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Winds of Change
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
Dewitt system, Clan Dreaded Legion space, the Black Mamba strike force has been making its way to the Dewitt pirate point without much incident.
Although Dreaded Legion fighter-interceptors have come within short sensor range, each time they were close enough to pose a threat the Black Mamba capital ships, they were duly chased away by Black Mamba space-superiority fighters.
This had been going on for several hours. Both sides were posturing as a prelude to the coming battle.
"Any signs of the Dreaded Legion interdiction force?" asked saKhan Prataban.
"Neg," replied commander of the Nebula class destroyer Servant of Siva, Star Captain Mahindra. "But we can be sure that it will show up well before we reach the Dewitt pirate point."
SaKhan Prataban nodded her acknowledgment.
Although mankind has been travelling to and from star systems using the laws of quantum physics for nearly a millennia, mankind has yet to fully comprehend the workings of star travel.
Pirate points, for example, exist as secondary jump-points in and out of star systems, but they are linked to more star systems than nadir points.
However, as jump-points in the space-time continuum, pirate points are so small, with some being less than a kilometre in diameter, that the slightest miscalculation would result in catastrophe. And the risk of miscalculation grows exponentially when jumps are done under battle conditions.
"My Khan, we have just received confirmation from our stealth probes that the pirate point is mined," remarked Mahindra after analysing the data on a piece of electronic flimsy handed to him by a bridge communications technician. "And the mines are class 3 nuclear devices."
"As we expected," remarked Prataban. "She is not stupid. She will not let us
escape so easily," continued Prataban, and "she" was in reference to Star Admiral Hershey.
"We can send a strike force to take out the mines," suggested Mahindra.
"Neg," said Prataban in response. "Those are class 3 mines. We would have to send in a suicide squad to be rid of them."
"But we also risk losing more lives and equipment if we are made to stand and fight," countered Mahindra.
The class 3 mine has a blast range of several kilometres, and while capital ships could withstand the destructive force of up to 4 of those mines, superiority fighters and bombers would simply disintegrate. And there was no way to take out the mines from a distance due to powerful onboard electronic counter measures that would scramble the guidance systems of missiles meant for destroying them, not to mention that the mines themselves were heavily armoured.
Nonetheless, Mahindra's observation was accurate. The Black Mamba could end up losing more lives and equipment if they did not send in a suicide squad to clear the mines.
"Nevertheless," countered Prataban, "this is a question of honour and not mere resources. We are here to give the Dreaded Legion the fight of their lives and, when we defeat them, we will earn the respect and loyalty of those who survive."
"My Khan," interrupted Star Commander Kumar. "Long range sensors have detected what is, in all probability, the Dreaded Legion interdiction force." After a short pause, "And we are being hailed," continued Kumar.
"Onscreen," ordered Prataban.
Half a second later, the aged but stern face of Star Admiral Hershey appeared on the main view-screen of the Servant of Siva. "Attention Black Mamba forces. You have violated Clan Dreaded Legion space. Leave now or be destroyed," warned Hershey.
"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!" remarked Mahindra. "Strong words for one so ancient."
"If you please, Star Captain," said Prataban in mild reprimand of Mahindra for speaking out of turn. After a short pause, Prataban addressed Hershey by saying, "Greetings Star Admiral Hershey."
"Star Admiral Prataban," acknowledged Hershey with a slight nod. "Oh! My apologies. It is saKhan Prataban now," said Hershey, correcting herself and acknowledging Prataban's new rank. The last time Hershey's space forces tangled with Prataban's, the latter was but a Star Admiral.
After a short pause and with her still stern face, "State your intentions," Hershey commanded.
"You know why we are here, Star Admiral," alluded Prataban to the obvious.
"Then you know what I must do," replied Hershey.
"Aff," acknowledged Prataban.
"I will transmit the batchal," said Hershey.
"As will I," replied Prataban.
Almost instantly, the Dreaded Legion batchal appeared on the display attached to the captain's chair. Prataban sat in the captain's chair as best as she could in null-gravity to examine the data on the display while Mahindra looked at the same data from an auxiliary display closest to the captain's chair.
