Hap settled back into the tedium. He again let his mind wonder. He thought about "the process of family making" and how he'd soon be a father. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that. He wanted to be a dad someday, but was now the right time? In nine months, they should be on New Avalon, he'd be in a new unit, and still trying to prove himself, probably competing for a command. It might not be the best time, but having a child seemed like one of those "no time is the right time" situations. Then again, was Hap ready?
He considered what it meant to be a father for a few kilometers. He thought of his own father. The radio flashed indicating Anastasia wanted to talk on their private channel. Without thinking he pressed the flashing button, "Yes, darlin'."
"Mon amour" Anastasia said in her quiet professional voice, but Hap could still hear the smile, "I fear the tedium of this operation is becoming a distraction. I was thinking I could probably maintain the prerequisite situational awareness and have a conversation with you. It might help me stay alert."
"I agree. It beats just quietly thinking and trying not to be distracted or zone out."
"What were you thinking about?"
"Being a dad, my dad, that sort of thing."
"You rarely talk about your father. What was he like?"
"Yeah I don't talk about Dad, because he was the sort of guy that didn't have much of a personality, just another job or chore to do."
"I'm certain there was more to your father than that."
"Not really, he was a quiet, hardworking practical sorta guy. He owned a 'mech garage and had a few contracts with the local garrison, plus we had a small town arena, so he'd fix up some of those 'mechs. Generally speaking when I came home from school if I didn't have homework he'd have me turning wrenches or greasing something. There was always work to do. He'd tried to put my sister to work doing the books but she didn't really have a head for math, so sometimes I'd help out in the back office too."
"That's odd."
"Alright I might not be able to calculate a planet's location 50 light years away, but that doesn't mean-"
"No a 'mech and a tank moved into range of my sensors for a moment then moved back out. Your math skills are satisfactory for what you do."
"Do they know you saw them?"
"I don't think so." Anastasia said, "Let me try to boost the signal and confirm it's not a sensor ghost."
"I'll warn the convoy commander." Hap said as he saw the red triangle designating a 40 ton 'mech and 35 ton tank appear on the edge of his tactical display. "Meet me on the lance net."
As Hap touched the button to change his radio to the command channel there was an explosion and the lead vehicle went flipping into the air. All the vehicles started to accelerate as the 'mech and tank made a hard turn and started coming toward the convoy. Hap heard multiple screamed orders in Chinese and all the vehicles in the convoy started to accelerate. Hap turned back to his lance control channel.
"Mags stay with the principal, and especially watch over our supply vehicle." Hap said. He was about to turn his 'mech when he thought he saw half a dozen clouds of smoke break out from a grassy ditch near the road. He realized too late it was infantry with handheld SRM launchers. One Platoon launched a salvo at him, and other platoon targeted one of the Strykers.
"Joker I got infantry with man pads on my 3 o'clock. I could use some help." Hap saw several hit indications across his left arm and leg. He turned his mech slightly to he could engage the oncoming Cicada and Pegasus hover tank.
"My 'mech was built for this." Joker laughed as he sent his Firestarter rocketing into the air and turned it around in mid air to face the infantry. "You know what's better than engaging infantry with a Firestarter"?
"Joker stay on the road." Anastasia warned as the Firestarter landed and there was an explosion engulfing the 'mech's right foot.
"Damn it now I'm mad." Joker cursed as he fought to keep his 'mech upright, he sprayed the ditch with his flamers and machine guns as the infantry used jump packets to try and escape the fire and bullets.
Hap had raised the Griffin's Arm mounted PPC as was getting the cross hairs lined up one of the jump infantry soldiers flew in front of him. He swung his free arm at the Soldier like he was swatting an annoying insect. Another Jump infantry Soldier landed on the Griffin's shoulder and ran up to the emergency egress hatch. Hap glanced down as the second Jump infantry platoon bounded away from the Firestarter and were swarming his mech. He used his right arm and PPC to sweep some of them off his front.
"Joker my problems are getting worse." Hap said as he tried to sweep away the infantry that were climbing on his back. As he move his mech's arm the shoulder baffle nearly crushd the Soldier near his head, but they ducked just in time. When Hap relaxed the arm the Soldier stood up and Hap realized he was looking eye-to-eye with a woman.
