Web
novel by
LtCol[W£]GrinnerWolf
|
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
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