. "Terminated my ass. The precentor doesn't know what he is doing. If he terminates us, the Word of Blake is finished. The Kuritans have not launched a counter attack because they know we're still around, and we're more dangerous than those Word of Blake bozos. The precentor has to keep us around, because we're the only one standing between them and annihilation."
"So then, we'll see more money?" Medusa chimed in.
"We will," Dultom's sinister chuckle filled the comlink. "After the last Kuritan falls."
