Chapter 19: Invasion
October 18, 3025
Unclaimed Space
Sacramonte
Kevin Sandris swung his legs over the ladder and settled into the cockpit of a Locust-1V with a lump in his throat and butterflies in his stomach. It wasn't the same as the simulator. The switches were a little further apart, the resistance on the stick slightly off… not to mention sitting so high up in the air, looking down across the 'MechBay.
He gave himself a mental shake. Let's do this.
He settled the neurohelmet on his head and felt a phantom vibration as the helmet's connections contacted his skull and he connected with the 'Mech. He hit the ignition and the Locust thrummed as the fusion engine came alive with power. Monitors flickered to life, and a female voice spoke inside his head.
::Reactor: Online.::
Readouts blinked to life showing power levels coming up to ideal, then the HUD came on with a flicker before stabilizing.
::Sensors: Online.::
Readiness displays on the HUD snapped from red to green and outside the cockpit he saw the tips of his twin machine guns twitch in automatic mobility checks, gliding smoothly through their firing arcs.
::Weapons: Online.::
The weapon indicators on the wire model of the 'Mech ticked over to green.
::All System: Nominal.::
Kevin felt a strange sense of duality – he could feel himself seated in the upright pilot's chair, but he also felt the 'Mech itself, its balance. It wasn't the fusion of man and machine he'd sometimes heard it described as, but more like a weapon in hand, like he was wielding the 'Mech more than riding in it.
The comms crackled to life and Yang's voice came through clearly. "So far, so good, kid. Now carefully take a few steps forward, and…"
…
Donavan settled himself into the operations room of the Leopard and looked over the display, forcing an expression of confidence over his worry.
This mission was a trial run in a lot of ways. For starters, they were splitting into two lances for the first time. Behemoth had command of alpha lance in her Shadow Hawk, leading Sunshine in the Centurion, Glitch in the Vindicator, and Sumo in the Catapult. That put most of their firepower in the hands of the 'MechWarrior he trusted the most.
Bravo lance was led by Dekker (who was finally cleared by Dr. Harrin to return to duty) in the Phoenix Hawk riding herd on Kevin Sandris, or "Farmboy" in his first ever outing, and Agostina "Dropline" Vassos, in the two Locusts. They would be the scout lance, and the Phoenix Hawk's large laser should be enough to ward off any opposing light 'Mechs who wanted to get adventurous.
Medusa had not been pleased to pass control of his Locust over to anyone else, but Wolf had satisfied him (more or less) by giving it to the more experienced Dropline.
All that introduced a level of new level complexity in terms of communications and command structure. It also meant that even with Yang's brilliance there was no way they could cram all of those 'Mechs into a single Leopard. Hence, bravo lance would be taxied over to the job site by the employer's Leopard, which was standard practice across the galaxy, but still added another thing that could go wrong.
The odds were good that this would be an easy mission – they'd already kicked the only known interlopers out, so there shouldn't be anyone around to mess with the shipment. And if everything went right, it would be invaluable experience for the team. For Donavan, he would (hopefully) get a little more comfortable commanding from the DropShip, at least until Dr. Harrin cleared him to return to the field. It would give Behemoth more experience in command, and it would give Dekker his first shot at command experience in the field. And it would give everyone the chance to see the two newest pilots on the ground and build their chemistry and confidence.
If everything went right.
And while he was generally confident this particular mission wouldn't blow up in his face, he was trying to aggressively scale up the Wolves using borrowed money into something far bigger than he had any experience with. It was one thing to lead a lance on the ground – it was something entirely different to run a company from a DropShip. There was some overlap of skills, sure, and it would undoubtedly be valuable that he had a better understanding of the 'Mechs' capabilities than any paper-pusher could ever hope to have, but he was going to have to learn a lot of the hard, behind-the-scenes stuff on the fly. At least he wasn't starting entirely from zero - thanks to Mastiff's lesson from way back when, he was at least passingly familiar with the idea that more wars were won and lost by logistics than by battlefield heroism.
But Lady Arano was right – she didn't need a lance for this fight, no matter how good – she needed a company at a minimum, and she was directing enough funds their way to get one.
He set aside his thoughts as the pair of DropShips closed their ramps and soared away, leaving the lances in the dust next to the trading past landing pad. The freight elevator whined, raising a half-dozen old, completely unarmed and unarmored civilian transports to the surface.
He keyed his comms to the provided channel. "This is Wolf – I take it this is Transport Lead?"
