STEEL WOLF
Chapter 14: Bump in the Night
Downtown, Eisenton, Klein Federation, Korla,
Lyran Alliance,
August 30, 3075
The Alvarez County diplomats had arrived in the Klein Federation's capital city of Eisenton right on schedule, on August 27th, but the Klein family needed more time to fully arrange the negotiations at the city hall. For that reason, the Alvarez diplomats and their sixteen bodyguards all rented rooms at the Triple Tree hotel in Eisenton's downtown area, and the bodyguards used rotating shifts to watch over the diplomats' rooms while the diplomats prepared their papers and arguments for the Klein family's leaders.
Each of the six diplomats had gotten a different room; if any civilian rebels tried an attack, they wouldn't be able to break into a single room and slaughter all the diplomats. Nikolai liked the strategy, not wanting to put all the eggs in one basket.
"I would be enjoying my first trip to the Klein Federation, but we've been stuck in this hotel the whole time, watching over the diplomats," lamented Kyle Goyua at the hotel's bar. The analogue clock ticked on the wall, reading 11:53 PM. There was no one else in the bar except for the bartender and Samantha Smith, who sat next to Kyle.
"Maybe we'll come back after the war as tourists," offered Samantha lightly, taking a sip of her lemonade. The Alvarez bodyguards had strictly banned the guard team from consuming any alcohol during their breaks. "You know, there's this huge fountain somewhere here, in the downtown region."
"Great. Somewhere fancy to splash myself in," Kyle joked, taking a sip of his own drink, a strawberry-kiwi fruit punch.
"Actually, I think it's only kids who do that..." Samantha smirked.
"I was only kidding, sheesh." Kyle checked the clock again. "It's going to be our shift again at midnight, right?"
Samantha looked at the clock too. "Yeah. We will watch over rooms 301-303 on the third floor. Ugh, I hate babysitting jobs."
"What, you don't like kids?" Kyle teased, feeling drowsy. He wished the Klein family would hurry up with the upcoming talks. He wanted to be back on the front lines and taking the fight to the Vargas Estate forces.
"I actually did a few babysitting jobs when I was a kid," Samantha offered. "It's easy work as long as the kids don't act up. Helped me afford stuff."
Kyle made a small smile. "You never told me about that."
"'Cause it's minor. Who cares if I watched over a few brats when I was younger?" Samantha laughed.
"Teaches responsibility, you know."
"Yeah, but not the kind I like."
"Something tells me you'll never give up the warrior's life to become a homemaker."
"Kyle!" Samantha gave Kyle a playful swat on the arm. "You know me better than that. Aiming down my sights at a target on some faraway world is a much better thrill than settling into some cottage with a white picket fence."
"Apartments are cheaper..."
Samantha chuckled, draining her lemonade glass. She set it on the counter with a thunk. "Oh, you know what I mean. The Hunter's Insight is the only home I want. It's roomier than the Union-class ship we used to have. On the Insight, I can actually walk three steps in my private quarters without running into something!"
"Thank goodness for little luxuries!" Kyle shared Samantha's laugh. He couldn't help but remember a question that had been burning in the back of his mind for a while, however. He lowered his voice, leaning a little closer to Samantha. "Hey Sam, I've been thinking..."
"That the Alvarez guard captain is full of crap and that we should sneak in a few beers?"
Kyle shook his head. "No, not that. Look, I, um... well, I was thinking that sometime, that cottage or apartment idea wouldn't be so bad to consider seriously. Not in the near future, but sometime."
Samantha gave Kyle a calculating look with her amber eyes. "You really do want to settle down?"
"Sometime, yeah. Not soon," Kyle added quickly. "After all, we're only 23..."
"And so we should live it up," Samantha declared, stretching her arms and yawning. "The best part of our lives is just starting. We've got a great dropship and with the Word of Blake's Jihad raging, we've pretty much grown our own magic contract tree. We'll have plenty of work."
"I know, but..." Kyle fought for the right words, not wanting to sound like he was nagging. "I love you, Sam, and I think we both deserve a little time to ourselves. It could be nice."
"You're not tricking me into the sack that easily, hon," Samantha smiled, motioning for another lemonade.
"What I mean is," Kyle plowed on, abandoning all pretense, "is I'm considering proposing to you." He then inwardly grimaced, wondering if he went too far. He could already feel his face warming.
Samantha froze, then a small smile spread across her lips. She blushed. "Planning to pop the question, Kyle?"