"She must think she is some kind of super-warrior," remarked Mahindra in disbelief. "She intends to stop us with nothing more than a blockade runner-class cruiser, two squadrons of fighter-interceptors and a solitary bomber?"
"Neg," remarked Prataban. "She is not here to stop us. Her purpose is to whittle us down however much she can and, in the process, reduce our momentum a little."
"Well, I expected more from her," responded Mahindra.
"As you should," said Prataban. "Hershey is not to be underestimated." After a short pause, Prataban sighed and then said, "Match her batchal and add a little extra. That way, we give Hershey a complement she rightly deserves and ready ourselves for any deceptive strategy she has in store." After another short pause, "If Hershey remains true to form, it is bound to be something hiding in plain sight and difficult to detect right to the last moment," continued Prataban.
"My Khan," said Mahindra with a touch of incredulity in his voice. "You sound as though you admire her, if you would forgive my saying so."
"Do I?" asked Prataban. "Perhaps.... I have tangled with the legendary Star Admiral Hershey enough to know that she is a tactical genius in her own right. Her battles will be studied over and again, well beyond her death."
Then, looking suddenly optimistic, Prataban continued, "Too bad we have to be the ones to end her career for her."
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Mahindra indicated his comprehension of the meaning of Prataban's last statement. Prataban welcomed the chance to defeat Hershey, for she too would become legendary then and instantly at that.
"Might I remind the saKhan that our main priority is to get to the Dreaded Legion home world without suffering significant losses," said Mahindra, bordering on insolence.
"Noted," replied Prataban.
An hour later, the Dreaded Legion interdictor force came within short sensor range and the battle began. The Dreaded Legion force was evenly matched by the Black Mamba’s “fielding” of one squadron of space-superior fighters, a Nebula class destroyer, and whatever turret defences the dropship carrier Light of Brahma and the five Orion class dropships attached to her spine had to offer. However, an additional five space-superiority fighters were held in reserve, in case Hershey pulled something unexpected.
While fighter-interceptors were not as heavily armed as space-superiority fighters, they were far more nimble and could deal almost as much damage as space-superiority fighters. In fact, null-gravity gave the fighter-interceptor a clear advantage over the space-superiority fighter, in that the former could make fly-by passes and turn quickly on its axis in mid-flight to bring all its three ERPPC weapons to bear on a space-superiority fighter.
Unfortunately, fighter-interceptors are lightly armoured. Although space-superiority fighters are less nimble, each space-superiority fighter is equipped with six ERPPCs, which, in turn, enables it to kill a fighter-interceptor with a single blow or alpha strike. When piloted by an ace, a space-superiority fighter would make short work of almost any fighter-interceptor that is lined up in its gun sights.
And most of the Black Mamba space-superiority fighter pilots were aces. So, in the beginning, the space battle did not appear to be going anywhere, except for the fighter-interceptors nibbling at the armour of their space-superiority foes and destroying one. Then, as the minutes passed, fighter-interceptors began to be destroyed in quick succession.
When three quarters of a squadron's worth of fighter-interceptors were destroyed, the remaining fighter-interceptors turned on their tails and
retreated toward the Dreaded Legion blockade runner Death's Hand which had come within close-range weapons distance of the Servant of Siva. It was all actually a part of the classic manoeuvre to keep space-superiority fighters and bombers busy with dogfights while a fast attack cruiser like the Death's Hand moved into position.
With its quick-recharge weapons made for fending off fighters, bombers and guided torpedoes, the Death's Hand began picking at space-superiority fighters, more torpedoes and the thickly armoured Servant of Siva. The Death’s Hand also launched its own volley of ship-killer torpedoes. However, it appeared as though Hershey had mad a tactical mistake by moving within close-range weapons distance of the Servant of Siva, at least to the inexperienced mind. And as though to confirm it, the Death's Hand began to take massive damage from the Servant of Siva's capital ship class ERPPCs and gauss weapons. And the Death’s Hand’s torpedoes were easily rendered impotent by the Servant of Siva’s anti-torpedo gattling canon turrets. But the Death's Hand kept on moving closer, as if it intended to ram the Servant of Siva in a desperate last-ditch attempt.
Prataban ordered for the Servant of Siva to stay her course knowing full well that this was one battle it could not lose, at least not by being rammed. The Death's Hand would be ripped to shreds well before it could do any serious damage to the Servant of Siva.
