Chapter Thirteen - Coup D’Etat

Babeski

Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth

6 June 3053

­Rachel DeVoras smiled as she watched the mechs of her new mercenary unit, Rachel’s Redcoats, receive their new paint job. The old jet black of the Dark Rangers was too boring for her.

­In the three days she’d been on Babeski, Rachel had done a number of changes to the unit. She received orders to assume temporary command of the unit and restructure it and make it ready for operations as soon as possible. In light of that, she had hired on three new pilots, only one of which was scheduled to arrive anytime within the next month. She would be arriving today.

­“Captain DeVoras!” called out a voice, it was Tim.

­“Yes, Tim.” said Rachel.

­“The new pilot’s dropship is touching down now. I figured you’d want to know.”

­“Yes, thank you.” she said, turning towards her jeep. “I’ll see you later on today.”

­The Buccaneer dropship pulled to a stop on the tarmac of the Dark Ranger’s base. The rear cargo bay opened and a transport platform began to remove the new pilot’s mech, a Shadow Hawk, from the cargo bay. The passenger ramp lowered and three people walked out, two male and one female, both in Dragoon uniforms.

­“Is anyone around?” asked the African male promptly

­“Just astechs.” said Rachel. “The rest of the Rangers are on base.”

­“Good. Rachel, this is Michelle Sarvon, the first of your new pilots.”

­“Good to have you aboard.” said Rachel. “Take the jeep and head over to the base. The rest of the Rangers’ll give you a hand stowing away your stuff.”

­“Yes, ma’am.” said Michelle, who promptly left.

­“I don’t need one of your stooges keeping an eye on me.” snarled Rachel. “I know my job.”

­“Consider it a precautionary measure, Rachel.” snapped Antoine Anderson in return. “If Logan manages to survive whatever Pryde has in store for him, we want to ensure the Rangers are out of the picture. Now that we’ve bought them off and placed you in command.”

­“You think he will? Survive, that is?”

­“Not realistically.” said Antoine. “But that doesn’t mean he won’t. And I want to take every measure to insure that if he does, things still go according to plan.”

­“If Logan comes back, the plan is ruined anyway. There’s no way he’ll take the Rangers to Conspiracy space to fight for Ryan Steiner.”

­“You are far too shortsighted. There are other plans in play at the moment that are far more important than the one in which you play a part. If yours goes off, so be it. The Conspiracy will have a top of the line merc unit and the other plans in play will become null and void. You’ll have gained a pilot, a skilled mechwarrior, consider it a....gift. But if yours does not go off, then the others go into effect. I must put the pieces into place before hand, or none of this is going to work.” Antoine let an evil grin cross his face. “Enjoy your new pilot. Farewell.”

Mar Negro Courthouse

Alyina

Jade Falcon Occupation Zone, Federated Commonwealth

6 June 3053

­“GUILTY! GUILTY GUILTY!” snarled Dal Pryde with glee. “The jury’s decision is unanimous.” He quickly regained his composure. “Please rise to hear the punishment for your crimes.”

­Logan casually strolled to his feet. Taman Malthus, his arm in a cast, also stood. Pryde smiled unnoticed. He’d hoped the rebels would have finished Malthus or vice-versa, but that had not gone as planned.

­“I sentence you to death by slow torture, you Inner Sphere slime. Take him away.”

­“Wait!” called out Logan. “I challenge this ruling in the manner in which your people challenge unfair laws.” He spat the word “your” with all the contempt he could muster. “A Circle of Equals against you....Pryde!”

­“Noble, but not accurate.” Taunted Pryde in an arrogant didactic tone. “It is not to be a one-on-one battle as you would like…between you and I alone. No, the Trial of Refusal works differently than that. By calling it, you challenge us all, myself and the jury who have voted you guilty. Are you prepared for that, Logan?”

­Logan turned to Malthus, as if expecting Malthus to refute Pryde’s conditions. Malthus shook his head. “He is right. That is our way.”

­“Then what choice do I have?” said Logan, turning back to Pryde. “Die on the battlefield or die at the hands of your cruel torturers?”

“Yes, what choice indeed, and die you will.” said Pryde demonically. “You will die in disgrace. The Trial of Refusal is accepted. We shall next meet on the battlefield tomorrow. This court is adjourned.”

­As the crowd gathered their things to leave, Thomas quickly darted out of the courtroom. He jogged down to a waiting car, where he got in. Rohan was waiting inside.

­“So?”

­“Trial of Refusal, as we suspected. Tomorrow. I know the usual place and time.”

­“So what’s the plan.”

­“Two fold strike. My rebels attack the city while you muck up the Trial. The Bloodnamed warriors will be out in the field trying to kill Logan. We will tie up the rest. The chaos that results should allow you to grab Logan and run and for us to fade back into the woodwork.”

­“Very well. Show me the place.”

Trial Grounds

Alyina

Jade Falcon Occupation Zone, Federated Commonwealth

7 June 3053

­The Trial grounds consisted of a soggy marshland about 30 miles due north of Mar Negro. It had little redeeming quality. It slowed mechs down to snail’s pace and clogged jump jet ports, both of which would be a handicap to Logan. With Nightmare safely in the custody of his own Rangers, Logan was forced to borrow a Clan mech for the trial. Pryde had accommodated him by giving him a Thor, a 70 ton heavy common in use among the Jade Falcons.

­Nearly two kilometers away, Logan could see the enemy forces assemble. It was vast array against him: Pryde’s Masakari, plus two Loki, a Thor like his own, a Black Hawk, a Ryoken, three Ullers, a Koshi, and a Puma. Even in Nightmare, Logan could not take on odds like that.

­Logan locked his sights on the lead Masakari. He figured he would probably die here, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to take Pryde with him.

­Pryde’s face appeared in Logan’s monitor. “It is time. Prepare yourself.” With that, his face faded and Logan saw the enemy forces begin their march towards him.

­Logan began to trudge through the marsh, trying to keep some distance between him and his opponents. The marsh made that difficult especially against the faster light mechs that were quickly closing on his now exposed flanks.

­“Fuck it.” swore Logan. “Let’s see how many of you I can take with me.” His Thor spun and locked its autocannon on an incoming Uller. He fired. The stream of cannon fire connected solidly with the center of the mech, shredding its light armor and knocking it back into the muck. It did not get back up.

­The Koshi opened fire, spraying the Thor’s heavy armor with laser fire. The blows were minor....for now. Logan knew his armor would not stand against their continuous barrages for long.

­Logan spun to bring his PPC onto his new opponent. “Congratulations. You’re the next contestant on The Spheroid Is Right!” said Logan with a dose of dark humor. He fired his PPC, but the Koshi darted aside, the blast vaporizing a pool of water.

­“Damn!” swore Logan. His mech rocked back and forth. Logan looked at his monitors. The Ryoken had closed range and was hammering at him with its heavy autocannon. A few hits from it and paper would be better than Logan’s armor. The Lokis, Thor, and Masakari were also opening fire, their long range weapons now able to reach him. Logan could not hope to dodge all their shots and although he evaded some, the rest hammered into him like a freight train. The Thor staggered back and fell over into the muck.

­“It is over, Logan.” said Pryde. “Prepare to die.”

­“I don’t think so, Pryde.” Came another voice. Rohan!

