"Huh, wasn't expecting you to contact me so soon – hasn't been that long. Something come up, Karl?"
"We hit a small snag in the operation. As you're aware, we only started ramping up our activities in earnest as we approached the end of the Taurian-FedSun border, both to keep a relatively low profile and because there aren't as many pirates in that region. We assumed that there was nothing of note here, just individual worlds that we could easily keep a low profile in between."
"We were wrong, huh."
"Yes. Just because nobody might care about a microstate doesn't mean that it doesn't exist – there is an interstellar nation here, between the Magistracy and the Concordat. It's small, enough that it's apparently gone unmentioned in the broader maps we've been using, it's not much of a singular nation to begin with, but it does exist. It's called the Aurigan Coalition."
"Huh. What can you tell me about them?"
"Not too much – they appear to be a coalition of several noble families under a High Lord, operating under a 'Founding Council'. Each family holds primacy over their world, and the union of these forms the Coalition – so, it can be said to be several individual states operating under a number of shared common laws, customs, and agreements. It's very disorganized, but they still share notes with each other."
"So when you showed up killing pirates left and right, they told each other about the new kids on the block, huh."
"Yes. Now their High Lord – Tamati Arano II – wants to arrange an in-person meeting for a longer-term relationship. I was planning on accepting, but the question I wanted to ask was how… much, I can tell him. Obviously our true origins are unacceptable, but…"
"Hm… these guys, they're right on the border between the Taurians and the Capellans, right?"
"Yes, with a large stretch of unclaimed space before the Magistracy. They're also very small – not even half the size of the Taurian Concordat."
"Should be fine then – just don't go telling everyone about us just yet or go doing anything too crazy. But feel free to share some notes and help them out some, sounds like they could use some."
"Understood."
Security negotiations had been… more of a trial than Tamati had expected.
Captain Malmsteen had agreed to meet him in person, even agreeing to meet him at Coromodir, but the man had insisted on a private meeting, with no outsiders allowed.
Raju had flatly refused to risk the High Lord in such a way, and what had followed was a short but sharp series of demands and counter-offers – ultimately, terms had been decided. Tamati would come as the sole negotiator, with twelve guards who were loyal to the Arano family unto death. Malmsteen had stressed such – that if the guards would rather die than betray the Arano's faith, then it would be alright.
The man himself would arrive with four guards of his own – not as many, but given that they had superiority in equipment it was considered an acceptable compromise, as he would still be coming from a position of weakness.
At least, that was the original intent – when their shuttle set off from their landing zone, coming in to land at the Palace's docks, Tamati had been paying close attention.
It may have been a small thing to pay attention to, but it was such a different design compared to the blockier, more solid shuttles that the Inner Sphere generally produced that he couldn't help but pay attention as it came to land. It was large, but also almost graceful in a way that the spheroid or brick-shaped shuttles he was used to weren't, with a set of flared 'wings' stretching out from a central transport compartment, curving downwards – acting as both platforms for a pair of auxiliary thrusters and stabilizers for a landing.
When it set down, it was with the front of the shuttle towards them rather than the back as a front-facing ramp came down.
And it became clear that, no, four troops would more than enough for Captain Malmsteen's safety, because two of those men were clad in power armor.
Tamati had studied the Star League, but he had no recollection that even the height of humanity's glory had ever produced such uniform, functional pieces of gear – the titanic soldiers easily breaking seven feet in height as they stomped forward ahead of the man, huge combat shields attached to their fronts as if they needed even more protection while their suits let them wield the largest rifles he had ever seen with one arm.
Forget infantry fire, it looked as though one would need Mech scale weapons to combat them.
By contrast, the two black jumpsuited infantrymen – most likely meant for operations where those power-armored juggernauts wouldn't fit – looked fairly normal. Perhaps some form of scout-recon units or special forces, given the similarities their red visors and helmets had with NVG's.
At the very least their rifles didn't appear to be large enough to crush a small child under their weight, so if things – for whatever reason – devolved to violence, his troops would be able to focus primarily on the two juggernauts while relying on conventional defenses like cover against the two scouts.
