Wolf's Free£ancers

Web novel by LtCol[W£]GrinnerWolf

Templar

MechWarrior Chronicles

Winds of Change
A proud Khan. A rebellious warrior. Together, they must strive against all odds to ensure the survival of their clan.
A Web novel by A Garang Wolf, copyrighted by AFAR (©AFAR 2003) (ahfaiz@nstp.com.my). Other copyrighted materials belong to their respective owners.

Synopsis:
Due to unrelenting pressure from rival clans, the Ðreaded Legion faces total annihilation. In order to survive, it must adapt to new ways and leave clan space before it is too late. However, the Ðreaded Legion can never trust Inner Sphere surats completely. Thus it must prepare for the day when it needs to draw on its reserve fighting force no one suspects exists - the Wolf's Free£ancers mercenary unit.

Chapter 1: Rebel with a cause

Chapter 2: The long journey begins

Chapter 3: A question of faith
Chapter 4: Death Comes on Swift Wings

Chapter 5: Lull before the storm

Chapter 6: The Crossover

Chapter 7: Rebirth

Chapter 8: The Gladiators

Chapter 9: Here be Pirates

Chapter 10: The Good Fight
Lieutenant Jo-Jin Kei throttled his Raven back and slowed it to a halt, knowing that pursuit was futile or even suicidal. The rebel attack was nothing more than a feint to draw the Tioman Davion Militia Mechs into an ambush or was, at the very least, a diversion of sorts.
And it would appear that the Tioman Liberators were getting more desperate than he had thought. The feint was used so many times already, the rebels would be crazy to think that it would work this time round.
'No, they aren't crazy,' Jo-jin thought to himself.
Indeed, the Tioman Liberators were fighting a lost cause. Nevertheless, they were determined to go down fighting. And in a civil war whereby honour was often sacrificed in the name of victory, Jo-jin found the rebels' determination rather admirable.
"Shall we pursue?" asked Sergeant Shima Andrews, Jo-jin's lance sergeant.
"Negatory," Jo-jin replied with a touch of laughter. "What would be the point?"
"Well, with respect, Lieutenant, isn't that what we're assigned to do?" Andrews asked sardonically. "I mean - come on! - we have enough air support to crush them, ambush or no ambush."
"Eager to die, are we?" Jo-jin shot right back. "And the last I checked, sergeant, Lieutenant Jo-jin Kei was this lance's commander," Jo-jin added, with annoyance clearly in his voice.
"My apologies, Lieutenant," Andrews replied, but not really meaning it. "I'll just ignore the fact that we look like a bunch of cowards right now."
"You're out of line, sergeant," Jo-jin replied calmly, and if Andrews knew him well enough, it was when Jo-jin appeared calm and collected that he was the most dangerous. And to her benefit, the sergeant said nothing more, since Jo-jin had turned his Raven to face her Osiris almost threateningly. Of course, he would not fire on her, but it was enough to indicate that, if she pushed any further, she would have to face off with him later. And she was completely humiliated the last time that happened.
"This is Eagle 1," said the Cherokee attack helicopter wing leader Lieutenant Ethan Hawk over the coms. "Orders are to pursue. Why haven't we done so?"
"Damocles 1 to Eagle 1," Jo-jin replied. "Orders are to attack if opportune. I don't believe it is."
"Lieutenant, our targets are getting away," Hawk said anxiously. "Recommend that we pursue, over."
"I am aware of our targets' whereabouts, Lieutenant," Jo-jin replied calmly. "My lance is staying put."
"Damn it, Kei!" Hawk shouted. "We have the upper hand here. You had better get your ass moving, or you'll be up on charges."
"What charges?" Jo-jin asked angrily. "That I failed to pursue the enemy so as not to cause unnecessary casualties, both civilian and military?"
"That's it," Hawk said impatiently. "I'm taking over this mission. Eagle Wing, break right, heading 235. We'll come in from the rear and...."
"Belay that order!" Jo-jin countered. "You'll be headed straight for Lancaster. They'll interpret it as an attack, you idiot."
There was no answer. The Cherokee attack helicopters kept flying toward Lancaster.
"Eagle 1, abort," said Jo-jin, hoping against hope. "I say again, Eagle 1. Please abort."
Lancaster was a small port city that had taken on refugees from other war torn cities on Tioman planet. And it was no secret that the city's population was sympathetic toward the rebels generally. For that, it had been raided mercilessly by the Davion Militia repeatedly, under the pretext of flushing out rebel guerrillas.
Truth be told, Lancaster city was no more of a threat to Fort Davion than the fleeing rebels. But the Davion Militia would still visit punishment upon it just to draw the rebels out into the open. And the civilian casualties would be dismissed as merely collateral damage.
"You could have avoided this, Kei," Hawk said. "This one is on your head."
"Damocles Lance, move out," Jo-jin ordered, as he throttled forward in the direction of Lancaster. "But do not fire until I give the order. And that goes double for you, sergeant."
Unfortunately, by the time Jo-jin and the rest of his lance reached the city's periphery, a battle was already under way. The Cherokees were firing off their hyper velocity auto-cannons (HVAC) furiously at ground targets, but what exactly they were firing at, Jo-jin could not see. And nothing was showing up on scope either.
"Damocles Lance ready to assist, Eagle 1," Jo-jin said over the coms. "Give us a target, over."
No reply.
"What are you firing at, Eagles?" Jo-jin asked again.
"Eagle 1 to Damocles 1, we were being shot at by someone with a shoulder mounted SHRIKM launcher," Hawk finally replied.
"Shoulder mounted...?" Jo-jin asked disbelievingly. "And for that, you opened up on the city?"
SHRIKM or surface-to-air heat seeking, radar and infrared assisted, killer missiles were potent against attack helicopters, but only when used in large numbers. While a single launcher could still inflict damage, it was hardly enough to justify the wanton destruction visited upon Lancaster city by the Cherokee attack helicopters.
"Abort mission!" Jo-jin ordered again. "I repeat, abort mission!"
"Keep firing, Eagles," Hawk countered.
Switching over to the Damocles Lance com channel, Jo-jin said, "Damocles 2, 3 and 4, return to base."
"And what are you going to do?" Andrews asked.
"Don't argue with me, sergeant!" Jo-jin snapped.
"Alright," Andrews said, in a placating sort of way. "Returning to base, as ordered."
Jo-jin throttled his Raven all the way up in order to catch up with the Cherokees. He wanted to see exactly what they were firing at, in the hope that he would be able to get enough gun-camera evidence against Hawk and his pilots that would help to convict them for their war crimes.
When he entered the city, he was shocked to see so many civilian casualties. People were dead and dying on the streets, and there was nothing he could do about it. Worse still, he could not move quickly toward where the Cherokees were hovering and firing away, without endangering more people.
Slamming his Raven in reverse, Jo-jin retreated the way he came and moved right, on the outer side of the embattled city. Torso twisting, he centred his Raven's targeting reticule on the nearest Cherokee, hoping that he could see the enemy target it was shooting at based on the attack helicopter's tracer fire. But there was nothing. The Cherokee was firing at a building non-stop, while nothing fired back. A moment later, the building collapsed into the ground in a thick cloud of debris.
Quickly, Jo-jin moved his Raven away, so as not to be engulfed by the debris cloud. He then selected the next "friendly" target and lined his gun sight on it. To his utter dismay, Eagle 1 was firing on what was clearly a hospital building.
"Bakane!" Jo-jin cursed Hawk in Japanese over the coms. "You're insane, Ethan!! Return to base. I'm warning you!"
Hawk did not reply and kept firing into the hospital building.
Jo-jin squeezed his main firing trigger, hitting Hawk's Cherokee with large laser fire, and then followed through with medium range missiles (MRMs) by pressing down on the secondary trigger with his thumb. The multiple impacts did not destroy Hawk's Cherokee but were sufficient to knock Hawk's aim off and stop him from shooting further at the hospital.
"I'm hit! I'm hit!" Hawk shouted over the coms. "Son of a bitch! It was you, Kei."
Quickly, Jo-jin angled his Raven away from the city while keeping his aim on Hawk's Cherokee. And the moment his weapons cycled, he fired again, this time coring the attack helicopter.
"Eagle 1, we have a Raven gone rogue," said Hawk over the coms, as he angled away from Jo-jin's Mech so as to be out of its firing range.
"Return to base, or I will be forced to destroy you," Jo-jin said as menacingly as he could over the coms.
"Oh! Really?" Hawk said, with malice clearly in his voice. "Get him, boys!"
Outnumbered and outgunned, Jo-jin knew that he probably would not survive the show-down. But he had to stop Hawk from destroying the hospital, and in his rage, he did not consider fully the possibility of having to sacrifice his life in the process. He wished he had not ordered the rest of his lance back to base, but then thought better of it. He could not trust Andrews and the rest to do the right thing in the first place. And if they were here, they would probably gang up against him too.
No, Jo-jin was better off on his own. Unfortunately, he was running out of options.
Quickly, Jo-jin punched in his security code for the onboard computer, retrieved the mini-disc containing the gun camera footage and slipped it into his cooling vest pocket. He then torso twisted his Raven to face the nearest Cherokee and angled for it.
Suddenly, red dots appeared on Jo-jin's radar scope. The rebels were near.
Immediately, Jo-jin angled his Raven away from the Cherokees and moved toward the rebels, in the hope that his manoeuvre would deter pursuit.
But either way, Jo-jin remained in deep trouble. He could end up being killed anyway, if not by the Cherokees, then by the rebels.
Still, he could not think of a better alternative. And if he was going to die, he was going to try make it count.
Hawk and his pilots appeared hesitant about pursuing Jo-jin's Raven at first, but then gave chase anyway. Perhaps they thought they could handle the rebel Harasser hovercrafts that had just appeared on scope.
They thought wrong. For, hiding in the extreme rear were 100 ton Demolisher tanks armed to the max with SHRIKM launchers.
The Harassers were merely spotters, and when the Cherokees came within range, the Demolishers let loose. Hawk and his pilots met their fiery end without firing a single shot at the Harassers.
