CHAPTER 12

WE DO NEED ANOTHER HERO

Author's Note: the Sentinel RCAT belongs to Sentinel28II.

Harlech, Outreach,
Chaos March,
January 29, 3065

Trystan had been dreaming of visiting the mercenary haven for a long time. Up-and-coming young soldiers, lining up in front of him, looking for his tutelage (and money)… Just the thought of it was enough to make him salivating. A recurring fantasy of his placed him at the venerable Hiring Hall of Harlech, overseeing dozens of new recruits answering his call to join the Blazing Aces, while he meticulously reviewed their dossiers to find the best fit for his unit.

Except that now he didn't have a unit.

Saskia, on the other hand, was not impressed at all. Outreach was just another obstacle to get home, and she had a feeling that once she got rid of Outreach, another one would take its place. This place, the Inner Sphere, seemingly dragged her deeper and deeper into its gorge. She was not without consolation: Lei Fong managed to stop the bleeding of her zoid, so for the moment she didn't have to worry about exsanguination. Still, Lei Fong merely bought her time. Her zoid was still in mortal danger until they both could return to Planet Zi.

She caught the twinkling delight in Trystan's eyes, and it made her more frustrated. "How long before Planet Zi comes to discovery?" she vented.

"I don't know," Trystan replied, annoyed by Saskia's constant nagging about her home planet. "We barely make it here. We don't know where to find information. We need to find the library, but we don't know our way around Harlech. We need a map, but we don't know where to buy a map, let alone money to buy one."

"Every port should be furnished with information center," Saskia suggested, trying to be positive despite her bad mood. "Find one, and see brain filled."

"That's actually not a bad idea, coming from you," Trystan whispered under his breath. He scrambled the landing platform until he found a rectangular post with a small screen at the top. He tapped the screen and a hologram of a blonde girl, dressed in ancient Japanese high school uniform, appeared.

"Greetings, I am Usagi, your virtual tour assistant. Your journey through Harlech City starts with me. Para Espanol oprima ochocinco," the hologram said in a pleasing tone. "How can I assist you today?"

"Usagi, see Planet Zi come to plain sight!" Saskia seized the opportunity.

"I'm sorry, I do not understand the question."

"Nobody understands that creepy accent of yours," Trystan sighed exasperatedly. "Just back off and let me deal with it." He ushered Saskia off the information center and spoke to the hologram, "Usagi, show us the location of Planet Zi."

"I'm sorry, there is no such name in Harlech City."

"Oh ferrchrissake," Trystan rubbed his temple. "Usagi, show me the path to the library."

The girl disappeared and the overhead map of Harlech materialized. Several routes were highlighted in bright colors. "The fastest route would be taking the People Mover Express to Herrera St, then travel north by taxicab. The cost is 65 c-bills per person. If money is a concern, take No.4 bus to Comstar then walk a few miles north across the bridge. If you want a scenic route, take No.7 bus along Garrett River, although I must advise you not to take this route due to the Summit at Harlech Square."

"What kind of Summit?" Trystan asked half-heartedly.

"A meeting regarding FedCom Civil War. Mercenary representatives from Waco Rangers, Fighting Urukhai, Sentinels …"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Trystan felt his heart jumped to his throat. "The Sentinels? Here? Who represents the Sentinels?"

"Commander Sheila Arla Vlata and…"

"Usagi, show me the path to Harlech Square!"

The map reset itself and a different path occurred. "The fastest route would be taking the People Mover Express to Harlech Square. The cost is…"

"Thank you Usagi!" Trystan grabbed Saskia's hand. "We are going to Harlech Square! Osiris! Let's move!"

"One moment!" Saskia yanked her arm free. "Harlech Square? The library is bound to our pressing concern. And yet you lay eyes on different sort?"

"Forget library! The Sentinels can give us better information!" Trystan loped and hopped toward the People Mover Express, a monorail not far from the space port. "It's is a Regimental Combat Arms Team with operatives from all places, Spheroids and Clans alike. Their knowledge is thicker than any library book. If there is one thing we can ask about star systems, it is them. Come! We don't want to miss this train!"

Still confused, Saskia followed Trystan into the monorail, and Osiris jumped in just as the door slid close. She observed Trystan, and caught the ember of excitement in his eyes. Suspecting a hidden agenda, Saskia's eyes bore into Trystan's with all the pent-up frustration, "My concern never spurs your intent, belched forth from the mentioning of Sheila Arla Vlata. Let tongue rattle and hold none. Who is Sheila Arla Vlata, and why does she deserve more audience than the library?"

Trystan saw no way around the ever-restless Saskia. "When you grew up, did you look up to somebody as a hero?"