The man himself seemed… well, comparatively mundane, in a way. A thin, sharp-faced man with a well-groomed goatee and sideburns, he was dressed in an old, dark, faded military uniform with gold buttons and lining, most likely from some prior military service – he doubted that if he were a member of an active military it would look so… worn.
"High Lord Arano. It is a pleasure to meet you face-to-face." The Captain said, giving him a polite nod – a gesture of respect between equals, not one of subservience between differing social classes. Tamati didn't particularly care – really, even if the man hadn't done the Aurigan Reach a hundred years worth of gratitude with the pirates he had slain he would have been fine with it, he wasn't one for obsequious ceremony. But he knew that other nobles – those with either more pride, more stature, or both – would view it as an insult.
He doubted that this man was ignorant of that fact – just looking at his eyes, he seemed far too clever to not know such a thing. Normally, a mercenary viewing a noble as an equal would be considered an insult, unless one were the likes of Jaime Wolf or Morgan Kell – but, with those two juggernauts at his side, he could be as brazen as he wished. It might have been a calculated move, in fact – using them to 'wow' those he met up-front and establish a position of personal strength.
Regardless, those were thoughts he could mull over later. "Captain Malmsteen. It's good to put a face to the man who has been doing the Coalition so much good as of late." He replied, returning the nod as he smiled. "A private, secure room has been prepared for us, but I'm afraid we were expecting normal infantrymen, not…" He gestured to the two power-armored soldiers, their rifles being held barrel-down.
"I thought it would be polite to bring my best – a mark of respect, if you will." The Captain offered with an inscrutable smile. "Though, in the interest of practicality, I would be quite fine leaving the two outside the room as a compromise – assuming they can fit in the halls?"
"They can – no need to worry on that front. Please, follow me." Tamati said as Captain Malmsteen walked up – the two falling into step beside each other as their guards followed on either side.
"It was rather fortuitous that you requested a private meeting, truth be told – there are certain matters of a sensitive nature I wished to discuss with you as well." Tamati said graciously, idly noting the armor that surrounding Malmsteen's half of the procession.
Power armor, as far as he was aware, had only ever been theorized, with 'prototypes' being junker-things made by roughly welding armor plates to powered exoskeletons intended for hard labor, not combat. They were crude things, not fit for mass production let alone real combat use. The closest 'battle' they would see would be junkyard fights in the rougher parts of the Periphery. Or perhaps Solaris.
These, did not look prototypical in the least, nor bleeding edge. They had the look of armor that had been worn and seen extensive use, the faded white paint being chipped near the edges of the plates to reveal grey metal underneath. One pauldron had been painted a deep, clear blue with a white symbol that he couldn't recognize, like a cross between a bow and a star.
The other pauldron bore another symbol that he couldn't place, although he could recognize the heraldry at least – a black eagle in on a field of crimson. There was clearly some history behind this heraldry, but curious as he was he kept quiet, making small talk with the Captain as they walked.
He could ask once they were in more secure chambers, away from unwelcome ears.
Half his guards stayed outside along with the two power-armored figures, while the rest followed him into the room that had been set along with Malmsteen's two spec-ops units, the man waiting until he had taken a seat before following suit.
"Now, let us talk – I'm sure we have much to discuss." Tamati began, hiding his eagerness now that he would finally get some answers.
"Much, and with frankness as well." Malmsteen agreed. "Now, before we begin, I must say this – I'm sure you've guessed by now, but we are not from… around here, you might say."
Tamati nodded, exhaling as his suspicions were confirmed. "I presumed as much, given the secrecy with which you've been operating. A Deep Periphery state? Some form of vanguard or scout force?"
Malsteen shook his head. "Nothing so grand – we are from the Deep Periphery, as you would know it, but we are not a vanguard or some larger power, far from it. We are a loose conglomerate of rebels, refugees and mercenaries, having wound up here due to an accident in our FTL methods. Suffice to say, there is… quite a lot of history that I'm leaving out, but for now you simply need know that in a vast number of fields, our technologies have greatly outpaced that of the Inner Sphere, even during the time of the Star League."
