BOOK V

CHAPTER 1

International Zone,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,
January 15, 3075

Noloty looked at the behemoth of a city through the small window of the dropship, not knowing exactly what to make of it. The center of the gaming world, Solaris City powered by five beating hearts, the Class-Six arenas where the "best" mechwarriors from around the Inner Sphere (although Noloty really questioned the use of word) battle each other in a free-for-all matches with millions of c-bills on – and off – the table. Closest to the Solaris starport is Boreal Reach, the massive high-tech building occupying a few blocks of Black Hills. Ishiyama was a little farther on her left, a gigantic man-made mountain overlooking the Solaris River. The pyramid of The Jungle hid behind the shadow of Boreal Reach, but the Capellans made sure it shone over its bitter rival by installing colorful bright lights. The Factory, in contrast, was a drab, blockish, rusty industrial complex that was once a shuttlecraft factory. And far in the distance, the replica of Roman Colliseum still instilled the chills of any mechjocks, just like the original one mesmerized many gladiators centuries in the past.

The Ryuken-go was ecstatic to be here. Noloty couldn't say the same.

"I know what you think," Scarlet chimed, observing the unimpressed expression in Noloty's face. "I know where you stand on mercenaries and prizefighters. But we don't have much choice. Dieron High Command had made it clear that the Ryuken-go was not to be reinforced, at least not before Operation SCOUR commenced. I don't want to sit while our comrades are driving stakes through the hearts of the Word of Blake. I want the Ryuken-go to be a part of Operation SCOUR. And I can't make it happen without reinforcement."

Noloty turned to face Scarlet with somber look in her eyes. "What are left of the Ryuken-go are a few battle-hardened warriors with high moral standard, Ma'am. What we will find here are hobos, opportunists, and journeymen with mediocre skills and inflated egos. The good ones are too expensive, and the affordable ones are just…" She struggled to find words to get her point across without provoking Scarlet, but in the end she just used one she felt best representing her mood, "… shit."

"I would love to get fresh graduates from Sun Zhang or Proserpina, but it's not going to happen," Scarlet sighed heavily. "This will have to do, for the time being."

"I feel like we are driving the Ryuken-go to the brink of mercenary world," Noloty averted her eyes.

"Then any ideas will be entertained," Scarlet huffed. "What do you suggest, Tai-i?"

Noloty tried her best to come up with a solution, but with basically every planet in the Inner Sphere fighting against the Word of Blake, there is no where else they could find assets to replenish the ranks of the Ryuken-go. Solaris was – literally – the only place left that could supply reinforcements.

"I stand behind your decision, Ma'am," Noloty's voice was heavy but firm.

"Look, I understand your concern, but this is just a temporary solution. We'll make it there, you and I. We'll mold them into a fighting force worthy of the name of Ryuken-go."

"Yes, Ma'am," Noloty bowed her head, even when she was not as confident as Scarlet.

"I have to go for a few days," Scarlet looked outside the window, the way Noloty did a few minutes ago. "I'll leave the Ryuken-go in your hands."

"What? Where are you going, Ma'am?" Noloty said nervously.

"Need-to-know basis. Something I have to do. I'll be back before you know it." She turned around to face Noloty with a rare smile on her face. "Have fun, and keep your eyes open for potential assets. This place is not as bad as you believe it is."

"It is as bad as what I believe it is!" Noloty blurted. "There are triads and tongs and mafias under the streets, and they are preying on unsuspecting visitors like us! If we're not careful, they are going to mug us blind and leave us on the street!"

"Do you have to be negative at any situation?" Scarlet started to get annoyed.

"I believe in being prepared, Ma'am."

"Don't question my preparation," Scarlet slid her jacket open, showing the hilt of a wakizashi. "I'm not taking on the streets of Solaris City naked."

"At least bring somebody with you," Noloty suggested. "Take Tai-I Vash or one of the bigger infantrymen to cover your blind spots."

"I don't need a bodyguard, Tai-I! I can take care of myself!"

"Then maybe Mirabel. Please consider, Ma'am. If anything, it'll give me some peace of mind, knowing that you are not alone in this wretched place."

Scarlet looked at Noloty, wondering what she would do with her hotheaded but overly-cautious lieutenant. In the end she let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. I'll take Mirabel with me. Now let's address the group. They need to hear it from me that your words are mine."

"Thank you for your faith in me, Ma'am," Noloty said sheepishly. "It is a great honor to lead the Ryuken-go in your stead, especially that I am the newest member. I will not let you down."

"I know you won't," Scarlet slapped Noloty's arm, then walked out of the command center.


