Delos IV
Draconis March,
13 July 3048
Joshua’s eyes flickered open onto a white room. Outside a nearby window, he could see out into space and look upon a massive jumpship. Joshua had been in space only a handful of times, and the sight of it awed him.
"Where am I?" he asked, not realizing he’d said it out loud.
"A Federated Suns refueling station." Said a voice.
Joshua turned to see who was standing at his door. Joy lit up his face when he saw his friend Daisaku.
"Daisaku, but how?"
"I was lucky. That Black Knight managed to crush everything but my cockpit. When the Lyrans found me, they cut me out and brought me back to their ship. Just like you."
"Who else?"
"There are seven of us that I know of. There was a Draconis force that may have found more when they searched
"We all made it?" said Joshua with a degree of disbelief.
"Well, Isaac would credit it to a miracle, but regardless, I’m not complaining."
"Any word of….."
"Gwen? I’m sorry, Joshua, but no."
Joshua closed his eyes and said nothing, pain showing in his face.
“But that doesn’t mean anything. She could still be out there, on New Vision. We survived. Maybe others did as well. The Falcons weren’t given time to complete their evil work. They fled, fearing discovery by this ship.”
“That’s why so many of them got left behind. Including that horrible battle armor soldier.” Joshua shivered. He looked toward the window again. “So where are we now?”
“Overlord dropship under the command of ComStar, the neutral organization the Inner Sphere uses for their communications. This is pirate hunting vessel and has soldiers from both the
“How long have I been out?”
“Several days. Most of us slept a lot the last few days, with our brains trying to process the horror of what’s happened.” His voice drifted off. “But we’re alive. We can be thankful for that.”
"What about the others?"
"Erik was pretty beat up. He had to eject at low altitude to avoid getting shot up in his parachute by overzealous Falcon pilots. Didn’t work quite as well as planned and he broke a few bones."
"He was the pilot they found wandering about?"
"Your rescuer was actually the worst off. Half of Daniel’s ribcage was broken by that battle armor. Add to that a gunshot wound from a ricochet He’s in sad shape."
"Will he survive?"
"They say he will. He’ll just be out of action for several months."
"That’s unfortunate. Now what happens?"
"As far as I can tell, Daniel is taking us back with him to New Avalon. The rest of our rescuers are returning to their posts. The Draconis force left yesterday."
"New Avalon, that’s the capital of the Federated Suns? I thought you said this was a
"It is. Seems the Lyrans and the Federated Suns are in pretty close these days. Last word we had about anything in the Inner Sphere is close to 20 years old.”
“I guess a lot can happen in that time. I wonder if those forces are still around, still spying.”
“Don’t know. Maybe we’ll find out.”
"We must make plans for our future. See if you can assemble the group here within the hour?"
"I’ll try."
A short time passed and Joshua’s friends and comrades began to trickle into the room. Most looked a little worse for wear, and Joshua remembered well some of the sights from New Vision that had convinced him of their demise. He was curious as to how many of them had circumvented what Joshua had seen as inevitable.
Isaac’s explanation was simplest. He had ejected as his mech detonated. Matt, who’s Claymore had suffered a severe headache, had managed to disembark long before his mech had been destroyed. Joshua looked puzzled at that, as he didn’t remember seeing the abandoned Claymore near the cache when he first entered it. He must have overlooked it in his haste.
After all had arrived, Joshua motioned for Marta to close the door. "The First Edict must be upheld, even under these circumstances."
"Are you now the Khan, Joshua?" commented Ryan sardonically.
"Khan of what? The Wolverines are dead. But I was the highest in rank of our unit, Mechwarrior Ryan and that hasn’t changed."
"Ryan’s been under a lot of pressure…" said Erik, about to explain.
“We all have been. All of us, have suffered some manner of loss. Parents, friends, comrades,” he paused. “lovers. But we must carry on. The purposes and goals of Clan Wolverine have fallen to us. And we must carry them out."
"And how are we to do that?" said Daisaku. "Not to sound disrespectful, but that seems like a monumental task for a group of virgin warriors."
Joshua shrugged. "If you want details, I don’t have them. We know that our grandfathers received messengers that told them of the Clans’ impending invasion of the Inner Sphere. I believe the Falcon attack upon our world is somehow related to that invasion, directly or indirectly."
"So we are to stand and fight against them when they come?"
"Certainly, but it’s more than that. The Inner Sphere must be prepared."
"How can we do that without violating the First Edict?" That was an ancient argument, one that had splintered the Wolverines into two political camps: Infiltrators and Isolationists. Joshua was an Infiltrator, one who felt the Wolverines should covertly try to aid the Inner Sphere powers. His father, ever the conservative, had been an Isolationist, who felt the Wolverines should watch and wait for something to happen.
"I don’t know. All I know is that if we come out with the truth, we will either be laughed off as fools or we will start a galaxy-wide panic. We want neither. We must be subtle."
"I’ve spoken with a number of their warriors,” said Erik. “and I’ve come to discover that the Inner Sphere was in a state of perpetual decline up until about 20 years ago. Only just recently had they rediscovered a lot of the technology we’ve taken for granted. Given what we learned about the Clan’s current level of technology…." Erik’s words silenced the room for several moments.
"All the more reason to ready these people. The Star League was formed in peace."
"Well, mostly…" added Daisaku.
"Historians will argue for centuries about the right or wrong of the Reunification Wars. But that seems to be the model that both the nations of the Inner Sphere and the Clans seem to believe is the way to recreate what once was. They are wrong and we know it. The errors of the Inner Sphere are a concern to be dealt with later. Right now, the Clans are the immediate issue, as we do not know when their actual invasion will begin, if it hasn’t already."
"I’ve seen no indications of that." Said Daisaku. "I would think that the news services would be full of it if it had."
"Agreed." Said Marta. "There is one minor issue that we should address."
"That being?"
"It’s rather obvious that we’re not part of the Inner Sphere. Our strange manners, language, and customs have already gotten a number of people on this station curious. The more we blend in, the easier it will be to keep the First Edict."
"She has a point.” Said Isaac. “But we know almost nothing about the modern-day customs of the Inner Sphere and of the Federated Suns in particular. Still, I do know our lack of a surname is drawing some unwanted curiosity. We can start there."
"We have not earned our bloodnames." Said Daisaku emphatically.
"Do you see any challengers to your right to claim your father’s name?"
"I never suspected we would take our names so easily." Said Erik.
"These are not normal circumstances. Anyway, that is all. I would appreciate at least one of you sticking around after I dress. I’d like to see this station myself and learn about just what kind of world we are in now."