­“I know that voice!” snarled Pryde in surprise and dismay.

­Crawling out of the larger ponds came three mechs, a Crab, a Banshee, and a Kintaro. As if on cue, Pryde’s radio screamed at him. It was David. “Star Colonel, rebel mechs are within the city. We are under attack.”

­Pryde knew he’d been had. PPC and laser fire from the Ranger’s mechs disintegrated the two remaining Ullers and the Koshi. That gave Logan time enough to stand. His first target was Pryde’s Masakari. A PPC bolt, an autocannon burst, and an LRM volley all slammed into the Masakari with devastating accuracy. Pryde’s mech rocked back and forth.

­“So be it. It comes down to us after all.” Pryde locked his weapons on the shoulder of the Thor and fired. Four PPCs vaporized the joint there and blew the autocannon off. The arm spun around a few times before hitting the swamp and exploding.

­“I will take you apart piece by piece.”

­“Star Colonel, we must withdraw.” snapped one of the Bloodnamed. “Our men are in danger.”

­“No!”

­“We must. The Rangers cannot escape the planet. We will come back for them.”

­“You narrow-minded fool! Do you not think that they would not have an escape planned?”

­“We have no choice. Which is more important: your vendetta or the defense of this world?”

­Pryde spun his mech to face the speaker. Four PPCs smashed into the center of the dissenter’s Loki. It blew apart.

­“They’ll not take the planet by capturing one city. David, get your men to the Trial fields.”

­“Aff, Star Colonel. Withdrawing to join with you.”

“Logan, we got company!” said Rohan, moving swiftly across the marshy ground to move up beside the battered Thor.

­Pryde’s force was anything but in bad shape. Pryde’s Masakari was damaged, but the remaining Loki, Thor, Black Hawk, Ryoken, and Puma were largely intact and closing fast with the four Rangers.

­“We’ve got to get out of here.” said Cowboy.

­“We’ll never make it!” said Doc. Autocannon shells from the enemy Thor tore across the Kintaro’s flank, smashing its hip and locking its leg in place.

­Cowboy moved in-between Doc and his new opponent. The Falcon Ryoken marched forward, cutting ugly gashes with its lasers in the already patchwork armor of the Banshee. The second Loki joined in, coalescing two PPC bolts around the Banshee’s right leg. The power plasma bolts melted the mech’s armor to slag and set the myomer muscles beneath aflame. Black smoke poured up from the leg of the Banshee, obscuring Cowboy’s view.

­Cowboy glared at his status monitor. His right leg was as good as gone and the fire was spreading through his mech’s entire musculature. He could no longer maneuver his mech. Neither could Doc with the wrecked hip.

­“What are you orders, Logan?” asked Rohan, the only Ranger on the field with little battle damage. He was being pursued by the enemy Black Hawk, but his speed had allowed him to keep his distance from the mech’s lethal array of lasers.

­Faced with the total destruction of his command, Logan froze up. He didn’t know what to say. Cowboy’s Banshee began to explode as the fires reached his ammunition stores. Cowboy punched out as the Banshee erupted into a fireball.

­“You cannot escape. And now your friends die with you.” taunted Pryde, bringing his grey and white Masakari through the evaporating flames of Cowboy’s mech. The sight was completely unnerving to Logan.

­“This man is a demon. Why does he want me? Why kill so many to get me?”

­The ends of Pryde’s PPCs began to glow. With its battle damage, his borrowed Thor could not survive another strike.

­Pulse lasers suddenly flashed from above, ripping into Pryde’s mech. Surprised, Pryde pulled back. Two forms came out from the clouds, the Blackblade and, to Logan’s joy, The Fury.

­“Why is it I’m always bailing your ass out?” said Jael, roaring The Fury over the heads of the enemy mechs. Pulse lasers continued to roar as he pumped shot after shot into the Falcon mechs. Some returned fire, but none paid any further attention to Logan and his friends.

­“Let’s get out of here.” said Logan. Rohan dashed over to pick up Cowboy from the muck. Doc limped to the landing Blackblade.

The arrival of the heavily modified heavily armed Lone Wolf dropship gave the Clan mech’s pause. After only a few passes, the firepower of the Lone Wolf’s pulse lasers had put the Bloodnamed clanners into disarray. It was all the time the Rangers needed to get aboard the Blackblade.

 “Alright, Jael, let’s get out of here.” declared the Blackblade’s captain, beginning the dropship’s ascent.

­“Gladly.” said the hotshot, jerking the Lone Wolf dropship into a near vertical climb. He hurled away from the Clan mechs just as David and his forces cleared a crest of nearby hills.

---

­“I owe you guys.” said Logan, popping the canopy and stepping out.

­Rohan and the others were at the foot of the now stolen Thor.

­“The Ranger’s just wouldn’t be the same without you.” said Doc. “Come on. We can’t make escape velocity with us standing around like this. Let’s get strapped in and get off this God-forsaken rock.

“The rest of the crew’s probably missed us.” mused Cowboy.

“Please. You know better.” Said Logan. “They’ve probably already hired our replacements.” Logan strapped himself down next to an intercom system. “Captain, can you patch me through to that loser in the other ship?”

“The loser that just saved your ass?”

“Yeah, that one.”

A few seconds later, Jael’s voice came across the line. “Did you like my little surprise?” he asked.

“How did you know?”

“You have friends in high places, Logan. I’ve been doing a bit of transport jobs around these parts when I ran into one of the Star Sword officers on New Belfast. Told me what was going on. So I made a quick stop at the L-1 pirate point of Alyina on the way back. Glad I did. Your jumpship told me roughly where to find you.”

“Star Sword officer?”

“Yeah, some guy named Smith.”

Babeski

Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth

12 July 3053

­“Pre-flight checklist, ma’am.” said Tony, handing a clipboard to Rachel. “All mechs are loaded and ready to go. Next stop is Northwind.”

­“Okay, have all the Redcoats packed away their personal effects?”

­“Not yet. They’re in the process of getting them ready now. We should still be ready to lift-off on schedule.”

­“Excellent.” Rachel glanced up to see a small black shape on the horizon. “What the....?”

­Tony turned. “Looks like a dropship.”

­“I wasn’t aware that we were due to have visitors.”

­“Neither was I. Planetary defense didn’t send up a squadron to blow them away, so I doubt they’re hostile.”

­“Odd, I don’t recognize that class of ship. Who and whatever they are, they look like they’re going to land here.”

­Tony muttered softly. “Yeah, I’d imagine so. We’d better get off the tarmac and give them some room to land.”

­“Agreed. I’m curious as to who is coming to visit.” The two of them moved between a pair of fighter hangers to watch.

­Rachel was not as ignorant as she would have had Tony believe. True, she didn’t recognize the class of dropship rapidly descending upon the Redcoats base, but she suspected who it was on board.

­“Tony, head back to base and get the Redcoats ready. I have a bad feeling about this.” said Rachel.

­“Yes, ma’am.” said Tony, who dashed off. He darted around the corner of one of the aerospace fighter hangers and stopped. He peeked out and watched Rachel unnoticed.

­Rachel drew her heavy pistol and waited. The ship touched down and rolled to a stop roughly 30 meters in front of her. This close, she could see its insignia and designation clearly. The insignia was Kell Hound and its name was The Fury.

