Prologue:

Leopard Class Dropship Bradford Formerly Hysteria

Benson's Buccaneers Mercenary Company

Florida JumpPoint Lyran Alliance Space

20 May 3059

Liam looked over the more desolate command room of the Leopard. It was still filled with techs, support staff, and dropship crew, making it just as overcrowded as ever due to the ship's tight confines. The Astechs in the 'Mech bays were doing routine maintenance and sharing dosages of Dralaxine among themselves as they worked. One man was even checking that their cargo was fastened down. Overall, there was nothing too out of the ordinary save for one issue.

Liam was the only combat-ready MechWarrior on his ship.

A lance of 'Mechs should have at least four MechWarriors with them, yet where were they? Liam reviewed a nearly year-old report from the company's last significant engagement on Coventry. William Barr? Crushed by a Mad Cat while downed. Raven was salvaged. Joan Walker? Orion's Ammo was hit, rendering the 'Mech unsalvageable and killing the MechWarrior in the explosion. His own father? Ripped out of the Highlander by Elementals, never stood a chance.

"Reading that after-action report isn't gonna change anything." A tired voice rang in Liam's ear.

Liam turned around to see the only other surviving MechWarrior. Bound to a chair as his only means of movement was Andrzej "Wojtek" Sikorski. The burly man was one of the oldest in the unit, except for Yang, Darius, and all the others from Markham's Marauders. Being over sixty years old, his accented voice of wisdom was a rarity in the Inner Sphere, especially for a Leaguer and being paralysed from the waist down.

"Doesn't mean I can't learn anything from it," Liam said somewhat sardonically as he turned off his noteputer and put it back into his leather vest, "information is ammunition, after all."

"Still quoting that cartoon?" Wojtek chuckled as he shook his head, "You should know damn well that was propaganda by now, kid."

"I do," Liam smiled somberly, "but hey, call me nostalgic for simpler times."

Wojtek pinched his forehead and sighed. "Fine. Just so you know, the JumpShip is almost charged. It will be a while before we get back to Outreach."

"Yes, and become Santa for some dispossessed MechWarriors." Liam got up from his chair and walked towards the door of his quarters. "I'll be in my quarters cleaning my rifle. Let me know if anything happens."

"Aye, I got you, kid." Wojtek saluted lazily. "Get some sleep, too. You'll thank me when you're near thirty."

Liam nodded as the door to his spartan-like quarters opened up. He may be twenty-four, but Liam wasn't dumb enough to ignore the advice of someone like Wojtek, even if his age and experience tore down some of his professionalism.

It is the 31st century and mankind is once again at war

The battlefields of the future are dominated by huge robotic war machines known as BattleMechs

Piloting these awesome weapons of war are men and women, the elite of the elite, knowing that each battle could be their last

They are

MechWarriors

As a MechWarrior, Liam rarely even had an opportunity to fire his personal defence weapons. He was proficient with them, as one could never know when they would come in handy, and much like a 'Mech, a firearm should be well maintained to operate at peak efficiency. Good oiling, a little elbow grease, removing the gunpowder residue–these things were calming to him.

The Inner Sphere was a shitty place –as was the Periphery–but he didn't live there, so he could hardly judge it, and the less time he spent thinking about the state of things and the nonsense that goes on, the better.

Taking the magazine by his bedside, Liam loaded his new rifle, a rare Federated-Barrett M42B Rifle System. Sure, the Sunbeam laser pistol on his hip was what he was most familiar with, yet the feeling of firing a ballistic rifle sat better with him. Perhaps his mother being from the Davion end of FedCom had a role in it? Setting the weapon down momentarily, he put his cleaning kit back in his vest next to the pouches of its spare magazines, the compact grenade launcher magazine, and the few excess power packs for his sidearm.

Call him paranoid, but Liam felt better with his equipment ready at a moment's notice.

"Attention Buccaneers," came the voice of the pilot of his dropship, "We will be jumping to Rapla in one minute."

