Near Periphery
24 June 3048
"The duel is between Mechwarrior Cadet Joshua and Mechwarrior Leighanna. Cadet Joshua has chosen to use the weapon that won him the Trial of Creation yesterday, a longsword named Anduril. Star Captain Leighanna will use her scimitar."
Coincidentally, the random lot had put Joshua against a warrior who was a graduate of his own
He drew out his sword and stuck it in the ground. Leighanna did the same across from him.
“It’s good to see you again, Josh, but don’t expect me to go easy on you, even with your arm. You have to prove yourself against me at my best and I will give you my best.”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
Leighanna removed her flight jacket and pants, revealing a shear swimsuit-like bodysuit. She flexed and stretched as she prepared to fight. Memories of more than one intimate encounter with Leighanna filled his mind, but he shoved them to the back of his mind. Daisaku’s words about his emotions came back to him.
Joshua removed his own jacket, but left his uniform pants on. Underneath was a black muscle T-shirt, which made Joshua feel self-conscious. Although he was not bad looking, Joshua did not have the build for that attire. He was built like a tall fighter pilot, slender and quick, rather than muscular like most mechwarriors.
Joshua checked his injured right arm. The cast on it was thick enough that he might be able to use it as a shield if necessary, although he doubted it would survive more than one strike from Leighanna’s scimitar. It covered his hand, making it impossible for him to grip his sword with that hand.
Joshua grabbed his sword and pulled it from the earth, indicating that he was ready. Leighanna grabbed hers and stood ready.
SaKhan Mizar’s voice came over the Circle. "This is the Trial of Chivalry. The object is to disarm your foe, and then subdue your disarmed foe unarmed. Blows to cripple or kill are permitted, but discouraged. Points will be deducted for such conduct."
The cadets’ opponents were under no such restriction, since they were not fighting for points, but it was unlikely that they would stoop to such tactics unless they felt their own well-being was in true danger. Joshua had no intention of turning this fight into a battle to the death. He held no malice for Leighanna and despite her place in his life as someone his father had tried to foist on him, he thought of her fondly.
Still, Joshua did not wait for saKhan Mizar to fully retreat from the circle before he took his first slash, aiming for Leighanna’s right arm. She had not been expecting the strike, as it was normally customary to wait for the referee to clear the field. She had no parry ready and Joshua’s blade slashed across her forearm.
Joshua darted back and took a traditional stance. Leighanna snarled, angered by his cheap but still legal shot. She should have known better. Inside the Circle, there really were no rules. The discouragement against killing an opponent here came more from a sense that defeating a foe unharmed was more difficult and therefore would win more honor. Killing your enemy was the easy way out.
She tossed her scimitar to her other hand, and made a quick assessment of her arm. The cut was deep enough to make it near impossible for her to use the arm.
"Now the odds are even." Said Joshua, holding up his cast-covered arm.
Leighanna nodded. Fighting Joshua with her good arm would have been taking advantage of his injury. But by wounding her, he had robbed her of the chance to give him the honor of her own accord. Again, no rules. She would have lost nothing by taking advantage, but everything in the Clans was based around honor and respect. Using her sword in her left would have been putting herself down to his level, and was also a statement of respect towards Joshua’s skill. She had not been planning on doing that, and Joshua certainly couldn’t have counted on it. Now, he had forced her hand.
She raised her scimitar and twirled it. She gave Joshua a mocking "come here" gesture and waited. In response, Joshua lowered his weapon. Both were trying to make the other come to them, and Joshua’s opening was more tempting. Leighanna lunged and Joshua swung Anduril up with lighting speed. His sword struck her scimitar with enough force to knock her arm skyward. Overextended, she was open to attack and Joshua landed a solid kick in her midsection.
The blow knocked the wind out of her and she fell back. Joshua pressed his advantage and brought his sword down on hers with all his might. Anduril cleaved through the scimitar, shattering it. Rather than backing off to declare his first point by announcement, which was customary, he kept at it. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed Anduril aside. He swung his right arm about and smashed his cast-covered arm against her cheek. The blow snapped her head aside and knocked her off her feet. Joshua sprang around her and grabbed her bloodied right arm and twisted it around her back. She cried out as he increased the pressure on her wound.
"I yield!" she cried, and Joshua released her.
She stood up, nursing her arm. Joshua bowed and saluted her. "Well fought." He said.
“It was. You’ve gotten better. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“You know, if you’d like, you could come by later for some celebration time?”
Joshua smiled at that. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one with fond memories of their trysts together.
“Perhaps.” He said cordially.