­“Damn!” swore Rachel. “Just as I thought. Damned Kell Hounds have come to mess things up.” She was about to re-holster her pistol when the passenger door opened and out stepped Logan.

­“You know, I really wanted to kick your ass when you resigned from the Rangers.”

­“You keep telling me that, Logan.” said Jael following him out. “I’m beginning to wonder if that’s what you plan to do the instant we set foot on planetary soil.”

­“Nah, he’s just trying to find an excuse to still hate you after you saved our lives.” said Doc nonchalantly.

­“Oh, come on, guys. No hard feelings. I certainly wasn’t about to let you guys go in to hostile territory like that without some backup.”

­“Not a second too soon, either.”

“That was obvious.”

­From her vantage point, Rachel shook her head in dismay. “Double damn! It’s even worse. The Rangers survived. Plan or no plan, Anderson. I’m not about to give up my merc unit without a fight.” She trained the gun on Logan and pulled the trigger.

­The shot caught Logan in the left shoulder. The impact spun him around and he crashed back into the stairway leading out from the dropship. Jael cried out in surprise. Behind them, Rohan grabbed the falling Logan.

­“What the hell?” said Rohan.

Jael drew his pistol and jumped down the walkway. He went down into a crouched position, covering his friends.

­“Logan, you okay?” he called back. He scanned the nearby buildings for sign of the shooter, but Rachel was too good to be so easily seen.

­“Clean wound.” said Logan, rolling over. “Nothing vital hit, I don’t think. Who the fuck shot me?”

­“Beats me. This wasn’t exactly the reception I expected.” said Rohan.

“Well, you did say they would be replacing us already.” Reminded Cowboy. He and Doc, weapons drawn, were behind cover in the dropship door at the top of the gantry.

­Rachel drew a bead on Rohan and was about to pull the trigger when she was tackled from behind. Tony dragged her to the ground. She slammed her elbow back into his gut and he let go.

­Seeing the struggle, Jael drew a bead and fired. The red laser bolt missed Rachel and Tony both by nearly a meter, but it made them both concerned. Realizing she’d been spotted.  Rachel rolled to her feet and pointed her gun at Tony.

­“Watch it. That’s Tony with the shooter.” said Rohan to Jael. Both men began running towards the scuffle.

­“Sorry, no witnesses.” said Rachel, pulling the trigger. Tony’s body lurched from the impact and then lay still.

­“She shot Tony!” called out Doc. Rachel spun at the sound of his voice and fired off a quick shot at him. He darted aside and it missed. Cowboy darted to the side of the hanger, well out of Rachel’s view.

­Doc, Jael, and Rohan all dived behind a cargo crate as Rachel let loose with another series of shots. “She could pin us down easily.” said Rohan.

­“It’s only an autopistol.” said Jael.

­“You want to be the one of us she can shoot before we take her down?” said Doc.

­“Cowards.” said Jael, about to stand.

­Before he could, Cowboy stepped around from behind his cover, quick-drawing both Mydron machine pistols from his hip holsters like his historical namesake and opening fire. Rachel was spinning to bring her gun onto him when the first bursts struck. Rachel’s form twitched as a half-dozen light caliber rounds penetrated it and then fell over.

­“It’s over.” said Cowboy.

­“Who was she?” asked Solo.

­“I don’t know, but Tony’s dead.” said Cowboy, kneeling beside the fallen Ranger. He ran his hand over the odd-looking red uniform on Tony’s body. “Same as hers.” he commented.

­“Something fishy’s going on here.” said Doc.

­“Who is she?” repeated Rohan. Logan was with him, holding a rag against his bleeding wound.

­“Don’t know. Is she alive?” asked Cowboy.

­“After that? Are you kidding me?” said Doc. Cowboy smiled with a degree of pride.

­“Getting better with that quick draw, aren’t you, Johvac?” said Jael.

­“Enough of the small talk. Let’s get to the command center and find out what’s going on around here.” said Logan.

---

­Gunshots echoed through the handful of prefab building that constituted Rachel’s Redcoats headquarters. “Hunters.” muttered Kai, as he climbed into the passenger’s side of a transport truck. “Out killing game in the woods.”

­“Is that everything then?” called out Tim. Positive responses came from the crowd of Redcoats. “Good, climb in and we’re off to our new job.”

­More shots followed, automatic weapons this time. “Those are no hunters.” Said Tim.

­The hand radio on Tim’s belt squawked. “Lt. Peal, shots fired on the tarmac. No response from Rachel or Tony. We have intruders.”

­“What the hell?” said Tim, jumping into the driver’s seat of the truck as the Redcoats loaded aboard. “We’ve got trouble, guys.”

­Tim slammed on the accelerator and the truck lurched forward. Many of the Redcoats in the back had barely gotten into their seats when the truck sped up, knocking most of them over.

­The truck headed down the dusty road, traveling the kilometer to the dropship base in less than two minutes. At the entrance, they encountered a ragtag group of five. Tim slammed on the brakes, having the reverse effect on his passengers of his abrupt start.

­“What the hell is he doing here?” said Tim, dropping out of the driver’s seat and marching up into Logan’s face.

­“Nice to see you too, Tim. Mind explaining why I got shot when I stepped off the dropship?”

­“Which one nailed your ass, Rachel or Tony?” said Kai with mockery.

­“Ever get the feeling you’re not wanted?” whispered Jael to Cowboy.

“I thought you were only joking about the wanting to replace us bit, Logan.” said Cowboy, calmly loosening the guns in his holsters.

“I thought I was too.” Said Logan, never taking his eyes from Tim or Kai.

­Gene strolled out of the back of the truck. “Where are Rachel and Tony?”

­“Dead.” said Rohan, dead-pan.

­“You barbarians.” snarled Tim in anger. “I ought to.”

­“Guess you killed Tony out of principle, eh, Logan?” said Kai. “Can’t have any of that disloyalty stuff.”

“Don’t tempt me to add another.” Said Logan with a grim smile.

“This Rachel killed Tony. Gunned him down after he jumped her,” said Doc.

­“Yeah, like we’re going to believe you.” snarled Tim, cracking his knuckles. Logan reached for his flamer pistol.

Jael quick-drew his own laser and fired it into the air. The air it superheated let off a loud popping sound that got everyone’s attention.

­“The first person who draws gets lasered.”

­“You’re not fast enough.” said Tim.

­“Try me, big fellow.” said Jael firmly. “Do you really want to call my bluff?”

­“Enough!” said the usually mild-mannered Gene. “Before you seven go about killing one another, I’d like to point out something.”

­All eyes turned to Gene. “Tim, Kai, if you hadn’t noticed, Logan is standing in front of you.”

­“Yeah, so?” said Tim, bewildered at why Gene would point out the obvious.

­“Rachel’s fed you two so much of her anti-Logan propaganda that you’ve forgotten how she came to be among us in the first place. Remember the message she played. The one telling us that Logan died. Funny that he’s standing here right now.”

“Someone was mistaken.” Said Tim.

“Or we were lied to.” Said Gene.

­“They doctored the chip to convince us you weren’t coming back. Those bastards.” said Grayson.

­“Who’s they?” asked Logan.

­“Wolf’s Dragoons.” answered Grayson.