"Correct, Wolf. I don't expect any trouble, but I'm no more eager than the next guy to wander around naked like this, so we're glad to see you."
"We're ready when you are. Behemoth is leading the ground force, turning you over to her. Wolf clear."
Wolf listened as Behemoth sorted out the 'Mechs and the transports and they set off at the transports' best speed which was very, very slow. It was going to be a long day…
October 19, 3025
Unclaimed Space
Sacramonte
"That went pretty well," said Donavan the next evening as he stood on the surface of Sacramonte with Sumire, watching the sunset.
"I don't need to remind you it's a little harder when people are shooting at you," replied Sumire practically.
Donavan shrugged. "True. But every bit of experience helps, and Behemoth led them well… and Farmboy didn't even fall over."
"Now there's a strong recommendation."
"It is, in a way. The Argo has some real simulators if we can ever get them running again, but the kid has only really gotten to move in our crappy tactics mockup. To run around on your first time actually walking in a 'Mech is pretty good – to do it while thinking you might get shot at is actually rather impressive."
Sumire sighed. "Maybe it is, Donavan. I'm not trying to take anything away from him. But you are about to kick off what will likely be the first open-field battle of a war, and you're going into battle with an untested second lance, untested pilots, and untested 'Mechs we may or may not find. I'm worried."
Donavan nodded and took Sumire's hand in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Honestly, you're right to be worried. Even if everything goes well, it's very unlikely all of us are getting out of this. But there are also some factors in our favor. Weldry was a raid - this is the first major engagement for the other side, too, and we're the ones with the initiative deciding when and where. And I know I keep bringing it up, but we're the linchpin of Kamea's strategy. She knows the Magistracy is going to pull the plug at some point if she gets too close to winning, and at that point we're the only ones that can pull her across the finish line, so she's going to do everything she can to build us up and keep us in one piece."
Sumire grimaced. "I know all that. I hate feeling this… this maudlin about it, but I can't help but remember what happened the last time we started off a major campaign in the Aurigan Reach."
"What was that you said? No guns, no galaxy?"
She punched him in the arm with her free hand as a DropShip descended from the sky which should be bringing Lady Arano's reinforcements for them. That was good - they were going to need them. The war was about to begin.
October 19, 3025
Aurigan Directorate
Coromodir V
Espinosa Palace
Director Santiago Espinosa paced the halls of his palace on Coromodir V. He'd found himself returning here more often as of late, perhaps taking comfort in its familiarity over the Arano palace on the neighboring planet and the unpleasant memories it held.
He was concerned - deeply concerned. Victoria had lied to him, his own daughter. On her word, he'd made Kamea's "death" public. It had brought short-term gains as most resistance died down, but he never would have done it if he'd known there was even a chance of her survival. There was no immediate crisis, but the trust he had been so carefully building was shattered, and the chance of returning to something like the Coalition would now take decades, if it was even possible. But worse still, Victoria wasn't acting alone. At least one or two of his generals was working with her, enabling her, and he wasn't sure who, or why. But whatever their aim, it couldn't be good. Victoria was an excellent 'MechWarrior and had a solid grasp of tactics but was woefully lacking in anything approaching strategy.
He needed to defeat the Restoration they were using to manipulate his little girl and then, without the smokescreen of the crisis, he could identify and dismantle this conspiracy. Or, perhaps, die trying. Fortunately, he'd found bait Kamea wouldn't be able to resist.
Espinosa kept pacing as his House Guards came to attention. Not long now. Not long now.
October 19, 3025
Aurigan Directorate
Guldra IV
Madeira Palace
Lady Branca Madeira, matriarch of House Madeira and Emir of Guldra IV, looked out over the megacity that bore her family's name from one of her sprawling palace's balconies. Enormous banners fluttered on the palace walls, each bearing the three leaping dolphinfish of her family crest on a pale blue sea. She always did her best thinking here, and she needed to be at her best - unlike her crest, the waters she swam in were murky and infested with sharks these days.
This planet was critical to the entire Aurigan Reach, with a population of over a hundred million and some of the most advanced agricultural and manufacturing capabilities in the Directorate. The only thing it lacked was an HPG station, meaning for all her power, she would always be behind in the intelligence game.
Those advantages had been enough to weather Santiago's wrath through the days after the coup. She'd lost her 'Mechs, of course, but so had all the other Houses, and she had to admit Santiago's move to send most of them spinward to the Taurian frontier had been inspired. At a stroke it had hamstrung any ability to take effective offensive action against him while keeping the Tuarians at bay.
