Chapter 3: Trial by the word
The large loading doors in the cargo bay opened with a slight shudder to reveal a green planet with cities behind the military base they had landed in and behind that were mountains, big mountains in long chains peaks passing the few clouds that were there. He stopped and took his helmet off and took a deep breath in as he stepped off of the ship "Look there Storm mountains, I haven't seen a proper mountain in so long" Alistar said with both feelings of joy and longing. "You missed seeing mountains?" Gates asked walking up next to him "The place I grew up had some The Rocky Mountains actually, of North America I Haven't see them since I left." They stood in silence for a moment before Gates spoke up "We should get you in to see the Commanders" Nodding he began to follow her. Bear caught up with them to go the debriefing "Hey Bear I'm sorry for kicking the crap of you back there" Alistar said offering his hand to shake "No hard feelings, just some bruises to add to the collection" He replied accepting his hand. As they walked Alistar turned to Gates and asked "What are you going to do with Storm?" "He'll be taken to the titan garage until you come for him." " Ok I was just wondering." They finneshed talking as they entered what looked like a tactical analysis center, in here were two people who looked like they were waiting for them "Commanders Briggs, Barker this is Alistar Cambel the person of interest I mentioned" Gates said motioning to him. "Thank you Gates, you and Bear can wait outside wile we talk to Mister Cambel seeing as you have already heard this." Commander Briggs said flatly. "Ok" Was all Gates said in reply and walked out of the room taking Bear with her. "Now Mister Cambel where would you like to start?"
"That was a little odd." was all that bear seamed able to say at the moment "Kind of but not really, not saying I agree with it but not really." Gates replied with a thoughtful tone "What do you think there asking him?" he asked turning around "I don't know, probably the things they'd ask an IMC deserter. Hey I'm going to check and see if the rest of the crew made it want to come?" "Sure" With that the two of them left to look for were the 64 had landed.
"Come on Storm its been four days since we got here and all its been is questions waiting in my room and then more questions." Alistar said to Storm with a frustrated tone "At least there just asking they could be torturing you" "I suppose you have a point but that still doesn't help my mood, I'm going back now before someone starts asking questions that could get me in trouble" "Don't forget to tell your guards where you are going so they don't shoot you" Storm called out as he started walking away "Very funny" he turned and said unamused, the titan seamed to think it was funny chuckling to him self as he watched him go. Between the waiting and the questions seeing Storm was his only relief, though Storm didn't really have it any better than he did answering questions of his own. Who knew that wanting to join the Militia would be so hard, he guessed being found by the IMC wasn't helping any maybe they would let him out to do some exercise or some thing he would have to ask gates. Making it back to the room he was given he opened the sliding door to see Gates sitting in the one chair he had "Um" was all he said "I wanted to check in on you to see if you had gone crazy yet or not" she said rising from the chair "Not to seam rude but why?" She started to say something but stopped short, she didn't know why they barely knew each other. "Well I should know better than to turn down somebody new to talk to" He said snapping her out of her thoughts "Glad to see you still have a positive attitude on the whole thing" She replied joking a little "Well I'm glade that I can still fake at not being board" He joked back causing her to laugh a little under her helmet "They don't let you out, not even to beat up rifleman and top pilots?" "No you and Bear are the only ones who seam to do that." With his reply the room went quiet, after a second she spoke up "I tried to see if I could convince them to give you a little more freedom but" she trailed off trying to gather her thoughts "let me guess they said no" "Ya, sorry" she said "Its fine" he said as he walked over to the bed "Thanks for trying, you actually beat me to asking you at least I have an answer" "Again sorry I couldn't help" She said walking to the door "Like I said its fine" He replied flatly sitting on the bed. "I'll see you later?" it was a question she really didn't want to give an answer to right now, so she nodded and left closing the door behind here. It wasn't fine he had volunteered just like anybody else and had trusted them, he had trusted her and she didn't want to betray that trust.