She pulled out a tech's "paint gun" and loaded a blue canister that held an isothermic chemical that was designed to rapidly freeze circuitry or other 'mech components. It would make plastics and metals brittle and easy to break. She sprayed the lock mechanism on the egress latch, and then struck it with the hilt of her vibro-dagger. There was an ominous snap and clang as something broke and fell inside the hatch.
Instinctively Hap grabbed the release bar on his side and held it closed as he felt her try to open the hatch from her side. She raised her leg and brought her combat boot down hard on the handle and Hap heard it snap and she fell forward onto the canopy. Hap was pretty sure the freezing chemical had made everything inside the access hatch brittle. She had just broken her side of it, and Hap suspected he'd have a hell of time getting out later, but for the moment no one was getting in.
She looked dazed as she tried to pick herself up again. Hap pulled out his side arm and made sure she saw it. She had to know he wasn't going to let her take his 'mech without a fight. He raised the arm to try and crush her with the shoulder baffles again, but she kneeled down and shoved her vibro-dagger into the lock and tried to see if she could engage the release mechanism.
Hap moved his arm again to sweep the front of his 'mech as two more Jump Infantry Soldier joined the woman. One pointed his laser rifle at Hap and started shooting at the canopy glass, as his companion continued to try and gain entry into Hap's 'mech. The third soldier pulled out a vibro-blade and began hacking at the armored hinges of the hatch.
Hap was starting to realize his options were going to be real limited if they breached the cockpit. He'd might get one chance to shoot one of the Soldiers, but he'd need to eject before the woman or her vibro-blade companion tried to stab him. They'd take him and his 'mech out of the fight, but it would probably cost them an arm or a leg.
A shadow passed over them as Joker landed his Firestarter in front of the Griffin."You're mech's looking defiled, Hap. I think you need a baptism from St. Ignite-us." Joker said as his flamers washed over the Griffin.
Without looking Hap knew his heat scale was spiking and he could even feel the heat rise in the cockpit. Hap was looking at shock and horror in the eyes of the Jump Infantry Soldiers as the flames incinerated them and caused their jump packs and the paint gun to explode.
"Thanks." Hap exhaled slowly and tried to coolly re-holster his weapon and watched his mech's heat scale climb down. "Your 'mech okay?"
"Yeah that mine stripped the armor off my right leg, but nothing vital yet."
"Alright, let's get back with the convoy and help the ladies." Hap said, trying to shake the look of terror the woman had just before she died. One second she was his enemy, the next she looked young, maybe Anastasia's age. She was a young woman with hopes and dreams and friends, and then she was dead. Hap knew he couldn't think about this right now. He took in a deep breath exhaled and tried to focus on the situation at hand. The few remaining members of the jump infantry were scattered and leaving the field. He no longer had any animosity for them.
Joker's Firestarter would probably haunt their nightmares for life. Hap suspected this incident would cause him to lose some sleep as well. He could see the Cicada and the Pegasus hover tank were harassing the convoy. A second Pegasus had joined them which was keeping the strykers and skulkers busy.
Hap jogged his 'mech forward, until the Cicada was in range. His tactical display told him this was a Cicada 3C, the slightly slower variant with the PPC. Hap's tactical display also told him that while he and Joker were fighting the Jump-infantry the Cicada had been exchanging PPC bolts and Long Range Missiles with Anastasia and her Valkyrie.
The residual heat from Joker's flamers was gone so Hap engaged both the PPC and LRMs, He watched as the azure beam struck the Cicada in the leg, which had been weakened to the point that the PPC sheared off the leg and caused the 'mech to fall over as the missiles struck it across the chest and left torse. Mag had her Jenner within range almost before the 'mech hit the ground and she quickly destroyed it with a quartet of medium lasers and missiles.
"We still need to engage the Pegasus light tanks." Anastasia said, "Also Joker, it's pronounced Ignatius not 'Ignite us'. Saint Ignatius is the Patron Saint of Soldiers."
"I know who Saint Ignatius of Loyola is, the baptism of Saint Ignite-Us is what I call it when I use my flamers to burn off infantry swarming a friendly 'mech."