New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth
24 August 3048
"Hauptmann Juan Miranda reporting, sir." The officer saluted briskly.
Justin Allard, Minister of Intelligence for the
"I hope your vacation was well spent, Juan." Said Justin, reaching out with his left hand for a handshake. Justin’s right arm had been lost in a mech battle over 20 years before and in its place was a cybernetic replacement. Despite it being fully functional, Justin found most people disliked the feeling of shaking it.
"It was, sir." Said Juan, shaking the hand of his commander.
"I have a new assignment for you. Please sit down."
Juan did so. Justin continued. "There have been a series of uprisings along the Tamar-Rasalhague border. We believe that certain parties within the Rasalhague republic have been instigating those uprisings in an attempt to cause open rebellion and gain a half-dozen or so worlds without direct assault."
"Why the Tamar March, sir? Isn't that LIC territory?"
"Normally, but it's Davion units they're harassing. I'm sending you rather than trying to wade through MI7 to get the Lyrans to do anything. "
"Damn those Rasalhague fuckers. The Combine forces us to give up 60 worlds to them and now they want more?"
"Apparently so. LIC Agents in Rasalhague have uncovered evidence that the Kungsarme has secretly shipped over 20 BattleMechs of medium class to the rebels on the world of Planting. Your job will be to confirm these rumors and to stop the rebellion. You will be assigned to the planetary garrison and they will be at your disposal. They are the 41st Avalon Hussars. I’m also assigning you two aides."
"And they are?" said Juan bluntly.
"One is LIC Agent Kelly Perrens. She specializes in Rasalhague tactics and strategy. She’s also from the area. She’s already en route to Planting and will meet with you there. The other is Leftenant Daniel O’Brian. He was brought here for medical treatments a few months ago and has been reassigned. He’ll be going along with you."
"Isn’t he Loki?"
Justin nodded. "He’s a crack mechwarrior. I know of your own skill at piloting, but I thought it would be good for you to have your own lance on this operation. Kelly is also a qualified pilot and you’ll receive your fourth warrior from the Hussars. Here’s all the information you will need."
"Understood." said Juan, taking the dossier from Justin's hand. "When do I leave?"
"The jumpship Explorer arrived in-system three hours ago. You will be departing on it."
New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth
25 August 3048
"I recognize and greet thee, Daniel O’Brian." Said Joshua, as he entered Daniel’s room and gave him the formal greeting of his Clan.
"You are still a strange one, Joshua. But I forget you came from a world whose culture was very different from any I’ve ever been on.” Daniel was sitting up, dressed in street clothes. Beside him, helping him gather his belongings, was an attractive redheaded young woman in a NAMA cadet uniform.
"I see that the rumors are true." Said Joshua. "You have been released."
"I’ve been given new orders. About time, I was getting spoiled sitting in a hospital room with my girlfriend waiting on me hand and foot."
"I can’t imagine that’s such a bad thing." Said Joshua with a sly grin.
"Have you two met?" said Daniel, trying to remember. The redhead gave him a playful swat on his leg as Daniel stood.
"Not formally no.” said Joshua. “I’ve seen her a few times when coming to visit." He extended his hand to the young woman. “I am Joshua Messer.”
“Lisa MacLeod.” She said.
"Joshua’s one of a handful of survivors my unit brought back with us from the Periphery. I owe him my life."
"And I owe mine to you. Had you not evacuated me and my companions, we would surely have died on that planet."
"Well, I always said Daniel had hero potential within him." Said Lisa. "You’re definitely not from these parts."
"If you are referring to my accent, you are in no place to talk. Either you or Daniel."
"True. ‘Tis not often to hear a Scottish brogue on New Avalon." Said Lisa, highlighting her own accent. "Our home planet was settled by Scots, Irish, and French. Our MacLeod accent has been passed down for many generations."
"You’d be surprised, Lisa, if you think his tongue is strange now. He’s improved considerably since I first met him. That being two months ago." Daniel paused. "So, you’ve come to see me off then?"
"I wanted to at least say good-bye. And thank you."
"Come, my Periphery friend," said Daniel grabbing Joshua by the arm. "Let’s part the New Belfast way."
“And what’s that?”
“I’m Irish. She’s Scottish. Figure it out.”
New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth
25 August 3048
"Minister Allard is here to see you, your Majesty." Said Prince Davion's secretary.
"Send him up." said the Prince, sipping his coffee and reading a report.
Justin walked in. "Ohayo."
"Been working on Combine reports lately?" said Prince Hanse Davion, ruler of the Federated Suns. A tall man in his early sixties, Hanse stood and shook Justin’s hand firmly. There was a twinkle in his eye that showed his delight at seeing his friend.
Justin smiled. "I’ve been reading so damned much Japanese lately that sometimes I forget what language I speak. Technical data written in kanji is no fun." That was in reference to the data Daniel had stolen from the Combine computers on his mission. "Although in all honestly, Hanse, I’ve had my hands full with Rasalhague more than anything."
"So I’ve heard. Is that what brings you out to the palace today?"
"No, it’s something else. These Periphery exiles that Leftenant O’Brian found on his expedition. I took your suggestion and gave them an aptitude test. I started them out with the NAMA entrance exam, figured I'd start high and work down. Well, I was just a bit surprised." Justin handed the test scores to the Prince.
"As you know, the NAMA exam tests a variety of skills, not the least of which are tactics and strategy. Take a look at their scores on those tests."
"The one named Joshua made 97% percentile on tactics and strategy. Daisaku Hayakusora made 94%, and Erik Iolair 92%."
"I checked back. No one in the entire 25 year history of the school has scored above 60% on the tactics and strategy portion of the test prior to entry. Your nephew took the exam seven years ago to test the validity of the test and he scored 100% as expected. He's the commander of your armies and one of these kids made only 3% short of him."
"That's amazing. What kind of battle experience do these teenagers have?"
"I don’t know. They’re reluctant to talk about their past, and I’ve not pressed the issue given how painful it must be. But one thing is clear to me. They were born into a warrior society and have likely been trained to be soldiers almost since birth."
"That would explain the scores."
"I think we've found their niche. I want to enter them into NAMA. Since they already appear to have had mech training, we can concentrate their course-work on honing those tactical skills. Doing so would require a command from you, as the semester begins within a week."
Hanse looked over the reports. "The girl doesn't seem to share the same talents as the others."
"No, I've noticed that. I've got other plans for her."