Uncertain of what he should do next, Jo-jin throttled back his Raven and came to a stop. With the Cherokees gone, there was no way he could outrun the Harassers, and while he could take them on, he could not possibly destroy them all. Hesitantly, he powered his Raven down and waited.
The rebels appeared somewhat confused by that. They would move in with their Harassers and then move quickly out of firing range, and they kept doing that until Jo-jin's Raven was encircled completely. If they wanted to, they could open fire just about then and kill Jo-jin without suffering a single loss on their side, but they did not.
Instead, one of them opened a tight beam com channel to Jo-jin and spoke: "You a freaking turncoat or a God-damn spy?"
After a moment's consideration, Jo-jin replied calmly, "I'm neither. I am Davion Militia, and those pilots you shot out of the sky are... were war criminals. I tried to stop them and was trying to get away from them, so that I could bring them to justice with the evidence that I've collected on the atrocities they committed in Lancaster."
"Huh!" the rebel snorted synically. "How brave of you."
"I... will be on my way now," Jo-jin said, somewhat unsure. "And you would understand if I don't thank you."
"And you would understand if we don't let you go," the rebel shot back. "We want your Raven. We can do it the easy way, or we can do it the hard way."
"Look," Jo-jin cut the rebel off impatiently. "The faster I get this evidence to Fort Davion, the faster we can bring the hostilities against Lancaster to a halt."
"Huh!" the rebel snorted again. "Who're you kidding? You want evidence, we have tons of evidence. But who's gonna to see them? The Tioman Regent Alex Davion? His kangaroo military courts? His media?"
"What alternative is there?" Jo-jin asked. "In case you haven't noticed, you've lost. There's nothing you can do to win this civil war. You would only prolong it...."
"Oh! But there is," the rebel cut Jo-jin off in mid-sentence. "For as long as the Tioman Liberation Force exists, we will continue to mete out the people's retribution against Alex Davion, his band of criminals, and anyone else foolish enough to serve them. We are the true people's defenders! And if it weren't for us, Lancaster would have lost another major hospital."
Jo-jin did not have anything to say in response to that. Somehow, in spite of all the confusing and conflicting points of view that abound a civil war, the rebel's words rang true. If it were not for the rebel force showing up, Hawk and his pilots would have finished Jo-jin off and then returned to Lancaster to continue with the destruction of the city.
"So, what's it going to be?" the rebel asked.
And with that, Jo-jin popped open his cockpit hatch and alighted from his Raven. But before throwing off his neuro-helmet, he said, "I surrender."
Meanwhile, more than a thousand light years away, MechWarrior Wolf was finally regaining consciousness. Confused and disoriented, Wolf could not recall what had happened to him at first. His eyes were blurry and his throat was parched dry. Then, it all came back to him in torrents.
Vivid images of flames engulfing him flashed through Wolf's mind in quick succession, as his heart began to race. And the memory of the pain returned as well. It was the most horrible thing he had ever felt. He should have died because of terrible flames and, yet, he was alive.
Reflexively, Wolf brought up his arms in an attempt to block out the terrifying images from his mind, but only his right arm responded. His left arm did not budge. Alarmed, Wolf reached out for it with his right hand, and to his shock, he found that it was not there. It was gone.
Forcing his eyes to open wider, Wolf tried to look at what should have been his left arm. But everything was still blurry and he could only see through his right eye. He tried to rub his eyes with his fingers in the hope that his vision would clear up but received another shock instead. His left eye socket. There was something wrong with it. It was hollow and filled with gauze, and the socket was lined with something that felt cold and metallic.
Wolf tried to get up but could not find his strength. Grimacing, Wolf rolled onto his left side in an attempt to get off the bed he was on. But there was something wrong with his left leg. It felt heavy and lifeless at the same time. It was gone.
And his right foot; while he could still feel its presence, it was gone too.
"No," Wolf tried to say, but his voice was little more than a whisper. "No!" Wolf tried to exclaim but his voice rasped and squeaked. Wolf's larynx was severely damaged, as he had breathed in super-heated air.
That made Wolf even more determined in getting off the bed. But for what, he did not know. He just had to get up. His fighting instincts would not let him do anything else. And just then, he felt something on his right shoulder that made him flinch, but before he could slap it away, he heard the most soothingly familiar voice.
"Easy, easy," it said.
"Karen?" Wolf tried to say. "Karen?!" Wolf squeaked.
"Yes," the voice said. "It's me."
"What has happened to me?" Wolf asked. "I should be dead. I should be dead! Why have I not died?"
"We managed to pull your broken body from the escape pod," Karen explained gently. "Your heart had stopped, but we managed to revive you."
"Why did you bring me back?" Wolf asked angrily in his rasping and squeaky voice. "I failed. I should have died. Now I am a damn cripple. What good am I?!"
"No," Karen placated. "We need you. The clan still needs you. I need you."
"To do what? Pilot a wheelchair?" Wolf asked in despair and on the verge of tears.
Just then, Wolf saw something shadowy move close to him, and it was followed by a prick on his neck. And almost instantly, he felt the tension in his body leave him.
"Make it fast," said the shadowy figure.
"Thank you, doctor," Karen responded.
"I'll be right outside," he added, as he walked away.
"Wolf, listen to me," Karen continued gently. "We kept you in comatose state for six months. The incident that nearly took your life was more than six months ago. We had to keep you under because your body needed to be mended and to heal."
Wolf could only listen passively.
"We've been repairing your body, but in stages," Karen continued. "We're nearly done now, which is why we've brought you around. We need you fighting-fit as soon as possible, because..., because the clan is on the run and we don't have much time left to put a merc unit together. Do you understand, Wolf?"
After a short pause, Karen continued, "Everything else will heal naturally, and if we have more resources, we'll see about..., about repairing your facial features."
Hearing that, Wolf's right hand travelled reflexively to his face. Apart from the hollow left eye socket, he felt his right eye-ball bulging out. That was because his right upper-eyelid had been burned away by intense heat, which, in turn, explained why his right eye was blurry - Wolf's cornea was damaged and dry.
"My cadets would fear me even more now," Wolf croaked, out of context. The relaxant that was injected into him was meant to help him think more lucidly and feel more enthusiastic about his happenstance, but after a while, it also had a mild intoxicating effect on his mind.
"Rest, Wolf," Karen said, gently. "Your 'cadets' will be ready and waiting by the time we're through patching you up. Just don't expect a lot of trueborn quality from them...."
"Oh, I'll whip them into shape...," Wolf said, his crackly voice trailing off.
A moment later, Wolf felt another prick on his neck. And for seemingly no apparent reason, he felt so tired that he just wanted to sleep.
But before he knew it, Wolf was awake once again. It felt like he had just fallen asleep, when, in truth, he had been under for more than a week.
And he felt funny. There was a strange tingling in his body that caused his left arm, left leg, right foot and left eye to twitch uncontrollably.
"Compensate for that," Wolf heard a voice as saying.
"There. Perfect," Wolf heard the person behind the voice add further as that person began removing wires that were attached to Wolf.
"No. Better than perfect," said another person with an all too familiar voice; one that caused Wolf's eyes to open wide and his heart to race in anger. It was Typhoon's voice.
Immediately, Wolf sat up in his bed and looked in the direction where Typhoon's voice came. But he did not recognise the tall man whom he saw.
"Welcome back from the dead," Typhoon said.
Wolf wore a confused expression on his scarred, disfigured face and said nothing.
"Yes, it's me, Grinner," Typhoon added. "Amazing what money can buy these days."
"What are you doing here?" Wolf asked in a surprised but clear voice. He could hardly speak the last time he awoke, and his surprise was more because of that.
"Putting together a merc unit takes loads of C-bills," Typhoon began to explain. "Putting you back together takes even more."
But Wolf was far from convinced. "First you tried to kill me, and now you're trying to 'do right' by me?" he asked sceptically.
"Well, I figured I owed you," Typhoon replied, coyly.
Slowly, Wolf stepped off the bed. Strangely, everything felt normal, and for the first time, he noticed his cybernetic replacements for what they really were. They felt and worked like he had been born with them.
However, when he clenched his left hand into a fist, he clearly felt its power. It was far stronger than the biological arm he had lost.
Wolf tested his left leg next. Lifting his left knee to his chest in preparation for a turning kick, he was amazed by the speed and agility his cybernetic leg afforded him. And he hardly noticed that he was balanced on one foot, on his right cybernetic foot.
Also, in spite of the fact that Wolf had been incapacitated for more than six months, his muscles had been restored to their full strength beautifully by the med-techs who attended to him.
Typhoon or the person clad in a business suit who was standing in front of Wolf began shifting his weight subtly. It was as though he was preparing for what could transpire next.
"Damn straight you owe me," Wolf said calmly, as he stood facing Typhoon squarely. "And I intend to collect, with interest."
Just then, Typhoon's two near-Elemental size bodyguards stepped out of the shadows. But Typhoon signalled for them to stand down by raising a hand.
Slowly, Wolf walked up to Typhoon, looking the business-suit clad man up and down.
"Damn, Typh," Wolf feinted friendliness. "I hardly recognise you," Wolf added and, when close enough, punched Typhoon across the face with his right hand. But as soon as he did, he regretted not using his left hand instead. He would have to get used to the fact that his left hand, his newly attached cybernetic hand, was the more powerful one.