Hearing this, Liam made the sign of the cross across his body. He may not have been catholic, but it and prayer always calmed his nerves. When he was younger, jumps caused by a KF drive would cause him to get sick. Now they just give him a minor headache. "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen." After his prayer for protection, Liam lifted his rifle. He gave it one last inspection before setting it beside him in bed, his hands on the barrel. Liam was at least proud of his workmanship as the lights in his quarters dimmed. It was one of the few things he could cling to as a constant companion despite the realities of the Inner Sphere.

We thirst for the seven wailings.

We bear the koan of Jericho.

The light slowly returned to Liam's vision, but it was more orange than he recalled. He knew the artificial light of his room was more sterile than this. This was more like a sun at twilight. Liam blinked twice at the sight. Instead of the metal wall of his quarters, the landscape of an urban area moved in the distance under the sun's natural glow.

"What in the…" Or not. The city wasn't moving. Liam looked around, finding that this was a train close to pre-spaceflight designs. Liam had never been on a train, so the scene before him was beyond his understanding. He only ever saw a train during his time contracted by the Free World's League to defend a border planet from Marian raiders. Valuable experience, their barking made him learn Latin.

Liam stood up from the metal seat, his feet resounding against the grey steel. He was damn sure he was on his bed just seconds ago. The glass ahead of him reflected his lightly scarred mug, as his bald head reflected sunlight. All things considered, his face belonged to someone nearing forty rather than his ample youth. His silver eyes remained as piercing as ever. Even Wojtek said it unnerved him.

Once he reached the glass, his fingertips touched the surface, and then he frowned. Either some sort of crazy misjump happened, or he passed out. Liam decided it was the latter rather than the former for his sanity, as misjumps had a nasty habit of ending people's lives. He never got much sleep. Perhaps that and the nausea caused by the jump was what finally knocked him out. At least he didn't charge his rifle or turn off the safety before that happened. That would be an embarrassing way to die. Liam turned to his right. It seemed the train cars went on for a while.

"Well, nothing's gonna change by standing here." Liam pulled the charging handle back and switched off the safety of his firearm. His dreams usually turned into nightmares when he had any weapons appear for him to use.

Perhaps at the end of the car was that green figure with red eyes again.

Liam was at alert high for environmental changes as he approached the rail car's end, his eyes darted back and forth, scanning the cabin. That is when he noticed words on the door's glass.

"We thirst for the seven wailings. We bear the koan of Jericho." He repeated.

"Sure, nothing wrong here." The lie didn't help him much. Of all his nightmares, this was a new one for him. At least his dreams weren't asking him to kill himself yet.

As he got right up to the door, it slid open. He didn't see any electricity to indicate it was an automated door, but then again, it was a dream. When have they ever made sense?

His insulated boots clacked against the steel floor of the carriage. No other soul was in sight as he walked through the carriages. Each time he neared the end of a carriage, those words he read aloud would be plastered on the door's glass.

"Right, no more sleepless nights Liam," a sigh escaped his lips as he continued walking, "damn dreams are getting weirder each time."

Liam continued trudging along the empty cars until he spotted a figure in the distance, about fifty metres away if he had to guess. It looked feminine, but that was all he could tell as the sun's setting light blinded him slightly.

"It was all my fault." A feminine voice whispered in Liam's ear. "My decisions, and everything they caused."

Liam stopped dead in his tracks and whipped his rifle around. He was sure he only heard his boots clacking across the metal floor. Did someone else sneak up on him? Did the demon decide to try and fool him with the figure? No, what Liam saw instead was a black void. As if with every step, the railcars behind them would disappear. There was nothing to sneak up on him, as there was nothing behind him.

"Well, no way back, I guess…" Liam sighed as he turned back towards the unnatural twilight and resumed his march.

"It had to come to this for me to finally realise you were right all along…"

The feminine voice continued her spiel. Liam had never heard this voice before, and what was even stranger was that the voice was speaking Japanese. Liam was no Drac. His father was a minor noble in the Periphery before going merc for some place called the Aurigan Reach, if he recalled right. His mother was a veteran lieutenant of AFFS Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers. She became disgusted at the sphere as a whole through her own convictions and their incompetence. It was only because of his father's old dropship pilot, Sumire Meyer, that Liam knew any Japanese.

