Chapter 25

Meridian Manufacturing Plant One

New St Andrews IV, The Periphery

Rimward of the Circinus Federation

17 June 3077

 

               The days after the spaceport attack were difficult.  It was strange, really.  Preparing for the fight had taken just a few days, while the fallout afterwards had taken a week to sort through.

               Once Caradin had been killed and Hoshino had surrendered, everything else had been a mop-up.  Marie and Hoshino had returned to the spaceport to reinforce Meridian and take on the remaining Circinan forces.  Thankfully that had been an easy task; everyone at the spaceport had seen the DropShip fall burning out of the sky.  When they saw the Blossom and the Katamari advancing on them, the Circinans who’d been able had broken and run, scattering into the woods.  Those who hadn’t been able to run had surrendered.

               Marie had been ready to collapse at that point, but the job hadn’t been over.  Rachel had reminded her about DropShip crash recovery procedure, a thought echoed by Meridian’s security commander a minute later.  Their forces had rapidly coordinated and regrouped.  They left a small force behind to secure the prisoners – among them Hoshino, powering down the Katamari surrounded by tanks – and the rest of them had immediately set off into the woods.  Marie had stayed behind long enough to see her mother disembark from the Katamari before she’d followed after them, her heart in her throat.

               Deadfall had crash-landed several kilometers outside of Kilrymont.  Meridian and the Blossom had found the ship on its side, its massive weight sinking into the rocky soil.  Its crew had been trying to get the reactor started up again as Meridian’s forces had closed in.  The Circinans had put up a fight, but thankfully the ship’s weapons had been offline and the ‘Mechs onboard had been damaged and trapped inside the ship, to say nothing of how many of their people had been injured or killed in the crash.  In less than an hour the Blossom and the group of tanks and Arbiters had managed to lock the ship down.  Marie had even ducked the Blossom down to look through the sideways exit door, wincing at the state of things inside.  The floor of the ship was melted, and there was wreckage of ‘Mechs and cargo everywhere, along with a lot of blood.

               A security team had been called in to search the ship and lock down any remaining pockets of resistance.  Once they had arrived, Marie had been ordered back to the spaceport.  When she had finally parked the Blossom back on the spaceport tarmac, Marie had powered down the reactor, whispered a word of thanks to the ‘Mech, and promptly broken down, crying like a newborn baby.  She had sobbed openly in the cockpit, overwhelmed by the guilt, stress, and above all else, relief.  She’d hugged her neurohelmet to her chest, hanging onto it like it was a lifeline.

               Finally, her body still trembling and her legs wobbly, she had unbuckled herself and climbed down to the tarmac.  Which was where she’d found Meridian’s people waiting for her.

               She should have known it wouldn’t be as easy as just coming back to base and going to bed.  Bower had been able to call in a lot of Meridian’s remaining security forces for the strike, but not all of them had been as trusting as he was.  They were taking orders from Napier and the rest of the Meridian leadership, who had classified all of the Hussars as contract breakers and enemy combatants.  The Blossom had been locked down and Marie put into handcuffs. 

               Rachel had been there too, looking battered but still in one piece.  She’d been refusing to let them take her to a hospital until after Marie got back.  Marie guessed it was a nod of respect that Meridian had let Rachel stay there, and had let her and Marie share a hug before taking Marie into custody.  Marie had been overflowing with frantic questions, wanting to know if Rachel was hurt, what had happened, what she’d seen, and a dozen other things, but those questions had all gone unanswered as she’d been taken away.

               The Circinans had been brought to a prison outside Kilrymont, where they were awaiting judgment.  Marie, Hoshino, and Wolfgang, technically still contracted with Meridian, had been dragged off to Plant One where they’d been split up and locked into retrofit prison cells.  Marie had only been there for a few hours before they’d let her out, she guessed from Bower and others vouching for her.  Unfortunately she’d just changed from one prison to another, getting moved to a small bedroom like the one she’d been assigned when she’d first come here.  This time however, there was a security officer at the door who followed her wherever she went.  She wasn’t allowed to talk to Hoshino, Wolfgang, or her mother.

               She wasn’t completely isolated, though.  It seemed like every hour someone else from Meridian wanted to ask her questions.  Be it Napier and the board, or the head of security, the head of the ground team, or anyone at the spaceport, someone wanted to hear what had happened, and apparently thought she had all the answers.  More than a few times Marie had been ready to pull her hair out.  How was she supposed to know the Circinan JumpShip’s travel table, or how Caradin had conducted herself on the last contract? 

               As if that wasn’t enough the lower-rung employees all wanted to talk to her too, especially as stories began to spread of just what had brought down the Circinan DropShip.  Whenever she wasn’t being officially debriefed, some other Meridian worker was knocking at the door, wanting to hear what had happened on the DropShip or the spaceport.  It didn’t take long before Marie began to wish for a little peace and quiet.

               Ironically enough the constant questions also gave her some answers.  From all the details they were asking for, Marie figured out that Meridian was wrestling with a lack of evidence.  With the dummy combat recorders installed, the Blossom couldn’t tell them anything about what had happened.  Fleetfoot, the Katamari, and the Circinan ‘Mechs were sure to be scrubbed for information, but they hadn’t been on the DropShip, nor could they explain where the Blossom had retreated to after blowing up the ‘Mech bay and escaping the spaceport.  Marie had told them she’d managed to do repairs and call in Bower for emergency backup, but had left out the part about consorting with pirates.  She just hoped that story held up.