Typhoon's head was thrown back a little when Wolf's punch connected, and while the punch smacked, Typhoon merely stood his ground and stared Wolf down. "I should say the same for you," he said, in reference to Wolf's grotesque face. "Unfortunately, I don't have the funds for your 'beautification'. I used them for myself."
Wolf wanted to kill Typhoon right there and then, but something else burned him as well, and he focused on that instead.
"Who are you?" Wolf demanded to know. "And why did you betray me?!"
"Tiberius Forbs, formerly of Clan Nova Cat, formerly bondsman of Death Strike Mercenaries and fellow merc of the same," Typhoon revealed without hesitation. "As to why you were betrayed, regrettably, it was expedience."
"I should kill you for that," Wolf said, through gritted teeth.
"And you would be right to," Typhoon responded. "Except that, for now, you need me and I need you."
"Huh!" Wolf snorted. "True to your character - never doing something for nothing."
"Would you?" Typhoon retorted.
"Aff, if it is the right thing to do," Wolf replied.
"Right by whom?" Typhoon countered. "By yourself? By me?"
"You were Clan," Wolf shot back. "Your word is your bond!"
"I WAS Clan," Typhoon said with a heavy sigh. "That much is true, but I am no longer Clan. And sadly, neither are you."
And that gave Wolf reason to pause. Although he could still relate to what it meant to be Clan, a large part of him was no longer Clan.
And the silence between Wolf and Typhoon began to stretch.
Then Typhoon said, "Karen explained your mission to me."
"Really?" Wolf asked, surprised but still sceptical.
"As a precondition to my giving financial aid, I demanded the truth," Typhoon pressed further.
"And what did she tell you exactly?" Wolf asked.
Hearing that, a smile tugged at the corners of Typhoon lips. "That's what we're here to determine," Typhoon said.
To Wolf, that sounded so incredible, it was nearly laughable. "You have got to be kidding," he said in disbelief. "You expect me to trust you with what I know after all you've done, just like that?"
"You do not have a choice, MechWarrior Wolf of Clan Dreaded Legion," Typhoon declared forcefully. "Your cybernetics are rigged for self-destruct if you do not comply." And with that, Typhoon brought out a tiny remote from the inner breast pocket of his jacket. "One click on this remote and you are history."
Hearing that, it was Wolf's turn to smile. "How many million C-bills have you spent on me, Typhoon, or whatever your name is?" Wolf asked, rhetorically. "You know what I think? You need me more than I need you. Otherwise, you would not have gone this far," Wolf added and paused for effect. "In any case, I would rather die than volunteer information to you and I have been dead before. So, go ahead. Click away." And with that, Wolf stood with his hands folded across his chest, waiting for Typhoon's next move. One thing was for sure; if Typhoon really wanted information, he would have resorted to something easier, like a truth serum for example.
After a while, "Well," Typhoon said. And as he was putting away the remote, he added, "You've called my bluff, and I fold. The remote... is for my sports convertible sitting outside. But do not overrate your importance to me, MechWarrior Wolf. I could have set out to accomplish my objectives without your aid, but I chose to do right by you." And with that, Typhoon turned to leave.
There it was, Wolf thought to himself. The supposedly 'real' reason.
"Halt!" Wolf shouted.
And Typhoon stopped in his tracks.
"You're not getting off that easily," Wolf warned.
"All in good time, Grinner," Typhoon replied, as he continued to walk toward the exit door with his bodyguards in tow. "All in good time."
Not long after Typhoon and his bodyguards left, Karen entered the room. She looked anxious at first, and then relieved.
"What the hell is going on?" Wolf demanded to know.
"He wasn't supposed to show up today," Karen began to explain. "At least not before I had the chance to bring you up to speed on what's been going on."
"He said you told him about our mission," Wolf cut her off angrily. "Is that true?"
"I neither told him nor confirmed what he believes to be our mission," Karen responded. "But he's made highly informed educated guesses."
"And how would he be able to do that if...," Wolf said but then stopped short when he became conscious of the fact that he and Karen were not alone. The med-techs who attended to him earlier were still around, going over the diagnostic readings of Wolf's cybernetic parts on their respective medical consoles and hand held devices. "We need a better place to talk," Wolf said.
"Are we done?" Karen asked the med-techs.
"Just about, ma-am," said one of the techs who appeared to be the most senior amongst them.
"Well, make it quick," Karen ordered.
"Yes, ma-am," replied the tech.
"Who are these people?" Wolf asked in reference to the med-techs.
"They are Typhoon's crew," Karen replied. "They are amongst his most trusted and well paid people. They would have to be, because he's on the run from the planetary authorities and just about every bounty hunter in the Inner Sphere."
A look of further confusion came over Wolf's terribly scarred face as a result.
"I'll explain everything later," Karen said. "In the meanwhile...," she added while taking out a tiny electronic device from the right pocket of her waist length leather jacket and activated it. She then ran the device all over Wolf's body.
"Ma-am," the senior med-tech called out. "We're done. And... no, we didn't plant any sort of spy device on him, if that's what you're scanning for."
"Well, we can't be too careful now, can we?" Karen said, as she slipped the tiny scanner back into her jacket; the scans turned out negative. She then took out from the holdall she carried with her into the room a pair of MechWarrior boots, jumpsuit, and leather jacket, and passed them all to Wolf. "Get dressed," Karen said.
Wolf took the clothes and boots from Karen, and then seemed to hesitate for a while. Although his newly installed cybernetic limbs felt "normal", the sense of touch they accorded him felt out of place. It was as though the things he felt were distant memories.
Also, Wolf realised that he had not looked himself in the mirror to see just how grotesque his features were after suffering horrendous burns. He looked up and into Karen's eyes to read her reaction toward him but all he found was familiarity and affection. For that he was grateful.
Wolf put on his clothes as quickly as he could, without further hesitation and, once ready, followed Karen out the exit door. The exit led directly outside. Karen shaded her eyes from the mid-afternoon sun with a hand and began digging out her sun glasses from her leather jacket with the other.
Wolf merely squinted his right eye, while his left cybernetic eye filtered the intense high-desert light out automatically. Looking around, he saw that they were on a dry plateau with nothing but desert terrain all around them that seemed to stretch for kilometres on end. Just then, Wolf felt Karen give him a gentle tug on his left hand, and when he turned round, Karen embraced him affectionately. Wolf did not know how to respond at first, but let all his guards down quickly enough and embraced her right back. Karen felt and smelled so good to Wolf, and, if for no other reason, he was glad to be alive right there and then.
"I thought I'd lost you," Karen said softly and kissed his disfigured ear.
Hearing that, Wolf smiled and, for want of something better, said somewhat awkwardly, "Well..., I'm still here."
Karen pulled back a little to look Wolf in the eyes. And despite his disfigurement and eye implants, she saw the Wolf she used to know. She then smiled, as she was only too glad that Wolf's ordeal had not changed him much.
Yes, Wolf was a little unsure, or was not as confident as before, but that was only to be expected. And she was determined to help him overcome all the insecurities he had, save one.
Then, Karen's expression changed as a four-wheel drive vehicle came around the building. She pulled back completely, turned and raised a hand in acknowledgment of the driver of the 4x4. It was Jay, the Kell Hound operative who had been helping Wolf and Karen on Solaris VII.
Jay halted the 4x4 right beside Karen and Wolf, and alighted from the vehicle. He had the look of eagerness on his face and, as he came up to Wolf, extended a hand in friendship.
Wolf shook hands with Jay and nodded curtly.
"MechWarrior Wolf," Jay said enthusiastically. "Glad to see you up and about finally."
"Me too," Wolf replied. And then his heart sank when he saw Jay slipping a hand into Karen's as he stood closely next to her. It was the sort of subtle act of possessiveness that said, 'she's my girl now and no one else's'.
Wolf looked at Karen and then looked away. He saw regret and resignation on her face. And not wanting to think ill of her, Wolf consoled himself by assuming that there must have been a good reason for it all.
"What the hell is happening here?" Wolf asked.
And that appeared to unsettle Jay more than it should. He had a defensive look on his face, and Karen looked even more remorseful.
"Why is Typhoon here?" Wolf clarified his question.
Almost immediately, both Jay and Karen relaxed as a result.
"He said that he's financing this entire operation," said Wolf. "Is that true?"
"Yes," Karen answered.
"How can we trust him?" Wolf asked further. "And what is it that we are trusting him with exactly?"
"Get in," Karen said, as she moved around the 4x4 to get into the front passenger seat. "I'll tell you on the way."
"On the way to where?" Wolf asked.
"On the way to the Mech bays and warrior barracks," Jay said as he was getting into the driver seat of the 4x4.
Wolf got into the back of the 4x4 and he was immediately grateful for the cool air-conditioned passenger compartment.
"Let me start from the top," Karen said, as the 4x4 started moving off. "When your Catapult was destroyed, everyone thought you had died in the explosion - your escape pod didn't get enough distance. And when our rescue and recovery team pulled you out of your mauled escape pod, you were pronounced dead by the medics at the scene. With your body mangled and your heart stopped, it wasn't difficult to believe."
"But Karen wouldn't let go of you," Jay chimed in.
"I couldn't let go of you," Karen said, somewhat forcefully, as though to remove any doubt as to why she did it. "You were too important to the Clan. I mean, if you died, it would be next to impossible to start a merc unit."
"So, she forced the medics to revive you at gunpoint," Jay said with a smile. "And nearly got arrested for it. But lucky for everyone, they managed to revive you, Wolf."
"Alright," Wolf said, not wanting to prolong the moment that was making Karen feel awkward. "So, how did Typhoon come into the picture?"