"As for the others, they might have mech training and be tactical geniuses, but that doesn't mean they know how to fight the way we do. They were found in sophisticated Star League era BattleMechs. Our own forces are just now getting prototypes of the very equipment they grew up with. Do you think they can adjust?"
"I can’t imagine there would be many problems. I already gave them some physical tests to determine reflex speed, hand-eye coordination, etc. All of them scored in the top 25% percentile, compared to the entering freshmen in NAIS this fall. They are as good as the best in the entire nation. They can be just as skilled as this summer's graduates, all from raw talent."
“That’s remarkable. Any explanation as to how they could manage to be so skilled at so young an age?”
“Given the Star League era mechs that were found on their planet, I can speculate a number of possibilities.”
“You’re thinking Kerensky’s exiles?”
“Some of them perhaps. Their planet was nowhere near Kerensky’s projected flight from the Inner Sphere 200 years ago. But there’s other evidence.”
"What else do we know about them? O’Brian brought back more than just the Combine data, as I recall. We have samples of their technology."
"We’ve been analyzing the wreckage of the mechs we recovered from their homeworld and it has really given us more questions than answers.”
"Anything to back up your speculation?”
"Their mechs are obviously Star League level. Actually, they’re more advanced than the mechs of the Star League. The Star League used only a small token of their advanced equipment in their mechs, probably due to economic reasons. These designs were loaded with it."
"So they’re not actual Star League designs? What about prototypes? There were dozens of secret Star League bases scattered throughout the Periphery."
"There were too many of them. A secret research base would not have so many mechs, a few perhaps, but not the full battalion they found in ruins on that world." Said Justin, "Daniel also reported a large storage cache, sealed by a DNA scanner, which he believes contained even more. Nothing, however, explains this little monster." Justin held up a photograph of the Jade Falcon mech, "Or those armored soldiers that attacked our men."
“More mysteries.”
"There’s been 200 years since the SLDF jumped out into the Periphery to never be heard from again." He held up the Falcon mech again. "This is quite likely the result of 200 years of additional technological development. The powered armor is another example thereof."
"And those giant soldiers within?"
"Selective breeding. Creating the perfect infantry soldier."
Hanse motioned between the photo of the Falcon mech and Joshua’s destroyed Wendigo. "Why the technological disparity here though?" He held up the Wendigo photo. "In 10 years, we will be able to build a mech like this. It would probably take us quite some time to develop a mech like this." He said, gesturing to the Falcon mech.
"Here’s my theory. The Star League army found a planet or planets far out in the Periphery to settle on. They made colonies and grew and expanded outward. They created their own version of the Inner Sphere out there. Worlds on the outside edge, the backwater, got the obsolete designs like this one. The central worlds, where most of the technological centers would be, were garrisoned by the more advanced designs like that one."
“That would place Kerensky’s ‘Sphere’ rather close to us, maybe no more than 600 light years out from Terra.”
“ComStar’s Explorer Corps have been charting that portion of space. If they found anything, they’ve said nothing. Nor have we uncovered anything with our spies. If Kerensky’s exiles were that close, we’d know it.”
“So who are they?”
Justin shrugged. “My guess is they were part of a group who split off from Kerensky, came back, settled some backwater world, created a garrison, and settled down to live in peace. And they were, until Kerensky’s people found them again.”
“And then the old Star League army wiped out the entire planet?”
“It would seem so.”
"Alright, Justin. Here’s the ugly question. What happens if these Star Leaguers decide they want to come back?"
"I don’t really think there’s a danger of that. The Star League attackers were present in system when the ComStar expedition arrived. They made a quick exit. They didn’t want us to see them."
"I was under the impression we had no contact with their dropships or jumpship."
"We didn’t, but they left behind their wounded. Hence, the attack by the armored troopers. So they must have taken off very quickly."
"Why wouldn’t they want to make contact?"
"They left here for a reason. Whatever it was in detail, it boils down to the fact that those original Star Leaguers 200 years ago did not want to remain in the Inner Sphere, because they knew what would occur. They left to escape the nightmare of the Succession Wars. They’ve probably created the Star League over again out there somewhere, their own utopia. What could we possibly offer them?"
"And they have much to offer us. If I had but 10 of these advanced mechs…."
"And they know that. Even if it were a losing battle for us, an attack by an Inner Sphere power would probably disrupt their society to a great degree. Better for us to not know they’re out there."
Hanse sighed. "It would be better for us to not try to provoke them. Presuming any of this is even remotely close to the truth.”
“There are only seven people who know the answer.”
“Until they tell us, we’ll never know. Still I'd like to see these ‘warrior children’ in action. Do you think you could arrange a simulator battle?"
"Certainly. What do you have in mind?"
"Let's stack the odds. You, me, Morgan, and the three top students in NAMA versus our friends. Give us meds and lights and them heavies and assaults. See what happens."
Justin whistled. "Isn't that a bit unfair?"
"I don't expect them to win. I just want to see how close they come."
"Alright, I'll arrange it."
"I understand, my Prince. It will be done as you say."
New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth
27 August 3048
"Okay, Joshua, you've been assigned a Marauder class BattleMech. It carries a light autocannon across the back which you control with the thumb knob and button on the left hand joystick. In each arm……."
"…twin particle cannon and medium class lasers." Interrupted Joshua. "
"You’re familiar with it?" said Prince Davion with disbelief.
"My father piloted an upgraded version that we called the Grand Marauder. Swapped out the light cannon for a Class 10. And I’m familiar with the old MAD-3SL Marauder, the Star League version with pulse lasers."
"Too bad you don’t know more about the technical specs for the mechs you’re describing. We could really use access to that old technology. Unfortunately, you’re stuck with what we have. Watch your heat monitor, the particle cannon especially will run your mech hot. You don’t have those double heat sinks that the Marauders you’re familiar with have."
"Okay. Thanks. What are we fighting?"
"Yeah, I almost forgot. You're going to be fighting real opponents who are trained in using these machines, but you and your friends have more powerful mechs."
"Power usually doesn't outdo experience."
"This is just a test of your talent and the skills you’ve already acquired. Don't be too devastated if you lose."
"I won't, your Highness." Said Joshua with a confident sneer. "Thanks."
"Don't get too cocky if you win, brother dear." said Joshua's sister, who was watching the whole thing from outside the simulator.
Hanse stepped back and the canopy of the simulator closed. The control panel lit up like a Christmas Tree and Joshua took a minute to locate all of his important monitors. The heads-up display showed where both arms and the autocannon turret were pointing.