               As for searching through the wreckage of Deadfall, Marie didn’t envy Meridian that job.  The memory alone of men exploding under her guns, and the puddles of blood inside after the crash, had made for some very restless nights.

               She was sitting on the edge of her bed recovering from the latest round of questioning when a knock came at the door.  Marie groaned and massaged her temples.  “I’m here,” she said tiredly.

               The door swung in and Marie ran her hands through her hair.  When she looked up again, she saw Rachel McCloud standing in the doorway, an exhausted smile on her face.

               Marie was on her feet and across the room in a heartbeat, throwing her arms around her mother and holding her tight.  The embrace lasted just a few seconds before Rachel made a little noise of pain.

               “Careful, I only just got put back together,” Rachel warned with a little laugh.  Marie let her go and the two of them sat down on the bed, both of them quickly bubbling over with questions.

               Marie had figured out the basics, and Rachel filled in the details: Rachel had been able to eject before the Samurai had disintegrated, and the Blossom’s patched-together targeting system hadn’t been able to spot the ejection seat among the wreckage.  Rachel had been knocked unconscious from the shock of punching out; the automated chute had deployed in time to save her, but she hadn’t been awake to use the commline.  By the time she’d come to, she’d been hanging from a tree, with the Katamari stomping up to her.  Hoshino had hesitated a good couple of minutes before finally extending his ‘Mech’s hand and scooping Rachel out of the tree, bringing her up to the cockpit before heading to where Caradin and Marie had been facing off.

               “Are you sure you’re all right?” Marie asked.

               “Not my first crash,” Rachel joked.  “Did I tell you about when your father put me in a Mechbuster and aimed me at a group of Clan Omnimechs?”  She laughed a little at that, before going somber.  “I thought I saw him for a minute after I ejected.  When I came to and I saw this Charger coming up, for a second I thought it was your father coming to collect me,” she said.

               Marie laughed at that.  She remembered the stories her father had told about his BattleMechs, including the Charger he’d had when he’d first started the Black Thorns.  “Guess he’s not ready for you yet.”

               “He’d better get ready, the next time I see him I’m going to have a few words for him,” Rachel joked back.

               “You and me both,” Marie said.  “…but you said the right words to Hoshino.  I don’t know what you said to him, but it got through.”

               “I just told him he’s a good man at heart, and he owed it to himself not to throw that away,” Rachel answered.  “I wasn’t sure what he was going to do.  He didn’t want to hurt you, I could see that much.  After that…” she trailed off, holding up her hands.

               Marie shook her head in disbelief.    “I’d tried talking to him before, and it was like he already had his mind made up,” she said.

               “Maybe he just needed time to think about what you said,” Rachel commented.  “Now are you all right?  You look tired.”

               “You have no idea,” Marie groaned out.

               “I had twin babies, I know everything about being tired,” Rachel replied with another laugh.  “But are you hurt anywhere?”

               “A couple bruises from all the action, but nothing broken,” Marie answered.  “You should see the other guy,” she added, putting on a strained grin.

               Rachel smiled at the attempted joke before turning her eyes down.  “Is that new?” she asked, pointing at Marie’s legs, where the logo of Meridian Manufacturing now stood out on her left calf.

               “Yeah, added it between debriefings,” Marie answered with a shrug.  “It seemed like a good way to remember this planet.  Meridian’s been parading me around since the beginning.  They’re pretty excited over what happened, actually.  I mean they’re not happy about the whole contract-breaking thing, but they got footage of their pirate buster ‘Mech actually busting pirates.  Wouldn’t be surprised if they want to film me and the Blossom to fill out another ad spot just to tie it all up.”

               “I said you might have a chance in entertainment,” Rachel joked.

               Marie smirked.  “Maybe just once.  With all the buzz over how the Arbiter handled itself, I figured it was a good time to talk about what Meridian owed me for all the time they’ve had me on their holo-cameras.  Turns out they were in a good enough mood to think about it.  I also might have reminded them they were in this spot because they tried to shortchange us on the contract.”  She shrugged.  “So maybe I won’t be totally broke when I ship out to the next place.”

               “Sounds like a plan.  So where are we going next?” Rachel asked.

               “I…I figured we were heading out again,” Marie hesitantly replied.  “We’re trying to work our way back to Northwind, right?  Maybe the next ship will get us a little closer.”

               Rachel gave her a curious look, raising her eyebrows slightly.  “You want to go back to that?”  Marie shrugged again at that, so Rachel went on.  “I’ve been thinking about what you said to me.  I know you hate flying around in DropShips like we’ve been doing.”

               “Mom, I was just going through some things…”

               “It’s all right, I understand.  It’s been really hard for you and me.  I’ve been hoping if we can work our way back to Northwind, what’s left of your family is still there.  But I never asked you what you wanted to do.”

               Marie was quiet, processing the unexpected question for a few seconds before shaking her head.  “I’m still figuring that out.”

               “You’ve been looking out for me, I know, and I love you for that,” Rachel said.  “You want a home, you want friends…I’ve been trying my best to get you someplace where you can have those things.  But is there someplace you want to go?  Anything you have in mind?”

               Marie’s mind swam.  She’d been wrestling with those same questions on her own for the last few days.  The only thing she knew for sure was that she wouldn’t be on New St. Andrews for much longer.  After that, it was straight into the dark void of space again.  It would be nice to have an actual destination in mind, not one they were slowly trying to work their way to “someday,” but someplace she could actually aim for.  She wanted to say all that to her mother, but couldn’t get the words straight in her head.  Instead she just settled on : “Can I get back to you on that?  There’s a few things I want to check on first.”