Logan shook his head. “No. She was Conspiracy. Just another part of the plot from Steiner to get rid of us. Just like the bait that drew us to Alyina in the first place.”

“All lies.” Said Rohan.

­“We have no proof either way.” said Gene. “Let’s get off this hate-our-leader bandwagon, guys. At least until we have some real reason to be on it.”

“I’d rather you not get on it at all. What’s with the red uniforms?” said Logan.

­And where were you guys going in such a hurry?” added Rohan.

­“It’s a long story,” said Gene. “And I’m not sure of all parts myself.”

­“Then tell us what you know and hopefully we can get started straightening out this mess. Let’s get back to base.” said Logan, jumping onto the running board of the truck. “I’m tired and I’m bleeding.”

New Belfast

Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth

5 August 3053

­“And in the latest news, working for the Conspiracy the 1^st Kearny Highlanders have completed their conquest of Epsilon Eridani. The Eridani militia has been reported to be under reorganization and may be joining the Conspiracy war effort on the side of Ryan Steiner. This brings to date a total of fifteen worlds they control in the Terran Corridor and one in the Draconis Combine.”

­Joshua flipped the switch off nonchalantly. “The time has come, my friends, where we can no longer stand idly by while the Conspiracy chews up the Commonwealth.” He turned, his face a combination of dread and anticipation. “The Conspiracy has moved troops to Chara, in anticipation of what is believed to be a strike against the world of Lipton. Once Lipton is in Duke Ryan’s hand, his next target is most likely the vital system of Oliver.”

­“So we’ve been ordered to Oliver?” asked Daisaku.

­“Correct. In response to the drive towards Oliver, Prince Victor has decided to place us as a garrison force on that world. A nasty surprise for Duke Ryan.”

­“He’ll throw the kitchen sink at us.” said Kou Fairchild. “Duke Ryan can use the Brigadier mech plant to supply his troops. Swords or no Swords he’ll stop at nothing to take it.”

­“The more of his troops we maul, the less he’ll have to devote to his continuing conquests. Oliver is meant to break the Conspiracy’s initiative. We’re going to stop him cold.”

“Where have we heard that before?” said Mike Koren skeptically. “This better not be another Garrison you’re planning, Joshua.”

“Mike has a point.” said Ryan Smith. “Unlike Garrison, we are presently understrength after Juan’s defection with 4^th battalion.”

“We were outnumbered 3-to-1 by an enemy determined to destroy us utterly on Garrison. Duke Ryan can’t spare the forces need to do that to us on Oliver, and his mech units are inferior in technology to our Clan mechs.” Retorted Joshua. “The strategic situation is much better for us than Garrison was. Duke Ryan may throw the kitchen sink at us, but he’s got to keep the refrigerator and the dish washer close to home or he’ll lose other systems to Prince Victor.”

Joshua’s playful metaphor generated a few chuckles in the room, but he got his point across.

“He’s in danger of overextending himself, then?” Said Kou.

“Duke Ryan’s resources are limited.” Said Joshua. “He simply doesn’t have the juggernaut that Dal Pryde did on Garrison. Any further concerns or questions?” There were none, so Joshua dismissed his officers. Most shuffled out of the room. Erik, Ryan, and Daisaku remained.

“I take it you have concerns.”

“You pulled 3^rd battalion off Twycross and Evcilier two months ago in response to increased Clan raids.” Said Daisaku. “Now you want us to pack up and take the entire regiment across half the Inner Sphere to Oliver? Abandon our charges?”

“Victor has units moving up to hold our garrisons while we battle the Conspiracy. He’s assured me our home will be safe while we are away.”

“This wasn’t Victor’s idea.” Said Ryan.

“Is every action I take going to be questioned in light of what happened between Lisa and me?” snapped Joshua angrily.

“Joshua, we’re your friends. We’re worried about you. You’ve not been yourself since Dieron.” Said Erik.

“I’ve had this discussion with you already. I’m not about to sacrifice men to fulfill some personal death wish. This isn’t about me going off to die some glorious death in battle.”

“Isn’t it? The one way you can destroy yourself while still redeeming your name as some hero? A valiant last stand? Your name forever remembered and the pain of all that you’ve gone through dead along with your corpse?”

“What would you have me do?” said Joshua. “Ignore our orders? They come from Victor, the one authority in the Federated Commonwealth we can’t ignore through the independence clause of our unit’s charter. What else then? Surrender command of the unit to one of you, as you once pushed me to do after Garrison?”

“The strategic situation may not be the same, but this is shaping up like Garrison. Another suicidal battle against the merciless and determined enemy.” Observed Ryan. “We won’t let you take us into that again.”

“The die is cast, Ryan.” Said Joshua sternly. “Your objections are noted, but we are going to Oliver and that is final.”

His friends shuffled out of the room. Joshua sat down and looked through the papers. Among the official documents from Victor’s own desk giving them the order to redeploy to Oliver, there was a statement from the ComStar banking division. Joshua had maintained an account with them since coming to the Inner Sphere and most of his personal assets were kept in trust by the one bank that could be accessed from anywhere in the Inner Sphere. The bank statement clearly showed withdrawals from planets along a straight path from New Belfast and ending at Oliver.

Joshua had closed the account less than 24 hours after receiving that statement. He hoped, he prayed, it would trap her on the very world his Star Swords were now going to garrison. It was his best shot for finding his wife once again.

Chapter Twelve - The Trial

Planetary Courthouse, Mar Negro
Alyina
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone, Federated Commonwealth
30 May 3053

The courtroom was filled to capacity with people. At the front, where the jury normally sat, were six of the eight Bloodnamed warriors of the 2^nd Falcon Jaegers, two of their number were seated elsewhere. Pryde was in the judge’s seat, overlooking the entire room. At the defendant’s table sat Logan, handcuffed. Beside him at the table was a big elemental warrior named Taman Malthus. Malthus was a rarity in the Falcons, a Warden like Mechlanthon, one who believed the Clans should leave the Inner Sphere alone.    

“I, Dal Pryde, Star Colonel of the Frost Falcons, call to order this court of law. In accordance with my personal wishes, the judgment and punishment for Captain Logan shall be handled in the way of the Inner Sphere. This will show him and all observers of the true inferiority of their ways. All will be seated.”    

“Of what am I being accused?” snarled Logan at Pryde.     

“Silence, Logan.” said Taman sternly. “The worse your behavior, the more harsh your fate.”

“This is a sham and you know it. Pryde has no respect for anything of the Inner Sphere. Why a trial if not just for show?” retorted Logan.

“These are the rules given to us. We will abide by them.”

“And you think…” Logan did not get to finish.

 “Did your client say something, Defender Malthus?” said Pryde.    

“My client wishes to hear the full list of charges against him, Star Colonel.”    

“Very well. I hereby charge Captain Logan of the Dark Rangers with the following crimes: Assault upon the rightful rulers of this planet and murder of the warriors of Clan Jade Falcon.”

“This is a joke.” retorted Logan.

Malthus ignored Logan’s indignation. He looked at Logan and pointed at the jury. “I am going to try and prove to the Bloodnamed warriors over there that Dal has no right to accuse you of these charges, that the actions you have performed are simply the actions of a warrior at war.”

“You’re taking this as serious as Pryde. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“If you want out alive, freebirth, then you play along.”

