[06.02: Bargained well and done]
[Shhhhh, we're huntin' pwirates…]
The problem with two-dimensional star-charts was that the universe was in more dimensions than that, as I looked at the holographic map of the Inner Sphere based on the 'intelligence data' being matched with star readings. Big messy blobs of influence, very different from the 'source books' they were based upon, along with trying, awkwardly, to match routes and destinations in the time since we arrived. It'd be better sorted when we could trade with a moderately advanced world, or at least one with regular trade, but for now it was part guesswork, and part letting the computers shift through the data.
Fifteen days in, of faster-than-light travel and scouting, we'd more stumbled upon the desired location from the analysts aboard Thunderchild than it being a smooth operation. Some obscure reference from the source books, and long-range energy detection, and we'd found our prey. Truth be told we'd located a few such jumpships as we edge around what estimated to be Taurian and Canopian territory, but this lot looked like they were pirates, and therefore acceptable targets. No way were we robbing honest sorts, or being aggressive with the locals where we could avoid it. Pirates and/or slavers though?
Acceptable targets…
'Like these fuckwits' I thought as the Fortune's Chance lay in-system, hiding in the asteroid belt as far distant the jumpship waited, it's dropships charging towards a world in-system. A pirate raid in action, with us getting to watch for now after Zatanna's Enchanting Zephyr had spotted this lot departing the 'suspected pirate system', while Thunderchild tracked. Our big advantage over the scavenged tech of the pirates and locals….our scavenged barely understood tech was much better than theirs! Or at least it was for the purpose set out, and bits of divination magic made it functional despite the short time since we'd arrived. Even then it mostly because that these jumpships weren't anywhere near common out here, and their Emergence Events were visible at 'long-range' by the Monitor's Hunter-Killer standards…even dumbed down systems like the Chance's.
"Any recognition on who they are?" I asked taking a coffee into hand, then returning to my command seat and taking a sip "Have they been communicating with the planet yet?"
"No ID on them yet Captain, and I don't recognise them or anyone on the jumpship neither" Jonathan answered from his station, dressed as I and the rest of the bridge crew was, in the white-gold-black uniform that'd been salvaged from now Fort Yuki-Onna "Just random scumbag periphery pirates. Our lucky losers"
"Don't be overconfident now Jonathan, taking them down, intact, is going to be dangerous. Very much so for the soldiers doing it" I reminded, not forcefully but in a polite, friendly, tone to Mister Levinson, as his friend and co-worker Rose gave him a reproachful look "Still, pirates, yeah, and we've caught them in the act. Once Thunderchild and Enchanting Zephyr arrive in-system we're go"
'Albeit that isn't ideal either' was my view of that situation. Once certain others, my dear Kara amongst them, got that into mind then they'd want to interfere now, rather than later. Admiral Hata too, albeit for the differing reason of this being an 'ideal' catch situation if we could neutralise the jumpship and trap the enemy in system – as well as having a combat test run against the local tech. Me, I'd rather catch them in a completely isolated system where nobody would see us, and simply make them vanish. Then we could start concerning ourselves with all this risking contact with the locals of the dimension.
"But we are not to actually take the jumpship?"
I glanced at Azula, nodding "No, guiding them in solely and we'll play communications jammer when the others jump in beside that big monster of a ship out there at the edge of system. If we can trap them here, well, we can see about getting captures intact"
She came over to stand on my right "Do you believe that they will so easily?"
"No, the jumpship will most likely, but the pirates might object to our taking things off them, and we aren't that impressive looking with our ships looking like three Leopard-class dropships. Truth be told I'm still leaning towards wanting to engage elsewhere where we can use our nukes to intimidate them" I admitted sipping the coffee and looking at the screens and holograms of the targets "But, well, that's not us to decide. We work with what we can. I'll need you to start the one-hour alert shortly. As soon as Thunderchild signals they and the Zephyr are in position"
Azula was being Azula in wanting to 'take charge' of things, and that was fine in this scenario as we were going to be getting tight on a running the schedule the moment the other ships were ready. This was a military operation, and deaths were going to be involved, so she served better in the role than Kara or Babs, as well as continuing her training. Helping her, indirectly, with the Earth Kingdom had kept deaths down, and she was hyper focused on getting her nation, and world, turned into a Meiji Restoration Japan. Except with laser guns and mechs. Calming that instinct was therefore just as important as the magical teachings for my Firelord apprentice…
--
{Two hours, seventeen minutes later…}
"Pirates definitely" Barbara called out as the bridge was fully manned, and the minutes ticked down to our own part of it "Threats to local planetary government make that blatantly obvious….Thunderchild reports in place, preparing to transition"
"Feed them the data Jonathan. Let's get this done" I instructed as the we tracked the pirate dropships demand various things off the locals, and getting rebuffed for it "Engage full spectrum comms jamming. If anything gets out from the jumpship, I don't want that lot hearing it"
I'd moved the Fortune's Chance in between the pirate jumpship and their dropships now deep in system, and stealthy as we were it should be hard to see us. Even if they were looking, which I doubted they were as they committed to landing, as well as launching a 'lance' of space fighters it looked like on the sensors. Busy with other commitments, as intended…
"Thunderchild and Enchanting Zephyr transition complete!" Jonathan called out, and I sat, hands together as both ships emerged in a bright flash on either side of the massive pirate jumpship based on the data we were transmitting "Weapons are hot"
"Monitor any transmissions or attempts to warn the drop ships" I commanded, then looked to Kara as I stood up, arms together across my chest "And here we go"
"Hmm, and if we do it fast, we can catch those pirates before they do too much damage" she replied, and I smiled faintly at that. Different minds, different goals, but close enough. On the screen the two smaller vessels were jamming the larger, and I listened in as Admiral Hata demanded their surrender under the threat of blowing them to bits. With their drives recharging the pirates, in theory, shouldn't have any way to get free, and there was clear panic in their voices as they answered Hata…
I blinked as the immediately surrender "That went well"
"Admiral Hata signalling us" Jonathan called out, tapping his comms, and I clicked my own.
"Admiral, success I see?"
"Yes Captain, I'm sending the Enchanting Zephyr to you as we board and take control of the enemy bridge and engineer. You are to proceed to the planet and secure the dropships if possible, engage their forces under local conditions with the units aboard your vessel's and Captain Zatanna's"
I nodded "Aye-aye Admiral. We will stand guard till Zephyr arrives and then proceed towards the planet at maximum known local sub-light speed. If they attempt to flee?"
"Weapons free save the nuclear option" he reminded in accented English "Not unless the local planetary government can be prevented from knowing of the usage of atomics"
"Yes Admiral, Outis out" I replied, ending the call and repeating the orders. We were Warships by local standards, even if we were 'too small' for that, and any engagement would end swiftly…and be a defeat for us as we needed at least one of those dropships intact. Ideally with the mechs within, or more importantly the pirates and any training simulators they might, maybe, have. Even pirates had more experience with the machines that us after all.
Nodded to myself, then turned to Barbara "Contact Colonel Meyer and have him prepare his Panzers and Captain Ishiyama's marines in case we need them to deploy for combat…"
--
[06.03: Bargained well and done]
[Drunken Bosnians]
Friedrich Meyer, Colonel in the Bundeswehr, and now 'League of Aquitaine Defence Forces' or whatever they wished to call it, stood in the cupola of his heavily modified Leopard panzer. Around him was the roar of engines and sounds of the machinery in the great tall gantries of the spaceship he and his men had been stuck on for weeks now. Listening to the command network through his headset he could hear threats and counter-threats being issued back and forth between the Captain of the ship and the space pirates….space pirates, it still sounded insane even when he heard it. Lived it in this case as his unit was mounted up and made ready for potential combat against the monster mech machines that this place used as weapons.
Unfortunately, his high command, both his actual high command and the allied command, outside the captain of the ship perhaps, were eager to ensure the first clash wasn't against elite units of such. Every training simulation indicated bad things should the armoured vehicles get tangled up at close range, but they had several advantages between their regular equipment and the 'alien' upgrades made to the Leopards. For the quiet threats and loud, bombastic, responses between the ships and the pirates, and the local government, it seemed they would be getting that engagement earlier than Friedrich would have liked. Toggling his unit's command circuit, he sent out the ready as he heard the increasingly fatal words in a surrender talk despite one of the 'dropships' waving the white flag. Then Captain Outis was unto him as he'd expected.
