Chapter 16

Uncharted Wilderness

New St Andrews IV, The Periphery

Rimward of the Circinus Federation

30 May 3077

 

               A nav point appeared on Marie’s screen, designating a spot on the edge of their engagement zone.  She put the Blossom into motion, with the Katamari right behind her. 

               “Are you well, Blossom?” Hoshino asked her once they were moving.  “The metal is strong, but perhaps the flesh needs a moment?”

               “I’m all right, thanks,” Marie answered.  She guessed why he would ask.  She was feeling a chill as the adrenaline began dying off.  At least her stomach was staying calm this time.

               Hoshino followed along behind her as they made their way to the nav point.  Within moments Bower came into view, standing guard over a motionless Quickdraw.  Marie’s eyes widened at the sight; the Quickdraw looked as though it had been torn limb from limb.  She pointedly avoided looking at the wreck of the exploded Wolverine.

               “Status check.  Who’s damaged?” Caradin asked, her voice cold and sharp over the commline.

               “Katamari, reporting damage to right arm and shoulder,” Hoshino answered.

               “Don’t try bench-pressing a Quickie next time,” Wolfgang chuckled. 

               “This is Blossom,” Marie announced.  “Armor damage pretty much everywhere, but no blow-throughs.”

               “Confirmed,” Caradin answered.  “Bower, how about you?”

               “Ach, I’ll be needin’ ter give the engineers their chance ter show off af’er this.  But tha’ was a bonnie mix-up ye had!,” Bower answered, his voice sounding far more energetic and excited than he had any right to be.  “First round o’pints is on me when we get back ter base.”

               “We’re not going back yet,” Caradin warned.  “That was a screening force.  It was trying to hold us up and buy them time to move their base of operations.  We’ve got a narrow window to push the advantage here.”  The trees parted as Fleetfoot appeared, followed shortly by Wolf.  “I’m taking point.  Blossom, you’re with me.  Katamari, you’re rear guard.  That Vulcan and Javelin rabbited.  If they double back, be ready to put them down.  Wolf, you’re on recovery duty.  Round up any ejection seats and secure the pilots.”

               Wolfgang groaned in response.  “Put the kid on clean-up duty, LT.  Give me something important to do.”

               “Blossom’s coming with me because she’s still in one piece.  If you’ve got that much time, pick up your arm once you’re done getting Thomas.”  The Raptor turned slightly to face Bower, seeming to consider the Arbiter for a few seconds.  “Bower, come along.  Meridian’s going to want to see how this ends.  Keep up with us, and try to keep your head down.”

               Fleetfoot had started moving almost before she’d finished talking.  The other Hussars immediately confirmed their orders and headed off into the woods.  Marie was last to react, following Fleetfoot and Bower as they marched in the other direction.

               “When were you guys going to tell me that thing was just a Chameleon?”  Marie sent over the lance comm channel.

               “It’s called a learning experience,” Wolfgang joked back.  “Get your eyes off the sensor feeds and start thinking.  You think if a group of pirates had a hundred-tonner they’d deploy on a boondock planet like this?”

               “They’ve got an Overlord,” Marie grumbled.  “Who’s to say they didn’t drop heavy hardware out here?”

               She heard Wolfgang bark a laugh in response to that.  “A real Kingie wouldn’t even make me blink!  Damn thing couldn’t keep up with me.”

               “Wolf is a master of the unexpected,” Hoshino chimed in.  “A scout lance must keep the opponents guessing!  Keep them on their toes, and stay out of their sights.”

               “And when you see an opening, you’ve gotta have the balls to say ‘banzai’ and go full speed ahead,” Wolfgang finished.

               “Reel it in, all of you,” Caradin interjected.  “We’ve got enough to do already, I don’t need my people distracting each other.  McCloud, if you’ve got questions about procedure, save them for the debriefing.  Now stay with me and stay on the ground this time.  Stick your head above the treeline again and you’ll lose it.”