SaKhan Mizar stepped back into the ring. "You have won your Trial of Chivalry. You have defeated your opponent without use of lethal force. You have proven yourself a skilled and honorable artist in the way of the sword. I award you the two points for your victory."
With a full five points, Joshua was now the undisputed leader in the points race. Those who had hoped to catch him after his success in the Trial of Creation had just gotten their hopes dashed. With only two points available in the Chivalry Trial, the best any of them could hope for now was four points, one behind Joshua.
Despite that, the Trial of Position was the real test. With three or more points available here, it was quite possible for some of them to catch or overtake Joshua. Only once in the history of the Clan had anyone taken a fourth point, and that was Joshua’s father. In the Trial, two cadets face six opponents. William’s partner had been killed after taking down his first opponent, leaving five remaining. Although his remaining two opponents were obligated to leave the field, William forced them to engage him by firing on them before they could retreat. In the battle that followed, William destroyed four of the mechs and nearly got the fifth before his own mech was crippled and he yielded.
Still, it would not take a performance of that level to beat Joshua. If Joshua failed here, beating one or none of his opponents, better mechwarriors could beat him out. With his successful completion of the Trial of Chivalry, Joshua was now assured his warrior status, unless he was killed in the Position Trial.
And that was more likely than Joshua wanted to think about. As he fetched his sword from where it had landed on the ground, he pondered on what he would face the next day.
Mechwarrior Javier was a skilled and tough fighter. He had survived the ambush at last year’s Martial Olympics not by luck, but by skill. He had nearly turned the ambush against his opponents, killing three of the attackers before being forced to withdraw due to lack of ammunition. He was of the Libereux Bloodline, and although one of their number had caused the exile of the Wolverines, they were spared for one reason and one reason only. Despite the romanticized tale of Star Colonel Eric Libereux’s plea for mercy at the feet of Khan Rebecca Laidir, the real reason the Libereux line survived was because of their skill. Outside of the Messer Bloodline, the best mechwarriors came of Libereux stock. Javier was no exception.
Javier piloted a lethal upgrade of the Star League KGC-000 King Crab called the Supernova. Replacing the King Crab’s twin heavy autocannon with two trios of heavy lasers, the Supernova could unleash a lethal barrage of long range firepower.
Joshua’s father, Khan William Messer, was considered by many the best mechwarrior the Wolverines had ever produced. Javier claim about William’s invincibility was not without merit. A fusion of a Messer father and a Laidir mother, his genetic mix was ideal for a skilled mechwarrior. Beyond that, William outdid everyone’s expectations. The story of his Trial of Position was still told in almost legendary awe. He had also won his Bloodname at age 20, only two years after taking warrior status. He was Khan at 30, and had held that position for 20 years.
William, being a traditionalist, had chosen his mech from among the old Star League mechs the Wolverines had brought with them during their exile. Most of them had been mothballed in the Wolverine’s Brian Cache in
Joshua’s third foe had also been chosen, and although she had no personal grudge against Joshua, she would still prove troublesome. Her name was Tabetha, a warrior of the Jiwe line. She would be piloting a Clan upgrade of the old Thunderbolt, named the Harbinger. Replacing the T-bolt’s large laser was a LB-X autocannon and it included an upgraded LRM launcher as well. Her skill was largely undeveloped. She was one of Isaac and Javier’s class of warriors and had little battle experience. Still, she placed high enough to earn the rank of Star Captain in the Wolverine Keshik.
Joshua’s decision now was to decide what mech he would take against them. All three of his opponents would be fighting in mechs with formidable long range firepower. They were also in heavy slow designs; a 90 tonner, a 70 tonner, and a 65 tonner respectively. Joshua knew their designs well enough to know where their weaknesses were.
Javier’s mech would be the most troublesome, its large lasers were as effective in close as they were at range. His father’s mech was lethal at range, but up close his weapons’ safety systems and his mech’s thin armor would handicap him. The Harbinger was based on an already tough Star League design, and the use of additional technology had only augmented its strengths. It’s only real weakness was a lack of mobility.
Joshua would need speed and heavy firepower, two things he could find on his favorite mech design: the Wendigo. An upgrade of the Star League Shadow Hawk, it replaced its medium laser and autocannon with heavier models. At 55 tons, he was grossly outclassed by weight, but Joshua knew that would not be an issue in the right terrain.
While pondering, Joshua found his wandering had taken him back to the camp of his friends. Most of them were gone, either competing or watching the competition, but Joshua was surprised to find a visitor.
"I recognize thee, Mechwarrior Joshua, and greet thee." Said Gwen.
"Mechwarrior?"
"You’ve already earned that title, Joshua." Said Gwen. "You have the points."
"Assuming I survive tomorrow."