The main panel which represented his view of the outside world lit up, displaying a computer generated world of rock buffs and sparse trees. Beside him, he could see another mech, a Warhammer class. It too carried two particle cannon and a variety of laser weaponry. It carried twice as much firepower as Joshua's mech, but heated up quicker and carried less armor.
"Erik, is that you?"
"I'm in the Warhammer, yeah. Why they’re making me pilot a mech is beyond me?"
"You do remember how, I hope?"
"Yes, I do. Have you forgotten how to pilot a fighter?"
"With your lessons, no." Joshua and Erik had taken some time to cross-train each other in their warrior skills. Joshua had learned some piloting skills from Erik and in exchange, Joshua had showed Erik how to drive a mech.
"Where's everyone else?"
All six called in. Daisaku Hayakusora was in the lightest design, a Rifleman. Isaac had a Thunderbolt class BattleMech, slightly lighter than Iolair's Warhammer. Matt Jiwe had a massive Atlas BattleMech. Ryan Smith was using a BattleMaster design.
"Okay, guys," said Justin over the radio. "You're all piloting pretty common designs. They're common because they're effective. Your opponents are piloting much lighter, but faster designs. Get ready and may the best team win."
Joshua felt the simulator hum as his mech "powered up." He grabbed the joysticks and marched his machine forward. "Alright, guys, they're going to try to swarm us with numbers since they can't outgun us with equal numbers. Split into two teams of three. Jiwe, Hayakusora, you're with me. Iolair, take Ryan and Isaac and head for that ridge." It was still awkward for Joshua to use the last names of his friends.
"Yes, sir." Responded his companions.
Joshua and his two associates headed across the plain, tearing through a grove of trees. Their mechs moved with precision as the spread out across the battlefield. "Bogey at 11 o'clock." Said Daisaku..
"Spotted." Joshua's HUD popped up elementary information on his opponent: design name, basic weaponry and armor, etc. It was a Centurion. Joshua outweighed the mech by 25 tons. The Centurion pilot fired first, ripping an autocannon blast across Joshua's left torso. The shot was extremely accurate, which made Joshua worry.
"That's an altered Centurion. There's no way he could inflict that much damage with one shot." Joshua said to himself. "They don’t have Ultra autocanons. So it must be a Class 20 cannon."
"His buddies are coming up behind. Bogeys at 4 and 7 o'clock."
"They're yours. This one's mine." Joshua thought for a second. "A Centurion normally fights with a heavy autocannon and a long range missle launcher. In a modified Centurion, it could swap out the launcher for that heavier autocannon. Probably what he's done. Have to keep him at range."
Joshua backpedaled his mech and pressed the triggers on his particle cannon. His heat gauge spiked, but both shots hit home, tearing off over a ton of simulated armor from the 50 ton mech.
"Three more coming up behind that Centurion."
"Alright," said Joshua to himself. "With luck, Ryan and the others are coming over that ridge in a few minutes. Ought to catch those newcomers off-guard. Just have to last long enough."
The computer identified the three new mechs: a Jenner, a Wolfhound, and a Phoenix Hawk. Joshua knew his worst opponent was still the Centurion, at least he hoped. The Wolfhound was an unknown factor, a new design that postdated the Star League. It was therefore unknown to him, but at 35 tons he highly doubted it could outgun the 50 ton Centurion. He waited for his heat to subside and let the Jenner have it with his autocannon and twin lasers. With its high speed, it had wandered too close for comfort. The triple blast shredded the light mech and it exploded in a flash of simulated fire and smoke.
"Good shot, Joshua." said Daisaku. He had his hands full with a mech designed called a
Joshua soon learned not to underestimate the mysterious Wolfhound. Although a lighter design, it carried an impressive array of laser weaponry. It unloaded a barrage of light into Joshua's Marauder, melting armor all over the big mech. The Centurion hit Joshua again with its big gun and the Marauder staggered.
"Damn, jammed my knee joint." said Joshua. He sprayed autocannon fire across the Wolfhound and blasted again with his PPCs. The twin plasma beams converged on the Centurion's leg, blowing it off at the knee. The medium mech fell, landing on its leg stump. The impact drove the leg stump up into the mech's torso, triggering a chain reaction that gutted the mech with a huge explosion.
"Hey, why are you guys having all the fun?" It was Erik Iolair, coming over the hill with his Warhammer.
"Arrgh!!!!" came over the radio a second later as Daisaku's mech went down. The
The remaining Wolfhound and Phoenix Hawk swarmed Iolair's Warhammer. Joshua triggered his PPCs, the two heavy weapons pounded the Wolfhound. The light mech was unable to handle the pounding and blew apart. The Phoenix Hawk turned to face Joshua, but found himself sandwiched between the Warhammer and the Marauder. The Phoenix Hawk fired its thrusters, rocketing it skyward. It flew over Joshua's head and down behind his vulnerable back.
The Phoenix Hawk fired its weaponry into Joshua's back. Since he was unable to turn quickly enough to face it, the medium was doing considerable damage to him. The loud blast shook Joshua's mech.
"You okay, Joshua?" It was Matt. Joshua's mech spun around, looking at the devestated Phoenix Hawk. The arm of the huge Atlas was smoking, it had obviously fired its lethal Class 20 autocannon into the Phoenix Hawk. The screen faded and Joshua suddenly remembered it was all a simulation.
The hatch to his simulator opened up and Joshua looked out at Justin Allard. "That was easy," said Joshua.
"You severely outgunned your opponents, so we expected you to do well." said Minister Allard, looking somewhat chastened. "It's not so simple against equal or more powerful opponents." Joshua stepped out.
Five minutes later, the entire group of Wolverines were assembled in a briefing room near the simulators. Prince Davion was present, as were three young men and women in cadet uniforms. Also present was a burly man in his early fourties who's uniform screamed of a high military rank. All of them looked a little shaken and surprised.
Justin walked inside. "Well, that has to be the quickest death I've ever experienced." He turned to the Prince. "And I though we’d clean their clocks. They cleaned ours."
Joshua looked puzzled. Justin smiled. "Your opponents in that exercise....." Justin spread out his hand to indicate who he was referring to. "....were the people you see here and myself. Despite the fact that we stacked the odds in your favor, you did extremely well for cadets with no formal training. Although you had the weight and firepower, we gave our team the experience of three of the best warriors in the Inner Sphere against you. We presumed you’d not stand a chance. For warriors without formal training, you did exceptionally well."
"We have had formal training." Said Joshua, miffed at Justin’s arrogant air. "Just not from the Inner Sphere."