“Call your first witness, Taman Malthus.” said Pryde.    

Meanwhile, in the back of the courtroom sat two men. “This doesn’t look good.”    

“No, Logan’s in a bit of trouble. Hopefully Malthus can delay his execution long enough so that the Rangers can get here and rescue him.”

“They’ll never be able to do it without our help.”

“I know. By the way, where’s David?”

“Pryde’s stooge? Rumor has it he’s out looking for the Dark Rangers.”

“Then we’d best find them before he does.”

Testing Grounds
Alyina
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
31 May 3053

“So, you have found them after all.” said David, looking over a series of aerial photographs. The pictures showed the Blackblade well hidden within a large forest. Surrounding it were Cowboy’s Banshee, Rohan’s Crab, Doc’s Kintaro, and the battered shell of Nightmare.

“There is only the three of them left.” said the fighter pilot. “We can dispose of them easily, and without even bothering the Star Colonel.”    

“Yes, the Colonel is rather wrapped up in his trial for Logan.” David thought for a second. “How far away from here is their ship?”    

“Roughly 100 kilometers.”    

“Perhaps we can kill two birds with one stone.”    

“Excuse me?”    

“You there, technician.....” called out David.    

“Yes, Star Captain?”    

“I want those mechs fitted with live ammunition and energy weapons. Primary configurations. I am going to give them a trial by fire and their first kills will be the Dark Rangers.”

“Sir? Is that wise?”

“What better way to test our new acquisitions than to use them in real combat?”

---

“What do you make of this?” said the rebel leader, Thomas Kerlin, from the cockpit of his Thor. The captured Omnimech had been left for dead during the battles to take Alyina. The native partisan movement had gotten the mech functional again, although it was still in disrepair. It was one of a small handful of salvaged mechs, both Inner Sphere and Clan, possessed by the rebellion.

Kerlin was a former mechwarrior in the 10^th Lyran Guards, Victor Davion’s unit. The 2^nd Jaegers attack on Alyina during the early parts of the second half of the Clan War trapped the Davion Prince on planet. He eventually escaped, but lost two battalions of his unit. A small handful of survivors from those shattered battalions had joined the natives. Kerlin’s piloting skills had served them well.

His partner, Joseph was also a former Lyran Guardsman. Joseph glared at him from his mech, a Vulture. “We’d best be on the move. I think David has found the Rangers before us after all.”    

“Agreed” snarled Thomas as he kicked his mech into a run.    

---

Doc and Cowboy finished putting the last of their cargo into the back of an old gasoline powered van. “That should do it. Weapons, clothing, and assorted other tidbits to keep us alive in that urban jungle known as Mar Negro.” said Cowboy.

“Are we ready then?” asked Rohan, coming out of the dropship towards them.    

“Yes. You sure about this?” asked Cowboy.

“The Clans have Logan prisoner somewhere. Our best bet to find him is the capital city.” Said Rohan.

“Then let’s get going.” said Doc.

Rohan was about to get into the van when he paused.    

“What is it?”    

“I just had a funny feeling about something.”    

Cowboy and Doc had learned a long time ago to trust Rohan’s intuition about things. Doc took the driver’s seat and set down his glass of milk on the dashboard. “You still want to go?”    

Rohan ignored him, but focused on the milk. The surface of the liquid was vibrating every so many seconds. Doc noticed his commander’s attention and also spotted the vibrations.    

“Mechs.” said Doc and Rohan in unison.

“And nearby too.” finished Rohan.

“Lucky for us I was thirsty.” said Doc. “We’ve not gotten the perimeter sensors up.”    

With that, there was a loud crashing sound from deep within the woods. “We’ve got company.” said Cowboy, dropping his duffel bag and running for his Banshee.    

“Move the car.” ordered Rohan to Doc. He leaped back out and headed for the Crab.    

Doc drove the van back inside the dropship. He got out and ran to his mech. The Kintaro could still fight, even lacking its arm.

Rohan, meanwhile, was just beginning to power up his machine when the first Clan mech burst through the woods. It was the same sleek machine that had taken down Logan, its unpainted exterior giving it a very raw mechanical look. On its breast was a large white letter “A.”

The rabbit mech opened fire, slicing two pulse laser bursts into the Crab. The blow was devastatingly accurate, slashing two ugly gashes in the Crab’s armor.

Cowboy had been quicker and his Banshee was up and running. He turned the corner of the dropship and dropped his gunsights on the rabbit mech. He squeezed the trigger, firing his twin PPCs at the target. The rabbit mech sprang into a sprint, moving faster than Cowboy had ever seen a mech move. His shots missed cleanly.    

David smiled. His Avenger was again performing above and beyond specifications. Built as a fast attack mech, the Avenger was capable of faster acceleration than any mech in existence. Its high cruising speed and potent weapons systems made it more than a match for most Omnimechs, let alone Inner Sphere designs. Its high speed and ear-like ECM suite pretty much determined what the Inner Sphere would call this mech, thought David: the Jackrabbit.    

Cowboy swore, angered that he had missed. Rohan slowly brought his mech to its feet. Despite the nasty hit of two heavy pulse lasers, the Crab was still largely undamaged.    

A huge assault mech and a light mech came out of the forest next. The assault weighed in at nearly 100 tons and was bristling with weapons. Two large LRM racks sat on each shoulder, while each arm carried the barrels of two weapons. Cowboy could see a port for the spent shells on one arm, letting him know it mounted at least one autocannon. The other had no such port, making those energy weapons or gauss rifles. In either case, it didn’t look good. The mech was marked with a Greek Omega letter in white on its left torso, but bore no other markings. No camouflage either.

The design was the Turkina, a new Jade Falcon assault mech designed to replace the Daishi and the Masakari in their ranks. It was not a terribly novel design, save for the inclusion of jump jets. It was potent however. Unlike the Daishi, it was not handicapped by the heat of its firepower, but could easily bring its weaponry to bear without fear of shutdown.

The light mech looked like a variation on the Falcon’s tried and true Grendel design. Unlike the others, it was painted and carried an emblem, rather than a letter, on its right breast. Cowboy had heard of the Diamond Shark Clan, but he had never seen their emblem before.   

The Diamond Shark mech, a Piranha, was an anti-infantry garrison design, loaded with machine guns. It headed for the dropship, figuring its crew to be easier targets than the three Inner Sphere mechs guarding it.    

Cowboy had no intentions of allowing the Piranha to make it that far. He dropped his gauss rifle sight onto the swift little mech and fired. The shell connected solidly with its right arm, blowing through it and smashing armor on the mech’s right torso. The blow spun the Piranha around like a top and it crashed into the side of the dropship.    

Ignoring Omega proved to be an unwise move. It opened up with a full barrage of its weapons. Nearly all of it connected: 30 LRMs, two autocannons, and two PPCs. Its effect on the Banshee was devastating. Cowboy watched nearly six tons of armor vaporize in less than five seconds. The blow knocked the Banshee out of control, causing it to crash into the side of the dropship.    

“Jesus, what do they think we are?” snarled the dropship pilot upon hearing the mechs clang against the side of his ship. “They’re supposed to be protecting us, not helping the Clanners take us apart.”    