               “Sure,” Rachel said with a knowing smile.  “But whatever you’ve got in mind, I’m with you.  I know a lot’s going on right now, but we’ll get through it.”

               Marie nodded at that.  Before she could say anything more another knock came and the door swung open.  Outside the familiar security officer was waiting, a stern look on his face.  He wordlessly gestured at Marie.

               Marie groaned and stood up, knowing it was pointless to argue with the man.  “I got to go, mom.  I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she said. 

               Rachel nodded encouragingly.  “I’ll be here.  We’re out of fighter jets to crash, after all.”

               Marie smiled at the joke and headed out, following the security officer.  “Thanks for that,” she said.  “So can I talk to anyone else yet?”

               “Debriefings are ongoing.  Come with me,” the security man answered sternly, gesturing down the hall.  Marie sighed and started walking, following along behind him.

               They went to an elevator that took them up a few levels.  During the ride Marie made a halfhearted effort at straightening out her hair.  She wasn’t sure she could take another six-hour stint of being asked what happened.

               She was led to the Plant’s clinical wing, which was emptier than she might have expected; after the fighting at the spaceport most of Meridian’s casualties were being treated at a hospital in Kilrymont, and the Circinan prisoners were being processed elsewhere.  The clinical wing was just for the unlucky few that Meridian wanted to talk to personally.

               The security officer led her to a conference room.  Marie could hear indistinct talking through the door, but didn’t bother trying to listen more closely; she could see she wasn’t alone.  In a chair against the wall sat Hoshino.  The big man looked bedraggled, but he still managed a small smile at her attention.

               “Fun times, huh?” Marie asked him.  She glanced at the guard, half-expecting him to snap at her to be quiet.  When no warning came, she took a seat next to Hoshino.  The security guard sharply ordered Marie to wait there, then he walked out, going to stand guard outside the entrance to the wing.  Marie and Hoshino sat in an oppressive, lonely silence for a few seconds before Marie took a breath.

               It’s tough when you’re the one being interrogated, isn’t it?” she asked. 

               Hoshino’s lips went tight at that, and he lowered his head in shame.  “A warrior must fight all kinds of battles.  This is simply one of the more grueling tests of endurance.”  He sighed and looked at the door.  “I am awaiting a final judgment on my fate.  Meridian’s management and the planetary government are conferring on what should become of me and the other Hussars.  They only just finished questioning Wolfgang.  They needed to wait to speak to him until the doctors had stabilized him.”

               Marie winced internally.  At the last minute Wolfgang had volunteered to join in the attack on the spaceport.  She hadn’t been sure whether she could trust him, knowing there was a good chance he’d just run off, or give her away to Caradin.  But they’d needed all the help they could get, so they’d managed to stick him in an Arbiter just before the attack.  From what Marie had heard he’d done pretty well for himself, taking out the Circinan Javelin before Caradin had destroyed his ‘Mech. 

               Marie looked Hoshino over, wondering what the debriefings had been like for him.  “Anything you have to say for yourself before they come out of there?” she asked him.

               His shoulders slumped.  “I do not know when I lost my way,” he said quietly.  “It was likely far too long ago.  I have done terrible things, yes.  But for a moment I thought I could find myself again.  Now I just wonder if I will get a chance.”

               “Well if you had a working combat recorder you’re ahead of me.  I’m sure they’ll see what you did.”

               “That will be a problem for me, I fear.  I was firing on their people.  I nearly killed Bower.”  He shook his head.  “Or they may lose the recordings altogether.  After all, they are looking for someone to blame.  With some luck they will see the fault for this rests on Caradin and Thomas.  But I am far from blameless, and luck is rarely on a ronin’s side,” he said, his smile going tight as he tried to shrug nonchalantly.  “You should be all right, young one.  From the way they were questioning me, it seems they have already decided you are innocent in this.”

               “Good.  And yeah, they should pin this on Caradin, it was her plan.  And you stopped her, that has to count for something.”

               “Caradin is a dangerous woman,” Hoshino muttered.  “Was a dangerous woman.  At least I have learned she did not survive.”

               “How are you feeling about that?” Marie asked, seeing the conflict on his face.

               Hoshino slowly shook his head.  “It is as though I have killed a family member with my own hands,” he answered.  “A broken, cruel family member, but still someone who was part of my life.  And yet…it feels like I can see the light for the first time in a long while.”

               Marie nodded sympathetically at his words.  She herself was relieved to hear Caradin was out of her life, but at the same time she felt guilt for feeling relieved over someone’s death.  She was still trying to get her head around what she had done to Thomas, not to mention the men and women on the DropShip.  Throwing Caradin into the mix was just jumbling her up even more. 

               “How is your mother?” Hoshino asked.

               “Tough as a BattleMech.  We McClouds are built strong,” Marie answered, smiling a little.  “Thank you for bringing her back.”

               Hoshino nodded.  “Caradin ordered me to ‘secure the ejection seat.’  I knew what she meant for me to do.  But when I saw who was hanging from the tree branches, I could not bring myself to fire.”  He chuckled mirthlessly.  “At first I thought if I brought her back alive we could convince you to surrender and end things peacefully.  But as I carried her back, she spoke with me.  She reminded me of what I was doing, and what Caradin had made me into.  So if I do not see her, please tell her thank you for me.  I think, perhaps, she saved me as well.”