"An accident… a Jump mishap?" Tamati asked, feeling his excitement grow – Malmsteen wouldn't be offering this knowledge if he didn't plan for greater cooperation somehow, and even if he was boasting, if he could offer Star League level technologies… the benefits to the Aurigan Reach would be unbelievable.
"No. Our 'seed' group of colonists, if you will, left Earth before KF-Drives were invented – they were sent on supercarriers hosting huge numbers of people in cryogenic storage, using experimental drives. Due to the utter failure to produce results that could be observed, the project was shuttered – but, as you can see, we didn't die." Malmsteen explained.
"I see… what is it, then, that you're looking for exactly?" Tamati asked.
"Some of our number have chosen to stay here in the Inner Sphere, to settle down – they are refugees who have lost their homes, and our home sector holds nothing for them. Indeed, given the turmoil back home, the Periphery may be safer, strange as that may be to think about." Malmsteen said with a smile. "As for the rest of us, even if our technology has broadly surpassed the Star League, we can still study what it did to learn – in Battlemechs, for example, the Star League made more efficient systems than we ever did. Even from the onset – we never developed myomer, for example. And once we are ready, we will head back home – we have unfinished business back there."
"So that's why you're so focused on salvage." Tamati said as he nodded in understanding. "You're sending it back for study."
"Several kinds, but broadly speaking, yes." Malmsteen confirmed.
"Well, then – I think we have quite a lot we can offer each other." Tamati said cheerfully.
"Indeed – we can offer you military services at favorable commercial rates and access to advanced technologies, amongst other things, you can direct us towards pirates and other enemies we can strip for parts." Malmsteen agreed with a smile. "But, you mentioned it was fortuitous that I requested a 'private' meeting – was there a sensitive request you wished to ask of us?"
"Yes. It has been a secret of House Arano's for some time – a secret that we have been unable to act on until you arrived. Ordinarily I wouldn't reveal it so easily, but between the sharing of your own secrets and the services you have provided… I am inclined to take the risk." Tamati began. "To explain, on a moon, close to but not within Aurigan space, there are the remnants of a crashed dropship from the Star League era. An experimental design, intended for long-term deep space exploration and colonization – acting as a sort of 'mobile base', following behind a first wave of explorer vessels and to support the teams there as a 'shore leave' base and logistical hub. The Argo class – only two were ever constructed, the Argo and the Myrmidon. The Myrmidon, to my knowledge, was broken down for parts before it was ever completed."
"It was on a maiden voyage through the Deep Periphery when the Amaris War began – a minor casualty of that era, it dropped out of contact and was lost to history. Until now." Tamati continued. "I won't belabor you with the details of the 'how' beyond having had access to certain Star League databases, but my family has known of the Argo's existence for some time, and its location – crashed on a moon, having been gutted and stripped for parts by decades of pirates using its as a base. Its hull plates ripped off and turned into walls for a crude fortress."
"But the interior remains relatively intact?" Malmsteen asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. They have stripped down some of the inner systems, but pirates lack the technical expertise needed to fully make use of the wealth of raw salvage potential they have on hand – indeed, they may not even know the full wealth they are sitting on." Tamati confirmed. "We have never been able to muster up a force to take it – the pirates are too numerous in the region, and it is outside of our reach regardless. Not to mention internal political considerations."
"You mean your Founding Council not wanting to go on military jaunts through the Deep Periphery, potentially provoking the unaligned planets there for what appears to be an unnecessary grab at wealth and salvage against an entrenched pirate force." Malmsteen summed up.
"You've done some homework." Tamati noted, his esteem of the man rising.
"Only the bare minimum." Malmsteen deflected humbly. "Still, for once I can't really blame them – from what you've told me, this thing is a gutted and unstable wreck, only fit for spare parts that you might not even be able to use given Star League blackboxing and the general degradation of technology since."
"Yes. However, there is a mitigating factor on top of the secret that my family has – first, we have images of the Argo taken by scouts who managed to get eyes on it. While it is somewhat out of date… here." Tamati explained as he handed Malmsteen a photo.