"What is Hershey up to?" asked Prataban to no one in particular. Suddenly alarmed, Prataban ordered, "Concentrate all weapons on the Death's Hand! Ignore all other threats!"
The battle was unfolding so quickly that Prataban almost missed one little detail: the apparent no-show of the solitary Dreaded Legion bomber.
Just then, the Death's Hand swung into an arc, and Hershey's strategy became clear. She was not going for the Servant of Siva but, instead, for the Light of Brahma located just over a kilometre astern of the Servant of Siva, and Hershey was sacrificing her fast attack cruiser in order to protect the Dreaded Legion bomber stowed in its docking bay.
And just as the Death's Hand started to break up, the bomber launched. It was then quickly shielded from weapons fire and missiles by surviving fighter-interceptors.
"Launch all reserves!" screamed Prataban. "I want that bomber destroyed!
Now!!"
But it was too late.
"Long live the Dreaded Legion!" came Hershey's voice over the general frequency.
The Star Admiral was the Legion bomber's pilot.
Flying with full afterburners, Hershey's bomber came quickly within 500m of the Light of Brahma, whereupon she obtained a target lock for her single "The Fatty" torpedo tipped with a class 5 nuclear warhead. One by one, her escort fighters were being destroyed, but Hershey held off firing her torpedo till she came within 250m of the Light of Brahma. Hershey wanted to make sure that her torpedo would not be destroyed in mid flight so easily and that it would fly right into the Light of Brahma's spine.
Unfortunately, as Hershey fired off her torpedo, her cockpit was hit by a capital ship-class gauss slug crushing her instantly and throwing off her torpedo's vector by a few metres. And that was enough for the torpedo to miss the Light of Brahma's spine. Instead, it hit one of the Orion class dropships and detonated. A blinding flash and a huge shock-wave accompanied the torpedo's detonation.
Everyone on the Servant of Siva bridge was thrown about like rag-dolls. But there was no hull-breach anywhere on the bridge or main decks. Slowly, the bridge crew worked their way to their workstations, lending help to each other as they did, especially to those few who were conscious but still disoriented and floating about.
Prataban worked her own way back to the captain's chair, nursing bruised ribs as she did. Catching the cold stare given off by Star Captain Mahindra who was already standing by the auxiliary display closest to the captain's chair, Prataban cringed a little - yes, she should have listened to Mahindra, cleared the pirate point of mines and jumped before Hershey's forces could do any serious damage.
"Report," ordered Prataban. Mahindra did not respond but kept on staring at Prataban.
"Report!" shouted Prataban. Slowly Mahindra turned to look at the auxiliary display. After half a minute, he turned back to Prataban and said, "One dropship destroyed - Kali's Might - all hands and equipment lost; Light of Brahma, serious damage but otherwise operational; so are the remaining dropships; superiority fighters, all destroyed except those that we did not launch; Servant of Siva, serious damage with hull breaches reported on lower decks. We are not going anywhere now, at least not without major repairs and
reinforcements."
"Resume course for the pirate point and, when we are within short sensor range, launch mine sweepers," said Prataban.
"I do not think you heard me, saKhan Prataban," said Mahindra in astonishment.
"I heard you fine!" barked Prataban. "We will proceed as planned. And if you second guess me again, I will have you removed from the bridge and thrown into the brig! Is that understood, Star Captain?!"
"Aff..., my Khan," responded Mahindra with contempt clearly in his voice.
Back at the Dreaded Legion intelligence headquarters, "Report," ordered Voltage as he stepped into the inner chamber of the Legion intelligence operations centre.
"My Khan, the interdiction was a success," replied Darkstalker and he added, after a slight hesitation, "although there were no survivors among the Legion interdiction force, save for the light carrier Attica." After another pause, "Her captain conveys her profound regret for having been ordered to stay out of the battle. She said, 'I do not wish to question your wisdom, my Khan, but I believe that I too could have made a difference in that battle'," relayed Darkstalker with a slight smile.
For a long while, Voltage said nothing. Having neared Darkstalker, Voltage stopped and merely stared into blank space. Finally breaking his silence, he said, "tell Star Captain Alexandria that she is now acting commander of the Legion space forces. And I want her to make her way to our home world at best possible speed, but without alerting the Black Mamba strike force of her existence in the grand equation."