"I’ve heard of your challenge."
"Is that why you are here? To try to talk me into changing my mind?"
Gwen stepped forward and put her fingers to his lips. “You’re such a fool.” She said with a quiver in her voice. “They’re going to kill you. You know that, don’t you?”
Joshua pulled her fingers away by the wrist. “Why would you care?”
“You think I want to see you killed? Joshua, whatever else is going on between Javier, you, and I, you have still been a good friend to me. When my brother died, you were there. You were there when I needed you.”
“All the good it did
“And is that why you did it? For your own gain?”
Joshua opened his mouth to answer, but Gwen cut him off. “No, don’t answer. That was unfair of me to say. I know that wasn’t the reason.”
The two of them stood there for several minutes, saying nothing, just looking at each other.
“Why are you here?” Joshua asked again.
“I don’t know. I just knew I had to see you again. Before they kill you. Maybe it’s so I can say good-bye properly. I don’t know.”
“Would you have come if I hadn’t challenged Javier? If I hadn’t put my life on the line?”
“No, I’d still be here. Because I know you’d be facing him anyway, challenge or no. Javier would have found a way to see to that.”
“He’s the one I’m worried about. For all of our hatred for one another, my father won’t kill me. He’s too keen on seeing his bloodline continue. But, Javier…”
“He wants to kill you because of me. Because of what I’ve told him about you, of how you wouldn’t leave me alone.”
“You spoke the truth. You were right. I never respected your wishes in this matter. Maybe you’re right. I am a fool.”
“None of that matters now. What I said has put you in danger.”
“Javier is a pawn. He’s either another challenge my father has put in front of me to test me or a means to rid me of you. Either way, my father wins.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Daisaku suspects that it was arranged for you and Javier to meet. Perhaps more.”
“That can’t be. I’d know.”
“Do you love him?” said Joshua bluntly.
“Yes, I do.” Said Gwen, another quiver in her voice.
Joshua looked down at the ground for a moment, composing his words. He then looked up, stared Gwen in the eyes, and said, “Then I won’t kill him. I will go out of my way to spare him, no matter what he does, no matter what he tries to do.”
“That could get you killed, holding back like that.”
“Better that, than to rob you of your happiness. Go. Go back to him. Leave me.”
Gwen nodded and turned to walk away. After a few steps, she turned and dashed back to Joshua. She threw her arms about his neck and kissed him passionately. Then without a word, she left.
“Me thinks you’re not the
only one with some feelings to sort out, Joshua.” Said Ryan, coming back into
camp.
“Saw that, quiaff? It was a bit…unexpected.”
“A woman doesn’t kiss like
that without some feeling behind it.”
“And you’re the voice of
expertise on these matters?”
“You know, 24 hours ago,
like everyone else, I thought you were nuts for chasing after her. Now I ‘m
starting to think you’d be nuts not to.”
“We’ll see.” Said Joshua,
moving to take a seat near the burned out campfire. “By the way, how did you
do?”
Ryan smiled. “Well enough.”
Regardless, his friends were doing well. Behind Joshua was Daisaku and Erik with 4 points. Ryan and Matthew both had 3 each. At this point, only seven other warriors had as many points as they, most having faltered during the Trial of Creation. Although great warriors could be bred without artistic talent, such warriors were not meant to be Wolverines. Joshua knew that a number of those who had failed to do anything in the Trial of Creation were the better of he or his friends, but placing them in the ranks of the Wolverine touman was against tradition.
Still, with only 8 total points available each for 200 cadets, ties were frequent. Last year, there had been many ties. The solution here was usually a grand melee, which ended when attrition had knocked out enough warriors. Those left standing filled in the slots. Rarely, did any of these last handful every place in rank slots above standard Mechwarrior, so the issue of rank was usually moot. Joshua and his friends had all been concerned about getting trapped in the melee. Joshua knew he did not have to worry, but he was concerned for Ryan and Matthew.
"You face off against your father and Javier tomorrow." Said Isaac flatly over dinner. "I fail to see what this is meant to prove?"
"You all know about my grudge with my father. My challenge should be no surprise to anyone."
"He’s better than you are." Said Erik.
"I don’t believe so." Countered Daisaku, defending Joshua.
"He’s short-sighted and arrogant." Said Joshua. "He can be goaded into a mistake that I can exploit."
"And what of Javier? There are those who say he is the redemption of the Libereux line." Said Ryan. “He’s good, real good.”
"Killing him won’t win her either." Said Erik. "That’ll only drive her further from you, which probably wouldn’t be a bad thing in the long run."
"My father dies, but Javier? No, I’m not going to kill him." said Joshua. “I want him to live.”