"Colonel, you heard?"
"Yes Captain, one of the…dropships have surrendered and is in orbit, but the second is held up at the spaceport playing hostages?"
"Unfortunately, yes, Colonel. Strictly speaking we could take them with the ship's guns, but that would give away secrets I'm under orders not too. The option is to engage the enemy ground units and eliminate them under the local…traditions, let us call them, or leave the pirates to the locals. As ground commander the decision is yours to make in regards engagement"
Friedrich nodded to himself "Enemy air wing?"
"Dealt with, two by us, one by the locals, and the other two are surrendering" he heard the other man reply, confirming verbally the updates on the tac-net "Enemy strength appears to be two light mechs, a Spider and a Locust according to sensors, and a Phoenix Hawk medium, backed up three armoured vehicles, assume their tanks at the weight scanned"
He nodded looking at the map and sensor scans "Ground looks fairly flat and open to the east and south of that airfield, and we have solid track on the enemy…"
Friedrich considered, then nodded to himself as I used the 'magic pen' to mark locations on the screen of the tac-net display "We'll engage, both my unit and Gunther's units aboard the Zephyr using these landing zones and this approach vector. Assuming it is acceptable with you Captain Outis? And full drone and artillery support from the ships?"
"Aye, you'll have it Colonel"
"Any other environmental hazards on sensors?"
"Negative reading on that Colonel, it's human settled and within norms for Earth-liveable"
"Understood Captain, bring us in and open the bay doors and we will deploy immediately upon landing" he answered, then switched to his unit's command circuit "Okay boys and girls, we are going in hot. Tactical-net is updated so pick your targets now and report any issues. Priority is that big monster of a medium mech, then the other two…"
Detailing the situation, adjusting the targeting took the few minutes till they landed, as well as coordinating with Gunther Schmidt's unit over on the Enchanting Zephyr, took them till the doors opened and his Leopard was bucking forward down the ramp unto the alien soil. All while wearing the uniform of the equally alien 'Star League' soldiers that had been in the abandoned base with the all the massive assault mech they had no idea how to use yet. Now that was part of their 'disguise', as music started to play from the panzers and out in the open to disrupt enemy comms hopefully.
Junak do junaka, rodila nas majka,
našu Bosnu čuvamo.
Pjevaj Bosno dušmani nek znaju,
da se lako ne damo.
"Why do we have to be…"
"Focus on the job Helmut" he told his driver as the man continued to whine about useless things "The uniform says were fucking Bosnian, and if the army says you're a drunken Bosnian, you'll damn well be a drunken Bosnian. Now, aim, target that ugly monster…"
--
{Meanwhile, across the field…}
"OPEN THE FUCKING BAY DOORS MILYA!" Constanta Wei-ling, mechwarrior, screamed into her comms at the goddamned idiots in their dropship, partly out of anger at the idiot captain, and partly to be heard as every fucking alert was going off at once "WE NEED TO GET ABOARD AND OUT OF HERE!"
'What the fuck is ALT-TAG?' she wanted to as another alert went off along with SENS-LOK and whatever the hell MIL-JAM was?
…and then her comms-circuit was filled with music and some hyperactive idiot singing…
Artiljerija! Bosanac sam bekrija!
'JUST.FUCKING.GREAT' were her immediate thoughts as she continued turning off alerts as she tried screaming into her comms-unit to get the rest of her lance moving, even as she demanded the idiot-cowards she served with to do something useful. Two dropships had just landed, and God only knew what was coming out of them "AVI! MEI! GET READY WE HAVE INCOMIN! YOU PUKES IN THE MERKAVAS AND INFANTRY STOP LOOTING AND GET READY TOO…"
"WH…"
"…CAN'T….EAR…."
Artiljerija! Bosanac sam bekrija!
WHUMPPP
….and then her Phoenix Hawk bucked as something impacted…
WHUMPP
WHUMPP
'What kind of accuracy is this?' her mind screamed at her as warnings flashed up as high-powered rounds hammered at her mech's legs with horrifying accuracy. Desperately she started moving, getting it behind a warehouse and searching for the….
WHUMPP
WHUMPP
…even moving was barely shaking the hits as she caught a glimpse of a distant tank silhouette…
…and then a shot cored her cockpit, and Constanta cared no more……
--
[06.04: Bargained well and done]
[Welcome to the Star League! Again!]
--
[Trader's Journal: Day 1979]
[Current Dimension]
Battletech. End of 3024/Start of 3025
[Current Location]
New Blackstone. Otherwise formerly known as Rim Worlds Republic Outpost 11
[Trading Report]
We have acquired things, though it's technically the League of Aquitaine that's taken ownership. But, for now, it's under the heading of; -
1 x Leviathan-class Jumpship (modified)
1 x Leopard-class Dropship (modified)
1 x Trojan-class Dropship
2 x Centurion aerospace fighters (plus 2 destroyed salvage) (really, really, old and re-modified a lot)
Contents thereof.
We've granted the 'salvage rights' to the destroyed medium mech, damaged light mechs, and the surviving pirate tanks to the locals. They seem confused at our generosity, but what need have we of the machines? There's a base full of medium to assault mechs back 'home' that we don't know how to use, so these things aren't much use, and it buys us goodwill. Also saves us trying to load the damned things as both the Chance and the Zephyr are full to the brim already. And we don't want to start playing around with loading the captured dropships when we've limited idea on how to use the machinery – best not look like idiots before the people currently impressed with us.
Also captured the pirate crew, their mechanics, and their two surviving 'mechwarriors'. They will show us what to do and how to run the equipment in time. For now, our prizes are hooked up by our marines to be remote controlled from our ships. Thank heavens for the Monitor systems.
[Diary Entry]
We got away with no deaths in this operation, but that's just sheer luck I think. We had six injured amongst the ground troops in the engagement, despite completely outranging and out-info-warring the enemy. Tough machines as expected, and the data compression on the limited mainframes they use is still ridiculous to me, almost magical even. No matter, we've got the data on their systems, and now 'volunteers' to serve as teachers to get over the initial hurdles, so perhaps the League forces can get to a few Atlas or Highlander mechs from the base working and piloted.
Turns out we saved a former Amaris Rim World black site turned unintentional long-term colony. Yay us. They have had one or two 'visitors' before, and they seemed to have been pirates or 'lost' jumpship merchants out in the Deep Periphery. This lot we just took out seem have to been on a mission to hide/raid/etc out in the 'Dark' because they pissed off someone somewhere, and that someone has bigger angrier mechs than they. The tales of the Inner Sphere and Periphery are just super-fun, happy, and certainly not filled with murder and mayhem and little else. Oh, wait, wrong dimension.
Well, they've got other goals now. Largely thanks to us pointing guns at their heads, but, hey, that's the choice they made being pirates out here in the wild. They've been drafted, long live the Star League or whatever. It doesn't matter, as long as we get functional mech pilots down the line, as we've already started ripping the star charts off their systems and matching the three-dimensional versions they've got, with the two-dimensional ones we've got, and actual star-sensor charts from our ships. Space be big, and the Inner Sphere be big, but we do have route organised now for Helm, along with confirmation we're in a 'standard' dimension, or at least near-standard variant dimension.
Next on the agenda – New Blackstone (the current world) is now our trade partner. Largely as they've no one else to trade with, and everyone that comes here tends to be in the category of 'pirate' let's say. We are friendly, they are happy and friendly, and we come bearing gifts of other people's stuff. So, we've a trading partnership with a world of about seventeen million people with limited industry. Admiral Hata is less than enthused, but I pointed out that building up a rough trade network in the region is in our interests as it redirects search efforts to this region rather than the actual location of the breach between dimensions. That and we could do with trading certain materials, and getting into 'more advanced' states means having a paper trail if we want anything beyond one-off trades.
Now I'm off to train with Azula while Kara and M'gann do their own training. Then we are going to watch a film a think. It's been a very stressful few days, and now we're getting ready to get these things back to Cailleach, and then the jumpship prepped to head into the Inner Sphere under a new paintjob, with the dropships left behind. Instead, it'll be the Fortune's Chance and Enchanting Zephyr attached as Leopard-class drop ships while the Thunderchild handles getting the dropships and crews of the pirates ships while they stand as defence 'fleet' for the hidden colony.
