The Fools Bargain 04
Fake Star League Site
Galtor II
Same day
The commander of the 782nd Davion Guards Auxiliary was Colonel "Blood and Guts" Olivier. The mustached man looked oddly pensive as he saluted and welcomed them into the base.
They descended into the SLDF depot. The main gate was set into a hill, but most of the site consisted of multiple deep underground levels. It was a munitions and supplies depot, not a BattleMech and Combat Vehicle storage site.
The 782nd had about as many men as an infantry regiment. The basic unit of a Davion company was a platoon of 21 to 28 soldiers. There were six platoons to a company, and three companies to a battalion. The addition of ELH engineers and support troops made the already cramped site crowded both on the surface and below.
The 782nd had nine Sniper Artillery pieces ready to shoot, guided by three companies of recon sections in scout cars. The ELH added six more Urbanmech Artillery - two Arrow IV and four Thumper. Plus engineers and logistics crew.
The two groups were only distinct from each other with the ELH troops wearing full olive green uniforms while the AFFS soldiers wearing the typical Davion tan vests and body armor. Everyone cooperate to unload and set up supplies and armaments for the upcoming battle. Manpack SRMs and LRMs, the only portable weapons that infantry could conceivably use to threaten mechs, were piled high into pyramids. Artillery shells were prepared in the tens of thousands of shells. A well-practiced battery could conceivably use up hundreds or even thousands per day, firing almost every ten seconds.
"Will there be an issue integrating mech assets?" Armstrong asked him.
"None, sir. If this is what the Prince wants, then we will do as our duty bids us. We will not be found wanting."
"Arrows can perform Air Defense. Thumpers can lay down minefields and drop fire missions on call. But if those Mechs are ever in a position where they have to fight with their two Medium Lasers each, you have bigger problems. They are support, not the first line of defense."
"Yes, sir. Understood, sir."
While crowded, the fact that the site could accommodate a whole regiment of people was just testament to how much the SLDF expected to store away. The levels were each wide and tall enough to accommodate the movement of BattleMechs if necessary.
The main lifts were more than large enough for that, in one go able to support multiple trucks and other logistical equipment normally stored within the depot.
"Three line regiments are not going to be enough," Armstrong mentioned as they descended. "DCMS doctrine is simple enough. Outnumber and outspeed the enemy as often as possible, flank them and hit them hard and fast in a banzai charge. Therefore we should assume they would send at least double whatever they expect to find groundside."
Douglass raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you discounting the Dahar DMM and the Galtor Irregulars? That adds nearly two regiments there."
"They are not maneuver units."
Douglass nodded. "Fair enough. Concentration of mechs or firepower do not win battles. Control wins battles. The officer that is most successful at imposing order over chaos, and bending the environment to his will must inevitably prevail regardless of the strength of the opposition."
In that regard, being able to call upon triple the number of artillery tubes was an interesting way to shape the flow of battle. The ELH by making big obvious bases that tempt the enemy to assault, splitting their forces three or four ways, was another benefit.
-.
They found at the lowest level that the ELH engineers had disassembled a side wall and parts of the ceiling to expose a hidden blast door.
Colonel Stimson was there, and the leader of the 91st Cavalry beamed merrily as he saluted. "Sir! Welcome to the SLDF Depot Number 29-997. Or as it is known in the secret tomes - the HIDDEN LEAF."
Something inside Douglass cringed. From the side of his vision, he could see General Mandella and Colonel Olivier wince. Why?
"So, how is it going?" asked Armstrong.
"The outer levels are done, but it should take another 12 hours to lathe into the lower levels."
Lathe? What an odd word. Douglass supposed it made no less sense than saying 'hack' or 'slice' to get into a computer system or unlock security. It certainly sounded far less destructive.
"How could we have missed this?!" Mandella spoke in a somewhat squeaky tone for such a big man.
Douglass nodded again. "I seem to recall that engineers have things like seismic sensors and ground penetrating radar. Were they just not expecting searchers to look at the ground right next to the elevators?"