Rohan, meanwhile, had his hands full with David and his Jackrabbit. In the tight confines of the forest, Rohan’s jump movement was the only thing keeping any distance between him and it.    

David was no amateur as far as his piloting skills. He was, after all, Dal Pryde’s bastard son, born of Pryde’s rape of an exiled scientist when Pryde himself was still a cadet. David had proven himself very capable in his Trial of Position, gaining the rank of Star Commander at age 17. He had remained in positions of low regard until he joined his father in the assault on New Belfast. From then on, David had been Pryde’s aide and chief advisor.

David was getting frustrated. Rohan was always out of reach. “Damn you, stand still and fight like a warrior, you cowardly mercenary.”

“I should say the same of you. I saw how you fought Logan.” Retorted Rohan.    

Rohan and David’s sensors registered the new arrivals at the same time: a Thor and a Vulture. “Savashri!” swore David, “the damned rebellion. Well, let them deal with the Turkina.” With that, he broke off and fled into the woods.    

Cowboy’s mech was in shambles after a few more barrages. He had done little more than scratch Omega. The Piranha picked itself up and ran back into the woods, retreating. Omega turned to face two new opponents, a Thor and a Vulture, neither of which were in their prime. Both showed a large amount of battle damage.

Unlike the previous fight, Doc was doing well. His Kintaro had its share of new battle damage, but he had finished off the Piranha and was now moving to support Rohan against David.    

The new arrivals both converged their fire on the huge Turkina. Cowboy added a few shots of his own from his damaged arsenal. Rohan returned to the clearing and laid into it as well.    

“Rohan, what happened to you and that rabbit?” asked Doc.

“He took off. Apparently didn’t want to stick around and deal with these rebels. You look pretty shot up.”

“I got a mech kill.” Said Doc proudly. “I’m moving to assist Cowboy.”

“This thing’s a monster.” Said Cowboy. “Reminds me of the Balrog we fought on Dieron.”    

“Ugh” said Rohan in disbelief.

Facing five opponents was wearing the Turkina down. Rather than surrender the prototype mech to enemy forces, the pilot deactivated the magnetic bottle on his fusion engine. Rohan and the two rebel mechs immediately moved away. Cowboy’s mech was stuck though.    

“Shit, he’s self-destructing.” said Doc, moving his own mech up to a full run. “Close the dropship doors now.”    

Cowboy blew the emergency bolts on the canopy. He tore up the ladder and out of the Banshee. In a panic, he leapt from his battle damaged mech down to the dropship bay doors. It was a good 35 foot jump and he landed hard, breaking his ankle on impact.

Doc ran over and scooped up Cowboy in his mech’s remaining hand. He pulled the arm close to his own mech, hoping it would be cover enough from the exploding fusion engine. The plasma from Omega’s engine burst forth from its chest, incinerating the mech and nearly everything else around it. It splashed across the back of the Kintaro, boiling away armor, but in the end did little damage.

“Thanks Doc, I owe you one.” said Cowboy.

Neither the Banshee nor the Kintaro was as bad off as they could have been. But the battle damage the two mechs had sustain now after the two engagements was severe.

“No way we can take either of those machines into battle again.” Said Doc, surveying the damage. The two rebel pilots had joined the Rangers inside their dropship.

“If we can get these machines to our ‘base,’ we might be able to get repairs. We have a stockpile of mech parts that you can use, including armor. Not much we do about about the Kintaro’s arm though.”

“We appreciate the help.” Said Rohan.

“Let’s just say people like Logan and General Messer, who make it their business to kick Falcon ass, are something of local heroes.” said Thomas. “Word of your battle on New Belfast has been circulated here on Alyina since right after it happened. Sadly, we don’t learn much about other successes of units that don’t face off with the 2^nd Jaegers, so you guys get on the spot whether you deserve it or not.”

“Yeah, we want him freed.” said Joseph. “Trial or no trial, Pryde won’t let him leave this planet alive unless we do something.”    

“What exactly are they doing with him anyway?”    

“It’s all for show, of course; This trial.” said Joseph. “Making a mockery of our laws and our ways. Probably David’s idea. He’s the one who spends most of his time dealing with us. Still, mockery or no, what the trial has done is bought us all time.”    

“Do you have a plan?” asked Doc.

“Not yet. The security facility is well-guarded. The trial is open to the public, but trying to rescue him there will result in undue loss of civilian life. There’s just too many innocents around.”

“That’s intentional.” said Thomas. “They know how damaging it would be to our cause to hurt the very people we are trying to free.”    

“Then what are we going to do?”

“The trial should be over soon. My guess is an opportunity will open up. Until it does, we can try to figure out some way to get him out of the security center.”    

“Alright, then let’s get to it.”

2^nd Falcon Jaegers Command

Alyina
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
1 June 3053    

“You took the experimental designs against live targets?” exclaimed Dal Pryde in anger. “What kind of freebirth idiot are you?”

“You didn’t mind it when I fought the Rangers the first time in Avenger.” Retorted David.

“That could not be helped. You were ambushed. This time, you took them after them deliberately and cost us both the Piranha and the Turkina.”

“Forgive me, Father.” said David, feeling much smaller than the chair he was sitting in.    

“Do not call me that!” snapped Pryde. His hand lashed out and caught David under the chin. Pryde’s strength knocked David out of his seat and nearly over the back of it. He slumped back down into it quite out cold. “Freebirths! I had almost forgotten about how pathetic they are.”

When David came to, Dal had calmed down. “So the rebellion is helping then, quiaff?”    

“Aff.” said David weakly.

“Then that will be their downfall.”

“I have been monitoring the rebellion for some time.” Said David. “They are weak, but they have the support of the populace.”

“Hence the trial.” Said Pryde. “Have you uncovered their base of operations yet?”

“I have my suspicions.”

“They will have to do.” said Dal, sitting down and pressing a switch on his desk. “Star Captain Malthus, please report to my office.” He turned back to David. “Sometimes, your older methods work better. It is time the rebellion learned the meaning of brute force.”

Within a few minutes, Taman Malthus walked into Pryde’s office. The Warden scowled at David, who merely grinned devilishly at the Elemental.    

“What do you require, Star Colonel?”    

“Do not act so suspicious, Taman.” said Dal. “Just because we are opponents in the mock trial of Logan does not mean that the day-to-day business we work together on must be laid aside. I have recently uncovered the location of the rebel headquarters.”    

“And you wish for my elementals to clean it out?”    

“I do. Star Captain David will provide you the information you will need to plan your assault. Dismissed.”    

Alyina
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
2 June 3053    

“Taman seems more distracted today.” said Joseph. Rohan leaned over to listen to him.    

“Do you have any ideas yet on how to get him free?”    

“No, but Logan is getting impatient. It’s obvious that he knows he’s been had.”

“We all were.” Said Rohan. “O’Malley and Steiner were never here. This was a fool’s errand.”

“All of you are alive. Be thankful for that.”

Pryde struck the gavel to end the day’s trial. As everyone stood up to rise, an elemental came over to grab Logan and take him back to his cell. When the elemental grabbed his arm, Logan slumped forward.    

Rohan moved forward through the crowd. He was almost to the front when Logan snapped his head up, catching the elemental under the chin. The huge man staggered back, a little stunned. Logan jerked the man’s laser pistol from his belt and fired it into the elemental. There was a howl as the elemental fell over backwards. At that, all hell broke loose.    