"… hm. Surprisingly intact, truth be told – when you said it had crashed I was expecting it to be in far more pieces. But it looks like if a giant hand were to simply pluck it out of the dirt, so long as the superstructure was in good condition it would mostly be a matter of internal wiring and hammering hull plates back on." Malmsteen admitted as he looked it over, idly picking over the low ring of 'defenses' surrounding the wreck.
"It would most definitely need some involved maintenance work, but yes." Tamati agreed. "If we were to get access to the site itself, then engineers would be able to work on it quite comfortably – enough to get it flying again at least, at which point the inaccessible sections could also be repaired."
"Does the Reach even have engineers that capable?" Malmsteen asked. "I was under the impression that in this era most engineers were barely worth the name, and anything out of the Star League era might as well have been made from fairies and pixies dust for all people know about it, or how to repair or replicate it."
"Yes, from people who have gone so much further it must seem disgraceful, the state of education and science in the Inner Sphere, let alone the Periphery." Tamati admitted wryly.
"More 'horrified at the very notion', but yes." Malmsteen nodded.
"Well, there are Lostech specialists in the Inner Sphere, you see – most of them are kept under tight watch by their local Great Houses, working for them on deciphering the secrets of Star League technology, but a few others are fairly mobile, moving from research initiative to research initiative across borders. The Great Houses do engage in cooperation sometimes after all, enough that mobility between Houses isn't an unheard-of proposition." Tamati explained. "Normally these are also the specialists who focus on non-combat technologies, like industrial water purification facilities or perhaps more theoretical subjects – it's far less worrisome to allow someone who knows how to build water treatment plants to move about with your neighbors as well than it is to allow someone who knows the construction of ER PPC's."
"Mm. If they're cooperating, then you've made an ally stronger – if they are enemies, then if you can take the world you've obtained an asset without paying for it. At least assuming you take the world cleanly. If not, well, the Great Houses have already proven how they treat valuable enemy assets they can't hold." Malmsteen mused thoughtfully.
"Indeed." Tamati agreed with a sigh. "Well, regardless – while we can try making efforts to reach out for one such specialist, and while it would be good to see the Argo flying again… that isn't the main reason family has held this secret so tightly to its chest."
"Yes, if all you wanted was a Star League relic to parade around, you wouldn't have kept it locked down for a century." Malmsteen agreed. "There's something aboard the Argo, isn't there? Something mobile, and much more valuable than the ship itself."
"Yes – we believe there might be a Star League Memory Core, dedicated towards navigational charts and stellar cartography. Valuable on its own, but the Star League constructed countless fortresses and safehouses in its holding in both the Sphere and the Periphery. Especially the Periphery, to keep the unruly populaces in line. Even centuries after its fall, new outposts and hidden armories are still being found and looted." Tamati explained. "We have no proof nor guarantee of this, but we believe that the Argo might be able to lead us towards some of these caches."
"I see. And these caches would most likely be full of Star League weapons and equipment, still in working condition after so many centuries of neglect." Malmsteen nodded. "Enough to bolster the Aurigan Coalition and allow it to defend itself more effectively, or to be traded to your neighbors in exchange for favorable terms and benefits. Or both, depending on how many of these caches you can find and how large they are."
"Yes." Tamati nodded. "We have our own specialist – one of the Founding Lords – who can crack Star League encryptions given time, but to get started on that we need to secure the Argo first."
"Hm. Well then. Shall we get started immediately? Or do you wish for me to wait until you've found such an engineer?" Malmsteen asked.
"I would ask that you wait, for the moment – once we pull the trigger, the longer we keep forces around the Argo the more suspicious it becomes." Tamati explained. "It will be safer to defeat the pirates, then move in ourselves in one smooth maneuver."
"Yes, the Taurians may mostly be focused on the Davions, but we wouldn't want the Liao's to have cause to look this way more closely." Malmsteen agreed. "Well, then – I'll continue my pirate suppression activities, then?"