"So forgive me for being so bold, but I must ask for your help. Liam-sensei."

Liam's brow furrowed. Now, that was odd. His dreams asking for his help instead? Well, he was a merc. Depending on the job and the price, there were few things he wouldn't do. Also, sensei? Wasn't that Japanese for teacher? Liam wasn't a teacher of anything. He was a dog of war, a problem solver, a mercenary. Sure, some mercs would be called to show rookies how to use their machines, but he was too young to be considered for that job.

"At least I'm not being called a Fedrat…" Liam lamented with a sigh.

"You'll forget these words, but it won't matter." Considering it was a dream, Liam was bound to forget minor details like those when it ended anyway. "Even without your memories, you'll probably make the same decision in the same situation…"

If given the proper stimuli, yes, but that was a rather vague statement. Did it mean Liam's split-second decisions in the field? His choice of 'Mech? He reviewed every single after-action report after each deployment to avoid regrets. Even if a mistake was made, it could be a lesson for future contracts.

"Therefore, I believe what matters most are the choices we make, not the experiences we have."

Liam shook his head. Sure, the present mattered more than the past, that much was true. His father, mother, and mentor, Wojtek, always noted that experience grants wisdom to make intelligent choices. As Adam Steiner said, information is ammunition.

Liam neared the final railcar, allowing him to see the feminine figure in the next one. She appeared to have extremely long and somewhat dishevelled light blue hair with pink highlights, which he assumed to be dyed. She wore a white uniform that was befitting what his father wore when serving House Arano. Her face gave him pause, for it was dirty, and he could see blood on her cheek. Her uniform almost looked neat until he noticed the bullet wound on the left of her torso and the trail of blood it left. A bullet to the heart should have left her a corpse, but he could see she was still faintly breathing.

"Resilient one, ain't ya?" Liam whistled as an impressed grin lay on his face. Then he noticed something odd, something above her head that the sun's evening glow had hidden until now.

A circle of light, a white halo with what appeared to be a blue X in the centre.

The door to her carriage opened. As she wasn't a threat, Liam cautiously approached the girl and turned on the safety of his rifle. She could be no older than eighteen, though she was likely younger. As Liam stopped before her, the girl lifted her head at him in the eyes, light blue but tired. She didn't have much life left in her.

"There are choices only you can make. I have spoken of responsibility before." Her eyes closed, holding a pained smile on her face. "I didn't truly understand it then, but now I do. Adulthood, responsibilities, obligation… and the choices you make that extend beyond those ideals. As well as their implications."

She paused and let out a pained grunt. Opening her eyes again, she reached out to Liam, touching his left hand and the barrel of his lowered rifle. "Therefore, Sensei…" her eyes pleaded as if they were trying to reach his soul. "… you're the only one I can trust. Only you can free us from this twisted, distorted fate…" Her eyes lightened up a bit as she gripped harder. "… and find the choices that will lead us to a new reality."

She slumped back into the seat she was sitting in, her eyes losing the shimmer they held for but a moment. "So, Sensei. Please…" She trailed off again as the last bit of her energy was removed.

And soon, the scene was encompassed by the void.

Liam bolted awake as his rifle clattered onto the floor. His breathing was unsteady as his senses failed him. Still, that was quite a strange dream. Who was that girl meant to represent? Why did she have a halo? Was she some sort of inner representation of angels? Perhaps Wojtek would know, considering that with his father and mother gone, the old vet was one of the last people he had left that he could call family.

"Christ…" He groaned. Liam rubbed his forehead as he stood up from where he was, his feet dragging across the laminate tiles.

Only to stop dead in his tracks.

"Since when did the Bradford have tiled floors!?" Liam realised as he frantically looked around. Only the Argo that he recalled from his very early childhood did, a ship that ComStar took after the War of 3039.

Liam took a deep breath to focus. He needed to figure out where he was.