--
[Trader's Journal: Day 1988]
[Current Dimension]
Battletech. 3025.
[Current Location]
Cailleach
[Trading Report]
N/A
[Diary Entry]
Quinn has been leading a team over on the newly rechristened Velvet Glove, jumpship of MOZ (Mallory, Outis, Zor-El) Enterprises, along with Silas Stone and about four dozen others from Fort Yuki-Onna in re-rigging the systems. Me too, along with Zee, in ensuring everything was both functional and secure. They've been putting our user interface over the existing systems, along with ensuring that everything is functional to what the ship should be, once upon a time. Hardening our own computer systems, the more 'normal' League ones from twenty-second century Japan and Alta California, is apparently what he and Doctor Stone are focused on, along with 'The Mechanist' jury-rigging some backups with machines salvaged from the 'Fallout' Earth's Hawaii.
'Interviewing' the pirate crew has revealed plenty of relevant information, and it's actually quite disturbing how much of their 'training' is by rote, without much true understanding of the underlying fundamentals of the massive vessels they control. Good for us in a way, as we are filthy scavengers too, and this means we can re-operate these machines without the sheer depths of knowledge we really should need. We've been using the Chance and Zee's ships to 'repaint' the hull of the Velvet Glove to our company colours – midnight black, trimmed in silver. Supposedly radar absorbent black, and between that and whatever Quinn's team is doing to engines it's supposed to reduce visibility on it.
Now, next stop is the Magistracy of Canopus, and we're getting out stories straight of course. Mostly down to the units being resident in the R Castle Brian being technically five units. Two Terran combat units, a 'Bosnian' artillery regiment, and an 'Intelligence' yet mech armed unit that's Mexican/Texan in origin, along with two support logistical units, and the Rim World's traitors who fought them. So, yeah, we're Bosnian-Texan-Mexicans in our combat units. We've even got the unit patches to prove it. Plus the Navy ones, that'd be us, as well. So joy.
We'll be running training courses as we travel, by jumpship, from system to system till we near the Free World's League and then do a secret detachment towards Helm. New Dallas too, but we won't go anywhere near them in the jumpship, instead we'll ensure we look like a 'normal' route and us mine and Zee's ships to sneak in and out. Nobody should suspect dropships that will be publicly attached to a jumpship many systems away after all?
Have to watch for Comstar after all. Since they run the banking and comms systems we'll, in the future, have to make use of for 'normal' transactions. Because *not* using the system would draw attention as well if we decide to run future routes here. The key to normality is to find a nice, solid, legend, and then use that identity as a nice, normal, merchant group, and possibility mercenary unit in the future. I won't have anything to do with that even if the League itself seem to want to aim for that as a goal down the line. Training for how to use BT mechs against the Kromaggs should the need arise I know, but I'm a trader, and I don't want to be here for years and years and years dealing with the constant wars. This a trading ground, yes, and a future long-term route, but that don't mean me and Kara and Quinn want to be here all the time. Hence, the plans.
Anyway, Slán for now. We'll be getting underway in the morning, and it's slowboating for a few months then, so plenty of time to do things I imagine.
--
[06.05: Bargained well and done]
[Characters and their backstory…]
Addasar IV was the 'edge' of our little trip into 'civilized' territory so to speak, the starting point officially should anyone be asking questions. It was moderately developed, by Periphery standards anyway, and officially part of Luxen Province of the Magistracy of Canopus. More importantly it had a HPG, a HyperPulse Generator, albeit a 'B' class Node. That made it very useful to a trader from the 'Deep Periphery' in establishing that their ship wasn't in fact a pirate jumpship, no, not at all. This baby was all legit acquired by our Planetary Defence Forces don't you know!
Where you are from?
Winterfell. It's a lovely colony out in the darkness of the Deep Periphery. Bit cold and snowy some say.
Why are you here?
Trade obviously! Now have a look at this selection of fuel and mech parts!
And on and on with the telephone phone cultist, who was being friendly, but really was trying to find things out in a friendly, and polite, way. Unfortunately, as I told them, we were sadly under strict orders from our colony's overlords, House Stark, not to reveal it's location. Bit paranoid I said, but we are but loyal subjects and just glad of the chance to trade with all these super civilized and lovely people of the inner sphere…
"…and should heard the beeswax he was saying!"
"You can use the word bullshit Kara dear" I replied with an amused smile as we sat around playing poker back aboard the Fortune's Chance as we headed further into Canopian territory. With cards that been specifically made so none of us could cheat, from x-ray vision, to magic, to psionics, and a number of other abilities. By the power of months of investment and research we had created – the Normal Boring Playing Cards. For playing normal, non-cheating, games of cards! Truly money well spent!
"Yeah, you could, he does it lots" Barbara muttered, poker face in place, nodding at me "He's like a used car salesmen who got a spaceship"
"Hey now!" I protested as Quinn raised "I'm perfectly reasonable and honest when I'm selling goods and services! What truths I'm shaving off are due to national security issues, not product related"
"You still sound like a used car salesperson to me" she muttered back as I dropped out, shaking my head in a disagreement "Oh, you do! You'd sell ice in the artic or try too anyway!"
"Merchant!" I gestured at myself with my thumb "It goes with the job. Anyway, I couldn't exactly tell them the truth now could I?"
"They are creepy" Kara agreed as Nathan Anderson, our security chief, nodded idly in agreement "I do agree with that"
"Who?" Chief Sanchez asked having dropped out like, bad hand or simply not liking how high the betting was going on this hand.
"The Comstar cultists" I answered, adopting an odd accent "Blessed be Blake's Beard"
"They have nothing do with actual science" Quinn muttered unhappily "All this technology and they…ugh!"
I shrugged "Eh, humanity when it goes bad. I'm wary of criticising since we're flying in a salvaged alien space-craft that we can't build ourselves, trying to find the mystical hidden knowledge they want to find"
"Yes, but we aren't destroying the people who try to advance technology!" he pointed out as another round of bets went around the table "I've read about Operation Holy Shroud just like you. This dimension could be so much more"
"It could also be worse I guess, but, yeah I agree with you Quinn" I nodded "Hence…"
"Why are running around telling bullshit stories about being from the land of the ice and snow" Babs agreed, then smirked as the cards were put down "Comstar bad. Comstar run the banks and space-phones…Batgirl takes the pot heh, heh, heh"
"I blame Batman for you being too good at this game" I muttered, Kara letting out a snort of amusement.
"Really? He's not…"
I pointed at a faintly embarrassed looking Barbara, and Kara frowned, then glared "Really Babs?"
"Ummm….ready for anything? Never know when you have to play high stakes Texas hold'em?"
Nathan sighed "The worst part is…that probably is an actual possibility back home. We have those super-idiots who dress like a pack of cards for one"
I gave a snort "Aye, don't I know it. Now, deal another hand, let's see can we take the Bat-card-shark…"
"That's a terrible joke Callum"
I shrugged in response to Babs rolling her eyes, Kara doing the same "Ah, well, it's late and I've had two drinks, I'll come up with better ones later. Let's see has that third drink impaired your card skills enough for one of us to win back our coin…"
--
{On the approach to Canopus, sometime later…}
"Are you sure you want to come with me?" I asked my 'sister', earning a little glare from M'gann Outis in response, causing me to hold my hands up in surrender "I'm just asking! You didn't seem very certain earlier"
"I can't stay on the ship the entire time we are here!" she pouted back, standing in an effective human disguise and poking me in the shoulder with her finger "You said"
"You d~i~d!" Kara sign-song from a few metres away, where she was changing her clothes "Re~mem~ber"
"Oh, shush you. I'm talking here" I huffed back as I threw a the desired top she was waving at me to give to her off the back of the chair, then back to M'gann "I've no problem, just remember it's supposed to be bit of wild place…"
"Where women rule! Just like they should!"
"And they've done a great job turning into a den of sin and tourism my love" I retorted to Kara as she amused herself while we waited "Anyway, it's not supposed to be that bad at least. Just misandrist, a little. So, we'll do our trade, register our flag, and then head on in a few days after we make a few purchases. I'll be kind of boring most likely M'gann, and stressful"
"He's right" Kara agreed "The business stuff at the start is just paperwork, or what counts as it, but we might be able to go shopping!"
