Chapter 2, by Kat Wylder

A smoky bar,
Harlech, Outreach,
February 12, 3068

"Oh, this is first class, lemme tell ya."

"Hey, they've got steak and booze, Hyper," said Colonel Aari, as he sliced into his meat. "That's good enough for me."

The woman he was addressing smirked and took a swig of her drink, then plunked the heavy beer mug down on the table. "Drinking contest! Whaddya say, boss?" she asked, grinning widely. True to her nickname, the tall, flame haired-woman was the most rambunctious MechWarrior on the lance, always chomping at the bit and ready for action.

"Oh, for the love of-- No more for you!" interjected a comparatively shorter man named Audren, as he snatched the mug from her. "I still remember the last time you got drunk."

Hyper faked a pout and then started on her own meal. "So, boss, what's the deal? I mean, not that I don't just love to hang out in bars where people smoke like chimneys."

Aari nodded and pushed his plate aside. "Well, we're not getting any younger, richer, or better looking by sitting around on our butts all day, are we? It's time we jump back into things, so we're heading to the FWL. Whit," he said with a nod to the tactics officer across the table, "says someone's got their eyes on Irian, and the IBMU is getting nervous. They've got a big defense contract for us."

"Sure you haven't bit off more than you can chew, there?" asked Lance Commander Nannen, as she leaned back in her chair. She took a sip of her wine, then stood and motioned for Aari to follow her. "Whit, sugar, don't let the waiter take my drink."

"So, what's on your mind, Faye?" the Colonel asked, as he walked outside the bar after her.

"Everythin'. So much has gone on lately. Are you sure we're ready for this? It sounds like a big op and we're still getting' back on our feet."

Col. Aari leaned back against the wall and sighed. In just under a week, he'd lost his entire lance to treachery, backstabbing, and desertion. That was three MechWarriors he had to replace, plus two chassis-- one stolen, one destroyed. He still felt guilty about Maro.

"Dangit, Faye," he muttered. "I should have figured it out before all this crap got started. I still can't get that out of my head. I should've known Randi was…"

"Shut up, Ken," said Nannen casually, as she leaned up against the wall beside him. She gave him a lazy glance and raised an eyebrow. "You're whining again. You know the only one who's attendin' your little pity party is you."

"I know, I know. I just feel like I let everyone down. …Especially Maro."

"Nah. It's not your fault, sugar. We'll make it, alright. Come on-- we're the Scimitars! It's gonna take more than a few Clan rats to stop us."

"Hey, I thought you were going to try and convince me not to take this contract. It sounds like you're encouraging me."

Nannen shrugged and gave him a lopsided smile. "Changed my mind," she said, as she shoved her hands in her pockets. "Besides, I got to thinking' about the numbers Whit showed me. We could use the cash."

Aari nodded and sighed. Audren and Hyper were transfers from another Scimitar lance, which saved him the intangible cost of building trust with them. Unfortunately, that left him one MechWarrior shy, and he still had to fill in the lance he pulled them from. The new trio of pilots was scheduled to meet up with the rest of the company tomorrow, which meant handing out three sign-on bonuses. Replacing the lost 'Mechs would take a bigger chunk out of the budget, and he would also have to dip into the Scimitar's account to cover the transport and cycle fees.

"So, how much did Sanders make off with when she screwed us over?" asked Nannen.

"Not counting the market value for the Loki, it's just over 300,000 C-Bills. Whit's still trying to figure out exactly how she got it."

Nannen swore and shook her head. "Wonder if the IMBU would be so kind as to provide their defenders with a couple of 'Mechs. Maybe an Awesome or one of the new Albatrosses they're pumping out."

"You know, speaking of Albatrosses, I still think it's odd that the Blakists got their hands on the ALB-5U before Marik's forces. I guess it doesn't matter, though. They're paying us well enough that I'm not to interested in digging around."

"Atta boy," Nannen said, as she gave him a light punch in the arm and headed back inside. "Now, come on. Whit might stop waiter from taking my drink, but I'm not sure he can keep Hyper away from it for long."