"Aff, my Khan," replied Darkstalker as he turned toward a communications technician to relay Voltage's new orders.
"My Khan," interrupted a 2nd Class Communications Tech with an electronic flimsy in his hand, "a message from Galaxy Commander Dig." He handed it over to Voltage and resumed his position at the main communications terminal.
Voltage activated the flimsy and read its contents which said, "Khan Voltage, I do not see why you insist on throwing an elaborate welcome parade for my Snipers Elite. If I did not know better, I would suspect that you are merely delaying our long awaited heart-to-heart, yet again – Dig." Taking out a writing stylus from the sleeve-pocket of his jacket, Voltage penned his reply, "Not this time, Dig. I too have been waiting for this opportunity, but the parade is necessary for raising morale and to reinforce the belief among our Clan that the Dreaded Legion will prevail." Voltage signed off and passed the flimsy back to the communications tech.
Turning to Darkstalker, Voltage said, "Looks like we both have some unfinished business to attend to, eh, Star Colonel?"
"As always, my Khan," replied Darkstalker with a confident smile.
And they left the Legion intelligence inner chamber together.
Half a day later, Galaxy Commander Dig's dropship makes landfall. Laboriously, he and his Snipers Elite make their way in their Mechs from the main space port through the cheering masses that have lined the sides of the path from New Ethiopia’s main  space port to the parade grounds. The journey would have been quicker if Dig could throttle up his captured Smoke Jaguar Sunder to maximum speed, but he had to mind the cheering pedestrians.
"Why do they bother?" asked Dig over the Snipers Elite frequency but to no one in particular.
"Perhaps it is because we are Snipers Elite and it has been over a decade since we returned to New Ethiopia," replied Dig's second-in-command, Star Colonel Yuri.
"Aff," replied Dig in acknowledgment. "But we would not have returned for another decade if the Legion had been doing better. So, how ignorant can they be?"
After a short pause, "Neg, Galaxy Commander," came Yuri's reply. "Not ignorant; merely hopeful. They look to us to help safeguard their future."
"Do any of you remember what it was like the last time Snipers Elite were home?" interrupted Star Captain Ice with a question. "I do, and I was right there among the crowd watching you all pass by. Awesome!"
"I suppose I do," replied Dig. "But it was during better times."
"Neg," countered Ice. "You were awesome then. And we are awesome now. A sustained kill ratio of 7:1 - no regular unit can ever beat that."
"Clear the comm, please," interrupted Yuri. "We are nearing the parade grounds."
"Greetings Snipers Elite," came Voltage's voice over the general frequency and over the parade ground loud speakers. "Welcome home." And with that, the Legion’s Dread March Parade Band began playing an uplifting military tune in earnest accompanied by even louder cheer from the gathered crowd.
12 Snipers Elite Mechs marched onto the parade grounds and filed into a single-line formation to face the main grandstand. Dig preceded the rest in his Sunder, followed by two Timber Wolves piloted by Yuri and Ice, which were then followed by two Timber Wolf MKII Mechs and Nova Cats. With practiced precision, the Mech's turned quickly to face the main grandstand and fired their energy weapons skyward in unison. The loud booms and crackles that accompanied the extended range energy weapons fire were deafening and they silenced everyone on the parade grounds for a good few seconds. Then the cheer resumed, with many among the crowd shaking their heads to clear their ears.
After giving such an awesome display of firepower, the Snipers Elite Mechs crouched and powered down. They were then approached by 12 cadets in dress uniforms with Zeus MKIII assault rifles slung on their shoulders; one cadet to a Mech. And in each cadet's hand was a neatly folded black jumpsuit with red piping - Snipers Elite colours. One by one, the cockpit hatches of the Snipers Elite Mechs popped and out came the elite MechWarriors who piloted them. And the crowed cheered even louder. Swiftly, the pilots made their way down their Mechs' chain ladders; they were clad in nothing more than skin-tight combat short and boots, as they had already removed their neuro-helmets and cooling-jackets. Accepting the jumpsuits from the cadets, the elite MechWarriors quickly put them on.