“That wasn’t what you said to him at the Trial of Creation judging.” Said Erik.
“I was angry. Let my passions get the better of me.” Joshua shot a glance at Daisaku when he said that. “No, things have changed. And you’re right, killing him will only drive her away. And right now, with what I know…”
“What’s changed?” asked Erik, somewhat confused.
“Gwen is not so certain in her feelings as she lets on.” interjected Ryan. “That, to those of us in this camp a few hours ago, is rather obvious.”
Near Periphery
25 June 3048
Joshua marched his Wendigo onto the Proving Ground and came alongside Daisaku’s lighter Mongoose. Daisaku had chosen a quick Star League mech for his own instead of taking a newer design. His three opponents had taken heavier mechs against him, in the medium classification. Daisaku, like Joshua, intended to use speed to outmaneuver his foes.
Daisaku’s three foes fought in a Wendigo, a Crab, and a Thunderbird (the upgraded Phoenix Hawk.) As he made ready, he signaled to Joshua. "Do we fight together or separate?"
"I’m surprised you made that offer. Do you really want to face my father?"
"I’m not letting you fight this alone. Besides, unless you agree, neither of us can take four or more kills."
"So, that’s your motive?”
“Got to catch up with you somehow.”
“Very well. We fight together." Said Joshua. "Are you sure?"
"Joshua….." said Daisaku solemnly.
"Alright then." Joshua looked down at one of his auxiliary monitors. It showed a vital sign readout of each of the warriors on the field, the six opponents and Daisaku. All were doing well at present. A small timer at the top of that screen was ticking down. When it reached zero, all weapons would go online and the Trial would begin.
Joshua raised his left arm and placed his targeting crosshair on the Thunderbird. Capable of speeds over 110 kph, it was the most dangerous of Daisaku’s foes. Joshua doubted one strike from his large laser would do much initially, but it would soften the P-hawk refit up a little.
Five seconds before the timer counted down, Joshua heard the hum of his Class 10 autocannon as the Vulcan-style barrels began to spin. The cannon was an LB-X model, capable of firing either a stream of heavy depleted uranium shells or the barrels would lock in place to fire a cluster of those shells in a shotgun-like pattern. The second mode was good for breaching thin armor and damaging internal components, while the first did a number to sand down that armor.
The timer clicked to zero and immediately all the mechs were in motion. Joshua stabbed his trigger and an azure beam of light shot out and tore an ugly gash across the Thunderbird’s right torso. Daisaku was already over 100 meters ahead of Joshua was breaking off for the woods roughly 1 kilometer due west of their position.
Joshua triggered his jump jets as he saw a small sun roar his way. That would be a gauss rifle shell, superheated by air friction from traveling nearly Mach 3. It missed and struck the ground behind his position, blasting a large crater in the soil. Joshua moved his crosshair onto the Excalibur and triggered a flight of LRMs. The light missiles struck home, peppering the 70 ton mech. He touched down roughly 300 meters short of the Excalibur. He triggered his heavy autocannon, letting a stream of shells tear through the soil. He walked the burst up the ground and into the leg of the Excalibur. The impact blasted armor off of the mech’s leg, leaving it dangerously thin on protection.
Joshua saw a glow in the corner of his eye and he jerked his Wendigo to the left quickly. Three scarlet beams of light shot through the air going clean through the space he had just been standing in. One of the lasers passed through his original position and into the left arm of the Excalibur.
"Good shooting, Javier. Make my job easier." Taunted Joshua. He twisted his torso and triggered an LRM spread at the Supernova.
The missiles smashed into the heavy armor of the assault mech, but did little more than cosmetic damage.
It was clear to Joshua that his opponents would do well to take Daisaku’s advice about passion and emotion. Javier’s snap shot into the Khan’s Excalibur proved that he was out for blood and so determined to get it that he wasn’t fighting smart.
Still, Joshua did not want to be caught out in the open sandwiched between the Supernova and his father’s Excalibur. He moved his mech into a run and made for a nearby set of rock outcroppings. As he closed with them, his proximity alarm went off, signaling the presence of another mech.
Joshua swore as he saw the head of the Harbinger appear behind the very rock structure Joshua was heading for. Joshua flipped the switch to lock the Vulcan barrels in place. He waited the single second for them to stop their spin before squeezing the trigger on the autocannon. The mech jerked as the cluster round fired, spraying the top of the outcropping with cannon shells. Joshua saw at least a half dozen shells ricochet into the head and upper body of the Harbinger.