               “Both of us,” Marie corrected.  “If she wasn’t so damn tough, I…I don’t know what I’d be doing right now.  I’ve already lost so many people in my life.  When I thought I’d lost her too, I just couldn’t take it.  So, really…thank you, Hoshino.”

               Hoshino’s smile returned at that, and he nodded at her appreciatively.  “It is good to know perhaps I did something worthwhile with my life.”

               “Hopefully not the last thing,” Marie said.  “So is that why you did it?  You wanted to do something worthwhile?”

               Hoshino sighed.  “I struck because for a moment I remembered who I wanted to be.  And I could see you were starting to listen to her,” he answered.  “That is how Caradin worked.  She would get you to listen to her, and before long you think you must keep listening to her, or else the world will no longer make sense.”  He lowered his eyes in shame.  “I had listened to her for so long I had forgotten there were other options.  Then with a few words from you and your mother, things became clear.  I had to act, before she could poison you like she did me.”

               Marie hesitated, wondering if she wanted to know the answer to the next question.  Finally, she took a breath.  “Hoshino…Heihachi.  Can you tell me what you did before joining the Hussars?  Caradin told me a story about you.”

               Hoshino was quiet a little too long in response, and he avoided her gaze.  “It is not a story for outside of my family,” he finally said.

               “Seriously?” Marie asked.  “After everything that’s happened, now you’re clamming up?  You and I actually managed to do something good here.  I think I’ve earned an answer to one question.”

               He took a breath and let it out slowly.  “There is more than just my story at stake,” he said.  He looked up, meeting her eyes again.  “What will you do if I choose to keep my silence?”

               Marie sighed and leaned back, giving him a few seconds to think.  When he didn’t flinch, she opened her mouth.  “I’ve already told these people what you did, and I’ve asked them to cut you a break.  But once we leave here, that’s the last you and I will see of each other.  I’ve been jerked around too much already.  I’m tired of it,” she answered.  She paused a few more seconds before she leaned forward again.  “So, are you ready to lose another friend?”

               Hoshino stared at her for a long moment.  “I made a mistake,” he finally began.  “As a younger man, I met a woman who stole my heart.  She was married to a powerful samurai, with connections to the Coordinator himself.  I thought nothing of the risk, as I loved her, and she me.  Then one night her husband caught us together.  His rage was…frightening,” he said, shaking his head at the memory.  “He swore he would behead me and butcher my entire family as punishment, and leave us to rot in shallow graves.  Then Kimiko…” he stopped, his voice catching.  He swallowed and continued.  “His wife stopped him, begged him to spare me, and swore on her honor to serve only him for the rest of her life.  With her words, I was allowed to escape, but her husband did not let me go freely.  He publicly branded me as a horrible man, one who had broken into his home and forced himself on his wife.  It was a cruel joke.  He had allowed me to leave as his wife had begged, but he knew with such a stain on my name I would need to commit seppuku to preserve my family’s honor.”

               He wrung his hands and looked away from her.  “Were I a stronger man, I might have gone through with it.  But it burned too much, the thought of sacrificing my life for a lie, when the woman I loved had traded her freedom to the man who had told the lie.  Then my brother offered to help me.  He arranged for me to quietly leave Kuritan space, with the Katamari by my side.  I think my family was glad to be rid of the machine,” he added with a sad smile.  “My brother would make the necessary evidence, secure a dead body that looked like me, and tell the story that I had committed formal seppuku and recovered my honor.  A lie for a lie, it seemed fair.”

               Marie processed that for a moment.  “And Caradin found that out,” she said.  “What was she saying, that she’d tell the secret if you didn’t do what she wanted?”

               Hoshino nodded.  “With one word she could destroy my entire family’s honor, and bring that man’s rage down on them.”

               “And on the woman you loved,” Marie finished. 

               Hoshino nodded.  “At any sign of insubordination, the lieutenant threatened me with my secret.  Perhaps the right move would have been to stand up to her, but as I said, I am not a strong man, and the galaxy is frightening to be alone in.  To a ronin, a broken commander is still better than none.  Or so I thought.”

               Marie quietly nodded, thinking about the story.  “I have to be honest, I don’t know whether to believe you.  But right now I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

               “Good,” Hoshino said.  His smile reappeared, albeit smaller.  “I find myself precious short of friends, and no idea of what my future holds.” 

               Before he could say anything more, the door to the conference room opened.  A few people stepped out – some were in suits, others in military uniform.  Marie saw the colors of both the planetary defense force and Meridian Security among them.  Marie and Hoshino both stood up reflexively, standing at attention with their shoulders squared and their arms ramrod-straight at their sides.  Marie did her best not to swallow nervously.

               The collection of officers and civilians did not seem to notice her and Hoshino right away.  They turned to each other, exchanging a few pleasantries and brief words before hands were shaken and most of them left.  One of the suited officials gave Marie a curious look before following the rest out.

               Left behind was a man in a suit with the Meridian logo on the breast.  The man’s expression hinted that he had not volunteered for the job ahead of him.  He produced a datapad and mechanically scrolled through it.

               “Holly’s Hussars,” he said, reading from the datapad.  “The commanders of all parties involved in the incident at Kilrymont spaceport have convened and considered all available information, including the contract breach by Lieutentant Caradin, Sergeant Thomas, and MechWarriors Wolfgang and Hoshino.  Also considered were the subsequent actions by MechWarriors Hoshino and Wolfgang, and Pilot McCloud.  The following are our findings.”