The room he was in seemed immaculate and clean and fit more in line with some high-ranking official's office or a businessman's. There was furniture made of wood, and the seats all had cushions on them. The room's lighting was artificial but mixed with the natural light from outside. What should have been a wall on one side was mostly glass, giving a massive view of an urban centre. For as far as his eye could see, skyscrapers filled the scene. Was he on a capital planet like Tharkad or New Avalon? No, that couldn't be the case. The air was too clean, and there were strange blue circles in the sky. Some areas had beams of light coming down towards them as well. Some intact Periphery planet, then? Perhaps this planet had its records lost in the Succession Wars. Liam dismissed that thought as well. There was no sign of anything resembling the Star League of old here. Just from a glance of the city, the technology seemed to divergent from what even LosTech was capable of.

Liam turned towards the most extensive desk in the room and approached it. Perhaps some records could tell him where he was. Seeing papers on the desk brought hope to Liam, allowing a smile to grace his face. Sitting down on the leather chair, he picked up the closest record.

Perhaps he was too hopeful. He stared at the page for a few minutes in a vain attempt to gleam anything. The text was in Japanese.

"Fuck." Liam cursed as he threw the papers back on the desk, scattering many documents onto the floor. Speaking Japanese was one thing, but Liam had never learned to read it. Was this some planet in the Draconis Combine? He didn't notice any flags honouring the dragon in the room, but perhaps House Kurita was trying to be more subtle here. That didn't make sense. The Combine was very proud of what it was. Theodore Kurita was unique compared to those he succeeded, but this sort of action was beyond him.

In any case, it was best to take stock of what he had on him. Beyond his rifle that he woke up with that still lay where he woke up, he had his Sunbeam Laser Pistol, four spare magazines for his rifle, a spare magazine for the compact grenade launcher on the rifle, his cleaning kit, four extra power packs, his noteputer, the digital key to the old family Blackjack, two days worth of nutrition pills, some bandages, an old zippo lighter, and a survival knife.

It was not the worst situation he had ever been in. The pills would taste terrible, but at least he wouldn't die from starvation any time soon. He wished he at least had his kinetic recharger on him. That way, the power packs wouldn't be at risk of running out of charge. And some water purification tablets would have been excellent as well. Boiling the water was his only solution, assuming that the water wasn't safe to drink. The weather outside seemed temperate, so the fact he was wearing the clothes he'd wear inside of his 'Mech and his leather vest wouldn't be an issue for a while, but finding or making some pants would be ideal.

Then there was the plastic card.

Liam knew he didn't keep any like that cards on him. Based on the size profile and the strip at the back, it had to be either some form of credit some banks gave out or a keycard. Yet the front of the card had Japanese kanji. This definitely wasn't on his person when he went to clean his weapon.

Liam heard the doors to the room slide open as heels clacked against the floor.

A woman in a white uniform came inside the room. Her eyes were of a similar shade of blue to the tie and inner side of her long coat. At the same time, her hair was a long, pristine black with perfect bangs and an inner layer of vivid blue. Her hands were covered by white gloves, and her right hand held a grip on her glasses. Much like the other girl in his dream, though this one was different, being dark blue with three stars. Her legs were covered in opaque tights, and she wore pristine white high heels, giving her a professional look overall. Perhaps strangest was her ears, pointed like an elf from old fantasy stories, and combined with assets of her size, Liam thought she was a Canopus showgirl. She stopped her pace as she looked over the scene, looking down first at the scattered papers, then up to Liam, and back down. Her eyes were hidden by a streak of light as she reached for the pistol on her hip.

"Wait, hold up!" Liam frantically shouted in Japanese as he raised his hands. "This isn't what it looks like, I swear!"

The woman held a grip on her holstered pistol. "What else could this be than some exhibitionist thief trying to cause a ruckus? Why else would you be so exposed here going through my documents recklessly!?"

Like she had much room to call him an exhibitionist, he was mainly wearing the same outfit he'd use piloting the old family Blackjack, with the company leather vest on in place of the cooling vest. "Look, my apologies about the mess." Liam cautiously came out from behind the desk with his hands raised, ignoring the insult of his self-worth. "How about I help clean up this mess, and we can start over and talk like civilised folk?"

The woman spent a few moments glaring at him with her hand still on her gun before, with heavy venom in her voice, she failed to hide she said, "Very well. Who are you, and how did you get here?"