"Typhoon didn't become Solaris champion. Xavier did. And everyone started accusing Typhoon of taking a fall for Xavier," Karen explained.
"Rightly so," Jay added. "He was rumoured to have made so much C-Bills that he didn't have enough places to stash them, let alone launder them."
"And for the fist time in decades, the Solaris Gambling Commission started a special investigation committee, specifically for looking into the goings-on related to Typhoon and his cronies," Karen added. "And somehow, they managed to find links that went all the way up to Governor Stanton."
"But before arrests could be made, both Stanton and Typhoon disappeared," Jay said.
"They did, however, manage to capture Xavier who tried to get off planet by posing as a merchant marine," Karen added. "He changed his features through cosmetic surgery, but a man that size is kind of hard not to notice."
"And so...," Wolf said, impatience creeping into his voice.
"Typhoon reappeared, about a month after his disappearance, with an offer to me," Karen said. "As we were running short of funds, I found the offer difficult to refuse."
"Typhoon found out that Karen was trying to set up a merc unit on the Wolf's Dragoons ticket, and it was you who had been named commander, Wolf," Jay added. "So, he offered to finance the unit from A to Z."
Suspecting something amiss, Wolf took a moment to go over the facts that were told to him in his mind carefully. And the facts did not add up. "That still doesn't explain how we managed to get a merc unit going under Wolf's Dragoons," Wolf stated.
"Uhh... well, that's where I come in," said Jay.
"Jay is now an officer with Wolf's Dragoons," Karen explained. "He used his contacts to get in and then to get us connected."
"I have some friends in high places," Jay clarified.
But that made Wolf wonder as to why Jay would go to that extent. The Kell Hounds did not stand to gain much from letting the Dreaded Legion create an Inner Sphere merc unit. So, why would the Kell Hounds direct Jay to do what he did?
"And what do your Kell Hounds superiors have to say about this, Jay?" Wolf asked.
"Nothing at all," Jay said.
"Jay quit the Kell Hounds," Karen added.
And Wolf could almost hear her say 'for me'. He would have to ask her about it later. What was Jay to her? Had she fallen for Jay or was she using him merely to further the interests of the clan?
"As far as the Kell Hounds is concerned, your operations here in the Inner Sphere are at an end, or at least officially," Jay clarified.
"Meaning...?" Wolf asked.
"Morgan Kell expects you to fail and be forgotten," Jay answered.
And just then, the 4x4 they were riding crested a hill, beyond which lay the Mech bays and warrior barracks.
"And... what role are you supposed to be playing in our merc unit?" Wolf asked, cutting to the chase. "Would I be reporting to you?"
"Not at all," Jay said with a touch of laughter. "You're the commander of this unit which, by the way, still requires a name. Right now, it's Combat Unit 531. And as for me, I'm Wolf's Dragoons political officer attached to your unit."
"And why would I need a political officer looking over my shoulder?" Wolf asked, bordering on annoyance.
"With the civil war taking place in the Federated Commonwealth, there is ample opportunity for Wolf's Dragoons to expand, thus the relatively easy start-up of new combat units under Wolf's Dragoons. However, it can't afford to be taking sides," Jay explained. "Wolf's Dragoons stands to lose numerous lucrative contracts and holding-over fees."
"We go in, we do the job as required by our contract," Karen added. "Beyond that is none of our concern. And Jay is supposed to be the one to help ensure that."
Wolf wanted to pursue the matter further but had to put it on hold since the 4x4 had reached the mech bays. And there appeared to be an honour guard waiting for someone important. Presumably, him.
"What's going on here?" Wolf asked.
"These are your warriors, Wolf," Karen explained as the 4x4 pulled to a halt in front of a line of eight warriors. "Let's not keep them waiting, yes?" she added as she stepped out of the vehicle.
"What about Typhoon?" Wolf asked.
"Typhoon's waiting in the briefing room," Jay said as he turned off the 4x4's engine and alighted from the vehicle.
"Wait," Wolf said. "All this is getting to be overwhelming," he added while tilting his head back and taking a deep breath. "I died, came back, my new cybernetic limbs...," Wolf trailed off while looking closely at his left hand. "I'm not even sure we should be going ahead with Typhoon in the picture."
"I don't think we have much of a choice," Karen said. "I know that everything appears to be happening so quickly and maybe bringing you back into the thick of the action so soon isn't such a good idea after all. But while you were under, some decisions had to be made. And I made them. We're committed now."
"How can we trust that stravag?!" Wolf shouted in anger and frustration.
And both Karen and Jay were taken aback by the sudden outburst, partly because they were not too sure of Wolf's mental state and partly because it happened in front of the honour guard.
"We can't," Karen said after a while. "But he's all we have to go with for now. Without Typhoon, there's no merc unit," she added and paused in order to let the reality of what she said sink in with Wolf.
"Well, time to inspect your warriors, Captain," Jay said to Wolf in order to break the uncomfortable silence. And he opened the door of the 4x4 on Wolf's side and tilted his head as a way to tell Wolf to come out but in a friendly coaxing manner.
"Captain on the deck!" shouted one of officers in the honour guard.
Slowly, Wolf stepped out of the 4x4, and saw what he thought initially was fear in the eyes of the honour guard warriors. 'Or is it revulsion?' Wolf asked himself. And as Wolf approached the honour guard warriors, 2nd Lieutenant Stuart Duff broke formation, marched up to Wolf and saluted.
"Wolf's Freelancers ready for inspection, sir!" Duff said firmly.
Wolf saluted back and then asked, "What the hell is Wolf's Freelancers, Lieutenant?"
"Begging the Captain's pardon," said Duff. "Since this unit didn't have a name yet, we thought it would be good to call it Wolf's Freelancers."
"And who is 'we'?" Wolf asked.
"Us all, sir," Duff replied somewhat nervously in reference to the honour guard.
"Well, Lieutenant Karen," Wolf said, while turning to face Karen. "I believe we need more work on disciplining the warriors." Turning back to look Duff fiercely in the eyes, Wolf said coldly, "Wolf's Freelancers has a nice ring to it, Lieutenant Duff. But don't you pre-empt your XO or me ever again. Understood?"
"Clearly sir," Duff said with a tinge of a smile. Although he appeared respectful enough, Wolf knew that, like any merc, Duff was testing his bounds. And he must have felt that he got off easily enough on that one.
"We'll see about that," Wolf responded. "Any further input?" Wolf asked the rest.
"First Sergeant Draak, sir," said a well built soldier of average height to the far right. "Now that you've taken charge, will we be taking care of more lucrative contracts? I mean, being out here in the middle of nowhere, playing baby sitters for a diamond mining corporation isn't exactly a merc's idea of a dream job. The respite from the Federated Commonwealth civil war is refreshing, yeah, but the mega-C-bills are out there..., sir."
"Patience, sergeant," was all Wolf could say at the moment. "Any further query or feedback?"
No one said anything.
"At ease everyone," Wolf instructed. "I believe that you've all heard this before, but I will tell it to you again nonetheless, if only but once: if you cannot hold the line of battle out there in the fields, if you don't flank when I tell you to, or charge when I tell you to, then you are out of this unit, feet first or otherwise. I don't care if you think you're the best there is. The fact that you're standing there and I'm standing here means that you listen to me. However, if you feel the need to discuss your orders with me, or if you feel the need to question me, please, by all means, do so. But I have the last word and if you're not happy with it, know that if the enemy doesn't kill you, I will."
And with that Wolf looked at each of the mercs in his unit to gauge who had a defiant streak and who did not. As expected, they all did. They were mercs after all.
"Lieutenant Karen, dismiss our warriors," Wolf said.
"Ten-hut!" Karen shouted, and everyone stood at attention again. "Dismissed!" and everyone broke rank and went their own way.
"Well done, 'captain'," said a voice that made Wolf bristle. "Best speech I've heard in - oh, I don't know - months, perhaps," said Typhoon.
Flanked by his bodyguards, Typhoon was standing by the main entrance to the barracks. And he appeared as confident and arrogant as ever. While his face had changed markedly, there was no mistaking the tall man in non-descript jumpsuit as being other than Typhoon. "And if you're about done, we have matters to discuss," he added. "This way," Typhoon beckoned as he turned and walked into the barracks.
Wolf, Karen and Jay followed Typhoon and his bodyguards into the barracks briefing room. And without ceremony, Typhoon dimmed the lights of the room and brought up a holographic display of a planet. On the side of the planet were descriptions pertaining to its position in space, government in power, population total, etc.
"What you're looking at lady and gentlemen is Tioman planet," Typhoon explained. "This Davion controlled planet lies deep in Federated Suns space," he added, while trying as best as he could to avoid making eye contact with Wolf. Typhoon could see that Wolf was seething with hatred and anger, and did not want to provoke any further confrontation, or at least not yet. "With bribes to the right persons, I've managed to secure a tender for us to garrison that planet. Although it's far from Lyrian-Steiner space, the fires of civil war has spread on Tioman like wildfire. And a merc unit is required to rid it of its rebel threat once and for all.
"We are the heavy hitters Alex Davion hopes that would bring the insurrection against his rule to an end. And fortunately for us, he is too cheapskate to build a unit of his own which is on par with a Class A merc unit. This gives us the grand opportunity of securing our primary objective virtually unopposed."
"And what is it exactly?" Wolf asked.
"Taking former Solaris VII governor Erik Stanton into 'custody'," Typhoon replied as a matter of fact.
"What?" Wolf asked and snorted in disbelief.
"Wouldn't we be in violation of the fundamental terms of our contract with Alex Davion by turning against him?" Jay asked, looking perplexed.