"I get the sense that I’m out of practice." Muttered the burly man to the Prince. It was an aside, not meant to be heard by the rest.
"I believe that’s true of both of us." Said Hanse with an embarrassed smile.
"You mean, we were fighting you guys?" said Ryan Smith. "Ah, man!"
"Who piloted what?" asked Daisaku.
"Well, I had the Centurion that Mr. Messer blasted so effectively." said Justin.
"You went soft on
"I had the Wolfhound." said the burly man, who then introduced himself as Morgan Hasek-Davion, commander of the
"My mech was the Phoenix Hawk." said the Prince, drawing their attention back to the subject at hand. He pointed at Matt. "I didn't even see you coming. One hit and I was toast." The Prince turned to the three cadets. "And these are some of our top cadets at NAMA. This is Michael Koren, who piloted the
A pretty young redheaded woman stepped up. It was the same girl Joshua had seen in Daniel’s hospital room earlier that week. "I'm Lisa MacLeod. I piloted the Jenner you scrapped with that PPC barrage." Joshua stood there and stared at her. Even though he’d spent an evening drinking with her and her boyfriend just a few days earlier, he hadn’t really noticed just how gorgeous she was. For a minute, he forgot all about the soreness in his heart for Gwen. Lisa smiled and demurely returned the stare.
"Lisa is the top mechwarrior in NAMA from the
Joshua broke his stare, embarrassed. He looked over at the Prince. "Lisa and I have met."
"Oh, yes, she and Daniel O’Brian are close friends." Said Hanse. Joshua noticed as the Prince turned to the others that Lisa did not break her stare at him.
"Can I ask a question?" said Ryan.
"Sure. What is it?"
"You've been putting us through these exercises recently. To what purpose?"
"Your unique talents have made us seriously consider entering you into the same program as these students here." Said Prince Davion. "At their level."
Lisa broke her stare and the three cadets looked at the Prince surprised. "At the senior level?" said Kou, forgetting who he was addressing for a moment. "They're talented, but they aren't quite that good."
"We’re not green pilots!" Said Joshua bluntly. "We’ve all seen combat action in our own military and are fully qualified. What we lack is a familiarity with your tactics, equipment, and history."
"They kicked our butts, Kou." Said Lisa, defending Joshua and the others to the surprise of her comrades. "Although I’ll admit this is unorthodox, Highness."
The Prince raised his hand to quiet the room. He addressed Kou. "Just wait and see, Kou. You might be surprised."
"With all respect, Highness, I doubt it." snarled Kou somewhat disgusted.
Lisa smiled and looked at Joshua. "Well, Mr. Messer, I think you’ve been challenged."
"What about me?" said Marta, trying to change the subject. "I was not raised to be a warrior, so I lack the training my brother and his friends have."
"From what we can tell, you've shown a lot of potential in other areas. I'm afraid though that you're not going to get the same opportunities as your brother and friends. But you will be given the option to pursue whatever field you choose."
"That’s not fair." Complained Joshua.
"Neither is the fact that we had to earn our entry to NAMA when you’re getting yours free and clear. I’d not whine about fairness, Periphery boy." Retorted Kou.
Joshua looked at Kou with deadly seriousness. “Don’t insult me again.”
“That’s enough out of both of you.” Snapped the Prince impatiently. Both men quieted
“Classes begin in one week. Your class schedules will be sent to you before then. Welcome to the
New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth
12 September 3048
Joshua leaned back against a tree and glanced at his textbook. Bored, he tossed it aside and watched as a Davion Guards Rifleman made its way across the campus. The mech moved cautiously as to not damage the buildings or the vehicles parked at its feet.
He looked up to see his sister walking towards him.
"Lucky bastard." She snarled teasingly. "You only get to take three semesters of classes. I’m stuck for a full four years."
Three semesters? "Four." Corrected Joshua. He and the other seniors would graduate a year from December, an unusual arrangement for any university. But NAMA was different. Classes went year round and certain students were required to attend at all times of the year. Military sciences not only went year round, but also had to take an additional two semesters (summer and fall) after what would be their normal graduation date.
"Sorry. Forgot you have to attend over the summer."
"You will not. I assume you will make use of that leisure time."
"Of course. Unlike you, I don’t see trouncing around in one of those….." She gestured towards the Rifleman. "….to be relaxing." She changed the subject. "How many Lyrans are in your classes?"
"A few, but not very many. Why?"
"I’m still a little confused about this
"Lisa is Lyran."
"Ah, yes, your friend." Said Marta with a quirky smile. "I don’t know. Maybe I’m more optimistic about this than I should be."
"What do you mean?"
"I had the sincere hope that we would find a miniature Star League within this military alliance. I guess it’s too early to call. But you said the Star League would not be forged in violence. And I was hoping."
"Well, this is a start anyway."
"So you feel this is a good thing?"
"You don’t?"
"No, I do. I just know of some who think the Federated Suns is nurse-maiding the
"They don’t have to like each other, just get along in a civilized manner."
Deep Periphery
5 November 3049
"Step forward and claim that which you have earned Star Captain Dal. From henceforth, you shall be known as Dalbert Pryde, with all honors and titles therein. Let it be so written."
"Seyla." Said the assembled warriors of Clan Jade Falcon.
"With your new Bloodname, I, Khan Elias Crichell, offer you the Trial of Position for the rank of Star Colonel. Do you accept?"
"I accept."
Standing among the assembled warriors stood now Star Colonel Mechlanthon. After the attack on New Vision, Mechlanthon received the chance of his own Trial of Position, landing the command of the 8th Emerald Fusiliers. The Fusiliers were a garrison unit in the Falcon’s Epsilon Galaxy. Dal could have competed for that position, but instead opted for to claim the Bloodname of Uriah Pryde. Now, he could not only claim the Bloodname but also a position of cluster command. Mechlanthon knew which unit: the 2nd Falcon Jaegers of Delta Galaxy, a position vacated by now Galaxy Commander Marthe Pryde.
All this shuffling around in the Falcon touman was indicative of the Clan’s plans in the next several months. Bidding had already begun among all the Clans to fill the three slots remaining in the invasion plan of the Inner Sphere. The Wolves had gotten their position by default. The leading contenders were the Falcons, the Ghost Bears, and the Smoke Jaguars. The four wild cards were the Nova Cats, Steel Vipers, Diamond Sharks, and the Hell’s Horses. One of those Clans might be fortunate enough to claim one of the slots, but it was unlikely and they were more likely to take reserve status.