"She says"
"Yes, she says" Kara told me back with a smug look "And your fellow Captain agrees with me"
"Oh, Gods, Zee is not the positive authority figure to back up your argument"
"It's not an argument, it's a fact" she teased, coming over to me and M'gann, hands resting on M'gann's shoulders "We will look around the safer parts of the spaceport trade areas, so come along Megan. Tea building and training"
"Fine. Fine. I know when I'm outnumbered" I agreed picking up my 'walking-cane' as I stood in my white business suit. We weren't going for the whole SLDF angle here, not in the places where they hated them, and our bodyguards had more 'local appropriate' garments thanks to the previous stop along with data in the pirates 'diaries' and such "Anyway, this is probably one of the…more developed security zones we're visiting. Not safer entirely, in that we can't make slip-ups here like we could in a wild west backwards world without connected communications and twenty-four-hour television networks everywhere"
We'd gotten the channels when we'd reached the 'jump-point', where the Velvet Glove was guarded with the other jumpships trading with the system. Canopus was an active system, developed and alive, even if not quite in the way of a twenty-first century Earth was either. We'd been negotiating as we travelled in-system, at the 'standard' speed of a dropship our 'size', and so far, so good, and then we'd spend a few days converting gold and other precious materials into C-Bills. Then we could actually trade…and have a visit or two to the local libraries, if any, and see what was going on relative to our records – just what a bunch of neo-barbarians would be expected to do.
Then there was the 'shopping list' that Quinn and his team had handed me, from the ABCs of local programming and computing, all the way up to engineering books and magazines. Or variations thereof basically. Funny considering we were looking to grab a massive secret R cache, and here we were looking for 'engineering for dummies; battletech edition', but it had to be done as well. So I herded my duo of ladies out into the hallways so we could prepare for final landing, and then dealing with the 'port authorities' so they weren't trying to board the ship or something. Then we'd get around to the first part of our little journey into the Inner Sphere….
--
[06.06: Bargained well and done]
[One night in Canopus makes the catgirl sleepy]
Unleash a team of mages, psionics, or variously empowered people on a casino, or casinos plural, albeit very advanced ones, was always a troublesome thing. It wasn't quite active cheating…but it was as well, though in small doses as I finished my hand, cashed in my 'chips' and moved back to the merry little seating area that we'd rented out. Me and Barbara made a dynamic gambling duo, while being technically bodyguards for each other, as I ordered another round of drinks and counted our winnings. Right now, were 'upscale' in terms of Canopus spaceports independent traders, in that we had C-Bills and local Magistracy currency, and a desire for secure locations.
'Which means the strippers are classy…or something like that' I thought taking a sip of the bright and luminescent cocktail as I glanced out at the almost ballroom like 'entertainment zone, with its bizarre mixture of fancy hotel, paint gallery, and strip club. Maybe with a bit of Ren-fair thrown in. I'd never imagined I'd see an Amish-themed 'adult' 'entertainer', but, like many things, it seemed Canopus was the land of the misandrist nudist sex-worker that wasn't officially a sex-worker. It was almost like those weird blue alien women, the Asari, back in the dimension with Systems Alliance and 'Mass Effect' technology 'Hilarious that this is the tamer and more high-class joint for the likes of us'
M'gann was mortified by it all, but Kara and others 'long-term' with us had seen the 'wonders' of fancy shitholes like Omega and that dump in the Star Wars universe. Which was funny in it's own way as she was a clone of a bunch of nudist psionic cosplayers….I mean Martians. That and, even a year in, hadn't quite grasped that 'Yes, you can get drunk' despite that orcish metabolism, and that she was now judging by all the giggling from her, Kara, and a disguised Breyla Maryon. The team outing of parts of the ship's crew after several long days of reading and then signing documents, along with selling off gold and silver bars stamped with a fictional mark. Couldn't leave behind gold bars stamped with Earth based identifiers, now could we?
"And did you win?"
"Uh-huh, lost a few hands, but good, solid, winnins' I got" I answered sitting back into the chair as Kara leaned forward on the table, smirking a little drunkenly "Lil'bat here romped home so we called it a day after a few thousand C-Bills"
"Tens" Barbara corrected, sitting back on the couch-chair, resting her back against my shoulder, feet up on a foot stool as if utterly exhausted "We be rich now"
"We're already moderately well off by thanks to our sales, so there's that. The little bit on the top from the…other activities is just personal shopping money…"
"Wooo!" the red-head beside me mocked out at the same time as Kara, both raising their drinks to each other, being themselves "Wooo!"
"Quinn" I asked for aid "Help me out here"
"I'm reading a noteputer as they call it" he offered back unhelpfully, sipping a drink of his own as Isabella and he still continued working on their madness despite this den of sin and relaxation "I am not here to rescue you from social interactions"
"Thank you, Quinn, thanks" I murmured rolling my eyes, then taking another sip as another to 'Mech Battles!!!!' came up on a giant screen between two dancing cat-girls on the top, and two hunky men on the bottom. Gambling would then take place in this extensive theatre-like casino-hotel-bar-whatever. It was certainly popular as I could see the gambling starting on the fight, which was probably pre-recorded….maybe, maybe not?
I took another sip and relaxed, enjoying the different tastes…needed to copy the recipes at some point…
But for now, it was a relaxing night and day before we had to get to the grindstone…
--
[Trader's Journal: Day 2002]
[Current Dimension]
Battletech in the 30.25 When the Star League's no-longer alive!
[Current Location]
Canopus. The Magistracy of Canopus. The Periphery.
[Trading Report]
Sales: -
825 x Gold Bars
620 x Silver Bars
800 x Bottles of Winterhold Nord Mead (surprisingly popular)
400 x 'Cells' of Hydrogen based 'fuel'
525 x small containers of various assorted spices (Alta California and Imperial Japan)
800 x small contain of high-grade cocoa powder
20 x containers of quality chocolate
6 x bottles of 'old Terran wine' – French wines from 'empty earth' with stasis spell to age
8 x bottles of 'old Terran brandy' – stasis spell to age to confirm everything. Tested.
Purchases; -
4 x 'noteputer' with technical manuals. Very much working pads and nothing like gaming machines
112 x assorted technical manuals
4 x commercial containers of assorted alcohols
12 x commercial containers of 'mech parts' and 'industrial goods' let's call them. Assorted junk really.
4 x commercial containers of parts to assemble a mining sensor machine. Quinn wanted it for study.
[Diary Entry]
Ah, Canopus with catgirls, casionos, bitterness, and misandry. Honestly not too bad on the surface as best I can tell. Living standards are reasonably good for the societal level considering everybody is at war at some stage, and they got knocked flat a few centuries ago. That sort of thing tends to linger, and it has lingered here I do believe. It's developed at least, and even if we stayed small scale in what we purchased, we've a surprising amount of profit off things like the gold and silver. Demand? Supply issues? Not sure, but we got a very good return on it, along with a handful of 'speciality items' that analysts thought would be good for aiming us at the 'lost colony offering its crown jewels' sort of idea. The wine and such. Bit silly in my view, but they passed muster in testing, and people pay lots of money for stupid luxuries.
Huzzah for dumb rich folk!
Anywho, we're leaving, and the real objective awaits. We're going to trade our way into the Free World's League, the crappier worlds, hence the containers of junk as I see them. Convincing forgeries that are better than the real thing we can fabricate aboard the Fortune's Chance as well, so we can easily tip along and trade those away. Zatanna's Enchanting Zephyr has her own fabbers, but ours are Androsynth and some Monitor, and better in nearly every regards – we really need to get her upgraded ones in the future.
We've been monitoring electronic traffic, lots of tv basically, as well as passive of the military channels. Next we'll try our hand at cracking the encryption, but that's a secondary goal of Quinn's team – more of a challenge to ensure our systems can break the SLDF encryption on Helm even if something unexpected pops up. The stuff back on Fort Yuki-onna was consistent, and so far so good out here, but Comstar are an issue to be on the watch for as well. Doctor Stone's team is fascinated by the HPGS, but not way am I doing anything to drawn attention to us by trying to get a closer look. They can use the sensor data we drew when the thing activated, along with visuals from orbit and as we descended into atmo. All data can go towards when we have trade ships operating in this dimension in the future.