"My father," Saskia frowned, unsure of what Trystan was suggesting. "He was a decorated officer of Helic Republic. A pilot with few equals. The reason of my existence. The sun behind my passion of flying."

"I grew up with posters of Sheila Arla Vlata on my walls," Trystan exhaled sharply. "She is everything I wanted to be: a great leader, a courageous warrior, a masterful tactician. Every time I think about the command of the Blazing Aces, I see her, just like you see your father every time you fly. What would you do to see your father again? To feel the warmth of his hand as you tell him how far you have flown? The same with me."

And it was the truth. Saskia joined the military because of her father. She always wanted to be a pilot, because her father ignited her life-long affinity to graze the sky. And she never had a chance to show her father how much of a pilot she had become. Her father died in an internal conflict within Helic Republic military. She didn't know how much she would sacrifice to meet her father again just to tell him about her accomplishment. Somehow she could share Trystan's anxiety to meet the very person that had become the driving force behind his spirit.

"I shall tread in your path," Saskia finally said with a mellower tone. "But I would have word that afterward you will turn eyes toward my cause, absent unnecessary entanglements."

"Just let me meet her and shake her hand," Trystan said, half pleading. "I will mention Planet Zi to her, see what she knows about it. If she doesn't know, we go straight to the library."

The childlike gusto in Trystan's eyes melted her heart. She still didn't trust him, and she still doubted his true intention, but she knew this time Trystan spoke from the heart. He could not fake a strong emotion like that. It made her smile, watching a grown-up acting like a teenager, driven by the anticipation to meet his idol. A free entertainment that took her mind away from the stress, if only for a moment.

The journey on the monorail ended up quicker than anybody expected, except for Osiris who didn't have anything to do aside from watching the buildings passed by. The monorail stopped right in front of a big building, a superlounge by the name of Harlech Square. The door barely slid open when Trystan jumped out, followed by Saskia and Osiris who became annoyed at his behavior. He rushed toward the building but Saskia and Osiris held back, refusing to be dragged around by a little kid inside a toy store.

The building was crowded with people with military attire, and Saskia thought they would spend all day looking for the woman, but Trystan found his mark in less than 5 minutes. She was a tall woman, dressed in white-blue uniform with royal blue cloak and a katana strapped on her waist, talking intently with somebody. Another woman who dressed up just like her but with green cape was talking to somebody else next to her.

Trystan let out an agonizing groan, but yelped in ecstasy as the conversation cut short. As soon as the other guy went, he charged Sheila and seized her before she had a chance to do anything. "Commander! My name is Trystan Vandenberg. I am a big fan of you and the Sentinels. Very nice to meet you, Ma'am!"

But Sheila took half a step back and made a deliberate attempt to avoid contact with Trystan, who enthusiastically extended his hand for a handshake. She observed the young man from head to toe, shooting a suspicious stare as if he was an assassin coming for her head. Her voice was laden with restraint as she replied, "Who are you? Are you in this summit?"

"I might as well, Ma'am, but… well never mind," Trystan saw no purpose of spilling his entire misfortune upon the commander, so he took a deep breath and tried to make a good impression in front of his childhood hero. "I am Trystan Vandenberg. I am the grandson of Duke Gideon Vandenberg, the founder of the Blazing Aces mercenary."

"Duke Vandenberg," Sheila eased up. "I've heard of him. His last battle was in Kaesong, wasn't it? My condolences, the Inner Sphere is not the same without him. I'm Commander Sheila Arla Vlata, Sentinel RCAT."

"I know," Trystan tried to keep everything together when he finally shook hands with her. "I follow your exploits from Rasalhague to Twycross to Planting to Sudeten to Kagoshima to Vierentofta… It is so nice to finally meet you in person, Commander Arla Vlata."

"You had me at a disadvantage," Sheila managed to shot a small smile. "You know everything about me but I know nothing about you. What are you doing at Outreach? Attending this summit? Recruiting?"

"Actually, Ma'am, I come here by accident," Trystan smiled awkwardly as he motioned Saskia and Osiris to join him. "These are my friends, Saskia van Leewenhoek, and Star Captain Osiris of the Wolf…"

"Wolf?" Sheila looked at Osiris, trying to put the much-older man along with the two other youngsters. Something didn't seem quite right. "Star Captain Osiris? So what are you doing here, in a mercenary world? This is the last place I expect to see a Star Captain from Wolf."

"Are these people bothering you, Sheila?" the other woman came to Sheila's side.