"Liam, Liam Benson. The current head of Benson's Buccaneers mercenary company." He said as he bent over to pick up the scattered papers, standing back up with some of them in his hands. He tapped them on the desk to straighten them and then laid them down in their original position. "As for how I got here, I wish I could answer that. One moment, I was cleaning my M42B on my bed, and the next thing I know, I woke up here."

His eyes scanned the glaring girl, then the room, and eventually out the window again. "Wherever here is, tell me, this planet isn't aligned with the Combine, is it?"

"Planet? Combine?" The elf crocked an eyebrow and tilted her head, appearing deep in thought momentarily. However, her demeanour changed utterly a moment after, as her face morphed into genuine surprise. "Wait a moment, did you say your name was Liam?"

That was an odd thing to ask.

"Yes, miss." Liam reached into his vest to grab his noteputer. "If you give me a minute, I can turn on my noteputer and show you my MRBC documents and-"

"Liam-sensei!?" The woman shouted suddenly. An odd mixture of surprise and relief washed over her face. "The President did note you would come! Thank goodness, with her disappearance, I would prefer not to think of what we'd have done had you not shown up. Quickly, we need-"

"President? We?" Now, it was his turn to be confused, or more so than before. Yet when he thought about it, the elf's uniform was much like the girl from that dream and was even calling him the same thing as the dream woman: a teacher. "What are you going on about? I can't just do things without knowing why."

The girl seemed to deflate a bit as she glanced sideways. "Ah, so it's like that…"

Liam felt slightly sorry for her, but Wojtek would tear him a new one for agreeing to anything without first knowing more.

She nodded to herself and met his gaze with a combination of expectation, understanding, and… wonder? "I understand. Ask whatever you need to."

"Let's start out with something simple. Who are you?" Liam dropped himself on the couch as she did likewise. His couch was the same one he woke up in. Liam grabbed his rifle off the floor while inspecting her even more closely. She may carry a weapon, but her demeanour and disposition were nothing like one of the Draconis Combine's samurai or any of the mercenary liaisons he had to deal with in the past. He was a merc, but being rude for no reason was something he'd prefer to not do.

"Nanagami Rin, acting president of the General Student Coucil for Kivotos." Rin bowed her head formally.

Wait a moment.

"Student? By how frantic you seemed, I thought you were some sort of government administrator."

"But I am," Rin stated nonchalantly, like such a statement wasn't ridiculous, "who else but the students would manage an academy city?"

Liam could think of many groups, first being one's parents, then deans and teachers. Liam decided not to voice his complaints, as trying to debate that would've been a waste of effort.

"Forget it. You seem frantic about wanting my help. What's happening?"

"A few days ago, our President left a note, nothing elaborate. She said that if anything happened to her, you would come. The following day, she vanished without a trace." She said listlessly. "Without her, the rest of the Student Council has no authority to do anything, and we were locked out of the Sanctum Tower. You are our only hope to restore some sense of order in Kivotos… despite your inappropriate choice of wardrobe."

Ah, so that's how it was. That made more sense to Liam. A problem occurred where the local authorities were out of their league to stop it, so they hired a mercenary. It was a tale older than the Star League.

"So that's why you were elated about hearing my name." Rin nodded. He smirked. "Anarchy and death lay at the horizon, and your president, in her wisdom in the act of defiance towards fate, thought to get me."

Assuming the wounded girl in his dream was the President made more sense. Yet why would some random woman just pick him by name, no less? Perhaps the dream was less a dream and more fragments of a memory?

"Yes." Rin gripped her knees as she seemed to be holding something back as she snapped Liam from his train of thought. "I am sorry the President didn't enlighten you about that in advance and for being so hasty. If you want to decline, I would-"

"Now that I won't do." Liam stood up and gripped the barrel of his rifle tightly. "I might be a mercenary, but I can't turn down a genuine call for help."

His mother would never forgive him if he did.

"You're serious?" Rin sat dumbfounded, her eyes wide like saucers. "You have no more questions?"

"Oh, I do," Liam smiled as he held out his free hand, "but none that would make me change my mind. Besides, we can walk and talk, right?"