Rohan began to move forward, but the crowd, panicked at the gunfire, hauled him back with it in their hurried attempt to flee the courtroom. Logan spun to bring the pistol to bear on Pryde, who had ducked behind the judge’s chair.    

Malthus jumped up and grabbed the pistol. With a firm yank, he pulled it free of Logan’s hands. A quick backhand with his giant fist sent Logan to oblivion and the guards quickly carried him off.    

Joseph grabbed Rohan by the shoulder. “Come on. There’s nothing we can do.” Rohan reluctantly followed the rebel out of the courtroom.    

“I wish we could somehow coordinate with Logan. If we could somehow get some of your men in there....” said Rohan.    

“A foolish plan, my friend. We would never make it past the front door on our way out.” said Joseph. He nodded to his left and his right, pointing out to Rohan the two large metal obelisks on either side of the courthouse. “Those obelisks are not part of the courthouse design. They were installed pre-fab only a few days before the trial began. I’d bet real money they conceal a pair of Grendel Omnimechs. This whole thing is a security risk for Pryde. You can’t expect him to not take some rather heavy handed precautions to compensate.”

Babeski
Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth
3 June 3053

Rachel DeVoras, her jet black Wolf Dragoon uniform blending in with the dark room, smiled unnoticed as the vidchip played. She quickly removed the gesture from her face as she spoke. “We intercepted this transmission from Alyina two days ago. It openly claims the destruction of the Dark Rangers at the hands of the 2^nd Falcon Jaegers. I’m sorry, but your leaders were led into an elaborate trap by Richard O’Malley. They were defeated, and given Pryde’s usual treatment of Inner Sphere prisoners, I doubt there were any survivors.

“Given that your special position with the AFFC was due to Logan’s status and not the units, your position is in jeopardy. Wolf’s Dragoons is willing to assist you in renegotiating your contract with the Commonwealth, or allow you to take another.”

Grayson was the first to speak. “This is a lot to throw on us at once, ya know. Give it to us line by line. What exactly are we in danger of losing?”

“Your current contract with the Federated Commonwealth is null and void. The lands on which your headquarters rest defaulted to the Barony of Babeski as of Logan’s death. Now, the Baron isn’t going to kick you off right now, but you have been given a deadline to vacate.”

“The little bastard negotiated everything into his name.” snarled Grayson. “Guess he planned to grab all the glory.”

“Not like we owe him anything now.” said Kai cynically. “So what are our other options?”

Rachel passed several dossiers around to the group. “Well, the Conspiracy has offered a contract almost as good as the FedCom one that was just voided. It involves raiding and preemptive strikes on worlds the Conspiracy has slated for conquest.”

Kai looked over the list of probable worlds. “All FedCom territories in Skye and Sarna marches. The bastards won’t send their own former FedCom units against loyalists, will they? They send in the mercs to do that work.”

“Not entirely true.” said Tim. “The 17^th Skye hit Chara for instance.”

“Why the hell would we want to work for them anyway?” said Grayson. “They’re the ones that got Logan and others killed to begin with, if indeed they were killed.”

“I agree, I’d rather not work for the guys who were trying to kill us a few months ago.” said Whitey. “I got the sense it was more personal than I would like. After all, why would O’Malley single out Logan and the others for his special little ambush of his anyway?”

“Personal against Logan perhaps.” underscored Gene. “Not against the Rangers.”

“We don’t know that.” Said Grayson.

“Old Lord Kurita slaughtered 75% of Wolf’s Dragoons in 3028 because of a personal vendetta against Jaime Wolf. Guilty by association.” said Whitey. “Duke Ryan doesn’t strike me as any more magnanimous, given he had Logan killed for nothing more than shooting down his one mech.”

“What’s the new FC offer?” asked Grayson out of curiosity.

“Reassignment to the Draconis March to cover units that were transferred to the Terran Corridor.”

“Garrison duty.” growled Gene. “Against our allies no less. Boring.”

Tim was the first to speak up in favor of the Conspiracy contract. “Why not? It’s got as good pay as the old deal, a deal which Logan was going to milk for himself as much as possible.”

“I’m with the big guy.” said Tony. Voices of approval began to be raised.

“I’m not.” Said Grayson.

“Nor am I, but it seems we are outvoted.” Said Whitey.

“Very well.” said Rachel. “As of 1200 hours today, I assume command of this unit in Logan’s name and will finalize the contract with the Conspiracy. I will relinquish that position at such time as you decide upon new leadership among yourselves. Now we will make the name of the Dark Rangers feared for itself and not its leader.”

Rebel Headquarters
Alyina
Jade Falcon Occupation Zone
5 June 3053

“The trial should conclude tomorrow.” said Thomas. “I have a hunch that Taman Malthus will call for a Trial of Refusal against whatever verdict Pryde gives.”

“Meaning?” asked Rohan.

“That they will decide by combat who is right. Pryde versus Logan. To the death.”

“Hand to hand or Mech?” asked Doc.

“I don’t know. Either or neither, it depends on a coin toss and who wins. I’d be willing to bet Pryde could rock Logan’s world in hand-to-hand combat, but a mech battle would be more even.”

“Which one prescribes to Pryde’s ego more?” said Cowboy. “The bastard’s got an ego the size of Tharkad. He’s gonna fight whichever method humiliates Logan the most.”

“Good point. Since Logan is proud of his mech talent, Pryde’ll probably go for a mech battle.”

“If they do, what will we do?”

“Let’s assume for a second, Pryde and his jury all vote to kill Logan. Logan objects and the battle is set. That’ll put the seven Bloodnamed versus Logan. I’d imagine the battle will be somewhere outside the city.”

“So we find out where and sit there ready with our mechs. When Pryde and his goons set up this Trial, we ambush them and bug out.” said Cowboy

“What’s to keep the rest of the 2^nd Jaegers from nailing us on the retreat?” said Rohan.

“That’s were we come in.” said Thomas. With Pryde and the Bloodnamed out in the field, the command of the garrison will be spotty at best, left to David no doubt. We’ll hit with our rebel forces inside the city. That ought to distract David’s garrison forces long enough for you to get Logan out. Then, we’ll fade back into the woodwork and everyone’s happy.” The Rangers nodded their approval.

Before anyone could take even a few steps, a loud blaring alarm echoed through the base. “What the hell?” said Thomas. He dashed over to an intercom. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve got elementals at the front door. Almost a whole damn Star of ‘em.”

“How many exactly?”

“I count.....AHHHGH!” Then there was static. The whole base shook.

“Shit, we’ve been found out.” said Thomas. “Get to the mech bays. We’ll cover for you here.” Thomas reached into a locker and pulled out an assault rifle and headed up the corridor. “We’ll be with you shortly.”

Rohan and the others headed for the stairs to get below to the “mech bays.” The rebel headquarters was hidden right under Pryde’s nose, within an old warehouse on the ocean front in Mar Negro. The mech bays were made out of a pressurized bay beneath the building where submarine transports would unload their cargo. It had direct access to the ocean floor, which is how the rebels got their mechs in and out.

The Ranger’s mechs had been mostly repaired. Doc‘s own mech was still minus an arm, but its armor damage had been repaired.