"Nah, just chatting," Sheila replied coldly. "This is my associate, Lieutenant Commander Senefa Malthus, but I guess you already know that too. Senefa, this is Trystan Vandenberg, the descendant of Duke Gideon…"

"Malthus!" suddenly Osiris grimaced. His body tensed with rage. "Seems like the Falcon chicks have deserted The Way of The Clan so much they pissed on their own bloodnames!"

The unexpected hostility from Osiris took everybody aback, except for Senefa. She walked up to the dark-skinned man, shooting scorching brimstones from her eyes. "If you are not familiar with the term Circle of Equal, I will meet you at the back of the building, right now! Who are you?"

"I am Star Captain Osiris of the Wolf!" Osiris growled. "I know what Circle of Equal is! I beat an Elemental in one!"

"I killed my fellow Falconer in one!"

"One without claws!"

"Wolf Elemental is sluggish like a pregnant bitch! Maybe you are too!"

Any reference to natural procreation was a serious insult in Clan culture. Osiris started to unsheathe his kukri. "Draw the line, mercenary, and I will meet you inside! Right here, right now!"

"Senefa, come on now," Sheila grabbed Senefa's arm before the hotheaded Clan expatriate lunged at Osiris. "We're not doing it here."

"I can beat him, Sheila!" Senefa turned her rage at her best friend. "I can beat that pup in three moves!"

"I believe you, but this is not the time," Sheila whispered. "We are not here to fight. Come on, let go."

Senefa let out a sharp sigh, then turned toward Osiris. "Put a choke collar on your neck before I beat you to pulp!"

"I will wear your jess as my necklace!" Osiris replied with just equal bile.

"Stand down Osiris," Trystan tried to defuse the situation.

"Falcon chicks do not deserve honor, least of all those who join mercenaries!"

"Star Captain! Stand… down!" Trystan yelled, drawing attention from nearby people. "I will not ask again!"

Saskia watched the entire sequence with her jaw on her chest. This weird alien world became weirder and weirder by the hour. She looked at Trystan, demanding explanation.

"Let it go," Trystan just shook his head. "You don't want to know this one."

"I apologize, it seems that my friend has not left The Way of The Clan," Sheila quipped.

"No, no, Osiris goaded her, it is I who owes you an apology," Trystan replied.

"Let's get civilized then. What did you say about you coming here by accident?"

"Uhm… my friend Saskia, she comes from a place Planet Zi. She wants to go home, but we can't find where it is located. I wonder if you have heard about it."

"Planet Zi?" Sheila and Senefa winced at the same time, then looked at each other as if asking for the other's counsel. "There is no such thing in the Inner Sphere. Maybe a Clan world?"

"There is no star system by that name in Kerensky's Cluster. That much I know," Senefa mused.

"Somebody suggested it was the name of the system in native language. But how do know which one?"

"I doubt it," Sheila shook her head. "My best guess would be uncharted territory. But let me ask you this: By what means did she come here in the first place?"

"I was fighting a large vessel," Saskia tried to explain her situation. "My zoid was tangled on the hull when an energy surge appeared. Then suddenly I was at Antallos."

"There was no system within 1 jump from Antallos by the name of Zi," Trystan added.

"So you think she got dragged by a jumping ship," Sheila mumbled. "What kind of ship?"

"I had no recollection of the sort," Saskia shook her head in distress.

"Why did you attack it?" Senefa tuned in.

"I had no hands in it. It attacked me first."

"Why did it attack you?"

"It wanted Gilvy, my zoid. Its offspring made bid that if I fell, they would take Gilvy…"

"Bid?!" Senefa interjected. "Bid? Like in Clan's batchall?"

Saskia could only look at Trystan. "I uh… I don't know."

"You never said you made contact with the ship?" Trystan stared at Saskia blankly.

"Does he know anything about this?" Sheila pointed at Osiris, then moved to speak to Osiris herself. "Do you know anything about this?"

"It was the CWS Blood Drinker," Osiris said. "We were going to Rasalhague to challenge the 32nd Bear Assault Cluster. We came from New Oslo, so it was supposed to be one jump. But we arrived at a different place. It was a world like nobody had seen before. Then we saw the steel dragon. We fought for its possession, but we were beaten. We turned around and escaped to Antallos, but the steel dragon had lodged itself on the Blood Drinker and followed us to the Inner Sphere."

Trystan felt like he was just struck by a lightning bolt. "You knew about this? And all this time you hold information from me?"

"You never asked," Osiris spat bitterly.

"Are you trying to play games with me, bondsman?" Trystan walked up to Osiris. "I asked you dozens of questions and you gave me vague replies!"

"You… never… asked!" Osiris hissed, meeting Trystan's fiery stare with his own.

"Perhaps you didn't ask the right question, young man," Sheila took control of the conversation. "Osiris, who authorized the attack on the 32nd Bear Assault?"