It took Rin a few moments before she accepted his hand with a smile. "Thank you, Liam-sensei. Follow me. I will show you to the Schale club building."

As she stood up, Liam couldn't help but compare her height to that of Victor Steiner-Davion, a fact that the former Archon-Prince would not like to hear. She made her way towards the door.

"Schale?" Liam hummed in confusion, hurling his rifle behind him and doubling his pace to match hers. "And what does a club building have to do with this?"

"Schale was an organisation the President made before she disappeared. She called it an Independent Federal Investigation Club." Rin didn't even turn around as they walked through the pristine white halls. "What it was meant to investigate, however, was never specified. If you ask some people why it needs to exist, you'll find warranted concern, as it was given much extrajudicial authority. I don't even know how she created it in the first place."

"Ah, so that's how it is…" Liam lamented over this info. A sort of organisation he could best equate to ROM or MIIO. "And let me guess, she put me in charge."

"As its advisor, yes. This makes you the only person to have a sliver of her authority in all of Kivotos." Rin approached what appeared to be an elevator or lift and pressed a few buttons.

"So why did you call me sensei?" Liam hummed as he rubbed his chin. "I never taught anyone before, so I could hardly be called a one. Surely countless others would be a better option."

"Is this true?" Rin raised an eyebrow, and Liam nodded. She pinched her forehead and sighed. "I wasn't informed either. The President wasn't clear in her notes about you and was quite vague in describing you. I could only decipher your name from what she left behind."

The soon-to-be head of Schale leaned against the wall next to the elevator door. The dream said there were choices only he could make, and there was something about a twisted fate. Maybe this anarchy went further than just some civies dying. Regardless, he couldn't ignore that. It was the right call to offer help first and worry about everything else later. He chose to change the subject before he went too far down the rabbit hole.

"You said the word federal before." Liam thought to change the subject before he went too far down that rabbit hole. "Does this mean there are other governmental entities besides the GSC?"

"You catch on fast." Rin appeared slightly impressed. "Yes, Kivotos has many other academies with their own autonomous governments. Unless something within our jurisdiction arises, we usually let them manage their zones with impunity. They work their own districts, economies, and even law enforcement. Part of your extrajudicial authority does allow you to register students from any of the academies in Kivotos."

Star League, but for kids, it would seem.

"I see…" The doors to the elevator soon opened, and the pair walked in, Liam leaning against a railing as the elevator went down. "Do these other academies, as you call them, know about Schale yet?"

"No," Rin answered without hesitation, "as the directive to form Schale was done secretly, it was thought best to not reveal its existence until you arrived."

"That's gonna cause some issues." Liam could only guess, but if these academies were anything like the Great Houses, they might just take such an action as an insult to them.

"We considered that, but there had to be a reason the president was so silent about what she was doing." Rin turned back towards Liam and gave a quick bow. "Again, I thank you for understanding and for willingly helping. I thought you wouldn't act until you were paid, being a self-proclaimed mercenary."

"Oh, I expect to get paid." Liam noticed the elevator doors open again. They had reached their destination. Liam turned around and stepped outside the elevator, walking backwards with an assured smirk plastered on his face. "I know the time and place to negotiate, and holding a crisis above your head for my advantage goes against my values."

Rin's mouth fell open at the blatant show of bravado.

"Do know, Rinny, that my services aren't cheap. You get what you pay for." He continued.

But the show stopped abruptly as a voice screeched behind Liam.

"Excuse me!?"

Alarms blared in the back of his mind. Rin's expression turned to distress, and he turned around.

Four other students stood in what appeared to be a reception area. The one at the front, whom he assumed was the source of the voice, wore a black business dress with a white jacket hanging off her elbows. Her piercing blue eyes shimmered with contained fury. Much like Rin, a halo floated above her, most likely dyed purple hair. In fact, all the others behind her had halos as well. What a peculiar sight. It must be ordinary for them.

"Thousands of academies are in a panic! Our academy's wind generator shut down just a few days ago!" She carried on. Judging from the badge on her chest, she was part of Millennium, whatever that was. Likely one of the academies.