Joshua felt his mech lurch as he felt the impact of a gauss shell from his father’s mech. Joshua fired his jump jets and felt his mech roar into the air. As he cleared the outcropping and the Harbinger, he saw an ejection pod rocket out of the woods about 1.5 kilometers away. Joshua glanced down to see the Crab pilot’s vital register erase from his screen. Joshua smiled.
Joshua landed behind the Harbinger. The outcropping separated him from his first two foes, letting him concentrate on this new one. Joshua spun his mech and wrenched his arm to the rear to trigger a laser blast at the Harbinger. The laser cut a nasty gash in the mech’s left arm, slagging the twin machine guns mounted there.
Joshua watched as the mech raised its own autocannon, but Joshua kept his Wendigo out of its direct line of fire. Joshua turned the spun back on for his autocannon and fired another burst into the Harbinger. At this range, the shells smashed into the mech’s right torso, crushing the barrels of the mech’s three medium lasers and the tearing upward into the mech’s trashcan-like head.
The gun clicked off as the heat safeties kicked in, but the last few shells had struck the cockpit glass of the Harbinger and smashed through it. Joshua looked down at the vital signs monitor. Star Captain Tabetha had flatlined. Joshua felt a sick feeling in his stomach as he realized he’d just killed a human being, his first. The arrival of his father’s Excalibur jerked him out of his momentary shock. Joshua jerked the Wendigo to the right as another gauss shell came his way. It struck his mech’s left arm and fused the arm at the shoulder, making the missile launchers there difficult to aim.
Joshua checked his ammo stores again. The autocannon was getting low. Joshua triggered his fourth weapon, a twin SRM system. Joshua disliked the small missile system even without the arm damage, and rarely used it unless he’d lost one of his other weapons. With his cannon low on ammo, he was running out of options. He fired, but the two missiles were detonated in mid-flight by the Excalibur’s missile defense gun.
Khan William had come around the corner of the outcropping too close to Joshua’s Wendigo and he began to backpedal his mech to give him the range his weapons would need to be effective. Joshua charged in, triggering another autocannon burst. That would leave only two more bursts remaining for the Supernova, hardly enough against its thick armor. As Joshua cleared the outcropping, he felt the heavy lasers of the Supernova tear into his mech’s left side. Javier had been waiting in ambush for him on the other side.
The blow sent Joshua’s mech off-balance, fouling the aim of the autocannon. The first handful of shells struck the Excalibur, but the rest flew off harmlessly into the sky. Joshua triggered another blast from his laser, but the shot went wild.
Trapped and now undergunned against both his father and Javier, Joshua knew was in trouble.
"Daisaku, you could show up any time now." Said Joshua to himself.
Javier closed the distance. Joshua looked over at Javier’s mech to gauge his distance from his him. Javier was only about 250 meters away, almost as close as Joshua’s father. This was not going well.
Joshua triggered his autocannon again, this time firing at the Supernova. The shells struck home, but the heavy armor of the Supernova absorbed it. Joshua snarled and wiped the sweat from his legs. All the weapons fire had made the cockpit of the Wendigo uncomfortably hot.
Joshua launched another LRM spread towards Javier and then returned his attentions to his father. William was not fighting well. Joshua had lost count of the number of mistakes his father had made in this fight. Deciding his father’s arrogance was behind the errors, Joshua opened a tightbeam radio channel to his father’s mech.
"You’ve gotten old, father. Your skills have deteriorated." Taunted Joshua.
"We shall see." A spread of 20 LRMs launched out from the Excalibur. Joshua tried to dodge the missile spread, but failed. Nearly a dozen of the missiles smashed into his mech. A gauss shell followed that, ripping off the damaged left arm. Joshua saw Javier trigger a spread of his heavy lasers, and they slashed into the newly exposed left torso.
“Ok, bad idea.” Said Joshua to himself. His whole plan was coming unraveled rapidly. “No worries, Gwen, the only one dying today is going to be me.” He thought.
His missile systems were down, gone with the left arm; he had only his laser and one volley of autocannon ammunition remaining. Joshua triggered his jump jets and his mech launched skyward. His left side jet failed when he was a mere 10 meters airborne, causing the mech to spin out of control. Joshua tried to compensate but his Wendigo fell back to Earth, striking the ground 25 meters short of the Excalibur. It landed on its left leg, which collapsed beneath it, crippling the mech.
The automatic ejection system activated, but Joshua slammed his hand down on the override, shutting it off. He wasn’t done yet. He fired his last autocannon burst. The shells tore into the legs of the Excalibur at point-blank range, blasting through the one he’d previously damaged. Without a leg, the Excalibur fell forward and landed on the gauss rifle barrel.