               Despite herself, Marie clenched her fists.  She glanced at Hoshino, envying how he seemed able to keep his composure, until she noticed his jaw was clenched.

               “After discussion, we have concluded that Lieutenant Holly Caradin elected to breach contract, and ordered Holly’s Hussars to assist Circinan elements against the interests of Meridian Manufacturing and New St. Andrews IV.  MechWarriors Thomas, Wolfgang, and Hoshino followed these orders,” the man said with a cold look at Hoshino.  “In contrast, Pilot McCloud staged a mutiny against Lieutenant Holly Caradin over disagreements with her orders.  MechWarriors Wolfgang and Hoshino later joined this mutiny, with note taken that both openly took hostile actions against the Lieutenant.  In view of all evidence, we have concluded that fault for breach of contract rests on Lieutenant Caradin.  However, we must also assess damages to Meridian and planetary assets caused by the Lieutenant’s actions and the actions of Holly’s Hussars, taken at her orders.” 

               He tapped the datapad, flipping to a new page of text.  “First, your unit forfeits all pay under your contract up to this point and going forward.  This is assessed as compensatory damages to cover the harm caused to the spaceport and personnel therein, as well as harm to Meridian personnel at Plant Two.  A punitive fee is also assessed against you for the damage to Meridian equipment during the attack on Kilrymont spaceport, including the Arbiter MechWarrior Wolfgang was piloting.  The remainder of the contract term is to be fulfilled pro bono.”

               Remainder of the contract?  Marie thought to herself.  If they expect us to complete the term here, then…

               “You will be attached to a local garrison unit, under parole.  Your actions will be supervised and you are expected to make regular reports to your assigned liason.”  He looked up from the data pad.  “At the latest estimates over forty percent of pirate units are unaccounted for, primarily limited to support and technical staff, as well as some combat elements and escape pods from their DropShip.”

               Marie nodded at that.  She’d seen the Circinans being led off to prison.  She hadn’t seen Melody among them, and assumed the tech had escaped into the woods with the rest.

               “You will assist the planetary defense and Meridian Security in tracking down and removing these elements,” the man added on before looking back to the data pad.  “In view of the Hussars’ actions with regard to the pirate dropship Deadfall, salvage rights will be maintained.  A note has also been added to your file, and will be submitted to the MRBC for consideration and review.  Ms. McCloud’s…supplemental pay is under review,” he said with a narrow-eyed look at Marie.  “That is all.”

               He put the data pad away and looked back and forth between them, a stern look in his eyes.  “You are allowed forty-eight hours for repair of your machines, after which you are expected to report for duty,” he said.

               Hoshino saluted at that, which Marie mirrored a moment later.  “Thank you, sir,” she said.

               The man nodded at her.  “Mechwarrior Wolfgang has asked to see both of you,” he said, pointing down a hall towards one of the treatment rooms.  “Ms. McCloud, I assume you’re the one he meant by ‘the kid.’”

               Marie narrowed her eyes in annoyance at the name, but still nodded.  “Yes, sir,” she said icily.  “Thank you.”

               She waited until the suited man had left before she deflated, sitting down hard in her chair again.  Before her, Hoshino remained standing, though he tilted his head back and took a breath for the first time in over a minute, his shoulders sagging in relief.

               “Congratulations,” she said to him.  “I guess we’re not criminals yet.”  But only just barely, she thought.  She wondered how much of a black mark the unit would have after this report.

               For his part Hoshino seemed to have no reservations.  His smile was back, wide and bright on his face.  “Destiny has smiled upon us today.  We are allowed a chance to redeem ourselves.”

               “Yeah, let’s not screw it up,” Marie muttered.  She stood up, still a little dizzy from the blood rushing to her head.  “I should go see what the asshole wants.”

               “Yes, we must tell him we are celebrating as soon as he is on his feet again!” Hoshino said proudly.  “We have our freedom.  We have a DropShip!”

               “Most of a DropShip,” Marie corrected, raising a finger.  “I was there, believe me it’s in no shape to fly.  We have no crew for it, and replacement parts for that thing are way above Meridian’s pay grade.”  She shrugged.  “But we can probably still sell the parts from it.  With the exchange rate Meridian’s giving us on salvage, maybe we can make enough to keep the lights on.”

               “Just as well.  I would not know what to do with an Overlord anyway,” Hoshino said with a chuckle.  Marie returned the smile and turned to head to Wolfgang’s room. 

               She had taken a step down the hall before a thought stopped her.  She wasn’t sure how much Hoshino respected Kuritan protocol, but he obviously drew a lot from his heritage, and she felt she had to do something.  Turning towards him, she squared her shoulders and bowed to him with as much poise as she could manage, although that wasn’t saying much from how her head was still swimming.  As she stood up straight again, she saw that he had returned the bow, much deeper and more formally than she’d been able to.

               “Get up,” she said, smiling at him.  “We’ll figure out who bows to who in a minute.”  Hoshino obediently stood up straight again and nodded at her, still looking like he was on top of the galaxy.  Shaking her head at his optimism, she walked down the hall and into the treatment room.

               Inside, Wolfgang was sitting up in a mobile hospital bed.  One arm was in a heavy cast, and an IV was at his side, dripping something into his other arm.  His head was bandaged as well, leaving only one eye exposed.  That eye regarded her coldly as she and Hoshino walked in. 