"If it was that easy to find SLDF caches, then they wouldn't have been worth making. They were particularly cunning squirrels, no?" Stimston slapped the metal bulkhead. "You have to understand that SLDF caches were intended as a logistics solution in case the SLDF had to fight a Star League member state. Galtor being at the Combine border was intended to be used against either Kurita or Davion, haha."
While the Davion soldiers looked displeased at that reminder of hostile preparations against their nation, Douglass murmured "That makes sense. So I suppose the top level is to make people believe that it was stripped down completely if they manage to capture the site. Then when the SLDF comes in to recapture the world, they have… what? Ready replenishment for their losses?"
"The fact that it isn't as defensible at all means that people are incentivized to just loot and begone, instead of trying to turn this into their command center for a rebellion. Or something." The colonel replied with immense self-satisfaction.
Douglass stared up at the door. "This and the elevators are big enough to let battlemechs walk through. Should we expect BattleMechs?"
"Correct. It's going to take some time to open this." The ELH's officer's tone grew wistful. "I feel kind of sad, in a way. The legacy of the SLDF is just war and more war. We have forgotten about how to make things better for the people."
And Douglass thought: 'So there are actual reasons behind why the Eridani Light Horse are still pretending they are the SLDF. It is not just for pride and to make themselves look better. They would rather delude themselves than to accept the ache and regret of not leaving with Kerensky. What glories could the pure SLDF be doing out there, instead of this debased and corrupt Inner Sphere?'
People would die just for the forgotten castoffs of the SLDF. Every day it was a reminder of how far they had fallen.
One of the ELH engineers approached the group. "Sir! First level is cleared. We need your authorization to proceed."
"I thought CODE VIKI already makes this automatic without my further involvement?" Armstrong replied. "So where is the actual command center for this site? Top level or lowest level?"
Stimson sidled over and made a grand gesture presenting a human-sized door beside the much larger closed gate. That was not an unusual feature. Small access points were just as defensible and could lower secondary shutters on enemies trying to cut through.
"That does not actually answer my question," Armstrong added dryly.
"Top level, sir. Makes it easier to bug out if things get too hot."
Douglass supposed that made sense too. No matter how thick the walls, the terrain above was not so defensible and this would just inevitably become their grave if people foolishly tried to use it as a fortress.
-.
Douglass inhaled deeply.
The air tasted faintly of plastic.
It was the smell of a new car fresh right out of the showroom. Not only did everything beyond the secret door look pristine and new, unlike the base above, it even smelled as if newly manufactured.
In truth, there was little to really differentiate a SLDF base from an AFFS one, military necessity meant that all generally tended to have mostly the same flat paneled walls and hard angles. The only hint of lavishness was perhaps how the SLDF liked to paint walls a matte eggshell white, which surely would be a pain to keep clean.
Then again, Kurita had similar fixations with red, and some Steiner command centers could sometimes look oddly out of place with real white birch and gold trim paneling as if they were inside a palace rather than a warzone.
Military hardware was built to last, but did the SLDF go so far as to vacuum-seal this site? That could explain why it takes so long to open each level.
The command center looked much the same as any other, with a large holotable at the center. Some ELH staff had already turned on the systems and the holotable displayed a simple topographic map of the environs.
BROTHER EYE was already online.
The eye on the holo eerily followed them as they walked in.
"Friend Computer, initiate hardline connections to Light Horse marked 91A, and Davion Base marked 33rd," Armstrong spoke out loud even as he strode valiantly into the command center.
"ACKNOWLEDGED. HARDLINE DATALINKS ENGAGED."
Lt. General Wilson Mandella glanced around with a frown. "How is this different from the Brother Eye back at the base?"
"The Hussars' command center is only a receiving node. BROTHER EYE is software, not hardware. But a SLDF computer core would be significantly *more efficient* at protecting the information from interception and burning through ECM interference."
For the first time, Colonel Olivier of the 782nd spoke up. "General Armstrong, might I ask a question?"
"Oh? Yes, of course, Colonel Olivier. What is it?"
"Can Brother Eye… be used for counter-battery fire?"