Hells, even the local military forces would be a problem. The Heavy and Assault mechs are, well, really gods-damned dangerous relative to our ground forces, even with help, so best avoided. Ironically we're better off in space, save against Comstar and the Clans, as our ships outgun most everything else – though fully restored Warships are potentially powerful. Hence why we are on the watch for them, along with the very present desire to get those Atlas and Highlander Mechs usable for the League military in case of 'break glass; - interdimensional aliens attack!' happening.
So, off we go. We'll burn hard from jump point to jump point, and they 'hide' the Velvet Glove in a system while our two ships stealth and head to Helm. If the planetary defences are as strong as here, then we have a problem as they'll potentially see through the cloak. Ideally it's not, and everything indicates it shouldn't in anyway be near to that on the battered, backwards, ruins that House Weeaboo left in the wake of it's ancestors temper tantrum all those years ago.
Now. Onwards! To salvage and reclamation!
--
[06.07: Bargained well and done]
[A computer's supercomputer in a mainputers, noteputers, world]
Quinn Mallory enjoyed working with these new machines and the strange computer systems within them. You'd struggle to run an 'early twentieth-first century game' on them as Callum complained about, and it was partially correct, but the software infrastructure was impressive nonetheless despite the hardware restrictions. That and the hardware workarounds this 'Star League' had evolved, and it had given Quinn and his team ideas for improving data-storage security on the Fortune's Chance's databanks. One's they'd custom built rather than relying on the almost-beyond-him computer systems of the alien Monitors like they did now to a larger degree than he'd like.
That was why he and Isabel were working with Doctor Stone on their own custom machine to crack the SLDF encryption, despite the systems already being done so by the Chance's modified Monitor systems. Imitation and recycling of old equipment created by others didn't give you the best results in his mind, nor did it push forward SCIENCE! as he'd like. That hurt civilization as it made you dependent on hand-me-downs, rather than taking advantage of what knowledge they learned and then pushing forward. Even in these dark days, after the mistakes he'd made, he still held unto that belief that SCIENCE! would make the world, or universe, a better place despite, occasional, horrific setbacks/outcomes. He would, someday, make up for that mistake.
Right now though…the work had gone into creating a 'idiot-savant' hacking unit, first in computer form, and then into a robot's body at Isabel's suggestion. That's why he liked Isabel – improve designs and efficiency within her area of expertise. Now they had assembled a Mister Handy, Rain-Man, heavily modified with every bit of advanced electronics they could think of for the tasks it needed, along with an adaptive multi-tool set in its rotary arms. So far Rain-Man was working as intended, cracking the already intact and decrypted SLDF software, with 'bobby-traps' as on the originals, along with some of the Canopus and Free Worlds purchased equipment.
"It best be ready" Isabel was saying back his note on the tests, as Callum announced they were breaking off from the 'jumpship' with it's fascinating faster-than-light drive, to head towards the target planet "Because it looks like we'll have to field test him soon"
"Ah…now, now, the machinery is as good as we can make it" Doctor Stone stated simply from where he was studying the results of the readings on the HyperPulse Generator "It will be fascinating to compare the data on this supposed Memory Core against the technological base of this the….System Alliance, and the, ah…United Nations, the rather awful one that created the clone people"
"Oh, them" Quinn nodded in agreement "Terrible use of that technology, cloning I mean. I'm not sure why anyone would want people-slaves who'd object to that status. Awfully inefficient really. But, yes, it will be interesting to see what the technological situation is with such an advanced version of humanity, yet also unusually analogue in that technological base. Personally, my greatest interest is the terraforming equipment, even if it is brute force, as that would be very helpful for home"
The HyperPulse thingie was also a big interest, but that was for seeing could it improve his Slide Drive and Slide Cage in the future. Kromagg invasion was the big fear in everyone's mind, and helping defend against that might make people hate him less in the future. People hating him made SCIENCE! somewhat harder than it should be after all. Doctor Stone nodded idly "Hmm, Hmm, indeed, indeed, the whole system is fascinating to consider, and would be very helpful for solving several global problems if it could be harnessed for the public good…"
"Don't ah know it" Isabel muttered sitting down, shaking her head "Been thinkin' on what it could do to restore the Commonwealth….hell, the whole world back ome'. That right Sparks?"
Her little robot companion beeped excitedly, and Quinn had to agree "It would be a good test of such knowledge Isabel, and would do much public good. What with the military interested in all the stuff on your Earth I'm sure that getting a project up and running wouldn't be an impossibility"
And it was true, even if they'd been staying away from the 'Commonwealth', and the mainland United States, ever since their last trip. They were planning a big return though, properly planned out, and supported this time, as the bases in the pacific, and Hawaii in particular, were mostly looted now, and the danger levels were growing from the mutated sea-life by all accounts. Attack helicopters being needed to drive off crabs was an odd thing to see in a report on the science operations there in Quinn's opinion….
--
{Some days later…}
The bridge of the Fortune's Chance was a flurry of activity, despite 'nothing much' happening in the opinion of the locals Quinn figured as he watched the track of the two ships into the atmosphere. A slow, steady, descent so as not to create a heat outline that would undermine whole 'invisible stealth' thing that Callum and Zatanna had going right nw. Oh, there was optical camouflage and anti-lidar systems active too, but it didn't seem to be needed considering the limited electronic signals, let alone advanced sensors, coming from the planet they were descending too.
That part of the mission wasn't his, and therefore wasn't his concern as he stood at his station and waited the opportunity to get started. Sensors were scanning, and the general location of the facility was already in mind, so he waited patiently as Callum and Kara directed the ship in a sluggish movement through heavy clouds and rain to their target. Bad weather wasn't ideal…for scans anyway and what he wanted to do, but the whole 'stealth' side of things seemed happy at said bad weather…
'Oh, well, just have to adjust then' he thought looking at Callum, and getting a thumbs up. That agreed Quinn turned back to the controls on his arm-pad, a copy of the holographic ones he'd seen in the Systems Alliance and 'Citadel' and activated his part of the operation "Initiate Mallory-Two-Delta-Two"
…and then bay doors opened, and a swarm of small drones were 'dumped' from the ship, small motors activating like a swarm of angry bees. Then descending over the target area and feeding their camera footage and sensor data back to the ship, matching up to the sensor data from the Monitor systems. Test and retest your findings, just be sure, that was Quinn's way now. No shortcuts, or grandiose leaps if he could avoid it…
"Found it" he said after a few minutes as the small landers got the first of their seismic readings back after pulsing into the earth below "Or, well…found caverns that are probably it. Exactly where it's supposed to be according to the briefings. Whole region looks empty"
"Hmm, yeah, that's a good start then" Callum agreed, looking to Kara "I say we land and start deploying the troops to secure the sites here and here"
Kara nodded after a moment of reading the sensor data, looking to Quinn till he shrugged, giving a thumbs signal to her "Okay. Signal the Zephyr and we'll land and start exploring. I'll have a look as well if you can give me a power boost when we land"
"Agreed, and we'll use those Earthbenders our glorious Azula here wise brought with her" he heard Callum say as Quinn focused on establishing full sensor coverage, as well as scanning for any energy emissions "You hacker-bot and other tools ready to go Quinn?"
Quinn nodded, not looking up from his data-pad "Yeah, all ready to go. Once we find an access point anyway, and that could take a while unless you want to try a breach?"
"No, we'll do it the cautious way" Kara pointed out before anyone could say anything else "As we agreed"
"Aye, as we agreed" Callum stated with a glance at both of them, then tapping his comms unit "Colonel, get your units ready for deployment. Drone coverage is complete and transmitting to tac-net. Once we land, establish a perimeter and then we'll bring our…ah, geological experts to find the ideal point to enter the underground facility"
Magic was useful like that, but Quinn preferred having tried and tested, or simply highly advanced and new, technology just in case. Getting this 'memory cache' was very exciting, and he and his team couldn't wait to their hands on a copy of it. Even if Callum simply wanted to make copies and then leave the original untouched for whatever reasons he had….
--
[06.08: Bargained well and done]
[Say the magic words and the door shall open!]