               The harsh tone in Caradin’s voice made Marie go quiet.  She focused on maneuvering the Blossom through the woods after Fleetfoot, while Bower trailed along after them both.  After a minute her comm blinked with a message from Caradin over a private channel.  She took a breath and answered it.

               “Yes, LT?” she asked.

               “Just wanted to say you did good back there,” Caradin said.

               “Maybe,” Marie replied hesitantly, caught off-guard by the markedly friendlier tone in the LT’s voice.  “Sorry about the jump, it just seemed like the right move.  I figured you were lining up for a shot in the back like you did with me.”

               “It was a great move.  You could see you were losing the fight, so you changed the rules.  You knew I and the rest of the lance had your back, and you got the OpFor looking at you to give us an opening.  You know I just had to give you a hard time on the lance channel, right?”

               “Sure…but why, again?”

               “You blew up the Wolverine,” Caradin answered.  “I could practically hear Thomas drooling over salvaging that thing.  We were setting up to take it down in one piece.  Now it’s just a pile of parts.”

               Marie winced, remembering the shout she’d heard over the line when the Wolverine had exploded.  In the heat of the moment she’d forgotten the Hussars were looking for a replacement ‘Mech for the sergeant.  “I was trying to disable it, really.  I wasn’t aiming for the ammo,” she said defensively.

               “You were in the middle of a fight and had a shot.  You took out a ‘Mech heavier and more advanced than you, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.   In fact, I think you’re getting the hang of how to fight like a Hussar.  And don’t mind about the Chameleon.  I would’ve fallen for it too, if the Beagle Probe hadn’t spotted it earlier.  I had my hands full so I didn’t have time to sync sensors with you.  But you still took it on and saw through the illusion.  That was impressive.”

               “…thanks,” Marie said, feeling a blush on her cheeks at the praise.  “Hey, mind if I ask a question?”

               “What about?”

               “Maybe it’s not my place, but…what’s the story with Wolfgang?” Marie asked.  “I mean, how’d you end up running with him?”

               There was a pause of a good couple seconds.  “You’re right, it’s not your place,” Caradin finally answered, before she made an amused chuckle.  “Wolfgang’s got some issues, but we needed a fourth MechWarrior to make a lance, and he came to me with a working ‘Mech.  At least he usually manages to get the job done one way or another.”

               “No offense, but the guy seems like he could get the lance in trouble real fast,” Marie commented.

               “You mean by charging into a fight against ‘Mechs twice his size?” Caradin asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.  “I told you, between ‘smart’ and ‘crazy’ pilots, Wolf’s definitely on the crazy side.  But light ‘Mech pilots need to be unpredictable.  Your main advantages are speed and surprise, and he knows how to use both.  So far it hasn’t backfired too badly.”  Caradin paused for a moment.  “What’s brought this on?  Is this still about what Wolf was saying before?  You still think I’m keeping you on as a seat-filler?”

               Marie hesitated.  “I think I’m doing the best I can, but Wolfgang had a point,” she answered.  “The Blossom’s a tough ‘Mech to work with, and I’m your worst pilot.”

               “You’re my least experienced pilot,” Caradin corrected.  “But I think that’s why you’re a perfect fit for the Broken Blossom.”

               You don’t have the burden of experience telling you BattleMechs can’t fly, you just get in the cockpit and make that LAM work.  That’s an asset I need in my unit.  There are thousands of men like Wolf in the galaxy,” Caradin said.  “They talk big, but they’ve got no real talent to back it up.  You learn not to expect too much from him.  But you’re different.  I think with me guiding you, you could be just what the Hussars need to really make a name for ourselves.  Add in a transforming ‘Mech that no one expects, and you’re not a liability at all.  You’re a trump card.” 

               Marie’s blush deepened at the compliment.  “…thanks,” she replied.  “So, um…what’s the plan here, lieutenant?” she asked.

               “Like I told Bower, they’re still out here,” Caradin answered.  “All that hardware was meant to push us back or break us, while they’re busy moving their base.”