"Well, there goes the suspense," Kyle grinned again, relieved that Samantha didn't object immediately. "I haven't made any concrete plans. But I can say that I definitely want to spend the rest of my life to you. I think I'm ready."
"Guess what I'll be up all night thinking about," Samantha chuckled softly. She scooted her new lemonade glass close to her but didn't take a drink. She stared down at her glass. "Oh, I dunno, Kyle. I love you, I mean it. But I don't know if marrying is practical for us. There's always long-term plans, and who knows how things might change, but I don't think we will have a solid ground to put a marriage on for a while."
Feeling his stomach go cold, Kyle nodded mutely and stared at the counter's surface. "I suppose you're right. Besides, you've been with the Arctic Wolves longer than me. Nikolai's defensive of all his longstanding members." He lightened up a little. "I wonder if he'd slug me a good one if I tried to run off with you!"
Samantha burst out laughing. "No, but you're not far from the mark. This would give him a lot to think about."
"Then never mind. It was a bad idea," Kyle mumbled, looking away.
"Hey." Samantha tapped Kyle's shoulder and he turned to face her. "Don't you start talking like that, Kyle. I love the idea of being with you forever. Look, I don't know yet how we can work out a married life, but hang on to that thought!"
Samantha leaned over, gently took Kyle's head in her hands, and kissed him. "I think it's very sweet of you to seriously consider this, and I'm not trying to shoot you down," she told him. "Let's just sit tight and see what life brings us, okay? Stay with me, and we'll work something out. Together."
A small cluster of people strode into the front lobby nearby, but Kyle ignored them as he squeezed Samantha's warm hand. "I'm not going anywhere, Sam. You're right. Why don't we wait and see what's in the cards."
More people wearing cloaks shuffled in the front doors, following the first group. They bypassed the clerks and went into the elevators, and then Kyle and Sam were alone again.
"Crap, it's 12:04. The guard captain will have our heads for this," Samantha realized, checking the clock again. She set a few C-Bills on the counter to cover her drinks and sprang to her feet, headed toward the elevators. "Come on."
"Yeah." Kyle set a few of his own bills on the counter and followed, wondering what viable excuse he could give the guard captain. The elevator ride up to the 3rd floor was uneventful, but as soon as the steel doors slid open, he realized that all of the newcomers were on this floor too, and they were taking off all their cloaks.
Kyle turned to the large group of guests. "Um... hi. Listen, Samantha and I are part of a guard team for several important people here. We will be patrolling the hallways for any danger, but don't mind us."
The man at the head of the group chuckled deeply, dropping his cloak to the floor to reveal a bulletproof vest he wore over his white T-shirt. "I know why you're here, Arctic Wolf," he declared, reaching for a pistol on his belt. "Those diplomats won't leave here alive, and neither will you." The other people wore bulletproof vests as well, and they all reached for their holstered weapons.
His nerves suddenly tingling, Kyle dropped his hand to his waist where he had two heavy pistols, but he and Samantha were forced to retreat behind the bend of the hallway when the assassins opened fire. Kyle winced as countless loud booms vibrated in the air, and he heard the thunks of the bullets slamming into the wall that he used for cover. Clouds of plaster puffed out into the air from the bullet holes, blocking Kyle's view of the assassins.
"Damn it!" Samantha drew her light submachine gun and raised it to a ready position, her face scrunched in concentration. "They must be the isolationist rebels that we were briefed about!"
"And a lot of them!" Kyle added. "The rest of the guards better get here or we're screwed."
At that moment, Kyle heard alarmed shouts farther down the hallway and he heard machine guns and pistols open fire with a cacophony of rattles and booms. The assassins scattered, taking cover behind large potted plants and the pillars that supported the wide, luxurious hallways.
"Kyle! Sam!" Thomas Jones of the Arctic Wolves came from around the corner, joining his two fellows. He held his submachine gun at the ready. "Are you hurt?"
"No," Kyle shook his head. "We just got here and found the assassins in the hallway. They just came in through the front lobby, all wearing cloaks to hide their bulletproof vests and weapons. It's just like we were warned: some folks of the Klein Federation don't want us dragging the Federation into the war against the Vargas Estate."
"And they pulled this stunt at this hour, when we're all tired," Samantha added. "Looks like some things do go bump in the night."
Thomas nodded tightly. "Yeah, I guess. Move out!"
Kyle flattened his back on the wall and crept toward the corner, snapping out of cover with his pistols raised. One of the assassins had his back to Kyle, and two quick shots to the head sent the man crumpling to the carpeted floor in a pool of blood. Several of the assassins had already gone down, but a few of the Arctic Wolves lay bleeding on the floor, and the sight infuriated Kyle. He unloaded several point-blank shots into another assassin, but the man's bulletproof vest blocked the worst of the damage.