"Oh, I think not," Typhoon replied. "Alex Davion has a long history of committing atrocities against his own people. That's why they hate him so much. But because he is a Davion and he has control over the media and the Tioman military, Prince Victor 'tolerates' him, especially during these troubled times."
"Your point being...?" Jay asked.
"Well, it won't be difficult to gather evidence against Alex Davion, especially when, and not if, he directs us to commit war crimes," Typhoon explained confidently. "He thinks he's hired a merc unit to do his dirty work for him. If ours were a unit like most other merc units, he would have gotten his wish...," Typhoon trailed off.
"But instead, you would have us do your dirty work," Wolf interjected.
"Exactly," Typhoon affirmed coyly and held up a finger to stave off any rebuttal from Wolf. "In exchange, I bring up your merc unit to Class A status overnight," Typhoon added. "Think about it. Without my help, you'd be nothing more than a Class F merc unit, taking up small defence contracts with the hopes of moving up the veritable food chain. And I doubt you'd be ready by the time your Khan comes calling for help."
"Really?" Karen asked, annoyance clearly on her face. "And what would you know about that?"
Typhoon rolled his eyes, feinting bemusement and looked away. "Come on! It doesn't take a genius to figure out who you all are and why you're here in the Inner Sphere."
Karen, Wolf and Jay held neutral expressions on their faces with the intent of not giving away anything.
So, Typhoon began explaining how he came to his conclusions through simple deduction. "When I first met you, Wolf, you struck me as just another Inner Sphere hotshot trying to make it big in the universe. But then, you spoke to me like you 'knew' me.
"Like knows like, I always say. And since I'm not of the Inner Sphere originally, then neither are you.
"Besides, my Nova Cat clan sibkins told me to be on the lookout for you or people like you after they received intelligence regarding Kell Hounds covert activity in Clan space meant for helping out a clan that wanted to go rogue. And here you are with a former Kell Hounds operative sitting next to you. Need I go on?"
"You expect us to take on an entire planet's defences?" Karen asked, changing the subject. "Perhaps your arrogance is a sign of madness after all."
Typhoon merely smiled at the insult. "On the contrary, I have it all figured out. You see, it's quite normal for a Class A merc unit to travel in three or four dropships. Two dropships carry a star each of heavy and assault mechs, while the third carries its complement of light and medium mechs. The fourth carries nothing more than supplies like replacement parts, ammunition, techs..., except that ours would also be carrying SHIRKM mobile launchers and two stars of mobile suit infantrymen."
And with that explanation, Typhoon was delighted to see the expressions on the faces of Wolf, Karen and Jay which showed their minds as working overtime.
"I believe in being prepared, always," Typhoon added and smiled gleefully.
"Why are you going after Stanton," asked Jay. "Revenge?"
"Well, I must admit, I'm not beyond revenge," Typhoon explained. "So, yes, it is, in a way, revenge. But more than that, I want back all by C-Bills that's been stolen from me, and Stanton's the key. So, we need him alive and his database intact."
"You're not just after Stanton," Karen remarked. "You're after that bimbo ex-secretary of yours."
"Yes, well, there is more than meets the eye to that 'bimbo'," Typhoon clarified. "If not for the fact that she isn't warrior material, she would've been my true equal."
"So, she gave you away," Karen remarked with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Yes, she tipped off the planetary authorities about my other sources of income," Typhoon affirmed. "But I was prepared. And as you can see, this establishment, which she doesn't know of, is the result of my preparedness: a diamond mine that produces nothing but diamonds bought off Inner Sphere black markets and shipped here using merc dropships and supply transports, including yours."
And with that, Wolf had heard more than he could bear. Slowly, he stood up and said, "Know this, Typhoon. Our accounts are far from settled. If there is even a hint of a betrayal, I'll be on you faster than a tacyon." And with that, Wolf turned to leave.
"I said I'd do right by you, Wolf," Typhoon called out after him, and he used Wolf's real name to denote just how serious he was. "And I intend to keep my promise this time."
Wolf merely snorted in response and left.
Meanwhile, back on Tioman, at one of the rebel hideouts in the mountains, Jo-jin Kei was about to head out on reconnaissance patrol when Master Sergeant "Cerberus" Eubanks - or Cerb for short - pulled him aside for an impromptu status update.
"The men are beginning to trust you, Jo," Cerb informed.
"It's Kei, Cerb," Jo-jin said irritably. "Jo-jin is my surname and Kei is my given name."
"Whatever, Jo," Cerb said, with a sheepish smile. "As I was saying, the men are beginning to trust you. Even though you don't hold any rank currently, they trust your judgment. You're officer material, after all."
"I used to be Militia," Jo-jin countered as a matter of fact. "I know how Militia think. That's all. Besides, not everyone trusts me."
"That's right," Cerb affirmed. "They don't trust you 'cause they still think you're a spy."
"Huh!" Jo-jin snorted derisively. "I've done my best to convince all of them. If they doubt me still, then it's just too bad for everyone."
Cerb saw the look of resignation in Jo-jin's eyes and empathised with him, knowing that what he said was too true. But building trust takes time, and he wanted Jo-jin to understand that as well. So, he played devil's advocate by saying, "Yeah, well, look at you. You were born into a warrior family, but you have no family to go back to; went to the Tioman Military Academy, etcetera. Hell, you have all the makings of a damn good infiltrator."
"Well, what do you think, Cerb?" Jo-jin asked, annoyed. "You think I'm a spy? I could've rode this civil war out and lived the rest of my life as a career soldier. Instead, I'm in a God forsaken dump with a bunch of do-gooders who don't seem to know whether their coming or going."
"Now wait a doggone minute," Cerb cut Jo-jin off, knowing that their conversation was being observed by others around them and that, in his anger, Jo-jin could end up saying something that could cause morale to really take a tumble. "Many of us here have some kind of military background. You have Military Academy training; I have Marines training. If we're gonna start second guessing each other all the way, nothing's gonna get done right. In the end, I'm gonna have to take you at face value." And Cerb paused to let what he said sink in.
"You really mean that?" Jo-jin asked, a little relieved.
"Let's just say I don't regret not blowing you and your Raven to oblivion when I had the chance," Cerb replied, reminding Jo-jin how he was captured by Cerb and his gang of Savannah Masters pilots a few months back. "Now, go out there and see if you can find us something worth taking."
"Roger that, Cerb," Jo-jin replied, somewhat enthusiastically.
And that was the reaction that Cerb wanted to see and he was glad for it. "Even officers need a good pep talk, once in a while," Cerb mumbled to himself.
Several hours later, Jo-jin and his lance of light Mechs were scouring Tioman's Banjaran Besar jungles. The terrain was perilously uneven and thick with trees, but speed was not a factor for scouting missions in such a place. Rather, it was stealth and surprise that counted for far more.
At the head of the lance was Lance Corporal Bob Mecum in what used to be Jo-jin's Raven. Mecum was a capable enough lance leader but there was something about him that Jo-jin did not quite like. It was not that he despised the fact that Mecum was in his Raven and he was in a Flea - he did despise it - but, rather, the fact that Mecum tended to go it alone whenever he thought he detected something up ahead.
"I'm scouting ahead," Mecum said. "The rest of you stay here. In five minutes, flank right and we'll meet at sector E3.
'What was the point of separating like that?' Jo-jin would ask himself each time that happened. A leader should never leave his or her wingmate unless it was a feint for a pre-planned trap or because of some grave emergency. 'Or is it because he needed some privacy?' Jo-jin wondered.
Opening a tight beam com channel to his other lance mates, Jo-jin said, "Both of you, do what the lance corporal ordered. I'm going to back him up."
"But that's not what he ordered," said Clara Knowles, a middle-aged ex-Militia female MechWarrior.
"You'll have to trust me on this, Clara," Jo-jin responded. "There's something not right here, and I'm going to find out what it is."
"Roger that," Knowles said. Although Jo-jin held neither rank nor seniority over her, she had learnt to trust his judgment, having been saved by his instincts on more than a few occasions.
Jo-jin began tracing the route taken by Mecum. Although the jungle was thick, Mecum's Mech was not difficult to follow - simply look for the broken trees and ripped out ground level foliage. Though small, the Raven was still of formidable size, relative to the plant life in Banjaran Besar jungles.
Jo-jin was careful to keep his distance and left his radar in passive mode. And when he sensed that Mecum was doubling back to make sure that he was not being followed, Jo-jin veered off Mecum's tracks, stopped his Flea and placed it in a crouched position.
No sooner than he did, he found Mecum's Raven coming to less than 50 yards from him. And just when he thought that Mecum would call him out for following him and disobeying a direct order, he saw, instead, Mecum popping his cockpit hatch and throwing something small on the ground near the feet of his Raven.
On the plus side, Mecum was unaware that Jo-jin had been following him, enough to do something that he thought no one would know of. On the negative side, Jo-jin now new who Mecum really was - a Militia mole.
When Mecum had moved his Raven away, Jo-jin moved his Flea as close to where Mecum had thrown down the object. He then popped the Flea's cockpit hatch and alighted from the Mech.
It took Jo-jin close to 10 minutes to find it, as it was no larger than the size of his palm. Although it looked like nothing more than a piece of metal debris, upon close inspection, the object was unmistakable - it was a transmitter-cum-storage device, similar to the one he had used during covert ops training back at the Tioman Military Academy.
No doubt it contained intelligence data gathered on the Tioman Liberators. And if it began transmitting as soon as it was thrown down by Mecum, it also meant that the enemy was near.