Noloty followed Scarlet through a maze of tunnels until they arrived at the mess hall. The atmosphere was electric. The Ryuken-go members knew what lied before them, and they couldn't wait to get out of the dropship and immersed themselves in the game festivities, especially that VEST Invitational had reached the boiling point.

"Ten-hut! Officers on deck!" Vash boomed as Scarlet and Noloty entered the hall.

"At ease," Scarlet said. "We are granted 6 months of R-n-R, and we are here just in time. There's a tournament going on. Take advantage, make a few c-bills, and have fun. But remember that you are still carrying the banner of Ryuken-go and Draconis Combine. Play hard but play responsibly. Don't do anything that you will regret. Are you up for that, Ryuken-go?"

The Ryuken-go replied with a thunderous cheer that rattled the dropship wall.

"I will have to take care of some business. Tai-I Noloty will oversee day-to-day operation. Report to her until I relieve her. Her decision is my decision, so make sure you carry her orders. Any insubordination will be punished severely. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" the Ryuken-go roared in unison.

"Gunjin Mirabel, unfortunately you have to come with me," Scarlet said.

"Ryokai, Ma'am," the ever-vigilant Mirabel broke through the crowd and stood in Scarlet's presence. "It is my honor to serve you, Ma'am."

"Tai-I Noloty, I leave them in your hands," Scarlet left, followed by Mirabel.

"I would suggest you stay in Kobe," Noloty addressed the crowd. "We don't know this territory, so I'd prefer you to stay where Draconis Combine is in control."

"Is that an order, Ma'am?" Vash interrupted with a jovial smile.

"No, that is not an order, but highly recommended. If you have to venture out to other areas, proceed with caution. There are some cheap lodgings at Kobe if you don't want to stay at the dropship. Keep your comset on all the time. Talk to me when you get into trouble. I will stay at the dropship, so you know where to find me. Like Sho-sa Scarlet said, have fun but stay alert. Keep yourselves out of trouble." She gauged their reaction, and noticed that they couldn't wait any longer to get out of the dropship. "I will talk to the company commanders. The rest of you, you are dismissed."

The crowd dispersed in a loud chattering. Risa started leaving with the other medics when Noloty called for her. She turned and came to Noloty's presence, until only Kiyomi, Vash, and Keiichi remained. She realized that those were the company commanders, and she wasn't sure why Noloty wanted her in the fellowship.

"I uh… I'm a civilian, Tai-I Noloty," she said awkwardly.

"Just stay and listen," Noloty retorted. "There's nothing you can't do."

Risa looked at Vash, desperately asking for help. When she didn't get any, she just nodded at Noloty.

"As you may have heard, the Ryuken-go had been denied reinforcement," Noloty briefed the company commanders. "Sho-sa Scarlet picked this place for R-n-R because of the potential assets Solaris offered. We need good, dependable, and cheap combatants that might be willing to fight for the Draconis Combine. As commanders, I need you to be aware of such potentials. I know the chance is slim, but there's no hurt in doing it anyway."

"There's no rest between you and Scarlet, is it?" Kiyomi grumbled. "Everything is about work, work, work."

"Our goal is to join Operation SCOUR," Noloty ignored Kiyomi's complaint. "We have to show DC High Command, and ultimately Devlin Stone, that Ryuken-go is fit to take part in the operation. Without DC reinforcement, it is almost impossible to get back to where we were before Ashio campaign, so we have to take things into our own hands. One year is not long to fill in the gaps in our ranks and mold the new warriors into a tight-knit unit. We need to do this for the future of Ryuken-go."

"What do you want us to do? Just wander around and distribute pamlets?" Vash muttered skeptically.

"The Guild Hall is a good place to start. Many up-and-coming jocks start there to find suitable stables. See if you can find ones that are willing to fight Word of Blake instead. Taverns are good places too. Lastly, the arenas. There is only 1 winner in every match, meaning the rest of them are losers, sometimes losing their entire fortune. Offer them a position. If they say no, move on."

"I wished I didn't have to deal with Ryuken-go affairs while we are here, but hell, I'll do it," Kiyomi sighed.

"Yeah, well, we are all commanders," Vash grimaced. "Like you said, we don't get rest."

"Risa, you are the most experienced member of the medic team," Noloty turned to Risa. "You can be the Acting Commander of Ryuken-go Medic Corp."

"But I'm a civilian," Risa protested. "I don't have military background like the rest of you."

"We'll deal with formalities later, when such problem arises," Noloty winked. "You know how the medic corps operates in the battlefield. Recruit medical operatives that have the quality to perform such work. Call me if you need any help. Is that understood?"