8 days later
"Board so board Storm" Alistar shared his thoughts with his titan through their neural link "I'm glad you told me Alistar its only the tenth time in the last hour" "Storm you sound a little irked what could possibly be bothering you?" The sarcasm dripping off of every word as he spoke "You know you are utterly unbearable some times" He said sounding more exasperated, Alistar just laughed "Its not funny AL." "Ok fine I'll stop for today" "You should stop permanently" "But what's the fun in that" "You're an ass you know that right?" As Storm said that there came a sudden knocking on the door "One sec Storm" He said getting up from laying upside down on his bed "Its ok to come in" He called out standing up, the door opened and Gates walked in "I finaly did it" She said as she came to stop "You did, you got them to let me out a little more?" His question came so fast and so full of hope it seamed that if she had waited any longer he really would have gone crazy "Better a chance to prove your self, a war games tournament has come up and there letting me test you by fielding you as part of the 64." She said hoping herself that this is what he wanted to hear "Yes finaly!" And he made a small jump as he said it "When is this war games?" "Tomorrow and the whole Militia will be involved" "How much gear will I have?" "All of it you wear it in the sim pod and it scans your equipment and gives it to you in the sim, and we link titans to so Storm will be there as well" She said relieved that it was helping "You said that I would be fielded in the 64 is that going to be a problem for you?" The question caught her off guard she hadn't expected that he'd worry about her sticking her neck out for him "No it isn't" She said "What are the rules of the game?" He asked sitting down on the bed, she sat in the chair across from him and began "Well each faction is competing against all of the others at once, the goal is for one faction to achieve the most points by the end of the day. Points can be earned by killing or capturing opponents the higher they are in the chain of command for that faction the more points, you can also get points by stealing intel from your opponents base there's not much else its fairly simple" "Ok like you said sounds simple enough, kill capture or steal I think I can do that" "Ok then see you tomorrow, oh and I'll have them give you your gear back" She said on her way out "Thanks again Gates" She heard him say as she walked out, she stopped and turned around saying "Don't let me down hmm" "I won't" She didn't think he would but the games weren't done yet and there was a lot still to do tomorrow would tell all.
"Are you good to go?" came a familiar voice from behind him, turning around Alistar could see Bear walking up "Ya its been a wile since I was in combat so the sim will do me some good" "Well I can attest to your hand to hand" Bear said chuckling slightly "How many forces are the 64 deploying, I haven't seen a whole lot come over here" He asked looking around "The 64 has never been big so Gates only takes the best, well the best ones that she likes anyway" "What do you mean?" "Gates says that were a family and it is true in a way its hard to describe to some one not in the 64" "I get what your talking about in project Olympus we couldn't call home no letters no nothing we became dead to the world so to speak, we had to find family in other ways" "Sounds like it was rough, rougher than the files say?" "Yes it was, but it seams that's its time to get going" Alistar said motioning to Gates who had just walked in. They walked over to the holo table themselves "Ok down to business" Gates began as the rest of the 64 came up "As usual we are out numbered so the traditional tactics dig in and hold hopefully the other factions beat the snot out of each other and we can pick off the remnants" "Ma'am may I speak?" Alistar spoke up as he walked forwarded "Granted" "I got the rule book last night and there seams to be a forgotten rule" "And that would be?" All eyes were on him wondering if the guy they had been guarding was going to screw them over or if he had a way to win for once "Well if you capture a enemy commander you get points, but if they surrender to you all of that factions points are transferred to your faction and then are no longer able to participate in the match." There was silence for a moment or two, Then Gates asked "What exactly are you proposing Cambel?" "I'm saying that if we wait a wile like you planed hold up and defend letting them build up points" "And then get one of there commanders to surrender to us I get it now" Bear said interrupting "Yes that's the plan, so what do you think?" He asked hope in his voice "Which Commander do you want to grab?" She asked still wary "I was thinking Barker, The ACEs aren't as tacitly proficient as the MCOR but they have more experienced troops so they will stay in the fight longer than the MCOR's and Barker is known for some reckless choices so I don't think he will be that well defended" As Alistar finneshed Gates turned to Bear "What do you think Bear?" "It could work after all we grabbed Barker two or three games ago but with him not surrendering they just took him back from us" Bear said in a thoughtful tone "Well Alistar I agree with your plan What do you need?" She asked turning to face him now, surprised by the sudden question it took him a minute to answer "Not much at all in fact if you will let me I could do it by my self and not reduce the numbers you need to defend" She looked at him for a second and then agreed with "Ok but don't mess it up I'm putting my trust in you to get this done, do you understand?" "Yes ma'am" he said snapping into a quick salute "Ok then every body to your sim pods games begin in two" And with that the 64 began walking away Gates grabbed Alistar's arm turning him around saying "Why would you want to do this solo, is it to prove your self to them because you don't need to" "No its not, like I said I looked through the rule book last night and I Looked at the win loss history and the 64 only made second twice that's as high as you've ever gotten I wanted to help since you are helping me" He sounded sincere in all of what he said and it surprised her "Well if that's all I guess its fine, but are you sure that you want to go alone?" "Ya I should be fine I'm used to working alone" "Ok but remember don't let me down" "Wasn't planning on it" he said putting on his helmet and jogging over to his pod.