Then, a hovercraft transport came by to pick the elite MechWarriors up and chauffer them to the MechWarrior Grand Hall, where they would dine like the heroes they were. One by one, the Snipers Elite MechWarriors got on, all except Dig who was already jogging in the direction of Voltage's chambers.
Dig activated his wrist computer, linking it directly to Voltage's. When Voltage appeared onscreen, Dig spoke, "Now would be a good time," and disconnected the link and resumed his light jog toward Voltage's chambers.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Snipers Elite MechWarriors who had boarded the hover transport were being led away. This was the cue for the cheering crowed to approach the Snipers Elite Mechs for closer examination. However, no one from among the crowd would be allowed to climb the chain ladders that led to the cockpits, as they were guarded by fierce looking Legion cadets, some of whom were Elementals.
Three minutes later, Dig was at Voltage's chamber door. Before he could knock, it opened.
"Greetings Dig," said Voltage as he opened the door. He did not smile, but it was clear that Voltage was pleased to see Dig.
Dig stepped in and cut to the chase. "You realise the implications of what it is that you are asking me to do, quineg?" asked Dig.
Slowly, Voltage closed the chamber door and said, "Well, it is good to see you too," in dead-pan fashion and then walked over to the high-back chair behind his desk and sat down in it.
"For years, we have been accused of dishonourable conduct by our enemies for allegedly combine-sniping. Now, you want us to do exactly that? You do not need Snipers Elite to accomplish what you require. Just put a regular MechWarrior in a sniper Mech and ask him or her to finish off whatever targets that have been softened up by fast attack Mechs," said Dig with a touch of anger in his voice.
Voltage took his time to reply. When he did, he said, "I would not ask this of you if the situation were not so desperate. And as such, our regulars on New Ethiopia have been trained to fight conventional-style. It will not come naturally to them."
Slowly, Dig made his way to the blast-proof window screen and stared out at the crowd on the parade grounds. When the silence between him and Voltage became uncomfortable, Dig said, "Why?"
"Why what? Why it has come to this or why am I asking this of you?" asked Voltage.
Dig turned to face Voltage and gave him a you-know-what-I-mean look.
"Alright," said Voltage, "to be honest, I have not ceased to ask myself that question, just so that I can be sure that I am not going about this all wrong."
"So, indulge me," said Dig.
"Do you remember the one thing you said that kept me fighting against the odds for my bloodname?" asked Voltage.
"Do this, Leigh, and you will be assured of immortality," said Dig.
Voltage nodded. "And do you remember why I wanted immortality so badly?" asked Voltage.
"Of course," replied Dig. "You saw yourself as the heir to a legacy passed down from one generation to the next and you wanted to add your own mark to that legacy, regardless of your freeborn status."
Voltage smiled and said, "It was all so simple then. In spite of the terrible things I had to bear because of my being freeborn, my goals were clear cut - to become a 'Voltage' and then a Khan because of what I could contribute to the Clan. The confidence that I felt kept me surging forward. I could truly feel the greatness in my purpose that becoming less than Khan was not good enough. Of course, had I not achieved my goals I would have been contented with the knowledge that I tried my very best, but that is beside the point."
"So, how are things different now? You are still Khan and, regardless of what happens, you have made your mark," said Dig. "By Kerensky, you are still making your mark!" exclaimed Dig.
"But who will be there to remember if the Dreaded Legion ceases to exist?" asked Voltage. When Dig did not answer, Voltage continued with, "Neg. I feel small; almost insignificant; and certainly not immortal."
"We will still have a legacy," assured Dig gently. "Our warriors will bring a piece of us with them when they are absorbed into other Clans. And our genetic repository...."
"But the Dreaded Legion will cease to exist," said Voltage, cutting Dig off in mid-sentence. "And when that happens, nothing else would matter in this universe."
Dig looked puzzled and then tried a different approach to mollifying Voltage by saying, "Voltage, the fact that you are freeborn does not mean that other Clans would not include your genes stored in our repository in their genetic pool."
Voltage shook his head in response and said, "That is not what I am talking about. Everyone fights for the Clan first and foremost, whether or not his or her genes are in the repository."