Mechlanthon had gained a unique distinction within his clan by taking the rank of Star Colonel. He was the youngest warrior in the history of Jade Falcon to take that rank. Despite that honor, the fact that he was still without a Bloodname made him less than desirable. He feared his unit being placed among the invasion reserves, or worse being left behind.
Pryde meanwhile, if he took control of the 2nd Jaegers, was almost guaranteed a place among the attack force. Mechlanthon snarled bitterly. Dal had friends in high places, Samantha Clees and Marthe Pryde both were known to pull favors to get Dal the choice missions. Mechlanthon also suspected that Clees was behind the suspicious death of Uriah Pryde, but he had no proof and he dared not voice his suspicions lest he come under scrutiny of the powerful Galaxy Commander.
Mechlanthon had a second mark on his record. The Jade Falcons were almost unanimously for the invasion of the Inner Sphere. Mechlanthon and a small handful of others were against it, placing themselves in what was known as the "Warden" faction. Most Falcons, indeed most Clansmen period, were Crusaders.
He shook his head as the warriors began to break up, many going to congratulate Dal. Mechlanthon instead headed back for his quarters. There would much work if he was to make his unit ready for the coming battles.
He noticed a gathering crowd of civilians around a small fire in one part of the park. The area was a small ring of stones, each marked with the emblem of the Nova Cat clan. An intensely spiritual clan, the Nova Cats often consulted "spirits" and "visions" on how to conduct themselves. It was a curious throwback to the obsolete religions of old Terra. Mechlanthon was immediately reminded, however, of his own name. It was a slightly altered form of the surname of Phillip Melanchthon, a religious reformer on old Terra. He had been given the name by his Warden Falconer, who intended for Mechlanthon to be a great reformer within the Jade Falcons.
As Mechlanthon approached, the civilians parted from his path, as he was a warrior and therefore of higher station than them. This gave him a clearer view of the Nova Car warrior in the center of the stone ring, sitting beside the fire. There was a curious odor in the air, most likely some form of mild hallucinogen. Mechlanthon then noticed on the opposite side of the ring were several other Nova Cats, all of which shot him a baleful glance.
Mechlanthon ignored them and watched the ceremony, a "vision quest" he believed it was called. The warrior in the center, a young woman dressed in a Nova Cat ceremonial gown, seemed to be under the influence of the strange smelling hallucinogen. She babbled incoherently at several random points. Finally she shook violently and seemed to come out of her trance.
"Tell us." Said one of the Nova Cat observers. "What did you see, Pel?"
"I saw a vast host of animals." Began Pel. "I saw wolves, hawks, serpents, cats, sharks, horses, and bears. All these beasts were racing towards a prized prey, a great stag who’s bounty would feed them all. I saw them biting and clawing at one another, each trying to reach the unmoving stag first." Then she paused.
"Then what did you see?" said the Nova Cat warrior. The interpretation of the vision was obvious at this point, and Mechlanthon steeled himself for the inevitable success of one of the cat species at reaching the stag first. That would represent the Nova Cat’s success at taking Terra first.
Much to his surprise, that did not come. Pel seemed reluctant to tell the rest of her vision. The Nova Cats grew insistent, no doubt with the same expectation Mechlanthon had. She finally relented.
"I saw a monster rise from the earth. It was dead, rotted and skeletal, but yet it moved. It swatted down each of the beasts in turn, killing them all. All the efforts to slay it came to naught, for it was already dead. It destroyed them, and took the stag for itself."
"This beast…" said Mechlanthon, his voice cracking and he himself not quite certain of why he was speaking. "….this monster of which you speak, what did it look like?"
The Nova Cats looked mortified that a Jade Falcon would intervene in their ceremony. Pel herself gave him a grave look. "It appeared to be….a dog like animal. Perhaps a wolverine."
New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Commonwealth
15 March 3049
Joshua was looking out over the NAMA drillfield, watching the infantry cadets do parade drill. His in-craft trials had gone well; getting used to the old decrepit post-Succession Wars mechs had been easier than he had expected. He had taken it upon himself to increase his skills with constant and varied practice, taking a different mech in every practice. Everything from the Marauder to Wasps, but he found time and again returning to one of two designs: the Warhammer and the Shadow Hawk. Today, he had chosen a Warhammer for a practice battle with several other cadets from NAMA.
The practice would begin in 30 minutes, so he decided to kill time watching the drill practice. Across the field was a statue of an Archer BattleMech, a dedication to Ian Davion, who died on Mallory’s World against the Draconis Combine in 3013. He had been the Prince of the Federated Suns and his death heralded the rise of Hanse Davion to the throne. In honor of his brother, he had named his son partially after him, being Victor Ian Steiner-Davion.
"Is this seat taken?" said a voice.
Joshua looked up to see Dr. Riva Allard, one of the researchers in the physics department of the nearby New Avalon Institute of Science. NAIS and NAMA were affiliated schools and it was not surprise to see a professor from one on the campus of the other. "No, go ahead, Doctor. What brings you out here?"
"The next practice. My nephew is fighting in it today. I don’t often get the chance to see him."
"That would be Kai."
"You know him?"
"We share some classes so, yes. I too am in the next practice run, and I’m not happy with the idea of fighting him. I faced his father, your brother, once in a simulator. If he’s anything like Dad…." Joshua shivered. He stood. "If you’re looking for good seats, I’d recommend you head over to the stadium. The trial is only about 15 minutes away."
Joshua headed across the campus to the mech hangers. It was a massive structure, but smaller than some he’d seen. Within were over two dozen of the 6 to 10 meter tall machines. Many of them were the popular Chameleon training mechs. The rest were a variety of designs, the largest was the Warhammer Joshua had chosen for the day.
The first mech he saw was the Phoenix Hawk. To him, it seemed an archaic design, having been used to the Thunderhawk design used by the Wolverines. Both mechs had a sleek fighter-jet appearance to them. Joshua knew there was a small handful of transformable LAM versions of the mech in existence. The Clans had abandoned that concept, since it blurred the line between fighter and mech, something the strict caste system of the Clans did not permit.
Around the side of the Phoenix Hawk he spied the back-side of an attractive young woman. The medium length curly red hair gave away who it was. Joshua slipped up behind her playfully, hoping to surprise her.
"There you are!" said Daisaku. "Where have you been?"
Joshua jumped at hearing Daisaku call. That blew his surprise as Lisa turned and saw him.
“What are you doing?” she asked in her own playful tone.
“Trying to sneak up on you and failing miserably thanks to my best friend Daisaku.” Said Joshua with sarcasm.