--
[Trader's Journal: Day 2023]
[Current Dimension]
Battletech
[Current Location]
Helm
[Trading Report]
N/A.
[Diary Entry]
At long last – Helm. Landed in the mountains under stealth with Zee's Zephyr and we've established a hidden base camp over the Castle Brian. I know this thanks to a combination of sensors, intelligence guesswork, and use of elemental earth sorcerers in the confirming of the caverns below. Azula's Dai Li as she calls them, and while we're all a little bit weakened, they still have excellent 'senses' with their powers. We've mapped out the nearby entrance between all those methods, and we're currently setting up to excavate the entrances so we can enter the security codes. Don't want to set off the self-destruct, or any sort of defence system – so slow and steady as she goes.
Colonel Meyer has taken his units and deployed in a defensive perimeter, and the poor weather helps with hiding that. Mists, fogs, rain, cold. Cold is an issue, and it *is* really fecking cold let me tell you despite only a light bit of snow down. I know because I've been outside in SLDF uniform and helping with that deployment and hiding thereof. Yes, yes, drones show nothing, but the size of the warmachines here means establishing defensive zones is vital as they could 'dropship' in unless we blow up the dropships. Even then the bigger machines sheer size mean they can traverse territory a bit faster than I'd like. So establishing defences is first thing to do.
Which it seems I must get back too. Slán.
--
[Trader's Journal: Day 2025]
[Current Dimension]
Battletech 3025
[Current Location]
Helm. The mountains.
[Trading Report]
N/A.
[Diary Entry]
Breach, a safe breach. Took the extra day to be sure there weren't any other boobytraps on the entrance, but there weren't, and Quinn's Mr. Handy worked as intended. Gates of the Castle Brian are now open, and we're sending in the scanning drones while my teams secure the forward parts of the entrance. Yes, yes, I'm being paranoid, but this could be a variant, and this place filled with a bioweapon or a horde of insane robots – good procedures keep teams alive when things go wrong. Just because we *think* everything is lining up as intended, does not mean we should rush this job. Kara backs me up on it. So, Zee can relax and chill despite the fact I'm having us 'plod along slowly' in the operation.
Another part is the desire to study what we've got from here. Quinn find's it interesting at least, and myself and my apprentice have been plenty busy anyway dealing with monitoring local communications, both military and civilian. That and the history of this place. House Kurita are assholes, and they've wrecked this place with past actions, petty and massively brutal. Beyond that it's just been organising the usual – food for troops, crew, and generally preparing vehicles to deploy tomorrow. Once we've got that we'll copy and remove ourselves from the planet, hopefully no one the wiser. It'll certainly help ease the pressure from helping maintain the illusions over the ships and our base.
Beyond that, the crew is working well, and we are on schedule with the defences of this place down. My own waterbending is improving, I think, judging from the short training on the past two days, but that's I think for time to tell. I really should borrow Azula's co-wife at some stage to work on that. But, well, I'm busy with many other things, even down to the Ring project, so maybe when all of this is done and dusted, I'll test out a few things. Currently my agenda for the next few hours is a quick rest, a meal, and then reviewing the mission scans taking place now. Then we can hopefully move into the facility fully in vehicles, and then move to claim our prize.
--
[Trader's Journal: Day 2027]
[Current Dimension]
Battletech 3025
[Current Location]
Helm. The mountains.
[Trading Report]
3 x copies of a Star League Memory Cache (Actual core)
Backups made to our machines.
[Diary Entry]
Really should play Ode to Joy like it's Diehard.
Core – Intact!
All self-destructs – disabled!
Copies – made into both identical Cores and our own systems!
Boys and girls – we are in business!
Quinn is a genius. Gods-bless him. We have multiple copies of the Memory Cache made - two without any attempt to decrypt as 'originals', and two more decrypted and 'active', along a further copy unto our systems after a day long decrypt and transfer process. Data compression on these machines is absolutely ridiculous let's say. But's all there –
Designs. Basic principles. Advanced lessons. Books. Test data. Research papers. Art. You name it, our good boy SLDF man put in there. From ABCs up to the advanced engineering principles behind their advanced factories. Do a little dance, make a little love, get down to night!
All safely about the Chance, with one of 'original's and copy data about the Enchanting Zephyr. Now withdraw and gift wrap this place for the Grey Death Legion. Making the self-destruct less 'hair trigger' and more able to be accessed and ready to go if needed. This place is Christmas present waiting to be unwrapped, and I feel almost sad leaving behind all these monster mechs, but we don't really have the room aboard the ships with the tanks. Okay, we took a 'Prototype' Spider and four 'test' Merkavas, but that's just Colonel Meyer being greedy in my opinion – as we are going to struggle to find them in the storage bays with all the military equipment we brought with us as escorts.
I don't care, because there's tons back in Fort Yuki-Onna. We'd need loads of drophips to move all this stuff, so hopefully they find a use for in a few years.
But now, it's time to leave! Close the doors and meet up with the Velvet Glove. While drinking champagne and having a little party if we can find the time. I kid, but we'll do something in shifts we can celebrate this successful part of the operation. New Dallas will be a harder nut after all, so let's get this party started!
--
[06.09: Bargained well and done]
[Man on a mission]
Shunroku Hata nodded and sent the young Lieutenant back to her station with his orders as the Thunderchild travelled through the wrongness of space-time. Operation Sparrow had achieved it's first objectives and retrieved the so-called Helm Cache with no loss of life, nor detection by the local population. It would make him feel hypocritical in hiding such from the residents of this dimension, but the 'Successor States' were rather more warlike than any sane person would want as neighbours. Let alone the cult of telephone technicians that was his current concern as he read through the secure notepad on Contingency Indigo, and the decision to proceed with the scenarios under that Contingency.
The Admiral's various superiors did not want to lose a ship…but they were willing to take the risk of such in the desire to gain even a damaged HyperPulse Generator to go with Memory Core. Oh, they already, technically, had access to FTL communications, as he would use soon…but that was Monitor technology, and gaining independence from that…
'Is worth the risk of our lives it appears. Though not that of the Firelord or that one of three ships' he read, nodding idly in agreement. Losing any of their ships would be a disaster, but a risk to be taken, but not the higher-ranking individuals within this particular alliance, and he understood his duty. The decision was apparently unanimous, or as close to it being considering the fluid and odd nature of their strange multi-dimensional alliance. Potential combat operations and limited revelation was deemed acceptable, and they had fully equipped the Thunderchild with the 'new' Moriarty system.
Admiral Hata would have chuckled at that idea, but it would be unprofessional in his opinion and merely remained standing stoically as he watched the star charts. Moriarty was a fancy name for a glorified recycling and 'upgrading' of a great deal of nuclear weaponry from the 'empty earth' side of the 'The Event' as they called it. Giant trashcans filled with nukes, but they were numerous, and they were human in origin, however primitive they might be. If, and it was a concerning if, their intelligence remained true then they could risk an engagement should potential enemies arrive during the process of seizing both the New Dallas Memory Core and the HPG on site.
"Admiral" Captain Lorenzo, who'd served on the trip through the 'Phlogiston' and could be counted as a veteran at this stage, said to him, coming over after discussing with the communications officer "We have established link with Velvet Glove, Fortune's Chance, and Enchanting Zephyr"
He nodded "Excellent Captain, I shall take the call in my ready room"
The captain, dressed like himself in the uniform of the long dead 'Star League Defence Forces', saluted, and Hata moved to exit the bridge for the secure room at the rear of the bridge. Accessing his protected systems inside the Admiral ensured the door was secure, and then activated the holographic displays for the FTL communication systems of the near extinct species that had built the three ships. Another reminder of why they needed something like the HPG, even if it was inferior to such things. Within moments the two figures of the two, quasi-civilian, quasi-military, allied captains appeared before him.
"Captains"
"Admiral"
"Admiral Hata" the more senior of the two answered after his colleague "I see we're getting ambitious"
"Indeed, Captain Outis" he replied back stoically "Contingency Indigo is a go"
The Caucasian woman frowned "We are risking combat and discovery?"