               “My friend, you are looking well!” Hoshino proudly declared.  “How are you feeling?”

               Wolfgang said nothing right away, so Marie pulled up a chair and sat down.  The treatment room was cramped even with just the three of them in it.  She wondered what it must have been like during questioning, with who knows how many people lining up to get answers.

               After a few moments Wolfgang finally broke his silence.  “You owe me,” he growled.

               Marie smirked and shook her head.  “Still a charmer,” she remarked. 

               Still, she couldn’t get too angry at him.  She’d heard he’d been beaten around pretty bad in the fight on the spaceport, not to mention punching out of a burning Arbiter.  She guessed the doctors had reduced his painkillers so he’d be lucid enough to answer questions, and from the tension on his face he wasn’t appreciating the experience. 

               “All right, I’ll bite.  What do I owe you for?” she asked.

               He made a tired grunt.  “You want the full list?  I got in a ‘Mech when I only had one good arm.  I took out that Circinan commander and gave Holly a good rough-up before she even got close to you.  You ever been in a cockpit that’s on fire, kid?  It’s not fun.”

               “You volunteered for that.  And that’s after you helped the Circinans take Plant Two and the spaceport,” Marie said.  “If anyone owes anyone, you still owe Meridian.  The good news is you’ll get a chance to pay them back.”

               Wolfgang’s eye flickered up to Hoshino, who nodded at him, beaming.  “We have a chance to earn our salvation,” the big man said.  “For the moment we are not being thrown in with the pirates.”

               Wolfgang did not seem impressed with the news.  “Figured as much when they didn’t come in here with a noose all pre-tied.  If you wanna get technical, I’m a disgruntled ex-employee.  I was fired a couple days ago, right after some rookie bitch smashed my ride.  Think they’re classifyin’ this as some kind of ‘hostile takeover’ of Hussar management.”  Hoshino laughed at that before Wolfgang looked back at Marie.  “But you still owe me, girl.  I bet your friends’d change their opinion of you real quick if I’d told ‘em who you got to fix up your crazy crossbreed ‘Mech.”

               Marie twitched, wondering briefly if anyone from Meridian was listening, but ultimately decided the man deserved an answer.

               “Thanks for that, but it still doesn’t make up for you trying to blow me up earlier.”

               “Just followin’ orders,” Wolfgang replied flippantly.

               “Don’t ask questions, just do what Caradin says,” Marie finished for him.  She looked from Wolfgang to Hoshino and back again.  “How long was that going on?  What else did you guys just go along with?”

               Hoshino’s smile fell.  “Marie-san, you do not need to worry…”

               “The kid asked, and she apparently thinks my scales are light,” Wolfgang interrupted.  “I don’t know what kind of fairy tales you’ve got in your head, but not all mercs get hired to go fight for truth and justice.  Most of the time, our kind get hired to do the stuff the bosses want done but they don’t want to get their hands dirty doing themselves.  Yeah, Holly makes me shoot people who ejected.  She’s had me burn down buildings and hit convoys full of civvies and do all kinds of stuff that if I told you about it you wouldn’t sleep for the rest of your life.  And yeah, I knuckled down and did it, ‘cause if I don’t do it, someone else will, and they’d be getting paid for it while I go hungry.  But,” he added as he saw Marie’s expression darken, “if you’re askin’ if Holly’s ever gone off the reservation and flipped on the employer like this, answer’s no.  Don’t know if it’s ‘cause she knew better than to switch sides, or if the Hussars are too small potatoes to be worth trying to buy off in the middle of a mission.  Guess this time the other side was just as desperate as we were.”  He snorted.  “You think things are better now?  Holly at least kept things going.”

               “It may not be as bad as you fear,” Hoshino said.  “We are allowed to maintain our salvage rights.  I believe once all is said and done there will be quite a bit of equipment to our names.”

               Wolfgang snorted again.  “Great.  A pile of junk to join the other junk.  You got any plans beyond that?”

               Hoshino was quiet at that, so Marie spoke up.  “You can drop the act,” she said.  He gave her an annoyed look at that, but she went on.  “You told me Caradin finds out what you care about and takes it from you.  That’s how you handled her, you made sure you didn’t care about anything.  Your ‘Mech, your teammates, what you’re doing, it all means nothing to you.  Well Caradin’s gone.  Heihachi took care of that,” she said with a jerk of her thumb at Hoshino.  Wolfgang barely flinched.  “But you knew that already.  Either they told you, or you figured it out during the debriefing.  Caradin was telling me you’re just a replaceable tool, someone who just does what he’s told and doesn’t ask questions.  But you’re smarter than she gave you credit.  Both of you are,” she added with a glance back at Hoshino.  “So why don’t you stop acting like everything’s horrible and look at where you are instead?”

               Hoshino and Wolfgang were silent for several moments.  Finally Wolfgang asked, “so where am I, then?”

               “You’re in a hospital bed getting put back together.  After you finally stood up to your crazy boss who made you stop caring about anything important.  You and Heihachi both decided you’d had enough of what she was doing to you.”  She looked back at Hoshino with a nod before looking back to Wolfgang.  “And now you’re sitting on a literal DropShip’s worth of loot, with a chance to start over.  Can you at least see you’re in a good place?”