"How long have we been at this?" Bear shouted over the multitude of explosions going off from the exchange between the ACEs and MCOR that they had gotten caught in the middle of when they were doing a little recon "Twenty minuets or so, buy hey it could be worse" Alistar shouted back "How? How could it be worse?" "We could have been here the full six hours we've been in the game" "You make a good point, hey there letting up a little lets try and make it back to base" "Right you lead I'll follow" "Ok on my mark" They waited tense and ready "MARK" Sprinting from crater to crater they made it from the trench they had been in to the tunnel that ran to safety where they could make it back to the 64 undetected. Entering the tunnel they stopped to get there breath "Well that was fun" Alistar said talking around deep breaths in and out "Fun, fun you call that fun you know I wondered if you were crazy when you asked to grab Barker alone but now I know you are" "Come on Bear got to have a little fun on the job" He said patting Bear on the shoulder starting down the tunnel "Speak for your self" Bear replied following him. After making it to the bunker the 64 was using as an HQ they made there way into the center to the command room they had set up. As they walked in Gates was looking over a holo table, at the sound of them entering she looked up "You sure took your time getting here" He and Bear walked over and linked to the table to show her what they had learned "From the looks of things the MCOR has more ground but the ACEs is holding there's better" Bear started and Alistar continued "Yes we were able to intercept some short range comms, from the sound of them the command of the MCOR are worried that they might have over extended" "And the reason we were late" Bear said adding the skirmish they had just escaped from. Gates looked at the map again for a minuet, finaly looking up she said "Alistar both sides or approaching the number of points they need to win I think now would be the time for your little walk" "Yes ma'am" He said turning to walk out. It didn't take long to make it to the ACEs compound they were to busy with the MCOR, activating his cloaking he began to move slowly to minimize the distortion of his silhouette and entered the compound. There weren't many people inside so he began to work his way to the command center, once there he peaked in a window to get a look inside what he saw was almost underwhelming two guards not really paying attention and Barker sitting n a chair with his eyes closed not asleep but he seamed to be thinking. He moved to the door and stepped in pulling his sidearm he took aim then pulled the trigger twice in quick succession a moment later both rifleman hit the floor 'dead'. At the sound of the gunfire Barker stood up and looked around reaching for his B3 Wingman, Alistar moved ever so slowly into the room and off the left hoping Barker would do as he predicted. As Barker stepped forward to examine the body's on the floor stepping past where Alistar was hiding he began to peak the corner leaning of to one side checking the corner Alistar moved forward taking advantage of Barker's center of balance being off he grabbed his Wingman and pushed with his shoulder nocking him down and pulling the gun from his hands. Barker now on the floor look up in surprise to where Alistar was decloaking "Well done kid" he said moving to a sitting position "Alright I'll tell you now I'm to old for a hand to hand fight right now and there is no body left on base so I'm yours, what do you want with me?" "I would like your surrender if you don't mind" Alistar said calmly "I see, it seams that Sarah remembered that old rule" "Not Sarah" "What?" "I'm Gates's little project" "Well I'll be, let me guess you read the book?" "Ya I did I figured that I could help the 64 win" "Was it just for the 64?" "No its not, I owe her for saving me I should repay her in the best way I can" "I see, well kid you got me I Barker of ACEs surrender." When he finished the ACEs were removed from the board and all there points transferred to the 64 "Thanks Barker" Alistar said as he handed him back his wingman. As he was walking out his radio chirped in his ear he opened the channel "Alistar this is Gates the MCOR have moved there attention to us now we need you back here to help hold them off over" "I'm on my way" was all said closing the channel he marked a spot on the ground and called for a titanfall. Ten seconds latter Strom crashed down and Alistar mounted up "Ready to go" Storm Said as the cockpit closed "Strom we need to hurry the 64 needs us" "Understood transferring control to pilot its time to run Al."