Keying in some commands on the virtual keyboard embedded in his glass covered desk, Voltage brought up a journal entry stored beneath layers upon layers of confidential information located in the Dreaded Legion secret archives and put it on the wall display screen.
"Only Khans and select Dreaded Legion historians have had access to this," said Voltage. "Now, I am showing it to you."
As Dig began reading, Voltage said, "I did not know what to make of it at first. Like you, I was entirely ignorant of its existence until Chief Historian Fadhil brought it to my attention. He said that it would ease my conscience in these troubled times."
"No," said Dig. "This cannot be right. It is not in our remembrance."
"It is not," acknowledged Voltage. "It predates it."
The journal entry was by Khan Alexandria Dredd and it was dated June 6, 2834 (Earth Standard years) and it read:
"Sixty years after the exodus, Son of Alexander Kerensky, Nicholas, brings to us his Canons of Clan Traditions like an apostle bringing God's commandments. Who would have thought that this man would eventually become our saviour.
"If the Dread Legion is to survive, it must embrace the ways of the 'Clans'. We must become a Clan and fight by Clan rules. To refuse is to embrace total annihilation, and my father did not bring us out here only to be destroyed. We must turn our backs on our mercenary ways and be one with the Clans.
"And this will be my last entry as commanding officer. For, tomorrow, I will be known as 'Khan' - Colonel Alexandria Dredd, Commanding Officer, Dread Legion Mercenary Group, SLDF Reserves."
Dig wore an expression of utter disgust on his face and was about to say something when he stopped short and simply grimaced.
"I know," said Voltage. "I was disgusted, too, at first."
"Mercenaries are the worst kind of lowlifes!" said Dig in anger.
"But look beyond that, Dig," appealed Voltage. "We were once mercenaries, and then we became Clan. Why? Survival!"
"And you want us to become mercenaries again?!" asked Dig in sheer anger.
"Neg. Even I cannot stomach that," replied Voltage. "But you miss the point."
Dig gained control of his anger and made it subside a little by focusing on the larger picture Voltage had drawn for him. And when he spoke, he was calm and respectful. "In order to survive now, we must abandon the ways of the Clans," said Dig.
"Aff," replied Voltage. "But not all of them."
"What difference does that make?" retorted Dig. "We are either Clan or not."
"It makes a big difference," countered Voltage. "Our existence is defined by Clan traditions, although we must also be more than Clan. We must adopt new ways, but we must never abandon our Clan heritage in the entirety. Above all, the Dreaded Legion must not cease to exist. This is why I am Khan and this is why I need you to do as I ask."
Dig did not respond immediately. After a brief silence, he looked Voltage in the eyes and said, "This will not go down easily with the rest of Snipers Elite."
"Aff," acknowledged Voltage. "But they are completely loyal to you and would have no reason to question you, provided you make them understand completely."
"How can I, when I myself have trouble understanding," said Dig. "Our highest aspirations have always been about dying for the Clan and having our genes viewed as worthy of being included in the repository. And if our Clan ceases to exist, then it is simply because it is not worthy. The only ones who can still be deemed as worthy, thereafter, would be the individuals whose genes have been included in the Clan's repository. That is what we all have been taught from day one!"
"Aff," acknowledged Voltage. "And yet you went along with the plan to doctor evidence in order to appease the Clan Arbiters on Stranamechty. If our Clan were truly unworthy, it should have perished back then."
"You know," remarked Dig, "I am still struggling with that."
It was now Voltage's turn to mollify Dig. And he reiterated the point he had made earlier by saying, "Never forget that we die for the Clan so that the Clan prevails. For, without the Clan, we are nothing but raw material for the next generation of warriors of a different Clan who honour us not."
"Thus we are all self-serving individuals, quineg?" asked Dig. "And if we do this thing that you ask, the Clan will end up becoming something totally unrecognisable."
"Aff and neg," replied Voltage. "Aff, I am selfish insofar as I want to be remembered and honoured by those who would continue to pave the way for our Clan's future. More importantly, neg, our Clan is not going to become something unrecognisable - the Maker willing - because our Clan has always been more than what Clan traditions define it to be; the journal entry I showed you proves it. And it is up to people like us to shape and safeguard our Clan’s higher ideals."