"Star Captain Benten."

"Ah, the Wolf Perv," Senefa made a derogatory comment. Sheila turned to her friend, and Senefa met Sheila's inquisitive stare with a flaming one. "Jade Falcon's pejorative epithet for a certain Wolf pilot who enjoyed torturing women. He made a cowardly attack on Antares while most of Jade Falcon units were attacking the Inner Sphere during the Invasion. He was probably looking for an easy win against a lightly guarded world, but good thing he was beaten by my Falconer peer, Tyrine McCaig."

"He might be raiding Rasalhague with the same intention," Sheila sighed. "Some people never change. But we get one thing straight: wherever Planet Zi is, the Blood Drinker has the coordinate. It's been there."

Trystan felt stupid in front of Sheila. He spent weeks trying to dig the information from the wrong places, while the answers were right in front of him. It was not like he tried hard, but Sheila and Senefa didn't try as hard as he did, and they solved the puzzle in less than 10 minutes. Sheila herself said that he didn't ask the right question. That was not the impression he wanted Sheila to remember about him.

"Commander, how do I get the information from the Blood Drinker?" he asked. The damage had been done, so he might as well get everything he could from the commander. "It's a property of the Wolf Clan."

"Like you would to any Clan possession," Senefa started to lecture him. "Batchall. Challenge him in a fight, bid wisely, and make sure you beat him. Benten is tough, and he likes to cheat. Anticipate the unanticipated. You have Osiris, who knew Benten. Use him to your advantage."

"But I don't have an army to challenge him," Trystan bemoaned. "I was betrayed by my lance mates. They killed my mother, took command of the Blazing Aces and sold me to the pirates in Antallos. I have nothing, not even money to buy weapons. How should I go fight Benten?"

Sheila took a time to observe Trystan once again, trying to decide if she would lend a hand or not. In the end she reached for her comset and punched some number. "Max, are you still at the office? Listen hon, I need you to check on something…"

As Sheila left to make a conversation over the phone, Senefa and Osiris locked eyes again, and both of them began to take fighting stance, as if they would start fighting. But nobody made a move, and they held their position while shooting nasty stare at each other, letting the other know that their presence was not appreciated.

It took Saskia a while to digest everything, and understand that the two women made more progress in 10 minutes than Trystan in a month. She turned to Trystan, dumping her frustration and discontent in a single look. "You wasted my time."

"I'm sorry," Trystan could only sigh. "I'm sorry, I have no idea Osiris knows everything. It's his fault that he holds things from me."

"You never intend to extend hands, do you?"

"I do! I'm trying, but even if we knew, we had no chance to fight Star Captain Benten. You don't understand, these people are nasty! We need serious firepower to fight them!"

"Gilvy and I could've raised arms against them. I beat them before."

"I don't think so. You barely escaped the pirates. The Wolf Clan is 10 times stronger than the pirates. It's a good thing we meet the Sentinels today. We'll need every bit of help from them."

"Well Vandenberg, your story checks out," Sheila returned from the phone conversation. "The Blazing Aces escaped New Aragon a year ago and hadn't scored any major contract. What they did was signed endorsements and battlemech fairs."

"The commanding officers are incompetent assholes," Trystan growled in a fit of rage. "They don't know anything about running a mercenary command."

"So we're giving them a bogus mission to Chara III in Lyran Alliance. The Blazing Aces will arrive believing they are suppressing a local insurrection, an easy campaign with reasonable payday. You have approximately a month to gather everything you can to ambush them and take control of the Blazing Aces. Once you do, take it up to Benten for the ROM of the Blood Drinker."

"How do I ambush the Blazing Aces without weapons?"

"Son, I gave you the bait. You have to do the fishing yourself," Sheila looked at him in the earnest. "If you are what you said you were – the grandson of Duke Gideon Vandenberg – you'll know what to do. And remember, Leadership 101: Know your enemy AND your ally."

"Yes, Commander, thank you so much," Trystan's face turned red as Sheila's deliberate criticism stung him. But it was a good lesson to learn, one that he would remember for the rest of his life. "I hope next time we meet I will make a better impression."

"I look forward to it," Sheila smiled and extended her hand for a handshake. "Good luck, Kid."

"Me too, Commander," Trystan shook her hand vigorously. "I am indebted to you."

As Sheila left, Senefa gave Trystan a courteous nod, then flung a nasty stare at Osiris one last time. "Next time, pup."

"I will rejoice washing my blade in your blood, Falcon chick!" Osiris replied with equal venom.

As the two women walked away, Saskia looked at Trystan, "What now?"

"Find the earliest jumpship to Chara III," Trystan muttered, "and start recruiting."