But now a new element was in play. Alexander had very circumspectly delivered news that the Restoration effort was about to get underway. And if some of House Decimis were caught in the crossfire, that was no great loss. The boy was doing well, and he'd managed to win Kamea's trust. She allowed herself a small smile. If Kamea's stunt succeeded, who would be at her right hand but a Madeira, neatly supplanting the Espinosas. And when the smoke cleared, all sorts of new opportunities would await. And if Kamea failed, well, she could always arrange to turn over Kamea and Alexander to Santiago. The consequences might be painful, but what greater proof could there be of her loyalty than turning over one of her own? As for Alexander, he knew as well as she - the House always came first.
October 19, 3025
Aurigan Directorate
Panzyr II
Decimis Manor
Lord Pierre-Louis Decimis, Marquis of Panzyr, brooded moodily from his refurbished manor overlooking the decrepit spaceport that was the heart of his family's hold over Panzyr. These were difficult times. He'd allowed (unofficially) Lieutenant Karen Andris and her so-called Second Decimis Fusiliers to resist the Espinosa powerplay out of spite as much as calculation, and even that was only possible thanks to Panzyr's unique defenses. In most times the virtually impenetrable debris field was an unmitigated pain in the ass, but it did prove quite useful on occasion. And that decision could be about to pay off.
He settled more deeply into his chair. Pieces were on the move. Kamea was committing her forces, and he'd given the word to let them land. But while Kamea had gone out of her way not to rub his nose in it, she hadn't hidden how closely she was working with Madeira's spawn, either. He couldn't allow Kamea to rely on a Madeira. One way or another.
…
Donavan ducked past a trio of Farah's engineers busily rewiring and repairing bulkheads in a hallway of the Argo and made his way back to his quarters. Someday they would get the lifts running again which would greatly simplify getting around the still-ramshackle Argo, but in the meantime it meant scrambling through half-dark corridors trying not to trip on disassembled walls or hanging access panels. At least they were under thrust – otherwise these central accessways wouldn't have gravity and became even more hazardous.
He made it to the transfer to one of the ship's arms, currently retracted against the side of the ship, where the crew quarters were located. It was easier going there, and he made it in one piece to his cabin, then settled into a comfortable armchair to think.
After the painful experience on Weldry, it was clear the Directorate was aware of them and prepared to move quickly and aggressively. And it was his job to see that sort of thing coming.
He leaned back in the chair and brought up an image of Panzyr on the chair's built-in display. It was a battered system of seven planets orbiting a G3V type star. The most habitable planet was Panzyr II, second from the sun. The system had the misfortune of being a frequent stopping off point for SLDF forces during the Reunification War when the Star League tried to bring the periphery under its enlightened auspices by force, which made it a target then, and then again in the Succession Wars after the Star League's fall. The whole system was littered with debris and wrecked ships, and many of the planets still bore scars from heavy weapons fire and impacts. The worst of it was concentrated around Panzyr II in a field of debris so treacherous and dense few would brave it without navigational support.
The planet masked behind that deadly halo was nice enough, if a bit on the cool side, with big ice caps and tundra giving way to equatorial temperature zones around the equator. Gravity was a little low at 0.88g, and atmospheric pressure also low, but breathable.
From a military perspective, in some ways it was an ideal choice to kick off the invasion. It was virtually impregnable thanks to the choking cloud of debris, which meant it could be held with very little effort. But in other ways it was a surprising first move because the political situation was even colder than the planet. This world was ruled by House Decimis which, from what he'd read, had lost the struggle for the much more attractive Guldra system to House Madeira and, at the insistence of the rest of the newly formed Aurigan Coalition, had to settle for second best.
House Decimis wasn't Lady Arano's biggest fan. Her family had played a big part in negotiating their departure from Guldra to this less-than-ideal planet, and she was bringing a Madeira along to boot. Because of the debris field they were largely immune to direct counterattack by the Directorate, but it also made them more heavily reliant on trade, and most of that trade was with the Reach, which the Directorate did control.
So, where did that leave things? Panzyr would be invaluable to Kamea as a forward staging point… if Lord Decimis was truly willing to support her.
He tapped his fingers thoughtfully as he considered what Lady Arano's detailed download had said about the family. Their ancestral roots were French and Haitian. Their expertise had been in construction and industry, which they hadn't been able to make much use of on struggling Panzyr. The head of the house was Lord Pierre-Louis Decimis and his family had been heavily reduced in the transition to Panzyr, with many of the offshoots abandoning them, either unwilling to leave the comforts of Guldra for the frontier, or unable to afford the transition. That could make him eager to gain favor with Kamea… or bitter.