It was a catastrophic fall. The impact discharged the gauss capacitors, releasing a massive explosion. A chain reaction ripped through the Excalibur and set off the mech’s remaining LRM stores. The Excalibur bounced around like a Chinese firecracker and then detonated in a huge fireball. The blast consumed Joshua’s mech, knocking it out of its prone resting place and into an upright position against the nearby rock outcropping.
“He’s dead.” Thought Joshua. But much to his surprise, he felt no sense of exhilaration at this. Joshua had little time to feel much of anything before he heard Javier’s voice through his speakers.
"You son-of-a-bitch!" swore Javier.
Joshua ripped off his neurohelmet and looked up as the Supernova moved into point blank range. Joshua’s held his breath as he waited for Javier’s next move.
"This is for the Khan and for Gwen." Said Javier, the barrels of all six heavy lasers beginning to glow. That much energy would turn Joshua’s ruined mech into vapor and him with it.
"I don’t think so!" cried a voice. Four medium lasers tore into the arm of the Supernova, knocking the arm of the assault mech’s right arm off. Javier triggered his weapons, three slamming into the chest of the crippled Wendigo, the other three melting the rock above Joshua’s head.
The heat surge caused by those weapons immediately shut down the Supernova, but the one trio of lasers had done their job. Joshua watched as his mech fired off one more alarm: ammunition detonation. One of the shots must have hit one of his own missile bins. Joshua punched his eject switch. The head of the Wendigo exploded and he rocketed upward. Below him, his mech exploded, consuming the Supernova. The shock wave caught the ejection pod and tossed it out of control. Joshua blacked out when the pod struck hard against the ground, its parachute failing to release.
New Vision
Near Periphery
27 June 3048
Joshua rubbed the bandage on his head. His concussion would soon heal. He looked down at the end of his hospital bed at his new uniform, complete with the rank of Star Captain.
He had won. He had gotten everything he’d wanted. He’d killed his father. He was a proven warrior. But it all felt empty.
“You going to put that on, Captain, or just stare at it?” asked Erik.
“Did I do the right thing, Erik?”
“It’s a funny thing for you to suddenly have an attack of conscience, especially about dear old Dad.”
“The old philosophers would tell you that revenge is such an empty thing, that it gains you nothing. I now know what they meant. I wanted a father. Killing him didn’t give me that.”
“You have become everything he wanted you to be and more. He got what he wanted, a warrior son. So did you, an end to the torment and torture. Did it never occur to you that this is what he envisioned?”
“For a moment, when I challenged him, I saw regret in his eyes. I don’t think this is what he wanted after all, but it’s what we got.”
Joshua stood up and stretched. A knock came at Joshua’s door. Joshua looked up and saw Gwen standing there.
“Speaking of things we didn’t want,” said Erik. “I’ll be back in a while. Get to feeling better, Josh.” He made a quick exit.
“What was that about?”
“Regrets. I’ve spent the last 5 years of my life wanting my father dead, and ever since I saw his mech destroy itself on the battlefield, I’ve wanted him alive again. What the hell is wrong with me? I hated him.”
“You hated him because you loved him, but you wanted him to be what he wasn’t. Your father was a warrior. That’s all he could be. That’s all he could teach you to be. He didn’t know anything else.”
Joshua motioned towards the uniform. “He got his wish.”
“He did.”
“How is Javier?”
“Not good, but he’ll recover. The shock wave from the ammunition explosion burst in his canopy glass and he got a face and chest full of fiery air. He’ll be scarred, but he’ll live.”
“That was not the fate I wished upon him. I wanted him to live.”
“We are warriors, Joshua. These are the risks we take.”
“There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you love him?”
“You asked me that once already. I gave you my answer.”
“I don’t believe it…and neither do you.”
“Don’t go there, Joshua. Just don’t.”
With that, she turned and started to walk out the door. Joshua darted forward and grabbed her gently by the arms. “You don’t want to do that. I know you don’t.”
Gwen relaxed and leaned back into Joshua’s arms. “You’re right. I don’t.” she admitted.
Gwen stirred under the bed covers next to him. “I already told you the answer. I want my life to have meaning because of who I am and what I’ve done, not whose arm I’m linked to. You’re going to be Khan someday. We both know that. I want to make my mark without your help. And I had to drive you away somehow.”
She sat up. “So I went to Javier. Like you, he was sympathetic, cared about what happened with Daniel. If there had been another way, I would have chosen it. But you tend not to respond to anything but the lead pipe method of persuasion. I didn’t want to hurt you, but you gave me little choice.”
“Now what?”
“Try as I might, I can’t live the lie. You knew I didn’t love him, not really.”
“I didn’t know, not until you came to our camp the night of the Chivalry trials.”