And rightly so, Jo-jin felt the ground begin to shudder. It was the all-too-familiar effect of Mech footfalls. And the shuddering was getting stronger and more rapid by the second.
Quickly, Jo-jin scrambled toward his Flea, tripping over vines and flattened underbrush as he went along. Climbing up the Flea's chain ladder, he made it to the Mech's cockpit just in time to see a Medium class Strider Mech cresting a hill in front of him.
Jo-jin braced for incoming fire as he locked down his cockpit hatch and strapped himself down in his cockpit chair, but fortunately, the Strider pilot seemed to hesitate.
"Of course!" Jo-jin exclaimed to himself as he realised the obvious. "He thinks I'm Mecum."
Taking advantage of the Strider pilot's indecision, Jo-jin turned his Flea around and throttled it as fast as it was safe to go in the thick jungle. And that seemed to remove the enemy pilot's doubts, as he gave chase and began firing all his weapons at Jo-jin's fleeing Mech.
Jo-jin wove his Flea madly through the trees but was careful to steer clear of deep ravines and sudden drop-offs. And as best as he could, he would try to slip pass trees, instead of trying to shoot through them and running them over. For, some of the trees weighed nearly as much as the Flea, and crashing into them could cause serious damage to the scout-class light Mech.
However, this also meant that the Strider pilot had little or no problem keeping pace. And one good Alpha-strike to the Flea's rear armour would be enough to bring it down.
Realising that he needed back up quickly, Jo-jin broke radio silence and called for help.
"Scout Lance 3 to Big Bear, I have a bogey hot on my tail and I can't shake it," Jo-jin broadcast over the emergency channel.
"Big Bear to Scout Lance 3," Cerb replied; it was his turn to take charge of the rebel base's Command & Control Centre. "Where the hell are your lance mates soldier?"
"Scout Lance 3 to Big Bear, I have good reason to believe that I have a Militia mole in my lance," Jo-jin clarified quickly. "Forming up will only give him the opportunity to dispose of me."
"You'd better be damn sure of what you're saying Scout Lance 3," Cerb said anxiously. "That's a serious accusation with serious implications."
"It's going to get even more serious if I don't get backup real soon!" Jo-jin stressed as harshly as he could without coming across as insubordinate.
"Right," Cerb replied, genuinely concerned. "Switch over to your individually assigned secure channel."
Secure channels were frequencies that have been assigned individually to respective pilots for catering to this sort of emergencies. Although it was not impossible to detect and unscramble a secure channel, it would take some time, and that time was all that was needed to put into motion one of the many pre-established back-up plans.
"Alright, Jo," Cerb said, over the secure channel. "Go to sector F6 and head for the pass. We'll cover you with Bulldogs and Lights."
"Roger that, Cerb," Jo-jin replied, a little relieved.
"And who the hell is the traitor?" Cerb asked.
"Mecum," Jo-jin responded. "It's Mecum, and I have evidence to back it up."
"Roger that," Cerb acknowledged.
Nearly five minutes later, and after a few near-disasters, Jo-jin managed to reach sector F6. His Flea's rear torso amour sensor showed it to be in the red and blinking. One more shot, and even a glancing one, would core the Flea and tear it apart.
But the shot never came. Perhaps the Strider pilot suspected that Jo-jin was nearly home free and, so, did not want to get sucked into a trap.
Upon reaching the agreed-upon pass in sector F6, Jo-jin felt immense relief wash over him. But while he was safe, he was not completely relieved. His thoughts went out to his lance mates who were in danger of being killed by Mecum.
Switching over to his lance's com channel, Jo-jin called out for Knowles and her wingman.
"Jo-jin to Clara, come in, please,"
No reply.
"Clara, please respond."
Still no reply.
"Jo-jin to Angus, come in," Jo-jin tried, hailing Knowles' wingman.
"Angus here," the reply came. "Clara's Flea is legged. She took quite a tumble, enough to black her out for a while. I've just pulled her out of her cockpit. She appears to be fine."
"Angus, where's Mecum," Jo-jin queried.
"He's gone," Angus replied. "When you broadcasted your emergency, Clara and I didn't know who to train our guns on. If only you'd been more specific...."
"What happened?" Jo-jin asked impatiently.
"Yeah, what happened, soldier?" Cerb pitched in, having tuned into Jo-jin's lance's com channel.
"Mecum fired the first shot, and at Clara," Angus replied. "It nearly crippled her Flea, and just when we both started to move. Then, Mecum legged her Flea and took off. I tried to give chase, but my Flea didn't have enough firepower to take Mecum down before he would take me down. So, I fell back and broke off."
"You did the right thing," Jo-jin said.
"Agreed," Cerb acknowledged. "Alright, everyone return to base. A general retreat has been issued. We're clearing out of here."
"Can you bring Clara home?" Jo-jin asked Angus.
"I'm already on it," Angus replied, as he was closing the cockpit hatch to his Flea. "It's a little snug in here but we'll manage," he added, implying that Clara had regained consciousness and was safely in his Flea's tiny jump seat behind the pilot's chair, and that they were both returning to base.
"I'm sorry I wasn't more specific," Jo-jin explained. "Maybe I should have been, but I couldn't accuse anyone without presenting evidence. I didn't want to establish 'sowing distrust by making baseless accusations over open coms' an acceptable precedent for us all. It's the kind of thing the enemy would be sure to exploit."
"Understood, Kei," Angus acknowledged.
Five months later, "Firstly, let me welcome Captain Wolf of the Wolf's Free£ancers and his entourage," Alex Davion began. "Their presence planet side is a great boon to peace loving Federated Suns citizens. Tioman has been ravaged by subversives for far too long. It's time that we bring this dark chapter of Tioman history to a close.
"You all know that, for nearly a decade, Tioman Military Academy and Militia Engineering Corps have been piecing together our very own Mech Commander System," the Tioman regent continued, addressing directly the various media representatives who had been invited to cover the launch event for the Mech Commander System held at the Grand Hall of the Tioman Military Academy. "Coupled with able warriors of the Wolf's Free£ancers and Tioman Militia, we will crush the so-called Tioman Liberators once and for all."
And as if on cue, Alex Davion's declaration was met with rousing applause from both military personnel and media representatives.
Moving away from the podium where he spoke, the Tioman Regent walked a few paces toward a mock control switch that would supposedly bring the state-of-the-art Mech Commander System online. The switch was an oversized button, and when Alex Davion pressed down on it, the button glowed brilliantly red, followed by large flat screens and holovid displays coming alive, each of which scrolled tactical data on military exercises of and around Tioman Military Academy.
Again, there was loud sustained applause.
Looking exceedingly pleased, the Tioman Regent returned to the podium as a signal that he was prepared to answer questions. And the first few were banal ones, such as how many C-Bills the Mech Commander System had cost, why it took so long to build, etc.
Then came a question probing, not the Tioman Regent, but Wolf.
"Captain Wolf," began a plain looking female reporter from her seat close to the podium. She appeared to be in her early twenties. "Denise from Aliran Tioman," she identified herself. "Wolf's Free£ancers is a relatively new merc unit; so new, in fact, that there is hardly any news about the exploits of your unit on C-net, Blake-net or any other interplanetary networks. Would you be so kind as to share with holonews net viewers on how you managed to establish a Grade A merc unit under Wolf's Dragoon colours in such a short time?"
"No," Wolf replied.
"No?" Denise asked, bordering on surprise.
"Wolf's Free£ancers' business is its own," Wolf stated coldly.
"Alright," she continued, not ready to give up. "Would you butcher innocents, both military and civilian, if ordered to?"
Wolf's expression did not change, but it was clear from his disfigured face that he was not amused by the ambush laid by the female reporter.
"Young lady," Alex Davion interjected. "The very premise of your question is based on the assumption that my senior staff and I would go so far as to order a merc unit to commit war crimes. I assure you, we would not, and have never done so. Thus your question has no relevance. Next question please...."
But before the Tioman Regent could call out another reporter, Denise pressed on by asking, "You're a cyborg, aren't you? Does that make it easier?"
"Easier?" Wolf asked, his curiosity piqued by her line of questioning.
"Yeah, easier for you to forget your humanity and kill indiscriminately," Denise clarified.
"That's enough!" Alex Davion shouted. "If you don't stop badgering our planet's esteemed guest, I will have you removed from this hall."
And with that warning, Denise leaned back into her chair and back-slid, depicting both boredom and defiance.
"Next question,... you," the Tioman Regent pointed to a male reporter at the far end of the Grand Hall.
"Thank you, Prince Alex," said the reporter. "I'm Marcus Hamner from the New Tioman Times. How long will it take to rout the Tioman Liberators and do you think they have any means to circumvent the Mech Commander System?"
"Those are very good questions," the Tioman Regent began. "While we cannot say exactly how long it would take, the cat-and-mouse game that the Tioman Liberators have been playing with the Tioman Militia has now become far more risky for the subversives than ever before. Soon, they would have no more places to hide."
"Captain Wolf," Hamner pressed on. "How do you feel about fighting the enemy with the Mech Commander System in place?"
Wolf did not want to reply at first, but then felt obliged to when Alex Davion prompted him with a subtle nod.
"Mercs do not have the luxury of working under highly favourable conditions most of the time," Wolf began, choosing his words carefully. "Thus whatever edge the Mech Commander System provides us would be a welcome advantage. However, we also understand the importance of making battlefield assessments on the ground level and, in that regard, no armchair commander will ever come close to replacing a drop commander. You have to be out there with your warriors, fighting tooth-and-claw."