"Only if there is no other way, but it is felt that attempting to seize the damaged HPG, safely, will alert Comstar to our intentions. Combat is deemed a low risk, but it is dependent on timing we cannot estimate in truth. High Command has deemed this an acceptable risk based on our combat power relative to any likely response force. But capture of personnel and material…"
The younger man's, in his human form rather than his green skinned half-breed alien form, hologram sighed rubbing his forehead "Try and not fight, but if they arrive too fast, then fight…but if you do fight don't get caught? Though space-wise that be you Admiral as mine and Zee' spelljammers will be needed for site secure and taking charge of the targets"
He nodded in response "That would be within expected parameters of the contingency. Furthermore, considering the likelihood of the opposition and the planet, your ground forces are authorised…ordered…to deploy their Fat Man and Modified Missile Launchers with their Power Armour contingents. If the Comguard manage to land and deploy, or any other forces are present, they are to be engaged with maximum force available to us. The situation will also be the case in space"
Combat simulations indicated that the heavy and assault mechs would be too dangerous even with the modifications to the various armoured units. Suicidal was the more accurate terms should their forces make any mistakes in the engagement, so the only counter was the Power Armour with their jet pack mobility and atomic weaponry. All information that they had available on Comstar and it's Comguard indicated they would not be bound by these Ares Conventions as would the other great star nations. No, like themselves Comstar would want all these secrets kept hidden and would be utterly merciless in maintaining their secrecy. So, the Admiral would respond in kind…
The hologram of Outis nodded, slowly, after a moment "Ah, so that's the tack we are taking then? Well, I won't object to that, though our best bet is ensuring they don't make planetfall"
He nodded "Yes, that will be our priority and my vessel has been equipped as best can be to aid us in enabling that scenario, but we must be prepared for such an eventuality"
Then tapped his keyboard "Here are the link up coordinates. We will form up on this system, while the Velvet Glove continues under its illusionary effect of both your ships. Our three will then continue on under the SLDF disguises. Upon reaching New Dallas we will eliminate any potential Comstar surveillance assets detected…"
He held up his hand to forestall any interruptions "Yes, this will alert them, and I am aware of the status of the HPG itself, but we have limited options and denying them any idea of our force strength is, in all likelihood, the best option available to us. Once this has been done your vessels will descend to the surface and begin excavation of the targets as quickly as is safely feasible. In an ideal scenario we will have departed before any response force arrives. If not, it is my decision to make whether engaging the enemy is feasible"
Captain Zatara nodded after a moment "Understood Admiral, though I am not particularly happy about the strong possibility of bloodshed this could cause…it is what was agreed upon. Nothing you propose is beyond what has been discussed"
"I agree" Captain Outis murmured after looking thoughtful "We have firepower, and we keep radio silence if engaged…the HPG then is worth the risk?"
"It has been deemed so"
The younger man's hologram nodded "Aye, then we do what needs to be done and see what can be done with the salvage side of the operation. I will discuss with Colonel Meyer and ensure that his units are aware of these concerns"
"As will I do with my passengers" the female Captain agreed "I'll start preparations for the mirage effect on the Velvet Glove for my spelljammer"
"As will I" the other Captain agreed "Then we can depart as planned"
"Excellent" Admiral Hata noted "Begin your preparations and we will link up at the designated location…"
--
[06.10: Bargained well and done]
[New Dallas. Dead Dallas.]
"And boom goes the satellite" I murmured as the two transmitters in orbit, albeit ones powered down to a bare minimum within the debris field around the planet, were obliterated by the Thunderchild's phaser banks in swift beams. I looked at the scans, raising voice to be heard "Any other signals detected?"
"No Boss" Rose replied from her station "Not beyond that site on the planet. But the sats sent off pulses before they were destroyed"
I nodded, glancing at Kara, who wasn't overly happy about that "Nothing we can do about that. Best efforts were made"
I'd been negative on the whole suppressing awareness of this, as knocking out all orbital sniffers, as well as the HPG, damaged as it was, was unlikely. Instead, the things had likely pinged off…something when we got detected, that and the HPG had certainly done something the moment the satellites were destroyed. Might be a self-destruct as well, but even if just the wreckage…we could work with that as long as the damage wasn't catastrophic. Kara was of similar mind to me, giving me a frown and a nod as the world before us lay before us on the bridge's screens.
"Yes, we tried…it's just not good either" she said to me, and I could but shrug before she continued on, nodding at the screen "Anyway…the planet isn't in a good way. I'd have thought it'd be like Helm, but…"
I looked at the world below us, the one we were approaching at a steady pace, carefully scanning the debris while active stealth was on over our actual blocky ship hull. No way we'd be made out for the ships we had been travelling as in recent weeks. Not that anyone on the world below would care. Largely because it looked to be a dead world, with no signals, or any signs of it being 'alive' anymore despite some greenery from our position in orbit. Shattered or abandoned cities dotted the surface, and storms raged across the surface in various areas as the Star League weather control systems had long since been destroyed. I shook my head, sad at yet another dead world before us.
"Yeah" I admitted, shaking my head "Yeah, it's a ruin, not even one of the semi-abandoned worlds…heavens and hells this dimension"
And wasn't that the truth?
This dimension had risen high, and then fallen apart and wrecked itself. No alien empires to challenge it. No universal principles screwing them over. Not even a hint of daemons or demons to threaten them…and this humanity had destroyed it's vast stellar empire like some great galactic bronze age collapse. I wasn't going to judge them, but it was sad to see, even as we planned to pick amongst the ruins and carcasses of the civilization like vultures.
"Technological stasis" Quinn grumbled unhappily "Worse even"
I shrugged "It's actually the more natural state of things I believe. Most dimensions are rises and falls, and long periods of stagnation of tech, magic, whatever. The Star League…well, you can hit a level where if you fall below a threshold then certain things become harder"
It was actually worse than that, as the Star League humanity had built ridiculous good, insanely durable, technology in of itself. That meant when the fall had come the older techs and paradigms had retained big advantages, even damaged or really old stuff. Toril had had similar problems after Netheril as that Golden Age caused people…civilizations…to cling to that Golden Age's ruins as the scraps that remained could outweigh more 'modern' developments amongst peoples. I shook my head "And…gods, the destruction of so many worlds here. This world…"
I trailed off. It was all so very petty when you considered the how's and why's. Then shook my head "No matter, we have a job to do. Rose, Jonathan, bring up the approach vectors to the landing sites. Start scanning and working the maps off the intelligence reports. Work with the Zephyr and Thunderchild on the landing zones"
"Thunderchild is signalling they are beginning to deploy orbital assets. We are to continue landing operations"
'This Moriarity thing they've been on about' I thought in response to Rose's words, but merely nodded gesturing at the holo-map "Send back and to Enchanting Zephyr; - Proceeding as ordered"
'Moriarty', as best I could tell, was stuff a bunch of 'borrowed' American and Russian ICBMs and other nuclear weapons stuffed into giant containers with rockets strapped on, then magic plastered on like band-aid to make the bizarre and crudely modified weapons space functional. Right now, I was glad of it as the containers tumbled out into space, but it was a nasty weapon and one based on fear of the Kromaggs ever gaining space tech, or of space-borne alien invasion from another dimension. Or even just a spelljammer raid from…well, any number of 'minor' dangers.
But, right now, I focused on the task at hand as the Fortune's Chance's engines roared again and we began to descend into the atmosphere of the former Terran Hegemony world of New Dallas….
--
{Several hours later…}
"Problem?" came over my comms from Quinn as I walked in full power armour through the wind and mists blowing over the dead planet with the rest of the ground team. Magical support this time, as the Earthbenders couldn't operate in these conditions, and Zee, nor most of our mages, weren't certified for the Power Armour – and even if they could, they wouldn't be much use casting wise. Thankfully, or unhappily now maybe, I had plenty of rating in Armoured Arcana and could cast, however badly, in the Power Armour if need be.
"Not necessarily" I replied looking out through the modified T-45's helmet, looking back at the shadows in the ruins looking at us. The restless dead. Waiting. Watching amidst the stormy weather that washed over our power armoured selves The lingering echoes of a young dead world, visible owing to the casting of my magic "We have an audience. Don't be freaked out ladies and gentlemen. Casting now. They are not hostile or likely capable of being, but just be aware of them"
…and then came a few swears as the security team became aware of our watchers amidst the winds and ruins of Caddo City. There was a Wrath here, an unfulfilled desire for vengeance against those who'd ruined their world and caused the radioactive linger that clung to what had been Caddo City, capital of New Dallas. There weren't a great many, but still…a surprise as dozens of figures stood in the ruins of multi-story buildings, just watching with silent, mourning, and empty eye sockets as we made our way towards the Caddo City Barracks of the New Dallas Militia.