               Wolfgang stared at her blankly for a moment before grunting.  “Guess you really are full of fairy tales,” he said.  “You think the next boss is going to be any different?  We get hired to do the dirty work, kid.  Holly wasn’t a good person, but the job’s not for good people.  Guys like me and Hoshino, we do the work ‘cause it’s what we’re good at.”

               Marie narrowed her eyes at him.  “You still think I don’t belong, don’t you?”

               He managed a pained chuckle.  “Life’s too short to spend it lying just to save your little feelings.”   

               “Yeah,” Marie said, standing up.  “And it’s too short to waste on assholes, too.  If this is how you’re going to be, fine.  I’m tired of dealing with this.  Good luck,” she said as she pushed past Hoshino and out the door.

               She stepped outside and stormed down the hall.  She had made it back to the conference room she’d originally been led to before she heard the door to Wolfgang’s room open.

               “Marie-san!” Hoshino called out.

               Marie did not turn around, but she did stop, leaning against the wall and pulling out a cigarette.  She lit it while Hoshino was jogging up to her.

               “Please, do not be angry.  Wolfgang is still recovering from what he has been through,” he said breathlessly.

               Marie gave him an annoyed look.  “Don’t make excuses for him,” she said.  “You know the funny thing?  I actually prefer the honesty.  Caradin made me believe she was a good person.  She made excuses and lied to my face until I didn’t know what to think.  He’ll at least own up to being a jerk.”

               “And he does not know what to make of you,” Hoshino said.  “What he said was true, a mercenary’s life is full of moments that can haunt you.  Wolfgang is not used to people like you.”

               “And do you agree with him?”  Marie asked.  She kept her voice calm, though her anger was still bubbling inside.  “Do you think I don’t belong in this job?”

               Hoshino blinked and looked at her quizzically.  “…How could I think that?” he asked quietly.  “Marie-san, in the last two months I have seen you do things I would not have thought possible.  You stumble, yes, but you are still new to this.  I have seen MechWarriors with years of experience balk at orders or freeze in fear.  What I have not seen is a single MechWarrior stop a landing DropShip, until today.  Without you around, we would not have caught the pirates, and the rest of us would still be under Caradin’s thumb.”

               “Except you wouldn’t have fought any pirates,” Marie argued back.  “You would’ve looked around in the woods for two months, done what you could about the attacks, and then the pirates would’ve left.  Caradin wouldn’t have had a reason to flip on the contract.  The spaceport wouldn’t have gotten attacked, and the ‘Mech bay wouldn’t have gotten blown up.  Life could have stayed peaceful for everyone.”

               “And the pirates would be striking another planet right now,” Hoshino said.  “And yes, perhaps Caradin would not have betrayed Meridian, but I have a feeling this was coming sooner or later.  Marie-san, you ask Wolfgang to see that he is in a good place.  I ask the same of you.  It was messy work, but such is the job of a MechWarrior.  In the end I feel the galaxy is slightly better for your actions.  Do I think you belong?  Hai.  I believe you were made for this job.  You are only just starting to realize what you can do.”

               Marie processed that for a few seconds before smiling.  “Thanks,” she said quietly.  She took a drag on the cigarette, thinking.  “He said this job isn’t for good people.  Caradin was saying the same thing, the job breaks you.  So, be honest with me…is this how it happened for her?  One day you’re killing people to protect a planet, and before long you’re just numb to it?  And one day you’re ready to enslave innocent people just because it gets you a bigger payday?”

               Hoshino shook his head.  “Whatever happened to Caradin to make her into who she was, it was more than just the job.  From the day I met her, I knew something was not right with the woman.  I do not get that feeling from you.”

               Marie thought about that before nodding in appreciation.  A feeling was better than nothing, she guessed.

               “I think that is what Wolfgang means when he says you do not belong,” Hoshino went on.  “He sees the same difference in you, and he does not know what to make of it.”

               Marie shrugged, looked at the cigarette still half-burned, and ground it out under her heel.  “Maybe so.  So what now?  Don’t suppose you have any leads on a merc unit looking for a rookie?”

               He smiled at her.  “I do, yes.  Something Wolfgang said made me think – he, I, and you did a ‘hostile takeover’ of the Hussars.  Perhaps we should move forward with that.”

               “After all this, you want to stay in this ridiculous unit?” Marie asked incredulously.

               Hoshino nodded.  “Wolfgang was right, the job does not cater to kind people, and another commander may well be just as bad as Caradin.  The only choice then, to make sure I and he can try to redeem ourselves, would be to make our own way.  And though Caradin was broken inside, I still love the Hussars for what they are supposed to stand for.  They give the castoffs and the wanderers of the galaxy a place to belong.  Without this unit to take us in, Wolfgang and I may well have fallen in with pirates or other criminals years ago.  I owe it to us to keep the unit alive.”

               “You’re going to take over leadership?  You think you’re up to that?” Marie asked nervously.

               “Not at all,” Hoshino answered with a laugh.  “The most I can do is try.  But I am from a family of MechWarriors, and after everything that has happened, I am the most senior member of the Hussars.  As far as qualifications go, it is not so bad.”

               Marie let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, and laughed nervously.  “Makes sense.  The only other choices are the asshole who just looks the other way, and someone who barely knows what she’s doing.”

               Hoshino nodded.  “I will not lie, I believe you would be better suited to keeping the Hussars on the right course than I am, Marie-san.  But I would not burden you with that, not until you are ready for it.  In the meantime, I would ask that you stay with this unit, if you are willing.  I am trying not to lose my way again.  I think perhaps I would benefit from having someone like you around.”