"But surely you must agree that it was the Mech Commander System that ensured the success of Task Force Serpent in defeating Clan Smoke Jaguar," Hamner argued further.
"No, I don't," Wolf said plainly. "It was warriors in battlemech cockpits who made the difference; particularly, Prince Victor Davion."
And that shut Hamner up.
Hamner was a plant, put in place by Tioman's Secret Police to whip up enthusiasm for any and all things pro-government. But it was clear that he did not do his homework well enough and was a hair's breadth away from belittling one of the monumental achievements of the planet's ultimate benefactor, Prince Victor Davion.
After the conference, the Tioman Regent and all invited guests, as well as selected media representatives, adjourned to the banquette hall adjacent to the Grand Hall for refreshments. And it was here that Hamner sought to make up for his ineptitude by appearing to ask Alex Davion a probing question - notably absent was Denise.
"Prince Alex," Hamner called out respectfully. "You've had a lifetime of military command experience. Do you believe that the Mech Commander System allows for the replacement of drop commanders?"
"Well, Hamner," the Tioman Regent began good naturedly. "I would have to go with Captain Wolf on his assessment of the viability of replacing the drop commander with an 'arm chair' commander as he had put it. However, I'm in the business of providing my warriors with every edge possible in fighting the planet's subversives. And bringing the Tioman civil war to an end requires a Mech Commander System, which is why I've carefully put aside funds for the building of one."
"Thank you, Prince Alex," Hamner said, gratefully. He then looked to Wolf and was about to ask something, but then hesitated and thought better of it.
Wolf was not looking very accommodating at that moment. While everyone was having light refreshments, he and his officers just stood near motionless, staring down anyone who would dare approach them.
Alex Davion noticed it too and tried to lighten the atmosphere by saying, "Come now, Captain Wolf. Have something to drink. This is a time for mingling, especially with members of the Press.
"I'm fine, thank you," Wolf replied courteously.
"Well you don't look fine," Alex Davion said in mild reproach. "At least try to look like you're enjoying your stay on Tioman. You are our saviours after all."
Wolf held his tongue, although in his mind, he was acutely aware that the Wolf's Free£ancers was nothing more than a pawn to Alex Davion. The Tioman Regent was a master manipulator and Wolf was not about to give something for nothing in return. However, in order to make Alex Davion feel at ease, Wolf gave a courteous nod to the Tioman Regent and turned to Karen, Jay and Typhoon as though to engage them in light conversation.
"Do you see anyone familiar?" Wolf asked in a low voice.
"Neg," Karen replied. Jay and Typhoon merely shook their heads.
"That female reporter, Denise, is missing," Wolf said.
"Well, it's obvious that she's not the type to toady up to the Regent," Karen observed.
"And so...," Wolf said while looking at Jay.
"Way ahead of you," Jay acknowledged, and then turned to leave. It was his task to gather intelligence on the Tioman underground, which would come in handy later.
"I wonder why he's not here," Typhoon said in reference to former governor Stanton. "He's much too vain to change his looks, and he's much too proud not to show himself in public, having 'defected' to the Davion side of the Federated Commonwealth."
"Perhaps mercs make him nervous," Karen offered.
"Aff," Wolf agreed. "The contract on his head is just as big as the contract that's on yours, 'lieutenant'."
Typhoon smiled easily.
"Alright, hush," Karen warned as she saw Alex Davion walking toward them.
"I trust everything is in order," the Regent said as he came up to them. He also turned slightly so that Press photographers could take pictures of him talking to the Wolf's Free£ancers command staff.
"Indeed," Wolf said.
"Excellent," Alex Davion responded. "Tomorrow, we begin our first joint manoeuvres. And I presume your first officer will be the Mech Commander Alternate?"
"Yes, she is," Karen said while flashing the Tioman Regent her most alluring smile. And it was working. "I'm ready to serve you in that position or in every other position you desire."
There was no mistaking Karen's offer. But the Tioman Regent hesitated nonetheless. "Perhaps," was all that he said in return. "Tomorrow then," Alex Davion added, and then turned to leave the banquette hall.
Wolf gave Karen a quizzical look.
"Slowly does it," she said confidently. "Slowly but surely."
The next day, the first joint manoeuvres were broadcasted live on select channels over the planet's holonews net. It was almost like watching a movie or a state-of-the-art holovid game, except that the feed came from geo-synchronous satellites and gun camera footage. And there was no mistaking their propaganda value - they were meant to intimidate and demoralise the Tioman Liberators.
However, Denise was far from impressed. "What else is new?" she expressed her boredom to her co-workers as she got up from her chair in front of Aliran Tioman office's only holovid display to get a fresh cup of coffee. The office itself was barely furnished. Unlike the so-called mainstream Press, Aliran Tioman hardly made enough for wages, and much less for furniture and fittings. It hardly received anything from advertising, as most business concerns on Tioman depended, in one form or another, on government support and approval, and so, they would steer clear of "alternative" media for fear of displeasing the Tioman Regent.
Aliran Tioman depended mostly on revenue from newsstand sales, subscriptions and donations. If not for the fact that its existence served to portray the Tioman Regent as a benevolent dictator, in that Alex Davion tolerated dissent, Aliran Tioman would have been forced to shut down by the government and its workers detained without trial for "subversion". And in the case of Denise, there was something more to it as well.
Seeing that there was hardly anything for her to do at the office, she told her editor that she wanted to go down to the ground to ask people on the street how they felt about the latest developments in Tioman's civil war. In truth, it was time for her to meet her controller; Denise was an asset of Tioman's Secret Police, albeit a most unwilling one.
As usual, she would step out of the office, turn left and walk down the street. She would head for the underground rail station and catch the "tube" to the underground bazaar which was just a few stops away. At the bazaar, she would take an exit that led above ground and get into a hovercab driven by a Secret Police operative who would take her to a random location for her weekly debriefing with her controller.
However, this week, she noticed that she was being followed. She did not realise it at first, but when she took random turns at the underground bazaar's many alleyways and noticed the same man, she knew for sure that someone was following her. So, instead of heading aboveground as planned, she headed back to the tube station exit in order to hitch the return ride back to the office. Her controller would have to wait.
Denise took a few more random turns before heading straight for the tube entrance and, for a moment, she thought that she had managed to lose the person following her. But just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, someone collided with her from behind causing her to lose her balance slightly. It was a woman with a load of boxes. And as the woman bent down to collect her belongings, she apologised profusely to Denise for her clumsiness.
"No harm done," Denise said as she also bent down to help. But almost as soon as she did, she felt giddy, lost her balance and blacked out. The last thing Denise heard was the woman shouting for help.
Several hours later, Denise woke up to the sound of hush voices.
"Chemical interrogation... that she's... Tioman Secret Police...," said a woman.
"What depth... psyche did we probe?" asked another woman.
"She isn't as well trained as the average covert operative," said a man.
And this time, things started to come across more clearly. Denise's vision returned as well.
"In other words, we didn't have to resort to torture," said the first woman.
"Good," said a voice Denise recognised all too well. "At least we know she's on the level. Can you revive her?"
"Done," said the first woman.
Denise was staring straight at Wolf's disfigured face.
"Surprised?" Wolf asked.
Denise did not have to reply. Her expression said it all - surprise, panic, anger.
"What a tangled web you weave, Denise," Jay said. He was the man whose voice she had heard earlier. "Playing both sides, are we?"
"Why have you kidnapped me?" Denise asked in a quivering voice.
"Here, drink this," said the first woman. "It'll help clear the effects of the drugs."
Denise took it but then hesitate when she realised that the first woman was the one who had collided with her in the bazaar. 'It was then that she injected me with something,' thought Denise.
"It's alright, dear," the woman assured. "We didn't have to probe so deep. So, there's no damage done."
Denise took the drink and gulped it down. She had been through chemical interrogation sessions before and they always made her thirsty.
"We needed a connection to Tioman's underground," Jay began explaining. "You're obviously it. But if we could think of that, so would Tioman's intelligence community. Not surprisingly, you're also working for them."
"What... what do you want?" Denise asked fearfully.
"Unfortunately, we need you to run some interference for us," Jay said.
"No, please," Denise pleaded. "I can barely hold on to my sanity. No more. Please! No more."
"Your current subliminal programming is not as deep or as grievous as you think," Jay assured. "Don't worry. If we succeed, you'll be set free once and for all."
"No, please," Denise whimpered and wept. But then, strangely enough, she felt calm. Unbeknownst to her, she had injested a powerful psychotropic drug that cleared her mind as well as made it receptive to deep programming at the subconscious level.
"Denise, you now hold the key to the civil war's end," Jay began. "Fires of discontent among the ranks of the Tioman Militia is culminating in a coup d'état. You need to tell the Tioman Liberators to prepare and aid in the overthrowing of Alex Davion. You will remember nothing but this; nothing but this."
With that, Denise closed her eyes as though in sleep. A few hours later, she found herself in a hovercab headed in the general direction of her office.
"How the hell...?" she asked the cab driver.
"Sorry?" the driver asked right back.
"How did I get here?" she clarified.
"I... drove you here?" the cabby replied tentatively.