Tank engines roared behind near us, sealed up as the air wasn't exactly….healthy anymore. Not enough to be instantly fatal, but certainly enough to poison someone over time, and Caddo City had that feel of a 'Fallout Earth' city, save one in the middle of a so-called Rad-Storm like we'd seen in Boston and Hawaii. Not only that but there was a coldness in the air, but the layer of not-snow on the ground was more ancient chemical solutions than snow or ice. Still….
"Record everything. This is a rare thing to see in a lower magic dimension. Perhaps even some time in the distant future we'll see can they be put to rest"
"Are they a danger?" Colonel Meyer's voice came to my helmet.
"No, unlikely, restless spirits but they are weak, barely here. And we aren't the source of their hatred I'm just…surprised is all" I admitted as we pressed on through the storm, coming to the entrance to the underground complex "Let's get these doors open and recover the Memory Core before we attempt to remove the HPG from it's complex. The Core should be linked into it and receiving updates after all"
"Rain-Man going in to do his thing…this weather, glad we used the chassis we did" Quinn replied to me, gesturing with an armoured hand as two Assaultrons guarded said modified Mister Handy "This could take a while Callum"
"Sooner the better, I want to send drones in first and ensure it's safe" especially with the situation at hand revealing minor concerns in my mind. Then contacted Colonel Meyer "Colonel, establish your perimeter, assault squad up here with us. We are setting up to open the doors into the complex…"
--
[06.11: Bargained well and done]
[Engineers are engineering]
"It's going to take time Callum" Quinn Mallory explained to his friend, and the others listening in on the command circuit as they stood in the haunted and radioactive ruins. He gestured at the massive cluster of machinery, and the structures above it "Look at everything. Getting that into the ships would be trouble enough, but we can't deploy normally because of the radiation, and I'm estimating that based on being able to use yours and others magic to help the process along"
He shook his head, visible with the heavy modified power armour he'd built with Isabel's help "We just can't rush this. We need to clear the rubble, disconnect the power….after we check for bobby-traps and make sure it won't blow up on us"
"Dammit" Callum muttered over the comms "Are we progressing with this Admiral, considering time delays? We already have the Core?"
"We will proceed as planned Captains" the Japanese naval commander from the 'Future California Earth' as Quinn thought of it replied firmly "Safe disassembly and storage of the device is a priority"
"Understood" he heard the armour-clad Callum reply, with Zatanna's voice agreeing too from her ship, before Callum return to talking to him "Days, weeks?"
"Weeks Callum, weeks, look at the size of the thing" he stated honestly scanners giving him a rudimentary scan of the facility. And it was a facility rather than a device, and disassembly, even with arcane aid was going to be gruelling from the looks of it "We need to come up with a deconstruction plan and shift outline before we can even physically remove anything"
It was a massive undertaking after all, and rushing the job would be potentially disastrous, even if they were on a very dangerous time limit. If they had to do, and it was very clear they would be doing so unless anything short of a local hostile fleet turned up, then this was going to be a difficult thing to do. Even scanning the machine was taking time owing to the nature of what it did, and the energies involved, and Quinn wanted to take this thing apart just as much as everyone else on his team. But this world was dead, or mostly dead around the cities that had been here, even if there was plant and limited animal life left on the world. It was like Isabel's nuclear apocalypse Earth, just worse in many ways.
"Is it still working?"
Quinn studied his scans as Callum spoke to him over the comms "It's dormant, damaged but functional as best I can guess from the scans. It did pulse when we arrived in orbit…so, yes, its still working in my opinion"
'No idea how it works, but it works' was Quinn's opinion as the drones and robots moved over the site, scanning for any potential bombs, chemical weapons, or any other failsafe laid by the New Dallas Militia, or Comstar in the past of this dimension. The technology of this dimension was absolutely fascinating, both very advanced but also sort of backwards at the same time almost…and so ridiculously durable and long lasting that it was bad idea really…
"You'll need to get hazmat suits for Zatanna and the others with the point and wiggle hand powers…"
"Very droll Quinn" Callum muttered, but Quinn kept talking.
"…so they can get out here and help even without the armour. We're going to need them to safely disassemble this place in sequence, and before the enemy arrive hopefully"
Callum made a motion with his hand "We can do environmental protection with wards maybe…I'll talk to Zee and the others. This world is messed up, so I'd prefer not to risk like that if we can avoid it. Not if we're going to be using abilities to help with the evacuation of the site. It's…energy intensive here, and making a mistake in this atmosphere would be a problem. Making Asa very angry sort of problem"
Quinn nodded inside his power armour, bringing up more holographic representations. They had to start somewhere after all…
--
{Sometime later…}
"…and if we can this section here done, we can get access to the Core itself" Quinn instructed Zatanna as he gestured with his notepad at the holographic overlay on the machinery "I need you to pick it apart with your powers and then allow us to load it unto the transports"
Sealing the facility, scrubbing it of radiation and poisons, then making airlocks to enter and exit, had been exhausting for all involved, but being able to move without Power Armour inside had radically sped up their project over the past ten days. They all had to always keep their gas masks and rebreather packs on their persons of course, in case of a breach, but being able to move and work without the armour had made life so much easier for him. Most importantly it gave him access to the heavy hitters of the ships as the magician nodded her head, voicing her agreement, and then doing her weird backwards talk while pointing.
Then the great machinery of that section began to come apart in slow motion, glowing softly as they broke, gently, apart into their component pieces. Hours of work shaved away to mere minutes as he directed the robots, the Mister Handys, to move the pieces, along with four soldiers in T-45 Power Armour to handle one of the heavier, yet more fragile, part that hovered in mid-air. The APCs had been modified with rails to safely carry the machinery back to the ships now that Callum had used the Fortune's Chance already to tractor beam the damaged above ground satellite dish part of the facility onboard. He gestured and had the next group move in and grab assigned parts as he used his computer notepad to assign which robot or soldier to which part in the air as Zatanna sweated beside him at the effort.
"And….done" he stated after another minute as the last part was stacked and ready for moment, allowing the woman to cut out her ability and fall back unto the chair beside her with a tired breath "You okay?"
She nodded, taking a bottle of water into hand and drinking greedily, but gave a thumbs up with the other hand so he returned to work. Disassembly was going reasonably well now, and the dangerous power sources had been disconnected and secured. With that out of the way, and the Monitor systems guiding them, they were now starting to get to the innards of the massive machinery within the underground facility. All of which was finally shorn of any potential dangers – some nasty buggers had left behind poison gas and other chemicals within the equipment that had needed Rain Man to decrypt, and Callum to magic away.
As Zatanna recovered Quinn moved over to the parts being loaded up, making sure each of them was marked carefully so that this particular jigsaw could be resembled with *relative* ease in the future. When they got back 'home', or at least as far as Cailleach and the base upon it, and then they really get down to studying the machinery in-depth. Right now, the facility was a hive of activity, the massive cavern filled with noise, soon joined with the roaring rumble of engines as the transport APCs powered up to bring the current load back to the two ships.
His comm unit pinged…
As did Zatanna's he saw as he answered "Mallory here"
"Zatanna here"
"Well guys, we have a problem. Several problems in fact" Barbara Gordon's voice came over the line "They just appeared at the edge of the systems gravity wells. I'm waking Callum and Kara, but I really suggest you get back your ship Captain Zee. And you start securing your site Quinn"
"Are we evacuating?" Quinn asked checking his schedules "We're barely two-thirds prepared…"
"Admiral Hara says no, we're going to fight it out" the girl on the other end replied "And there still a good way out, even at the speed they can go. We are to stay groundside and continue the extraction of the site"
"I'll go back with the transports" Zatanna said, coming over and gesturing to him as she did so, pointing out the vehicle for him to nod it was going to her ship "How long do we have?"
"Hours, still calculating as they just appeared. Hata going to update soon as we have a read on them…"
--
