CHAPTER 5
Pummelo, Outworlds Alliance,
August 27, 3074
When Neptune heard the relayed transmission from Mogami, he knew something bad was coming his way. Her message was nothing more than garbled transmission that did not contain much, but he captured the fear and panic in her voice. Mogami was a veteran mechwarrior, and oozing that amount of distress on a radio transmission must not be overlooked.
When he saw Mogami's battle-damaged mech returned alone, he knew that the Redfield Renegades fought 'dirty'. Dirty was actually a misnomer, since all is fair in love and war. But killing 3 of Mogami's lance mates – assuming they were killed - was no small feat, considering how fast and highly-armed the lance was. Either the Renegades were that good, or they used something Mogami didn't see coming.
"Did they return?" Mogami blurted as soon as she got out of her mech. "Did my lance mates ever come back?"
"You're the first one to return," Neptune said, a bit confused. "What happened out there?"
"They jammed our communication system," Mogami blabbered. "Visibility was poor, only 50 meters out. We lost our radars and were ambushed by unidentified mechs, possibly Redfield Renegades. I got separated from my lance, and when I got my sensors back, I was alone." She gave Neptune a grave look. "We have to go back. My lance mates are still out there. I need a search party to bring them back!"
"I feel for you, Sergeant, but do you know if they're still alive?" Neptune mused.
"They are! I know they're still alive! We are not leaving them behind! I am not leaving them behind!" Mogami turned around and made headway toward the hangar. "Get your team! We are going to get my lance back!"
"Wait!" Neptune grabbed Mogami's arm and turned her around to face him. "I know how you feel, but we can't sacrifice another lance! First of all we don't know when the Renegades are going to attack. We need every mech and every mechwarrior available to defend this base. Second, if we don't know how to deal with their jamming electronics, then we're just sending them to their deaths. We need more preparation to deal with this."
"My lance mates don't have much time!" Mogami sneered. "They're hanging their lives in a balance and I'm not sitting here trying to figure out how to deal with jamming frequencies! I am going back now and I need your full support!"
Neptune gave her a grievous stare. "I'm sorry, Sergeant, but I'm not risking my lance for speculations, and no other lance commander will do it either."
Mogami stood dumbfounded, trying to comprehend the gravity of Neptune's denial. "My lance did this work for you!" she bared her teeth. "Your light lance sit around the base rolling their thumbs while my lance provide pieces of information from the front line so you have a better intelligence about the Renegades! And now when they are in great danger, you're not at all feeling remorse! I guess I can't expect any better from mercenaries like you!"
"Make no mistake, I care about your lance mates as much as I care about mine!" Neptune growled. Mogami's constant disparaging comments about mercenaries started to get in his nerves. "But we are in a state of war, and as much as you hate it, you have to assume your lance mates are already dead! Put yourself in my place! If it were my lance mates out there stranded in limbo, would you send yours to recover them?"
Mogami couldn't answer that question. Part of her could see Neptune's logic. She did not know for a fact if her lance mates were still alive. She was just in denial. But who wouldn't? They were a tight-knit group of mechwarriors that relied on and fight for each other for a long time. She couldn't accept that they were dead. She just wanted to go back out there to find them, no matter how small the chance was, until she found them or their remains. If they were dead, she had to see their bodies. Any less than that was not acceptable.
"I'm going to Commander Korra!" Mogami yanked her arm off Neptune's grip.
"She's the one that sent you on this intelligence mission!" Neptune snarled. "I told you about her. She might have predicted, or even expected, this situation."
"Then she must take responsibility and undo this situation, something that you clearly have no interest in doing, or simply incapable of!" Mogami huffed and turned brusquely around.
"I would say you're wasting your time, but you're just not going to listen, so might as well come with you," Neptune followed her. "Not that it matters, anyway."
The command center was livid when Korra arrived. Two helmsmen yelled at each other, trying to decide something that sounded like an encrypted message. Half a dozen more punched buttons and pulled levers on the huge command console, not knowing exactly what to do. The main screen was still in static, but the little screens around it were busy emitting numbers and colorful shades.
"What is going on?" Korra said.
"We got incoming transmission, Commander," one of the helmsmen said. "We can't trace the source. Whoever sent this used a very sophisticated frequency masking."
Capellan Confederation was the master of sneaky attacks. Stealth Armor was the brainchild of their affinity to go behind enemy lines undetected and deliver a fatal blow when the enemies didn't expect it. She would expect the Capellans would come up with sophisticated frequency masking like this. She also expected that mercenaries working for Capellan adopted this doctrine of warfare. Korra was almost certain the encrypted transmission was from the Redfield Renegades.
"I'll take it on my quarter," Korra huffed.
"Yes, Ma'am," the helmsman punched in several codes. "Transferring to your quarter."
Korra rushed to her room, a 4-by-8 living quarter that only had a twin bed and a small monitor. As a ranking officer she got the best amenities on the field, but the spartan-like living quarters didn't offer much. She locked her door and turned on the screen. The face of a tall man in his 30's with blonde hair and sharp stare materialized on her screen.