“The thought of you dying was unbearable. And then you pledging to spare him and telling me to go back to him. It was everything I’d ever wanted to hear from you,”
“Funny how that is.” Interrupted Joshua with regret in his voice.
Gwen continued. “It was then I realized I couldn’t do this anymore. At that point, all you had to do was ask and I was yours.” Looking down at the two of them nude in the hospital bed, she smiled, “and now you have.”
“And Javier?”
“It’s over. I can’t lie to him anymore than I can to you. I’ll tell him when I return to
Joshua nodded and leaned over to kiss her. “We’d best be getting dressed. I doubt the hospital staff intended their rooms for this purpose.”
“No, I
don’t imagine they did.”
Pirate Base
Uncharted System, Near Periphery
1 July 3048
"Try again!" ordered McIntyre. "We know our ship is out there. Why aren’t they responding?"
The communications officer tried to hail the pirates’ jumpship again, but there came no response. "I don’t understand, sir. It’s as if they’ve left us behind." The console registered another incoming signal.
"Is that them?"
"Different frequency. One we don’t use normally." The comm officer switched channels.
"Pirate scum, we are Jade Falcon. We are coming to rid the universe of your presence. Prepare to defend your position from our Trinary Alpha."
"What the hell?"
"Radar reports 1 Union class dropship incoming."
"That’s
only a company size unit. We have them outnumbered at least two-to-one.
Everyone to their mechs. Let’s show these upstart mercenaries a thing or
two."
Star Captain Dal struck the ground in his Summoner. Around him the mechs of the Alpha Trinary of the Gyrfalcon Eyrie cluster. Dal was instructor in the Clan Jade Falcon, teaching new warriors their battle skills. He had recently been transferred to a training unit in light of recent plans, and he was ambitiously looking for the chance to move back to a front-line unit from his training.
Dal was not the only warrior looking for that. Another instructor in his unit, a mechwarrior named Mechlanthon. Also a Star Captain, Mechlanthon was Dal’s chief rival for the attentions of the Clan superiors. The pair’s heated competition with one another had gotten their cluster the right to be a part of this scouting expedition.
Dal knew that the Clans were beginning their final preparations for a return to the Inner Sphere. His expedition was to scout out a possible invasion path, retracing the path of the Not-Named Clan when they fled for the Inner Sphere 250 years before. They had found all the worlds that the Wolves had told them of, where great battles had been fought between the desperate rebels and the Wolves. Dal snarled when he thought of the propaganda filled report the Wolves had given his unit for this operation.
Dal had found a number of good worlds for use as supply bases between the distant Clan homeworlds. This was the closest any Clansman had come to the Inner Sphere in over two centuries, but Dal and Mechanthon had been reigned in by Star Colonel Marthe Pryde. No contact with the Inner Sphere was to be made. It had been unfortunate that they entered a system with a small Inner Sphere jumpship, loaded with two Union class dropships. That meant a mech force was present here.
The star charts showed that they had not yet penetrated the borders of the Draconis Combine, the nearest Inner Sphere nation. A quick battle had gained them the garrison’s jumpship and its crew had told them they were raiders.
"Pirates!" snarled Dal in disgust. He had enjoyed ejecting the jumpship crew into space after that revelation. No sense wasting ammo to execute them. Dal then brought his cluster down to the sole planet in the system capable of supporting human life. The pirates had bought his ruse. He had no idea where they were on-world, but when they responded to his signal, he pinpointed their base and his dropship headed straight in on top of them.
"The capture of an Inner Sphere jumpship will be a great boon, quiaff?" asked one of Dal’s mechwarriors.
"Aff. Their star charts will give us information on other systems in this region of space. With that, we should be able to end our expedition early."
"I do not want to leave. We are so close to paradise."
"Do not fear, Jacob. You are still a young warrior, barely 15 Terran years. You will be of age to join the invasion when just as it touches the former nations of the House Lords in 3050. You must have patience." Dal paused as he saw the pirate band clear a nearby ridge. "Besides, these Periphery worlds are so dull and ugly, quiaff?"
"Certainly filled with the refuse of human society. Request permission to engage."
"Fire at will."
System Delta-461
Near Periphery
6 July 3048
Daniel quietly moved down the dark hallway of the Overlord dropship. No one was about at this hour, when the dropship and its accompanying jumpship were in night mode. In deep space, with no sun to regulate day and night, the ships’ computers divided up time into 12 hour blocks of day and night, providing their passengers with something closely resembling a normal sleep cycle. Few worlds in the Inner Sphere were so regular however, and Daniel had to be careful not to run into those who could not sleep or the late shift of the dropship’s crew.