"NOT ONLY CAN EYE BE USED TO DIRECT ARTILLERY DUELS, BUT EYE CAN REPORT TO YOU ARTILLERY HITS IN REAL TIME."
General Mandella yelped and jumped back in alarm almost as if burned. Olivier blinked. Then his features went back into cool deadly calm, as a man on a suicide mission did not give a damn about anything too complicated outside of his job. Douglass's eyebrows crawled up his forehead. Hoo? Now this was something even more interesting.
The 12th Vega only dated back to the 2nd Succession Wars. So this is what a true inheritance of the SLDF looks like when it did not involve mere tomb raiders and scavengers.
Armstrong continued "Friend Computer, what do we have in storage?"
"EYE DOES NOT POSSESS THIS INFORMATION. IT WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE STORAGE LEVELS WHEN THEY UNLOCK. NEXT LATHING PERIOD: 10 HOURS, 43 MINUTES."
What.
Wait. No.
There were plenty of other machinery that responded to voice input in the Inner Sphere, it was often just considered a waste of time to do so for military hardware. But in the luxury at the height of the Star League…?
Douglass ventured "General Armstrong, you said BROTHER EYE is software, not hardware. That is a separate thing to the proprietary sensor net that makes it so potent." Software alone would not be able to support Artificial Intelligence, no matter the fanciful legends. "How capable would it be on non-SLDF hardware, and what would it take for the ELH to license it out to other regiments?"
But it was Stimson who responded with a strange gleam in his eye "Ahh now, the price for that is something not many are ready to pay, space cowboy."
-.
-.
It was dignity.
Of course it was.
Douglass was not sure the Duke of Verde could even use that many Urbanmechs.
-.
-.
Outside the SLDF Depot
Late afternoon
"Mackies." Douglass said flatly. His voice carried not even a trace of disappointment. His eyes glittered with amusement.
After all of that posturing, *this* is what they get as the inheritance from the SLDF?
Hilarious. His bland gaze communicated more than mere laughter ever could.
Armstrong just shrugged. "We had records that said there was a rich source of supplies and materiel, just not what was in there."
Stimson nodded and stroked his grizzly goatee. "Mackies are Urbanmech enough, I suppose."
The 100-ton vintage machine, the very first type of BattleMech ever built, trundled out into the open sunlight for the first time in centuries. Or in an hour, depending on whether anyone had an idea of where these BattleMechs were actually produced.
The waddling trashcan was met by smaller trashcans, the Light Mechs crowding around it almost as if in awe.
Then a smaller war machine emerged from behind the Assault Mech. It looked almost like a Mackie but half the size and with reverse jointed legs like a chicken and moved around the larger Mech almost like a guard dog barking at sheep to get out of the way of moving cows. The machine had an unbalanced loadout, with its right shoulder held a large pair of laser cannons, and the other arm ending in a stubby digit with a small cannon.
"That seems new," mentioned Douglass.
Stimson referred to the provided noteputer. "That's a Jackie. Armed like the failed prototype Bellerophon originally meant to escort the Mackie, but 45 tons. Two Large Lasers, a Small Pulse Laser to deal with infantry. Runs up to 86 kph. No Jump Jets though, so I guess it was suboptimal to mass produce when better Mechs like the Griffin or Phoenix Hawk or the Crab were already around."
Then a third mech came out. It was a Hornet. It was indeed very egg.
"This is underwhelming," said Douglass. "I really don't know what I expected, but this makes sense. Why should the SLDF stock their best gear instead of just using them? Put away inferior machines for a rainy day, and even those machines are better than nothing."
Four bright blue PPCs bolts screamed through the air. A portion of the treeline in the distance did not so much burn as just blink out of existence. Then it fired again. And again.
"Oh," said Douglass, eyes wide with surprise. "Well! That is much more reasonable then!"
"Double HeatSinks," said Stimson. "Even Royal Mackies… are still Mackies. It would do well to be underestimated."
Even an Awesome could only handle three PPCs, and firing at a 3, 2, 3, 2 alternating volleys to manage its immense heat load. Four PPCs firing almost continuously was like getting smacked with two AC/20s from long range. "I would hate to fight that," Douglass had to admit.