He sighed. It was a risk either way. He'd just have to trust Kamea's read was clearer than his.
November 22, 3025
Aurigan Directorate
Panzyr System
Kamea Arano took a deep breath as the two leased Magistracy Invader-class JumpShips snapped into normal space. Between them they bore six DropShips, three company-sized Union DropShips (including her own Cormorant) and three lance-sized Leopard Dropships. Those six DropShips contained the entirety of the forces she'd managed to cobble together for the Restoration, aside from Donavan's Wolves.
In some ways it was a lot. The Aurigan Coalition had never deployed a company of BattleMechs, two companies of armor, and a regiment of infantry at once, which was easily enough to take a planet. But she wasn't facing a planet, she was facing the entire Directorate.
"All units, detach and proceed as planned."
At her words the six DropShips detached from the JumpShips and flew down towards the distant planet of Panzyr II at just under 1.5 gravities, officially kicking off the invasion.
Behind them the JumpShips deployed their Jump Sails towards the system's sun, starting the long process to recharge for a jump back out of the system. With Panzyr's sun, it would be a little over a standard week before she could hope to leave the system. But there was plenty to do between now and then.
Lady Kamea Arano nodded as they got underway. There was no sign of Donavan's Wolves yet, but that was no great surprise given the inconsistency of commercial JumpShip availability and schedules. And there was plenty of time for them to arrive – it was over eight days' flight time to get to the planet, after all.
But she could do this without them if she had to. House Decimis was willing to help, and they could establish an effectively unassailable forward supply point and command center. And if she was going to succeed, they had better do just that.
December 1, 3025
Aurigan Directorate
Panzyr II
Kamea firmly commanded the butterflies in her stomach to settle down as they reached comms range of Panzyr II. There was still no sign from the Wolves. She pushed the thought away – if everything went to plan, her forces should be far more than enough to get the job done.
This was a moment of truth – if Lord Decimis had changed his mind, all she could do was turn around and slink away. The minutes passed in agonizing slowness, but then, finally, the navigation signals arrived from the spaceport's specialized computer support and the DropShips began the delicate maneuvers required to make it through the debris field.
Kamea's anxiety levels continued to rise as the hours crept past. Then it was the Cormorant's turn and they descended into the thick debris field. The space junk had long since passed the Kessler Syndrome point, where the debris continued to smash into smaller and smaller pieces. It seemed impossible they could avoid all of it, but the computers did their job and they were finally breaking the atmosphere down to the snowy surface below,
…
Kamea marched across the spaceport's decrepit concrete surrounded by an entire platoon of infantry. Alexander remained on the Cormorant, near enough to advise but out of sight to avoid needlessly antagonizing Lord Decimis. She shivered at the colder temperature. The planet was far colder than tropical Coromodir even here near the equator. At least the landing pad itself had been cleared of snow.
She paused for a moment, looking out over the spaceport and the city beyond. In a lot of ways Panzyr was emblematic of the galaxy at large in a way that made the devastation more tangible. This planet had once been a hub for the Star League. A billion people lived here in its heyday, and it sported impressive orbital infrastructure. Then the Succession Wars arrived. The population was down to 100 million, a heartbreaking number dead rather than evacuated. The orbital infrastructure had been turned into a nigh-irreparable barrier preventing any significant trade or development for the foreseeable future. Most of the cities - and most of the spaceport - were shuttered, and the parts still populated were crumbling. And this was just one battle, a minor one not even mentioned in the history books. Just one more of hundreds, if not thousands. The damage humanity had inflicted on itself was truly incalculable.
And war had come to Panzyr once more. She shivered again, and this time it had nothing to do with the cold.
Another smaller contingent approached wearing the crest of House Decimis, a snow-capped mountain backed by a stylized rising sun, on their shoulders.
Her guards eyed the newcomers warily, who kept hands well clear of their weapons. The leader, a thirty-something severe-looking woman with black hair pulled back in a tight bun, saluted sharply. "Lieutenant Karen Andris of the Second Decimis Fusiliers, volunteer unit, my lady. Welcome to Panzyr. Our forces are ready to assist in the attack on the Directorate garrison and to reclaim this world."
"I'm glad to hear it," returned Kamea regally, acting for the moment as a head of state rather than leader of her armed forces. "Commander Landris will coordinate our forces on my behalf. Now, there is no time to lose. Let's get to work."