The joint expedition was being headed up by ComStar, who had loaned one of their long range jumpships called the Magellan class. The Magellan was only capable of transporting a single dropship however, forcing the soldiers of the ComGuard, the Draconis Combine, and the
What it did do, much to the chagrin of the Combine troops, was force them to download the technical data to their mechs into the single dropship’s computer. This data would be used as a reference for the technicians who needed to repair the battle-damaged BattleMechs. That data could also be stolen by a resourceful member of the FedCom unit. Daniel was just so resourceful.
Daniel was more than an ordinary mechwarrior. Two years into his training at Nagelring, he applied for and was accepted into intelligence training. He entered Loki, the
"Zero bodycount." Daniel reminded himself. Killing anyone aboard the ship would immediately arouse suspicions. He could not afford an error tonight, because there was no easy way out of this one. He was risking the entire FedCom unit. Even if he sacrificed himself, the other mechwarriors would face punishment from the no-doubt enraged Combine soldiers.
Daniel entered the dropship’s cargo bay where the huge BattleMechs were stored. An Overlord could carry 36 mechs, a full battalion minus a command lance. The breakdown had been 1 company of 12 from the Combine, 1 company of FC troops, and 2 II units of ComGuard mechs. The ComGuard was organized off of a different pattern. A II unit was 6 mechs or vehicles.
With the jumpship at station-keeping, the entire vessel was at zero-gee. Daniel floated into the bay, moving past a ComGuard EXT-4D Exterminator. The rare Star League design was built as a hunter-killer for enemy command mechs. That was the only old Terran Hegemony mech present among the ComGuard force, although Daniel’s own Black Knight was a retrofit of such a design. ComStar seemed wary to let the Successor houses know that they had access to the old military warehouses on Terra, many of which contained mechs like this.
The repair computer module was located beside the Exterminator’s head, mounted on the dropship wall. Daniel floated over and inserted a CD-ROM disk. That disk contained a slicer program designed to cut through the security measures hiding the Combine technical specs.
Now came the waiting game.
Daniel sat their quietly as the program did its job. It was a time consuming process, and Daniel feared discovery while he waited. He was so nervous that the PA system made him jerk when it went off.
"Warning. Hyperspace jump will commence in three minutes."
"Oh, great. I’m going to have to go through a jump while down here. We weren’t supposed to jump for another 12 hours. They must have quick charged the drive for the last few. I wonder why they’re so concerned. We know where the last 23 of those pirates were headed. Must want to catch them off-guard or beat them to the system."
The joint expedition had caught the pirates a second time on an uncharted settlement two jumps from Nova Franklin. In that battle, the joint force had reduced the pirates to 23 mechs and had captured one of their dropships. The dropship crew revealed the pirates intention to attack another uncharted colony now only 1 jump from the Magellan’s current position on July 10. The unit commanders planned to stop them there.
The computer finished its task and Daniel switched disks. The download began as the technical specs for the Combine’s newest mechs appeared on the screen. Daniel watched as he saw the specifications for the Mauler, the new Kurita Charger, and others appeared there. Daniel flipped the screen off after a few seconds to speed the download, but heard the PA begin the countdown before he could finish.
Waves of nausea struck him at once as the world around him seemed to collapse in on itself. Like most people, he hated the sensation of a hyperspace jump, but most got used to it after a while. Some did not and it could make them quite ill.
Daniel shook off the after effects of the jump and ejected the disk. He stuffed it into his fatigues and headed back down to return to his room. In the hallway, he was stopped by one of his own.
"There you are. What are you doing up and about?"
"Couldn’t sleep." Said Daniel innocently. "What’s going on?"
"We just arrived at the pirates’ next target. We’re scanning the system now for their ship in case they showed up early."
New Vision system
Near Periphery
6 July 3048
Star Colonel Marthe Pryde turned to her three senior officers. "There it is, my eyries. The last of the Not-Named survivors. They’ve escaped us for two centuries. No longer."
"Those pirates were truly fools to desire to attack this world. They much have been desperate for resupply." Said Mechlanthon. "No Inner Sphere bandit is the match for a Clansman, even if they are the dregs of our society, the condemned exiles of a crime two centuries old.
"Bah! These Not-named descendants are no better than those pirates. These are the freebirth bastards of the Wolverines.” Said Dal, daring to speak the name of the Clan they had rejected and tried to destroy so long ago. “Their genes have degraded to nothing over 200 centuries of random coupling and interbreeding. They are nothing."
"Are we to bid for the right to destroy their colony?" asked the third cluster commander, Star Captain Oliver.
"Neg. We will bombard their cities from orbit. They deserve no better. Have the crew load the missile launchers and prepare to fire."
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