Still, the man was thrown back and against the wall, his face scrunched in pain. Samantha stepped into the fray, lining up her submachine gun's sights and releasing a quick burst. The man's neck and collarbone shattered and he slumped limply to the floor.
Three of the assassins turned and opened fire on Kyle, Sam, and Thomas. Kyle made a quick roll to avoid the shots, but as soon as he came to a halt to stand back up, he felt a bullet graze his right shoulder. A blast of pain staggered him and he numbly dropped his right pistol, his breaths coming in sharp gasps.
Samantha rushed to Kyle's aid, overwhelming Kyle's attacker with another burst of bullets. The assassin collapsed while the other two forced Thomas back. Samantha knelt by Kyle's side, taking hold of his good arm and dragging him into an intersecting hallway.
"How bad is it?" Samantha asked urgently, carefully probing the wound.
"Not too bad- ouch!" Kyle hissed as Samantha's fingers grazed his tattered flesh. Samantha jerked her hands back, then she unrolled a small medical bandage from her belt and wrapped it around Kyle's upper arm and shoulder.
"This will hold you until later," Samantha told Kyle earnestly, then rushed back toward the first hallway and raised her weapon to fire. Before she could fire a single shot, Thomas Jones rapidly fired two burst from his own submachine gun, downing both nearby assassins. A few seconds later, the other Arctic Wolves and the four Alvarez guards finished off the last of the assassins, and a ringing silence settled over the bloody and gunpowder-fogged hallway.
"Casualties?" demanded the Alvarez guard captain.
"I've got four men down, but none dead. We can save them if we rush them to a hospital," Nikolai told him, kneeling by the wounded Arctic Wolves to check.
The guard captain nodded. "Very well. These Klein Federation rebels are ballsier than I imagined, but this should discourage any further attacks on their part. Men, check the bodies."
Kyle settled against the wall, taking deep and slow breaths to calm his racing heart. He watched as the Alvarez guards picked through the assassins' bloody bodies, and one of them held up a small comm device. "Sir! I found something."
"Let me see that." The guard captain accepted the device and played the most recent recorded conversation on it.
"Sir, the Alvarez diplomats have arrived at a hotel in Eisenton and they have bodyguards. Do we still proceed with the plan?" spoke a man's voice.
"Yes, Juan. Remember, make sure this looks like a Federation rebel raid," said another man's voice. "Mr. Vargas wants those diplomats dead. We can't afford to have the Federation join the Alvarez County's side. The guards should be no match for you."
Nikolai exchanged awestruck looks with the guard captain. "Alfonso Vargas arranged this little party! He's striking at non-combatants!"
"He'll go to any length to get what he wants," the guard captain said gruffly. "I should have figured this would happen. Still, this gives us a little leverage. We're the victims of a dirty raid, and I bet that the Klein family will decry Alfonso Vargas for this. Makes our job a little easier."
After the hotel's staff was contacted and informed about the incident, the wounded Arctic Wolves, including Kyle, were sent to a nearby hospital for treatment. With any luck, all of them would recover in time to resume the war against the Vargas Estate, preferably with the Klein Federation's forces at their side.
*o*o*o*o*
City Hall, Eisenton, Klein Federation, Korla,
Lyran Alliance,
September 1, 3075
The interior of the City Hall in Eisenton wasn't as lavish as the family mansion back at the Vargas Estate, but Nikolai supposed that that wasn't such a bad thing. At the very least, he appreciated people who didn't feel the need to throw their wealth around and show it off. He and some of the other Arctic Wolves stood inside the spacious meeting room, where the Alvarez diplomats and the Klein negotiators met face-to-face. Standing with his back to a wall and a submachine gun holstered at his hip, Nikolai did his best to look stern rather than bored.
"Let us get down to business, then," announced one of the Klein negotiators, an older man with graying hair. "I understand that the Alvarez County's leaders and the Laurent family is proposing an alliance?"
"That is correct," responded one of the six Alvarez diplomats. "For nothing less than the survival of our nations."
"You do realize that you're asking the peaceful Klein Federation to throw itself into the fire for the sake of your displaced nation?" retorted the Klein negotiator. "Never once in its history has the Federation needed to go to war in order to achieve its aims."
"But that doesn't stop the Kleins from maintaining a sizable army," countered another Alvarez diplomat, a brunette woman.