For the life of her, Denise could not remember what transpired a few hours before. When she checked the time, she realised that she had "lost" nearly 12 hours. And she did not know why or how she knew that something big was about to happen; something that would change the course of the Tioman civil war, if not end it entirely.
"Coup d'état," she said aloud.
"Beg your pardon miss?" asked the cabby.
"Drop me off at the nearest satellite phone booth please," Denise instructed.
"Alrighty," the cabby replied. "But are you sure? This neighbourhood isn't exactly friendly at this time of night."
Denise did not reply.
When the cab approached the nearest satellite phone booth, it pulled to a stop. Denise alighted, paid the cabby by flashing her credit bracelet on the hovercab's credits reader, authenticated the transaction with her thumb print, and walked quickly toward the phone booth. As she approached the phone, she looked around to check if she was being observed. Save for the cabby pulling away, there was no one else around. When she was sure that the coast was clear, Denise picked up the phone's receiver and placed a relatively simple, low-tech voice scrambler on it. She then pressed an option on the phone's credits reader for calling collect and dialled one of the numbers she memorised from her last contact with Tioman's underground operatives. The number was for a voice mail recorder, and when it came on, she spoke the words that identified who she was, said "Coup d'état", and then hung up. The voice scrambler made her sound like a male caller, but the urgency of her words were unmistakable.
Risky as it was, she could not resist the burning desire to tell Tioman's underground of what she had learnt. She prayed that the Secret Police would not find out. Unfortunately, they did.
As standard operating procedure, the Secret Police monitored all satellite phone calls, and certain phrases, both banal and sensitive, depending on the selection, would trigger alarms. Coup d'état was one of them. And since the call originated in the vicinity of Denise's office and she had been missing all day, it was not difficult for the Secret Police to put two-and-two together and trace the source of the call.
When Denise returned to her apartment, she found her controller sitting comfortably in her sitting room. As she approached him to explain herself, she was restrained by two burly men who came out from the shadows.
"You've been a bad girl, Denise," her controller said, as he got up and approached her.
"I...please, I can explain," she pleaded.
"Oh, I'm sure you can and you will," he responded with a knowing smile. He then placed a hypodermis spray injector to her neck and injected its contents into her. Almost immediately, Denise's legs buckled underneath her, but she was kept upright by her captors. And then everything faded to black.
Several hours later, Prince Alex stood at the balcony of his private study. Seldom would he bring anyone into this area of his palace. Not even his servants were allowed in; cleaning and maintenance were done mostly by robotic devices that did not leave the room, save for repairs and disposal. Tonight, however, was one of the few times that he did bring someone.
Leaning against the marble railing of the study's balcony, Alex stood admiring the beauty that was naked and asleep on his private chamber's leather couch. And for the life of him, the Tioman Regent could not figure out what was so compelling about this off-worlder mercenary woman, so much so that he would bring her here.
Lieutenant Karen was not exceptionally beautiful. And yet, there was beauty to be found on every part of her. Even her skin-cropped blonde hair and her battle scars seemed to accentuate her beauty, including the healed-over knife slash down her back and a laser rifle wound that left an odd looking starburst scar at her right shoulder blade.
Amazing what genetically enhanced female pheromones could do the male senses. But of course, there was no reason for the Tioman Regent to suspect that Karen's genetic make-up had been specially tweaked in this manner by clan scientists. Plus, there did not appear to be any falsity in their lovemaking - Karen responded in earnest to the pleasure that Alex gave her - something which the Tioman Regent seldom found in most of the women he had made love to before.
Looking down at his wrist computer, Alex counted the seconds until a large series of explosions over at the surplus munitions dump a few kilometres away sent tremors throughout the palace. Instantly, Karen was on her feet and assumed a defensive posture, her training kicking in. She then quickly closed the distance between her and Alex, wrapped an arm around his neck and brought him down into a crouched position.
Then, she half dragged, half coaxed Alex to where her service auto pistol had fallen when Alex undressed her hastily earlier. "Stay down," she said as he picked up the auto pistol, turned off the safety and brought it to a ready position with both hands.
The light in the study had turned from soft yellow to red. And Alex could not help but be amazed by how much more Karen's naked beauty had been enhanced. With amused laughter, he stood up slowly.
"What are you doing?" Karen asked, astonished. "Get down!" she shouted, as she pulled him down forcefully with one hand.
"It's alright, Lieutenant," Alex addressed her using her rank as the situation warranted. "We're in no immediate danger."
Karen did not look convinced.
"This chamber is now sealed," Alex explained, as he grabbed Karen's auto pistol gently with a hand.
Feeling somewhat foolish and awkward, she relinquished the weapon.
Alex replaced the safety for the auto pistol and tossed it aside while saying, "The balcony is protected by blast proof screens of the sort found on assault mechs; the main doors are made from ferro fibre enforced duracrete slabs and they have been magnetically and pressure sealed. And there's no one here but you and me." And with that, Alex pulled Karen up close, wrapped his arms around her and began kissing her neck hungrily, and she responded hungrily as well. And the two began their second love-making session for the night with abandonment.
Several hours later, Karen was in a debriefing session with Wolf, Jay and Typhoon. "Sorry," she apologised while stifling a yawn.
"Long night, eh?" Typhoon jibed.
"Extremely," Karen said, as her mind recalled vividly how she had been made love to for the third time in the early hours of the morning. She was all dressed in her uniform and made ready to leave, but the Tioman Regent grabbed her, began undressing her partially and made love to her again. It was a kind of turn-on for him and something she was sure to exploit in the near future.
"And by the looks of it, you haven't had the chance to shower," Typhoon added and smirked.
Self-consciously, Karen began rubbing away at the remnants of the dried up stains on the front of her uniform. She had a job to do and she did it, but that knowledge did not make sitting in front of the two men she loved, after having given her body to some other person, any easier.
"Let us get straight to the point, please," Wolf said, and to Karen's relief. "What can you tell us about the safety chamber?"
"There was electronic interference in the study, no doubt to prevent thorough scans and communications via mobile coms," Karen began. "Thus I was unable to get much."
"But from what I did get, we can deduce that the study is like a very big jar," Karen continued. "Everything is self-contained. Power supply, water, food, and possibly every other necessity you can think of can be found in the study. It's huge."
"What about a back door or entrance?" Jay asked, his expression neutral.
"None that I could detect," Karen responded, while trying hard to stifle the guilt that was creeping into her heart. And that was the problem she always had with this kind of covert operation. She had to make her actions believable by giving her all, which often meant enjoying what she did. It was how her pheromone system worked best. So, while it was 'just a job', she had enjoyed all three love making sessions that she had with the Tioman Regent. Worse still, she knew that both Wolf and Jay knew all about that, and although they did not show it, it was tearing them both apart inside. "We'll simply have to proceed on the assumption that there is no back door that we can use in the study," Karen added, while trying to refocus her mind on the main issue at hand. "Once you're in, you're in till the cavalry arrives."
"Agreed," Typhoon concurred.
"There has to be some other way," Wolf said aloud.
"Not if we want to ensure that Alex is neutralised from the onset," Typhoon responded. "Aff, there is always another way, but there is an easy way and there is a difficult way," Typhoon added while using a more formal, clan-speak tone. And if the easy way provides a greater chance of success, why go the difficult way?"
"Needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," Wolf uttered under his breath.
"Alrighty then," Typhoon said, reverting to his Inner Sphere style. "Pass over the scans to my techs and we'll run mobile suit assault simulations against the palace. Any further input or questions?"
"One other thing," Karen said. "I believe the depot strike was planned and executed, not by the Tioman Liberators, but by Alex Davion and his Secret Police. He was much too calm during the entire affair."
"I suspect that too," Wolf chipped in. "Tioman Militia have stepped up raids against cities and towns deemed sympathetic to the Tioman Liberators, especially Lancaster city. When the time comes, we will use this knowledge to our advantage."
"Agreed," Typhoo concurred. "Till then, have a good rest," Typhoon said kindly to Karen. "You deserve it."
Karen nodded gratefully, although she was not so sure about the deserving part.
And with that, Typhoon stood and was first out through the door of the garrison officers' briefing room, followed immediately by Wolf and, shortly after, Jay. Karen stood and caught up quickly with Jay in the corridor and tugged at his arm gently to stop him. When he did, he turned, and there was a touch of sadness in his eyes. No further words needed to pass between them. Quickly, Karen embraced Jay in a gentle, loving manner.
Wolf had stopped too, in order to observe both Karen and Jay. Karen was facing Wolf, while Jay had his back turned. Then she locked eyes with Wolf. And her eyes appeared to be relaying her regret to him as well. But as much as he wanted to run to her, as much as he wanted to share in her embrace, it was not in his place to do so. Hence, he turned and walked away, his heart sinking further.

Chapter 11: Price of Freedom

Chapter 12: Heart and Soul

Chapter 13: End Game