Dig did not respond immediately. He turned away from Voltage and rubbed his temples with his fingers as though to massage away fatigue and, with it, all lingering doubts. After a while, he turned to look at Voltage again and said, "Aff, I am with you."
"Thank you, my old friend, for your continuing faith in me," said Voltage.
Meanwhile, Darkstalker has been making his way through the corridors of the Mechwarrior barracks lower levels. Turning a corner, he reached MechWarrior Giana's quarters. Before he could knock, her door quickly opened. Giana signalled for him to come in quickly and, when Darkstalker stepped in, she closed the door tight behind him and locked it.
"Is this really necessary?" asked Darkstalker.
"What?" Giana asked right back as she walked to her PC. She sat down and began typing a message.
"We do not have to meet," said Darkstalker while he handed her a data pad.
"Of course we do," Giana countered as she took the data pad from Darkstalker. "We will have to really meet out in the open some day and, if we do not have a ‘history’ together, it would create a lot of unnecessary suspicion."
"That is true," acknowledged Darkstalker. "Although the chances of that happening are slim..." he finished off.
"I'm not overreacting, if that's what you're getting at," retorted Giana.
"Careful, MechWarrior Giana," remarked Darkstalker. "Your contractions are giving you away."
"Aaahhh!" responded Giana in dismissal of Darkstalker's prod, prompting a smile from the Star Colonel. Although he would loath to admit it, Darkstalker did find Giana somewhat attractive and looked forward to seeing her.
"By the way," said Darkstalker in a change of subject, "you were nearly traced the last time you sent a coded message on piggy-back."
"I wasn't me," said Giana.
"Are you sure?" asked Darkstalker.
"Of course I'm sure," replied Giana. "I always follow the encryption protocol list you gave me right down to the last decimal point."
"Hmmm...," Darkstalker wondered aloud. "Then someone could be piggy-backing on you."
"How?" asked Giana.
Putting a finger to his lips, Darkstalker silenced Giana. He then took out a portable scanner no larger that his palm and began scanning Giana's quarters for hidden bugs or micro-cameras. After several minutes, all his scans turned out negative.
"That was useful," remarked Giana. "You honestly think that I'm that careless?" asked Giana sarcastically.
"One cannot be too careful," said Darkstalker in response.
"Great!" exclaimed Giana in frustration. "Now I have to find another carrier."
Darkstalker took out his foldable tablet PC and brought up the transmission schedule and cross-checked it with his own copy of the encryption protocol list. "One is coming up in the about three minutes."
"Alright, I'm encoding the message again," said Giana. She included the new data which Darkstalker had handed over to her which pertained to possible hegira dates.
When it was time, Giana tapped on the Send icon on her PC display. Looking satisfied, she turned to Darkstalker and said, "Well, since you're here, let's take the opportunity to make the most of our roles."
Darkstalker thought he caught her meaning, but was not entirely sure, until Giana started undressing. "Alright," he replied casually and started to undress as well.
Five minutes later, Giana's coded message is intercepted by the Servant of Siva which had been charging its Kearny-Fucida drive via solar-sail in the Krondor system. Krondor was one of the many uninhabited systems between the Dreaded Legion’s home world system and Dewitt system. The Servant of Siva had jumped in with the surviving Black Mamba strike force nearly 12 hours ago and Krondor had been chosen because of the presence of an unmanned communications relay station.
"My Khan," said Star Captain Mahindra. "We just intercepted this communiqué. It is not from our operative as such, but it bears his markings."
Prataban walked over to Mahindra and examined the communiqué shown on the display he was working from. "Crack it," ordered Prataban.
"Already done," said Chief Communications Technician Sriram. "The original sender used a rather sophisticated Inner Sphere algorithm like all her earlier messages. You just have to know which one."
"And how did you know what to even look for?" asked Prataban.
"Lucky guess," replied Sriram a little embarrassed.
"It is a list of dates," observed Mahindra after refreshing the communiqué to bring up its cracked form.
"Dates for what?" asked Prataban.
"And look at the addendum by our operative," pointed out Mahindra.
"Expect treachery," Prataban read it out loud and in astonishment.

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

Chapter 11: Price of Freedom

Chapter 12: Heart and Soul

Chapter 13: End Game