               Marie blinked, absorbing that.  “Are you sure?” she asked.

               “More than I have been of anything in a long time,” he answered confidently.  “I would have you as my second, if you want the job.  In charge of keeping us all in line, especially Wolfgang.  I feel he can be a good man, given a chance.  Hopefully I can be as well.”

               Marie felt a lightness in her chest – nervousness mixed with relief.  Still, she had to push back a little bit.  “If I do that, the Blossom is mine, free and clear.  No more arguments over who owns her.”

               “Of course.  You have earned at least that much,” Hoshino answered immediately.

               “My mom’s part of the package.  She’s with me, and no matter what happens to me, you take care of her.”

               “I would want nothing less for the woman who finally made me think.”

               “And you’ll call me a MechWarrior.  I’m not some other position you get to look down on.”  Hoshino nodded again.  “…wow.  I mean…okay.  If you want me around, I’m in.”

               Hoshino smiled, squared his shoulders, and bowed his head at her, a gesture Marie returned.  “Then there is hope after all,” he said.

               “So then boss, what’s the first order of business?” Marie asked.

               “I think that decision has already been made.  We have two days to get our ‘Mechs ready, then we must go into the woods looking for pirates again.  And there is the matter of coordinating salvage on the DropShip.”

               “That works,” Marie said.  “Two days is a pretty tight schedule for the repairs, you know.  And we’ll have to cross our fingers there’s a salvaged ‘Mech in good enough shape to stick Wolfgang in.”

               “Perhaps the Chameleon?  It was damaged, but I do not think beyond repair…”

               “Actually, Bower told me he wants that thing.  Says it’s a natural actor, just like him,” Marie commented with a little grin.  “Maybe it’ll go towards paying off what Meridian says we owe them.”

               Hoshino nodded.  “The Hussars have always been scraping by with what we can find,” he said.  “We will find a way to make this work, I am sure.”

               “Yeah…and one more thing, what’s the plan if we actually find any pirates?”

               Hoshino saw the judgmental look in her eye.  “If they will surrender, we allow them to.  Though I must warn you, I expect any we do find will fight back.”

               “About that…hear me out on this, but what if we find a ground team that’s willing to surrender?  I mean, if you want Hussars to be a home for people who feel like they have nowhere else to go…maybe there’s room on the roster for a few new recruits?”

Hoshino gave her a curious look.  “You have a good heart, McCloud-san, but the Hussars will need to be careful of who we accept in as well.  We are already on thin ice with Meridian, and likely the MRBC.”

               “I think there’s someone out there we can trust,” Marie said.  “If she’s not too pissed at me for crashing her ride off this planet anyway.  And we could use some extra hands if we’ll be salvaging a DropShip.”  Hoshino continued looking at her uncertainly.  “You want to bring me on for someone you can depend on.  Call this one more condition to hiring me.”

               Hoshino processed it a moment longer before finally nodding.  “Very well.  If we find a pirate ground team willing to surrender, and you can vouch for them, perhaps we will have openings for additional people.”

               “Now you’re on the right track.  Hoshino’s Hussars,” Marie said with a laugh.  “We’re crazy, aren’t we?”

               Hoshino shrugged.  “Better to be crazy with a friend than sensible and alone,” he answered.

               Marie grinned.  “All right, I’d better get to work then,” she said.  “Let me know when Wolfgang’s out of bed.  I want to see his face when I tell him I’m his new boss.”  This got a chuckle out of Hoshino, who nodded at her in approval before gesturing towards the door.

               Marie walked out, her mind whirling as she thought everything through.  There was so much to do.  She could get on her comm and try the frequency Melody had used to talk to her earlier; with any luck the pirate tech was still listening for messages.  She also had to go tell her mother what had happened.  Just a few months ago she was sure Rachel would’ve been against it, and her words would’ve made Marie buckle, having had nothing she really wanted to do instead.  Now though, maybe her mother would listen to what she wanted.  Now she had a direction.

               Not just a direction, she thought, starting to plan out the repairs to the Broken Blossom.  The LAM was waiting for her in the Plant’s repair bay.  Her ‘Mech, free and clear, finally.  The Blossom was beaten around after the fight in the woods, waiting for Marie to put her back together again.

               Going to need you, old girl, Marie thought at the ‘Mech.  We’re both picking ourselves back up again.  We’ve got a lot of work to do.

 

*End Chapter 25*

*End Mechwarrior: Wild Rose*

 

Thanks for reading!

 

I will do a whole "afterword, final thoughts" post later, but for now I'll just say that this story has been quite an experience to write down and record, and I'm honored that you would see it through to the end with me.  I hope you had as much fun as I did.

 

Battletech and Mechwarrior are the property of Catalyst Game Labs.

 

Rachel McCloud, the Bristol, Marie Rose (Sr.) and the Black Thorns are creations of James Long, who among other things wrote Main Event and DRT for the Battletech universe.

 

A gallery of images from this story is compiled on my Ko-Fi page.  Donations are not required, but they are appreciated, and help me pay the artists to make more images for this story.  (Thanks Eadbald, Ageless Games, Umbrawar, and Gladius for all your support during this story!)

 

Follow me @lucendacier on X for story updates and the occasional BattleTech meme.

 

Audio version of this story is available at https://lucendacier.podbean.com/ , and on Apple podcasts.

 

Audio with images is available on Youtube, which also includes music I found out on the wilds of the Internet.