The doors to the mech bay opened near the foot of Cowboy’s Banshee, easily the largest mech in the room. Doc headed across the room towards his Kintaro, only to catch a burst of enemy fire across the chest. Doc went spinning.

“Doc!” cried out Rohan. He reached out and pulled the tech back behind cover.

“Son of a bitch.” Snarled Doc. “That hurts.” Rohan ripped open Doc’s shirt to reveal his Kevlar vest. It had stopped the rounds cold, but did little to cushion their impact. “I’ll live.” Said Doc.

“Good.” said Rohan, sitting up and firing blindly at where he’d seen the muzzle flashes. He saw no one, only the occasional flash of a weapon discharge.

“Stealth suits.” moaned Doc. “Not very clan like.” He drew his gun and fired a shotgun blast at one muzzle flash. There was a splash of red and a howl of pain, both of which seemed to come out of thin air.

Since he had taken one of their own down, the hidden attackers now turned their weapons on Doc. One opened fire on him with a long burst. The bright long-lasting muzzle flash gave Rohan something to draw a bead on and he fired. His rounds landed solid against the attacker, dropping him before he completed his burst and chewed Doc to pieces with it.

“No, it is. But I’m not expecting Pryde to play fair.”

“These don’t discriminate.” said Cowboy, throwing something from his belt at the foot of the Thor where their opponents were hiding, “Hidden or not.” There was a loud pop and a whoosh as the incendiary grenade ignited. The hidden troops were no longer hidden as their stealth suits caught on fire. One spun and ran down the passage leading back to the sea, the rest were easy pickings as Rohan and Cowboy opened fire.

As if on cue, Thomas, Joseph, and a good number of other rebels came in the room at that moment. “Let’s get out of here.” said Thomas. A number headed for the remaining mechs, the rest to a series of small flimsy looking personal submarines. Cowboy climbed up his mech and powered up, just as a point of elementals came in the room. He pointed his twin heavy PPCs at them and opened fire, incinerating two of them and blasting the doorway to dust. He marched his mech forward, stepping on one caught in the confusing dust cloud. Cowboy meant to cover the door to cover the rebels’ escape.

The remaining two elementals withdrew, trying to regroup to face a mech over 45 times heavier than the two of them combined. It was the break the rebels needed. Their submarines sped out into the open sea, followed by the rebel mechs. Only the Dark Rangers remained.

“Let’s get our asses out of here now.” said Rohan. Spinning the Crab and heading out to the sea, the Dark Rangers followed him out.

DeTerre Collective
New Belfast
Tamar March, Federated Commonwealth
6 June 3053

Erik shoved his throttle forward and dove down to a mere 50 meters of altitude. Nape of the Earth flying was the only way to go on New Belfast’s flat plains.

“This is Alpha wing.” said Erik. “We are 30 seconds to enemy forces. Do you copy?”

“Copy that, Erik.” said Ryan Smith. “Dirty Dozen company 45 minutes out. Transmit data on our friends upon contact.”

“Roger. Here they are.”

Erik and Michelle’s twin Stingray fighters roared over the Star of enemy mechs. Erik spotted a number of second-line designs, no Omnimechs.

“Okay, Ryan, they’re second-liners.”

“Which Clan are they?”

“Steel Vipers. They never learn do they? And to think they didn’t even both to send an Omnimech force after us. I’m insulted.”

Erik glanced down at his tactical map. “Michelle, fire at will. Those enemy mechs are only twenty minutes from the DeTerre Grain Silos. If they reach those silos, this whole mission’s for nothing. Let’s see if we can slow them down until Ryan gets there.”

“Roger that, love.” said Michelle.

Erik pulled back on his stick to circle back around. A handful of laser and autocannon shots raced his way, but he deftly evaded them. “Pick a winner, Michelle.”

“I’ve already got one. That Viper.”

“I wanted that one.” whined Erik sarcastically. Erik jerked back on his stick again and pulled an Immelmann. He rolled right side up and flipped a couple of switches on his control panel.

“Bomb system ready.” said his computer.

Michelle meanwhile had begun a long Nape-of-the-Earth strafing run, catching the Viper in a long stream of laser fire. The lasers kicked up steam from the moist ground and scarred the heavy armor of the Viper.

“Dodge these, suckers.” said Erik, releasing his bombs.

One landed right at the feet of a Goshawk, knocking its legs out from under it. As the 30 ton mech fell, another bomb landed right on the head of a Griffin IIc. The mech exploded, showering the battlefield with debris. The rest fell randomly among the Clan mechs, throwing up dust and steam and causing general chaos.

“They’re pulling back to regroup.” noted Michelle. “One down and two damaged.”

“Copy that, Alpha wing.” said Ryan. “Our ETA is now 35 minutes to the Silos. We’ll intercept them there. Thanks for the help.”

“You’re welcome. See you back at base.”

---

“You should be out there.” said Daisaku. “I know how you dislike commanding your forces from behind a set of walls.” He poured a cup of coffee and offered it to Joshua.

Joshua took the offered cup but said nothing at first. “My officers are competent. I have complete confidence in Erik and Ryan.”

“I know you do, but that’s beside the point. You’ve not logged a single minute in your mech since we got back from Dieron.”

“You don’t need me out there.” said Joshua.

“This isn’t the kind of leader you aspired to become. I know losing Lisa was hard on you, but get a grip.”

The mention of Lisa’s name made Joshua’s eyes narrow in anger. It faded quickly and he looked down at the computer console, refusing to meet Daisaku’s eyes.

“I did it for her, Daisaku. All of it. All this was to give her everything she wanted. And look at what’s happened. We have the dirt. We have the plants. We have the towns and the buildings. We have the planet. But we do not have each other…not anymore. Between O’Malley and my own foolishness, we lost the most important thing of all.”

“You didn’t do all this just for Lisa and you know it. This was our mission, our destiny as Clan Wolverine.”

“And I have failed that as well. The edicts were right. The Star League was consumed and destroyed by the greed of men like Duke Ryan and Director Indrahar. Fools who cannot see beyond their own hatreds.”

“They’re not the only ones, Joshua. Right now, I think the commander of the Star Swords has the same problem.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? I support the Star Alliance.”

“But you’re determined to destroy your most hated enemy…yourself.” Said Daisaku. “Don’t take the rest of us with you.”

With that, Daisaku turned to leave.

Third Battalion had withdrawn back to New Belfast by Joshua’s orders. The Clan raids, like the one Erik and Ryan were currently combating, had become more common and more determined. The Jade Falcons had launched two and now the Steel Vipers had launched their second as well. All within the last four months. Thus, Daisaku and his battalion were on New Belfast once more.

“On a slightly lighter note,” said Daisaku, pausing before walking out the door. “Have we heard anything from the Dark Rangers lately?”

“Word from the Dragoons is they did not make it. Just an unverified rumor.”

“And what do you think?”

“Logan’s tougher than that. Still, everyone else seems to believe it.”

“Bearing that in mind, what about his unit? A lot of Rangers remained behind.”

“That’s for Wolf’s Dragoons and the Babeski government to decide. It’s out of our hands. With Logan and other originals gone, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Conspiracy hires them.”

“Not exactly something to look forward to.”

“No, I don’t imagine so.”

Next Chapter