“Thanks, Daisaku, for saving
Daisaku gave a quick salute. “Anytime.”
Lisa turned back to Joshua. "So, I finally get a day where I don’t get my butt blasted off the planet by you."
"It’s such a pretty one, you know how I hate to do that." Said Joshua flirting.
“Alright, playboy. Cool your jets. You’d better get suited up. We’re getting started in a few minutes."
Joshua headed over to the Warhammer. A Centurion was parked beside it. On its breast were several characters in Chinese, a language Joshua didn’t know but could recognize. He knew who’s mech that was. He’d fought it in the simulator with Minister Allard piloting it. Now he would face it on a practice field with Allard’s son in the cockpit.
Joshua stripped down to his shorts, glancing back to see if Lisa was watching him. She was not. He slid on his cooling vest that a tech gave him and climbed up to the cockpit of his mech. Once inside, he strapped himself in and hooked up his helmet. The computers came on-line, telling him weapon status, armor status. He saw his SRM-6 and machine guns fully loaded with dummy rounds. His energy weapons, twin particle cannon and a pair each of medium and small lasers, would be down-powered to prevent them from doing anything more than scratch paint. There was a command code that could bring all the energy weapons up to full power. Joshua, obviously, did not have access to that code. Placing it in the hands of students whose tempers could flare up was a risky proposition at best.
The first six months of his education at NAMA had been both enlightening and entertaining. His courses had been set up to fill in where his own Wolverine training lacked: Inner Sphere history, military strategy, language, etc. And even then, they only lacked largely in knowledge about the last two centuries.
Lisa and the other students had been a big help. In the end, despite their initial protests to the Prince about the Wolverines joining NAMA, they had come around and befriended them. They had even made it a point to personally tutor the exiles in the finesse of Inner Sphere BattleMech piloting and warfare. It helped when they discovered that the exiles did not know everything. It did not take the cadets long to learn that despite their new friends’ top notch combat skills, they were almost totally ignorant in other matters. Each group used the other to test themselves and all involved began to rise in skill, producing the beginnings of what could be the best mechwarriors NAMA had ever produced.
Mike Koren spent a great deal of time with Daisaku. Kou Fairchild, despite his initial hostility had come around he had become inseparable from the Erik Iolair/Ryan Smith pair . Matt Jiwe kept mostly to himself, at least in relation to the other Wolverines. Most knew he had a new girlfriend who occupied his time.
Lisa, however, tended to associate with Joshua the most. She was intrigued by his talents at first, but came to like his personality and enjoy his company. They were friendly rivals, each trying to outdo the other in class and on the battlefield. And it was no surprise to anyone to see a lot of chemistry between them. But nothing came of it other than a bit of playful flirting. Lisa was loyal to Daniel and Joshua still mourned Gwen.
Joshua marched the Warhammer forward and placed it in line with the mechs in his unit. Joshua smiled when he saw Lisa’s Phoenix Hawk join up with his side. Also with him was Daisaku and Mike Koren. They piloted a Dervish and an Enforcer.
"Cadet Messer, this is testing command. Due to your previous scores, you have been granted lance command today. You know your team. Proceed to the testing ground."
"Roger, testing command. Blue lance, report in."
The testing ground was a square kilometer arena. At its far edges were stands for spectators, protected behind a detonation grid that prevented the dummy rounds and under-powered lasers from harming them. It was a duplicate of a system used in the Steiner arena on Solaris, the first time that system had been duplicated. Joshua’s lance had been ordered to the far side and was to wait until the signal was given to begin.
The Warhammer outgunned most every mech on the field. The older version which he piloted had trouble with being overgunned and underarmored. The War Mattock, the Wolverine’s upgrade of this machine, had more armor at the sacrifice of some of its firepower. The only one that might match it was Yen-lo-wang, the modified Centurion of the Xiang-Allard family. Unlike the Warhammer, the Centurion lacked any heat problems with its upgraded firepower.
Lisa’s Phoenix Hawk moved up beside Joshua. He smiled over at her, thankful that she couldn’t see him. Her friendship had made the loss of Gwen more bearable.
The word was given. Kai’s team was well chosen. He was facing a Cicada, a Whitworth, a Marauder, and the Centurion. At range, the Marauder and Whitworth were potent foes. In close, the Cicada could be trouble, too fast to be easily hit. Never mind the potent firepower of the class 20 autocannon of Yen-lo-wang.
Joshua picked his target. He had lost two fights against Whitworths before, once in the simulator and once on the field. He gained a hatred of the mech and decided to finish this one quickly. Ignoring the Marauder, the only mech of comparable weight to his own, he fired his PPCs at the machine. They slammed into the 40 ton mech, tearing through its twin armor. It returned fire with twenty LRMs . Joshua rushed forward, letting the missiles pepper the ground behind him.
He switched to his close range TIC, the batch of lasers. He triggered them as he closed to short range with the Whitworth. Armor blasted off the Whitworth’s legs. The Whitworth tried to back off, putting distance between itself and the Warhammer. As it moved beyond the PPC’s minimum range, he triggered the left cannon. The particle bolt slammed into the Whitworth’s torso, detonating a virtual ammunition store. It was over.
Joshua spun the Warhammer to target another victim. Kai’s Yen-lo-wang was closing with Lisa’s Phoenix Hawk. Joshua shot her a tightbeam transmission.
"You take him from the front. I’ve got his back."
"And leave me to face that autocannon? Are you crazy?" She dropped her large laser down to burn a mark in the Centurion’s shoulder. Joshua fired his SRMs and lasers at the mech. Kai knew he was in trouble. He turned his mech to face Joshua, the more powerful of his two foes. The autocannon belched steel and Joshua swore when he saw his armor disappear from his left hip and lower left torso. Had the shells been real, they would have smashed the barrels of one each of the machine guns and lasers. Instead, those weapons went black on Joshua’s monitor, unusable by computer command.
Lisa was on him in a second, blasting away with her large laser. Joshua cut in with another SRM blast, blowing away a small but noticeable chunk of Yen-lo-wang’s armor.
"One more hit from that cannon and I’m history." He remembered the first time he faced the mech and he remembered how hard it hit. He saw Kai turn back to Lisa and level the autocannon against her Phoenix Hawk.
"I don’t think so!" snarled Joshua. He cut loose with everything, too much for the Warhammer’s heat sinks to handle. Even without the weapons on full power, heat washed into the cockpit at near unbearable levels. Armor seemed to peel off the Centurion like paper, but the autocannon still fired. Joshua snarled when he saw the Phoenix Hawk register killed on the monitors.