"Uhm… yes, Ma'am," Risa replied nervously.

"Chu-I Keiichi, I want to visit Draconis Combine Equipment Liaison with you."

"Yes Ma'am," Keiichi replied, giving Risa a quick glance. "When do you want to go, Ma'am?"

"Tomorrow. Be ready to go first time in the morning. Don't stay up too late. I need you sharp to look for good and affordable war machines."

"Yes Ma'am," Keiichi threw a quick salute.

"That's it, Commanders. Dismiss, and have fun."


Noloty was walking toward the command center when Kayoko intercepted her on the hallway.

"So?" she gave Noloty the googly eyes.

"So… what?" Noloty smiled awkwardly.

"Solaris, Baby!" Kayoko jumped about like a little girl in a doll shop. "We're at Solaris! Do you not realize what we can do here for the next few months? Making money, hang out with mech-athletes, some of which are rich and cute, by the way. I always want to go to Valhalla Club, so I can tell my kids and my grandkids, 'Hey, I got to meet the O'Bannon Sisters, or Kai Allard-Liao, or Parker Kerensky, or Chen Yeung at the Valhalla Club…'"

"I uh…" Noloty scratched her head. "Sorry, Kayoko, I am not interested."

Kayoko took a step back and looked at her best friend like a kid that just saw a battlemech for the first time. "Now that's just heresy. Why won't you do that?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not interested in acquaintanship with fame hunters."

"Fame hunters? Come on…"

"Seriously, what do these people do here? There's a war going on in the Inner Sphere, and these chums just waste their skills for a few c-bills and fame that means nothing outside the arenas."

"I don't know you regard Solaris Games this lowly."

"Yeah, well…"

"Alright, how about Thor's Shieldhall? You've got to go to Thor's Shieldhall. It's the experience of a lifetime. To be in a real mechwarrior's bar. Come on, just because you're the 2nd in Command, doesn't mean you have to be Scarlet."

"I'm not, Kayoko, I just have things to do," Noloty cringed. She knew how much fun Kayoko wanted to have, but she just couldn't let go of her responsibility. "I need to make inventory of our assets. We're going to visit DC Equipment Liaison tomorrow, and I need to know how much money I can spend on war machines."

"And you could't do it on our way here?" Kayoko gritted her teeth. "We spent almost a month rolling our thumbs in space, you know."

"I didn't know about this back then. Scarlet dropped everything on me 15 minutes ago, literally." Noloty gave Kayoko a morose look. "I promise, I'll go to that Thor place with you. I'll watch the game with you. I'll go to the betting stands with you. Just not now."

"Alright, fine," Kayoko sighed in defeat. "You don't know what you're missing."

"I know. It comes with the territory." Noloty gave Kayoko a quick hug. "Be safe, OK? It's a mad world out there. Why don't you go with Kiyomi? Bring somebody to watch each other's back."

"Alright, I'll go with Kiyomi." Kayoko nodded. "From now on, Kiyomi's my BFF until you decide to be my friend again!"

Noloty nodded with a sour smile on her lips. "Have fun and stay out of trouble."


Keiichi had made half a dozen plans for him and Risa but Noloty's put his motion in a screeching halt. So he waited until Risa was alone, then approached her with high hopes.

"Risa, hi," he shot a goofy smile. "I uh… well first of all, congratulations on your promotion. You are the head of the Medic Corps now."

"Ah, Tai-I Noloty is just being a bit rushed," Risa giggled sheepishly. "I am not qualified to handle such a prestige position."

"No no no, you are, you are a great medic. You showed everybody that you had a good heart and skill to be a member of the Ryuken-go."

"Thank you, you are being very nice," Risa's face turned pink.

"Well, I uh… I want to visit some places, like the Battlemech Museum, New Avalon Technologies, the Seventh Heaven, the Tekshop, among others… I would be honored if I can get your company, but I have to wait a little longer, since, you know… I have to go with Tai-I Noloty."

"I am flattered, Keiichi, but I am taken care of," Risa replied, much to his chagrin. "Tai-I Vash is going to take me to watch some tournament games. I have never watched a Solaris game before, so I think this is going to be interesting. But we can visit your places when you have some time in the future."

"Oh…" Keiichi stood dumbfounded. "Well then… I guess, I hope you have fun."

"Same to you. I'll catch you later." Risa flashed a warm smile, then continued toward the exit, presumably to regroup with Vash.

Keiichi wondered why her going out with Vash bothered him so much.