"There are rumours that a student under the Federal Correction Bureau's custody has escaped." A blonde elf girl with what seemed like a medical bag spoke up. Yellow eyes like those of a demon hid behind her glasses, barely containing her discontent.

"There has been a sharp increase in the number of thugs attacking our students on their way to school." The third one's hair was as silver as Liam's eyes. Her ruby eyes held disgust as she tightly gripped an old stun grenade from when humanity was stuck on Terra. A single bird-like artificial wing protruded from her head, the same colour as her hair.

"Illegal distribution of tanks, choppers, and other unknown weapons have increased by two thousand per cent." If Liam thought Rin had significant assets, the fourth woman made him eat his thoughts. Her uniform bore the word justice on it, and she had very likely artificial ebony wings protruding from her lower back. She stood about a head above the others, which made her more intimidating with her crimson eyes and raven hair.

"And you had the gall to not only hide the president from us but to instead spend time with some boy toy!?" The eyes of the girl with pigtails twitched. "You have some nerve, acting president!"

Rin's breathing appeared unsteady as she did her best to maintain composure.

"This is very inconvenient timing…" Rin muttered as she approached the crowd. She put on an incredibly fake smile like a noble of Tharkad would wear. "Hello, guests that-"

"Save it!" Pigtails interrupted, her fists shaking. "If your next words won't address this sorry state of affairs or get the real president here, we have nothing to discuss!"

This was clearly getting out of hand. Liam could tell in an instant Rin was on her last nerve. The way she was breathing and her hand movements gave that away.

"Right, excuse me, miss," Liam put up his hand to interject, "clearly there has been a misunderstanding."

She might have been intimidating if the purple-haired girl with the halo wasn't shorter than the former Archon-Prince.

"Oh. And just what am I misunderstanding? Because right now, all I can see is, at best, a homeless man, and at worst, a…" the girl stammered for a bit, her face turning into a tomato.

"A what?"

There was a moment of silence as the girl's face became red like a tomato.

"A degenerate."

"A prostitute."

"A pervert."

The other three listed in near unison their colourful titles.

"You'd be wrong," Liam puffed proudly, pushing out his vest and pointing to the unit badge that was sewn on.

"I can be called many things. Most commonly, I can be called a mercenary. I get hired to solve problems. In this case, the disappearance of the General Student Council President, their loss of authority, and the chaos you suffer from." The four dissenters stood in shock. Some hushed words were traded between them. "I could be called a sensei, for I was put in charge of an organisation called Schale."

Liam took out his digital key before the purple one could speak again. "Though there is one title I honour the most. I am, above all else, a MechWarrior!"

There was another moment of silence.

"MechWarrior?" Everyone echoed as they stared at him.

"Yes," Liam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "To some, MechWarriors stand as guardians of the peace, defenders of the innocent! To others, they are a tool to be used when no other man or woman can answer the call! I am here, whether you like it or not, to help you. I uphold the ideals of the true MechWarrior above all else."

He looked each of them in the eye, gripping the key to his 'Mech harder, a fire burning inside him, fueling his words despite his technically dispossessed status. "We can sit and throw blame and insults at one another, or I can act now and try and make things right. As the President entrusted me, letting you all fall off the cliff would be remiss. I stand before you as the vanguard of Schale, the last remnant of your missing President's authority, and I will not fail you."

Liam turned back to Rin, who still stood by the elevator. "I assume we needed to head down here for a reason, yes?"

Rin remained motionless for a moment with a vacant expression, then snapped out of whatever trance she was in and nodded absently. "I was just going to call for the helicopter to pick us up. At least before our esteemed guests showed up. Wait here. I will make that call right away."

Rin's high heels clicked against the floor as she reached for a phone. All the while, the quartet stared at Liam intently. Pigtails stared at Liam for a good, solid moment.

"Why? An adult like you isn't from Kivotos," Her accusatory tone did little to hide her intrigue. "Why do you care so much?"

"It's my job. I'm a professional above all else." Liam answered without hesitation. "Wojtek would say this is foolish, and perhaps it is. Still, if I can help those who legitimately need it, it's my responsibility to do so, no matter what."