"I got swarmed." Hap added, "Joker used his flamers to-" Hap paused he remembered the fear and panic he saw in the woman's eyes he thought he could remember hearing her scream in pain. Suddenly the flippant gallows humor and jargon of a soldier seemed inappropriate. "Joker was helping me."
"I saved your life, brother."
"You did. Thank you." Hap said. His Griffin and Joker's Firestarter had almost caught up to the convoy. The Pegasus hover tanks were nearly flying as they moved between the vehicles trying to race away from the ambush. They were firing their SRM's almost indiscriminately. Miraculously no additional vehicles had been destroyed, yet, but several were badly mauled.
"Yeah so I think you owe me." Joker added.
"I suspect if we counted up all the time Hap has saved your life you would find that you are still significantly in his debt." Anastasia said. She sounded defensive.
"You really think so? Because I might be willing to bet on that." Joker said.
"Hefe doesn't owe you shit, William, and Anastasia you can't just count up everything to solve a problem" Mags said, "We're a lance, and family, we take care of each other. It's not about who owes who or math. Now help me kill these tanks."
"Unassailable logic." Anastasia said as she positioned her 'mech to intercept a Pegasus. The hover tank turned hard so that she couldn't physically attack the tank. The tank was now driving parallel to the road and it made it so that Hap had a clear shot at the tank's rear armor.
Instinctively he raised the PPC and lined up the shot, but before he could pull the trigger a nagging voice in the back of his mind reminded him the Pegasus had a crew of four. He and Joker had just taken out two jump infantry squads, and he had helped Mags and Anastasia take down the Cicada. That was almost four dozen people that had died, did he need another four to that? He was going to be a father soon, how do you explain that to your child?
"When it comes down to war it always comes down to you or your enemy." Hap could almost hear the instructor from Albion lecturing, "If you are in this profession you will do violence on behalf of your nation. If you believe our cause is more righteous and just than the choice should be easy. Even if you don't, remember you represent your unit, your planet, the Nation. If that is enough, remember it always comes down to you or him. The enemy you fail to kill today, will be stronger and more deadly tomorrow. If none of that is sufficient to overcome your fear or timidity, then just don't fail the Soldier next to you, because god help you if you ever do that."
"You got the shot Hap?" Joker asked.
"Yeah" Hap almost whispered as he squeezed the triggers for the PPC and the LRM 10 rack. He felt numb as the energy from the PPC struck the rear armor of the Pegasus tank. It slipped to the side as it was struck by the missiles from his 'mech and an additional twenty missiles from the two stryker vehicles. The Pegasus exploded as missiles dug into the internal structure and hit the vehicles vital equipment.
Mag's cornered the other Pegasus as it tried to make another run on the convoy. The skulkers cut deep furrows into the hover tank's side armor while Mag's lasers and missiles further exploited the compromised armor. Hap noticed Mags was alternating her lasers, demonstrating she was making an effort to manage her 'mech's heat. The compact's Saracen Medium Hover tank moved out of the convoy formation and with a broadside of SRMs finished off the Pegasus.
The convoy commander got his vehicles back into formation and slowed them down to the 60 kph convoy speed. Hap instructed his lance to resume their positions in the formation and they continued their mission.
The rest of the convoy mission went by in a blur. For the first few kilometers Hap's hands shook with the post battle "deer fever". It was similar to what happened the day David was killed. Hap was thankful no one really wanted to talk. He was sure Joker would entertain or annoy everyone with an exaggerated recounting of the battle later that night. Hap would probably help the tech's fix his 'mech. He'd need some time to process this day. He'd find some quiet place and time to talk to Anastasia, he could do it now, but he wasn't ready.
When they arrived at the Forward Operating Base Hap was surprised the access panel was still in working order and he was able to get it open with no additional effort. As he was exiting his 'mech he saw that the Jump Infantry Soldier's Vibro-Dagger was still in the ruined lock mechanism.
He wrenched it from the lock and looked it over. The handle was wrapped with pink paracord, most of it was melted on one side. Hap hit the thumb stud and the vibration mechanism whirled to life. He shut it off and turned to look over the blade. The knife had seen some use, the edge was good but he could see where there had been nicks the owner had tried to sharpen out, and and it had scratches like it had been used as a pry bar or a hammer. Hap wondered again about the previous owner of the knife, and the nature of war.