"This is the sort of technology that Kurita fought so hard to possess on Hoff. Saving the scientists was more important than the technology itself. If Kurita managed to seize them, then they would also know how practicably duplicate the technology." Armstrong mentioned. "NAIS now knows how DHS functions. But sometimes lostech is lostech not because they are too good to be reverse-engineered, but because they are too expensive to reproduce. You would need to remake an entire production chain. DHS is not one of those technologies."
Mandela looked at the line of Mackies coming out of the depot, then the straight road leading out of the site that was only wide enough to at most allow two mechs to stand side by side. He let out a hyena-like cackle. His apple-like face curled up into weatherbeaten folds.
He exhaled deeply, slapped his belly, then turned around.
For the first time, Mandella looked less disgruntled. "All right. I understand the urgency. Kurita should not have their hands on these. Are you shipping them out or let them fight here? How many of these things are in the cache?"
If the Eridani Light Horse were so willing to find, open, and hand over SLDF sites to Hanse Davion, Douglass could now understand why Hanse Davion was also giving them so much latitude.
Stimson adjusted his glasses and inspected the noteputer a technician just handed over to him. "Looks to me like we were given… two battalions of Royal Mackies, two battalions of Jackies, and two battalions of Hornets. Two hundred sixteen mechs in total. All of them with energy-only weapons loadout for maximal ease of logistics. Do we have two hundred and sixteen extra MechWarriors, you think?"
"What? Where..? How-?!." Mandalla turned and screeched "There was two regiments sitting underneath Galtor III this entire time?! This is just a thing that can happen?!"
The ELH commander gave him a shadowed look of pure sympathy. "You get used to it."
"*How* would I even get used to it?!"
Douglass stared intensely at Armstrong. "I *respectfully suggest* that you get these mechs loaded up and out of here to deny House Kurita any prize. Do *you* have two hundred and sixteen extra mechwarriors?"
The ELH general raised a palm in refusal. "We do not have two hundred extra mechwarriors, no." His lips twitched into a smirk. "In the parlance of a great philosopher - we are Pulling a Vicky. We may not have two hundred, but we have forty. We can replenish losses for other mobile regiments and the DMM at need. We are ready to make a long campaign of this if necessary."
Douglass shrugged minutely. Fair enough. House Kurita comes in expecting to face three mech regiments and get four in their face.
"We will face the Sword of Light regiments and we will *wreck their face* with obsolete relics," Armstrong spoke with grim finality.
From anyone else, that would have sounded like boasting. But Kurita had no idea of what fresh new hell the Light Horse was going to unleash upon them. Douglass could see now why even Takashi Kurita might feel personally offended by the existence of the Light Horse on Galtor.
Douglass could see from the relaxing body language that the general Mandella of the 33rd Avalon Hussars had begun to truly subordinate his command to the Eridani Light Horse without any further equivocation.
A free regiment, one third of which were *Royal Assault Mechs*, was well worth the privilege of saying what should be done with them. As a mercenary regimental command, even he had to appreciate how Hanse Davion contracting the Eridani Light Horse was possibly the best deal he had ever done in his life. This was not something the 12th Vegan Rangers, despite their centuries of loyalty, could ever claim. Or give up on.
Douglass did not want to admit that the Light Horse could surpass the Rangers in anything, but… he then remembered the DEMETER CORE. Perhaps in humility and selflessness, or a foolish hope that people could do better, he had to consider that they were no match. This was what made a SLDF-derived unit truly a cut above the rest. It takes great willpower, or great madness, to be so recklessly optimistic.
Something so great required just as great a reward, but the ELH did not even seem to care.
-.
-.
New Avalon
Federated Suns
Date unknown
"Hanse Davion, I have come to bargain!"
"Good morning, General Armstrong. What have you got for me today?"
"We unfortunately have a surfeit of assault mechs. What have you got that is *not* a trash can?"
"I really cannot tell if you people actually *like* Urbanmechs or not."