"About that… given the general frankness, I actually wished to ask if you would be amenable to a more involved period of cooperation." Tamati admitted. "Pirate suppression would still be appreciated, of course, but more than that…"
"I believe we can work something out. I can easily provide expertise in training your soldiers for example – and, perhaps, a reorganization of your armed forces depending on the assets available." Malmsteen noted. "And while military investments are out of the question, we actually have some limited mobile manufacturing capacities ourselves – primarily constrained by raw material access. We could deploy some of our units towards repairing civilian installations in your territory, for example, improving quality of life now that the threat of a pirate raid is lessened."
"Thank you. While worth discussing in a more in-depth manner, there was one last thing I wished to request – first, I'd like to introduce you to one of the more powerful lords on the Founding Council, Lord Santiago Espinosa. Our families have worked together in the past, and while not… 'close', I do rely on the man for many things, as he has a degree of natural cunning to him." Tamati explained. "While I won't ask that you reveal your true origins, I would like to reveal yourselves so that you may operate more openly."
"Well, that's certainly acceptable – it will be nice not to spend so much effort in keeping ourselves hidden." Malmsteen admitted.
"I figured as much. Well, as far as a first-meeting went this was quite agreeable – let us hope that our future endeavors together are as simple." Tamati said with a smile and a nod.
"Yes. Lets." Malmsteen agreed with a wry smile, the unspoken fact that such a thing was rather unlikely going unsaid between the two of them. The universe had a way of blinding you after all.
As they stood, Tamati spoke up as a thought struck him. "Oh, while you're here… may I ask something? It's hardly anything especially important, but I find myself rather curious."
"Of course – go ahead."
"What exactly is your goal here?" Tamati asked. "We greatly appreciate it of course, that you're willing to hunt down pirates so thoroughly in return for no C-bill payments, but even taking your full salvage processes into account we are getting the better end of the deal here. By tearing out the pirates root and stem, the region will benefit for decades with the increased safety leading to increased trade, prosperity, and growth across our worlds. And it's hardly as if the salvage is that valuable – if you were purely after salvage you could easily trade your scraps for a small fortune on various markets."
"Hm. Well, I could say that we are gathering information about our neighbors, and it would be true – after all, we are newcomers to the region. I could also say that we are gaining a greater understanding of Battlemech's in combat – after all, we have little experience with the military forces of the Sphere, and while pirates may not be well-equipped they tend to have appreciable experience and a level of base cunning. And some of the larger pirate bands are acceptable facsimiles of Inner Sphere military units." Malmsteen admitted. "…. but, truth be told, if you ask why I am really here, then honestly speaking… I would have to say that I'm on vacation."
Tamati blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"You heard me. I've been busy with non-combat aspects of my work for over a year before I began this campaign." Malmsteen said plainly. "While I did enjoy getting to play wargames and run theory and simulations… I was also getting a bit stir-crazy. I needed to get out and lead troops again in reality, not just on paper."
"And your chosen decision for that was… to go on a one-company rampage against piracy in the Periphery, far from your base of support." Tamati said slowly.
"Everyone needs a hobby. And I do love my work." Malmsteen said sincerely.
"I…. see."
Even as they walked, Tamati recalled Kamea's distrust of Captain Malmsteen.
He wouldn't hold it against him, but he could understand a bit better now why his daughter was so on-edge around the man.
He was polite, respectful, and clearly had a degree of morality about him – after all, he could just easily have gotten what he was looking for by being a pirate himself, not hunting them. But all the same, when he admitted that he did enjoy his 'work', of leading troops into conflict and battle…
Tamati got the impression that he had been talking to a viper, almost. Or an unsheathed blade. Something whose purpose was to hunt and kill.
Still, this viper was on their side, and appeared to have no interest in striking them, so he would get over his unease – first forcefully, then in due time naturally.
And anyway, it was far more comforting knowing that Malmsteen was pointed away from him and the Reach.
He did hope that this wouldn't just wind up a wild goose chase - at least 'Grim Sybil' would die regardless, but hopefully the Argo's databanks would lead them to valuable Star League caches. Hell, even finding just one intact armory would be cause for celebration - at least then they could start improving the Reach's military.
Follower38 I suppose I'll just post this since it's quiet.