"For defense, and defense only," argued another Klein negotiator. "President Hans Klein has always maintained good relations with his neighbors for the benefit of his nation and those around it. We're not war hawks."
The first Alvarez diplomat's tone grew impatient. "The Vargas Estate will force your hand sooner or later! Alfonso Vargas and his General Abby won't stop until they're conquered all of Korla. We've never faced a threat like this one before, and if the Kleins can't adjust their methods for this new threat, then I'll wager that the Vargas family banner will be flying in this city within a year!"
"Conjecture," said the elderly Klein negotiator, but a hint of anxiety crept into his voice. "That cannot be known for certain. And if Alfonso Vargas' forces do attempt to invade the Federation, we will be ready. We have allies."
"Not ready enough," argued the Alvarez woman. "The Vargas Estate isn't alone either. It not only has its official allied nations, but Alfonso Vargas also can use the materials from all the nations he has conquered. Already, tanks and Battlemechs from the Bhujorba Protectorate are appearing in his forces. The longer you let Alfonso Vargas run free, the tougher he will be to take down."
"That is correct," added another Alvarez diplomat. "Right now is our best chance of stopping the threat before it becomes any worse. Alfonso Vargas hired several mercenary gangs to keep his large borders secure. Already, the Arctic Wolves and Screaming Skulls have been captured by the Alvarez County and those mercenaries are operating on new contracts for the County."
The elderly Klein negotiator heaved a sigh. "It does seem true that Alfonso Vargas is at a moment of vulnerability. But if the Federation rushes into war and the Estate proves itself tougher than expected, the Federation will be completely worn out and open for conquest."
"If you wait, the Estate will gain enough strength to conquer the Federation anyway," pressed an Alvarez diplomat. "By far, the Vargas Estate has the most off-planet ties. Alfonso can call upon a lot of help from nearby systems from both mercenaries and pirates that are in his pocket."
"The risks are significant for the Federation," a Klein negotiator said patiently. "Our army is primarily defensive, relying on bunkers, trenches, and other unmovable military assets."
"If this puts new perspective on the issue," exclaimed the Alvarez woman, "the Alvarez County, Laurent Commonwealth, and their allies will soon launch a full-scale assault on the Estate with or without your help. This will be our only chance make a fruitful attack! But without the Klein Federation's help, our chances are diminished."
"This assault could be exchanged for a more defensive plan," offered the elderly Klein negotiator. "Wear out the Estate by forcing it to make extended campaigns into the Federation and Commonwealth."
One of the Alvarez diplomats shook his head. "General Abby won't be tricked into a war of attrition like that. She will just gather her forces and concentrate on one nation, conquering it easily. The other nations would soon follow."
The Klein Federation negotiators began to chatter nervously amongst themselves, and Nikolai heaved a sigh. I wonder when the Alvarez diplomats will bring up the Estate assassin team?
As through reading Nikolai's thoughts, the Alvarez woman spoke up. "Even if the Klein is afraid to make a pre-emtive move, the Estate is not. Last night, a team of assassins broke into the hotel where us Alvarez diplomats were staying. They appeared to be the isolationist rebels, but they were not."
The elderly Klein negotiator narrowed his eyes. "Then who were they?"
"Vargas Estate assassins disguised as Klein Federation rebels," declared the Alvarez woman. "Alfonso Vargas was willing to kill off non-combatants like us to make the conquest of Korla easier. He didn't want a Klein-Alvarez union to happen, and I have proof that what I am saying is true."
Shocked chatter broke out in the meeting room and Nikolai couldn't help a grin. Alfonso played dirty and now the Klein guys will see Estate assassins everywhere! They'll feel vulnerable and the only way to be safe is to help defeat the Estate.
A Klein Federation guard tapped Nikolai's shoulder. "Guards are rotating out," he said. "Take a 30-minute break, Kerensky."
"That I will," Nikolai huffed.
*o*o*o*o*
Nikolai didn't even have to wait half an hour to get the answers to the questions buzzing in his mind. The diplomats exited the meeting hall a short time later, and Nikolai hurried over to them. "How did it turn out?" he pressed them.
One diplomat spoke up. "We did it, Arctic Wolf. The assassin incident helped bring the Federation to our side. What's more, we brokered some business and political deals with the Klein family in exchange for the Federation's help."
Relief seeped through Nikolai's mind. "So, we're ready to stage the assault, then?"
"I'm no general, Arctic Wolf. You'd have to talk to Leonardo and Miguel about that," responded the diplomat. "But I can say that our odds of taking down Alfonso Vargas just went up."