"I won’t be quite so easy." Said Joshua.
"I wasn’t expecting you to be, Joshua." Said Kai.
There was no cover on the training ground, making tactical decisions limited. Joshua backpedaled away from the Centurion. The autocannon fired again, but only blew chunks of ground to kingdom come. Joshua didn’t know what to do next. With no where to run, he had no choice to stand his ground.
"No where to run." Said Kai emphatically. Joshua triggered his PPCs as the autocannon fired again. Joshua blast tore through the center torso armor of the Centurion, boiling away his engine shielding. His own computers registered the destruction of his gyro. Joshua laughed as his mech shut down as the simulation ended. They had killed one another.
"Don’t sell yourself short, Kai. You did claim two kills." Responded Joshua, drinking from his cup of coffee.
"I died taking you down, remember?"
"Yes, but that’s only because Joshua is so good." Said Lisa, walking up. "Is this seat taken?"
Joshua glanced up from his meal to see Lisa hovering over him with a tray of food. "No, go ahead." He answered. Lisa proceeded to sit down. Kai checked his watch.
"I’m afraid I must be going. I want a rematch someday, Joshua."
"Give me a call." Said Joshua with a hint of cocky arrogance. "I’ll kick your tail then too."
Kai shook his head and departed with a wave. Lisa sat down and began to eat. She waited for Kai to disappear from sight before speaking.
She blew her hair out her eyes. "The scores for the military history test were just posted. I can't believe you aced it. You make me sick sometimes, Joshua."
“Is that where you went after the mech trial? I wondered. So what do you think about it?”
"I fought Kai Allard-Liao and lost. No surprises there. You, on the other hand, I can beat. And I usually do in the classroom. Sometimes you surprise me."
Joshua grinned. "Glad to be of service."
"What was it? Question 17, name the general in the Second World War known for his powerful desert warfare techniques?"
"Rommel. He's the fellow they named the Defiance Industries tank after."
"That was the only one I missed. I had to study 6 hours to polish up on my 20th century military history. You didn't study a minute."
"History has always been one of my strongest subjects. My people valued the history of the human race and we tried to maintain archives of that history as well as we could."
To that Lisa grinned. "Is there anything you’re not good at?"
"You know the answer to that. You’ve outscored me plenty of times on exams. Just never beaten me in a mech."
"Well, now that trend is changing. Soon you’ll be beating me at everything."
"You resent how well I'm doing. I'm no threat to your position as the top Lyran student. I’m not from the Commonwealth, remember?"
"It’s not that, Joshua. I'm just used to having only Kai outclass in everything, and look at his pedigree. His father Justin Allard of the Intelligence service and his mother Candice Liao. His grandfather was the ruler of the Capellan Confederation."
“And you think his royal blood should make him better than us?”
“He got the best training growing up. I had a mech simulator on a backwater agricultural planet. Then you come along, from some Periphery world no one even knew existed until a year ago.”
“My pedigree is closer to his than yours. My father was our warleader and pushed me, pushed me hard. I resented him for it,” He paused as a twinge of regret seeped into his heart. “But it made me into what I am today. You should be proud of what you’ve made of yourself. You fought a lot harder to get where you are than either Kai or me.”
“Well, your father did well. You turned out pretty good.”
“Yeah,” said Joshua, letting his regret sound in his voice.
“Sorry. You lost him when your people were wiped out.”
“No, he died before that.”
“There you go again.”
“What?”
“That tone in your voice. For all your flirting and your little games, it so obvious to me that you’re never completely comfortable around me. You’re not like this with your other friends, with Daisaku, and Erik, and the rest.”
"It’s nothing." He said quietly.
"You just seem so gloomy most of the time. You're a nice guy, a little weird, but nice. I was always wondering why you were so unhappy all the time. Is it me?"
"It’s not you. Just some old regrets. Some old memories of people I’ll never see again.”
“I guess I keep forgetting what you’ve seen. I’m not sure how I’d react if my home was destroyed.”
“Why would you think it was you?"
"Well, we do spend a lot of time together. I go out of my way to be with you at times. But I never can quite figure you out."
“That makes two of us.”
"You want some ice cream?" Lisa changed the subject quickly, hoping to cheer Joshua up after causing him to become more morose.
"Sure." He said, his voice showing somewhat more cheer than before.
"I'll go get us some. You stay here."
"I'm not going anywhere." said Joshua. Lisa stood up and walked across the cafeteria. Joshua watched her go.
She returned with their ice cream and they gobbled it down quick. Lisa then stood up to leave. "Where are you off to now?" Joshua asked with a bit of disappointment.
"ComStar station. I got a message saying there's a transmission for me."
Joshua's eyebrow's raised. "A transmission over ComStar? You must be important."
"Well, I may not be the child of royalty like Kai, but I am the daughter of a duke, remember? Noble blood. But it's probably not from my father. It's probably from Dan."
“Oh.” Said Joshua a bit crestfallen.
If Lisa picked up on it, she didn’t show it. “What about you? Where are you off to from here?”
“I should probably be off downtown to get a present. Marta’s birthday is today. ComStar station is along the way. Care if I walk with you?”
“Not at all.”
"Easy target. Nowhere it can hide." Commented Joshua at the mech.
"Parade colors. Little need for combat camouflage here on New Avalon. You know, the ComGuards are supposed to have access to lostech weaponry." Lisa had returned and had snuck up behind Joshua as he watched the giant marching near them.
"Lostech?" Joshua had heard the term a few times. It referred to the Star League level technology that had been "lost" over the almost 300 years of the Succession Wars, hence the term "lost tech" or "lostech."
"They do." Said Joshua, confirming Lisa’s rumor.
"You got a good look at their mechs?"
"ComGuard forces were part of the team that discovered my colony."
"So that's how they can be so blatantly arrogant. They can play bad ass. Of course, that kind of tech is supposed to be second nature to you."
"Once upon a time, it was. So what's in your message?" asked Joshua, gesturing to the holodisk in her hand.
"I'll have to see. I have a viewer in my room." Said Lisa.
"Oh, wish her well for me. Bye."
Joshua headed towards his sister's dorm. Marta had entered into the Engineering program at NAIS and had begun her progress towards her degree. Her Wolverine upbringing was showing through in her grades thus far. Joshua spent a lot of time with her, but Marta had gained some new friends as well. Later that evening, he was holding a surprise party for her with some of her friends. But one thing remained: a gift.
Joshua strolled briskly towards town.
Next Chapter
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