"This is Brevet Commander Jr-Grade Phinks, 1st Battalion, Redfield Renegades," the man spoke haughtily. "I demand to speak with the ranking officer of the defending force."
"Commander Korra, Lexington Legends Mercenary Unit," Korra replied. "What do you want?"
"Your understanding of the situation," Phinks flashed a derogatory smirk, "and your cooperation for the sake of your life and the lives of those who follow you."
"We are both mercenaries, Phinks," Korra replied halfheartedly. "We both know we don't play by that rule. Unless you're talking about money, there's nothing you can give me."
"I'm holding 3 of your mechwarriors captive," Phinks shifted the camera, now showing Sam, Alex, and Clover in what looked like a dungeon. They were strapped on some kind of contraptions, which Korra could only guess were torture devices. They were still breathing, but in poor conditions because of the torture. "They fought like true mechwarriors of old, and even during captive they still maintain integrity and loyalty to the Federated Suns. It will be a shame to lose them in a war."
"What do you offer?" Korra snarled.
"Leave your base. I will return them to you once Redfield Renegades occupy the Langmore territory."
Korra expected that. Why would you spend resources and ammunitions if you could get what you wanted for free? He was using the mechwarriors as a bargaining chip, playing with Korra's compassion, hoping that she would do something to get them back. Perhaps not leaving the base intact, but he would probably take anything less than that, as long as it gave him significant advantage on the battlefield.
But the truth was, Korra never cared about Sam, Alex, and Clover. They were not part of Lexington Legends. They were local mechwarriors. Korra sent them back to the border as baits, to get a feel of what Redfield Renegades were bringing to the battlefield. The Redfield Renegades took the bait, and now Korra had a hint of the weapons and technologies the Renegades were taking to the battlefield.
"Like I said, Brevet Commander, if it's not money, there's nothing you can give me," Korra smiled. "If you want this territory, you and your battlemechs would have to go through me and my battlemechs. I'll see you in the battlefield."
Korra didn't wait for Phisk reply. She just cut off the comlink. She knew that she pissed him off enough, and he couldn't wait to see her head on a silver plate. And she counted on that. Rushing was the ingredient for mistakes, and when she saw one, she intended to make him pay dearly.
Mogami saw the image of Commander Korra zipping past the corridor in front of her, and she rushed to intercept her. She remembered what Neptune said about Korra, but she didn't hold back anything when she came to the older woman's presence.
"Ma'am, my lance was ambushed by enemy units. They disabled our radar and communication system. We got separated. My lance mates are still out there, probably undergoing torture, if not dead. Request a search party to retrieve them back."
"Negative," Korra replied halfheartedly. "I need every single one of my warriors to fight the Redfield Renegades."
"Ma'am, we come to this point because of my lance!" Mogami desperately argued. "You don't know their position until we provide recon data! You can't just abandon my lance mates! Please send a search party to bring them back, Ma'am!"
"I understand your responsibility as a lance commander, Sergeant, but the Redfield Renegades are on their way to destroy this base! If I split my company, I put a hole in the defense, and the Redfield Renegades will exploit it until it breaches. They will punish every single weakness they can find. We can't afford any opening in our defense."
"Is it your intention from the start, Ma'am," Mogami lost all inhibition, "that you send my lance as a bait to gauge enemy's strength? Do you actually have an exit strategy if my lance gets into trouble?"
Korra stopped walking. She turned to face Mogami. "Don't forget your place, Sergeant! So far I have put much respect in you for your exploit in the field, but I am the ranking officer here! I decide how to use our assets and resources! If you want to bring your lance mates back, be my guest! But you can't use any of my mechwarriors! It's all there is to it! Now dismiss, and don't ever question my decision again!"
Mogami stood still, taken aback by Korra's heartless remark. 'Heartless' might be too strong a word. In fact, she agreed with the older woman; the Redfield Renegades attack was looming, and splitting force to retrieve her lance mates who were or were not alive was ridiculous. She just had too much compassion for her lance mates to not trying to bring them back, no matter how fruitless her effort bore.
"I know she was a shady individual but she is right in this matter," Neptune said slowly from behind her. "Our priority is to defend this base, and any effort to split the force will only foil the plan. That might still be worth it, if your lance mates are still alive."
Mogami dipped her head in defeat. "I have failed my lance mates."
"It sucks, but there is nothing you can do to help them," Neptune put his hand over her shoulder. "The best thing to do now is to throw your arsenal behind our defense. We beat the Renegades, and then perhaps I will help you search for your lance mates."
Mogami scoffed. "If only you were not a mercenary, I would hold on to your words."
"Then there's nothing more I can offer," Neptune snarled. "I suggest you join my lance if you want to avenge the loss of your lance mates. But only if you trust a bunch of mercenaries executing a mercenary plan."
It was a mild insult aimed at Mogami's enduring distrust toward mercenaries, but Mogami was too distressed to reply. She just dragged her feet in agonizing gait to exit the building.