For a Liam, MechWarriors had to be above human nature. Human nature caused the Succession Wars, and human nature had nearly sent humanity back to the Stone Age. It was the MechWarriors, though, who guided them out. It was a MechWarrior who found the Helm Data Core and caused a revival of LosTech.

To hold to the ideal of a MechWarrior, Liam must help them.

Rin slammed the phone she was using back down on the receiver. Her breath was unsteady as she seemed to shake.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"It appears that simply going to Schale by helicopter has been set back." Rin answered while trying–and mostly failing to hold her frustration back.

"How so?" Liam felt a tingling on the back of his head. He doubted this would be a simple 'go to the building, get some items, and fly out' job. It was never that simple, and when it was, it always had a catch.

Rin took a deep breath before continuing. "It appears that a particular suspended student has not only escaped her captivity, but she managed to rile up the local thugs."

She took another deep breath with her eyes closed. "They even managed to take a Crusader."

Now, that was concerning. A 65-ton heavy 'Mech, and Liam only had his rifle? Depending on the variant, the machine guns on the Crusader would turn him into mincemeat. The black-haired and silver-haired students appeared even more rattled than he internally was.

The one in black with the bolt-action rifle opened her mouth first. "They managed to take one of our academy's tanks!?"

"Tank!?" Liam yelled out in surprise. The only tank he knew off hand with that name was over a millennium old, well before even the first fusion engine was made. What were they doing with a museum piece? "You had me worried for a moment."

He decidedly ignored the odd looks he got.

"Liam-sensei?!" Rin bellowed, nearly flabbergasted.

"Here I was, thinking I had to worry about a heavy 'Mech, but instead, they only got that old thing?" Liam laughed as he patted his rifle. "We have no reason to stand idly. Get your VTOL ready, I'll handle the rest."

"By yourself!?" Pigtails gasped incredulously. "Are you crazy!? Someone like you could easily die!"

Rin ignored her and walked on.

"If not me, then who?" Liam clenched his jaw and turned towards the shrieking girl, holding his head as high as possible. "I said before, it is my job, my responsibility. I don't fear what awaits me. I fear what happens should I stand idly by."

Pigtails stood there for a moment, looking up at Liam. She closed her eyes for a moment. "I'll help."

Liam recoiled back in shock. "Excuse me?"

"I, Hayase Yuuka, will help." The one named Yuuka opened her eyes. Looking closely, Liam saw red dots in her pupils. Perhaps it was the hair or her way of speaking, but Liam felt as though she was, what was the term, a tsundere. That was such an archaic term, yet it was all he thought could fit her. "If someone like you is willing to put themselves in danger, it would look bad on us not to help as well."

"Your safety in this must be considered a top priority." The tall, black-haired student spoke.

"You are right, Hasumi." The blonde with the pistol pushed up her glasses. "If Liam-sensei were to be hit by a single bullet, he would be in grave danger, unlike us."

Her lighter-haired associate nodded. "Allow us to assist."

So there was something different about them. Liam didn't know exactly, but if he had to guess, those floating halos above their heads weren't for show.

"I'll welcome any assistance." Liam turned to the girl with the medical bag. "I assume you are at least trained in first aid, miss…?"

"Chinatsu." A small smile sat on her face. Despite her more professional manner, she seemed soft, for lack of a better term. "I normally treat the wounded for the Disciplinary Committee, though most of those injuries are minor. I hope I don't need to treat you."

"I'll be counting on you if that does happen." Liam nodded. Sure, he'd been injured a few times, even had glass pulled from his gut before, but he never enjoyed the pain. He turned back as he heard Rin return. "Is it ready?"

"Yes, and I heard the trustworthy academy representatives. It is reassuring that they are willing to assist." Rin's fake smile returned as she looked at the group of four. "It is also fortunate the helicopter has room for all of you."

Liam felt she would volunteer them even if they didn't volunteer themselves. Still, he didn't have a reason to vocalise that thought. It was trivial. They might have been teenagers, even though the physical build of the one called Hasumi would suggest otherwise. Still, if he was to chastise them for jumping into danger, he'd be a hypocrite. Liam hefted his rifle on his shoulder.

"Well Lancers," he called those four girls something he was familiar with, "let's get to it."