               “And you know where that is?” Marie asked.

               “Of course.  A key part of scouting is being able to tell what people value.  Why would they mobilize so much equipment when they had two ‘Mechs nearby looking for them?  Because they knew if they hit the reserve lance, Katamari and I would have to come back you up, and leave off our search.  That tells me I was getting too close for comfort, and now they’re exposed.  So you and I are going to root them out and mop up.  And Bower can watch and stay out of the way.  I figure I need to keep my eyes on him.  But now’s your chance to show me you can be a scout.  What are you expecting the pirates have left to throw at us?”

               Marie was caught off-guard by the question, but still took a moment to think before responding.  “Meridian talked about running into two lances,” she began.  “And we just ran into five BattleMechs.  They knew to disguise the Chameleon as a short-range juggernaut so we wouldn’t want to get close enough to look at it.  They even bolted on a few rocket launchers to help sell the King Crab look.”

               “So what does that tell you?”

               “I think they were counting on a show of force making us run away.  Faced with a middleweight lance backed up by a hundred-tonner, the smart move would have been to fall back and call for reinforcements, which would have given them a chance to slip away again.  They weren’t counting on us diving right in like a bunch of crazy people.”

               Caradin laughed quietly at that.  “So, five BattleMechs accounted for, that means three left at most for a rear guard.”

               “And they also have ground teams,” Marie added on, remembering the crews she’d seen at the convoy.

               “Correct.  That’s another reason I brought you along, the Blossom’s got anti-infantry guns.  These people will be pulling out all the stops.  Did you see how they blasted Thomas’ ride instead of trying to capture another Arbiter for themselves?  We’ve got them scared.  They’re on the verge of breaking, and they know it.  So we’re pushing forward, but keep your eyes open.  We need to take this chance to stop them, but if things turn against us we’ve both got to be ready to get out fast.” 

               Marie’s eyes flickered over to the mode conversion selector.  “Get-out-of-trouble lever,” she muttered.  She wondered if she’d have time to change modes if things got out of hand.  “Sir, what about Bower?  If things go south, I can provide cover fire from the air while he pulls back.”

               “If I tell you to get out, that means get out,” Caradin said.  “Bower can handle himself.  He’s got an ejection seat.  Now form up.”

               A blip appeared on Marie’s radar as Caradin shared her sensor data, indicating their destination.  Before Marie could ask any more questions, Fleetfoot had accelerated into the woods.  Marie had to concentrate wholly on keeping up with the smaller ‘Mech, struggling to maneuver through the trees and uneven terrain without tripping over anything.  She swept her eyes constantly over the displays looking for anything lying in wait for them.  Marie also kept one eye on Bower on her flank.  The man was obnoxious, but she didn’t like the idea of leaving him behind. 

               She lost track of Fleetfoot as it pulled away from her, but she stayed focused on the nav point on her screen.  After several tense minutes she and Bower were closing in on it.  Marie let out a breath she’d been holding when Fleetfoot reappeared on her sensor readouts.

               “Try to keep up, Blossom,” Caradin ordered over the commline once line-of-sight communications had been reestablished.  “Now fall in.  We’ve got activity.”

                “What is it?” Marie asked. 

               “The Beagle reads multiple mech-sized signatures just over a hundred meters north of here,” Caradin explained.  “Now how would you proceed?”

               Marie blinked, processing the question for a moment before she checked her sensors again.  A few energy signatures had appeared, signaling internal combustion engines along with a pair of fusion reactors.  “Uh…we should stay within range of each other and advance quickly.  We know they love to scramble sensors, so we should try to get eyes on what they have.”

               “Sounds good.  You first, McCloud.  Bower, follow behind, and I hope you’re recording.”

               A little confused about this new approach, Marie shook her head to clear it and started the Blossom moving forward.  “Confirm sensors are synced?” she asked.

               “Correct.  Synchronizing now,” Caradin replied.

               Marie’s screen fritzed and populated with more blips as Caradin’s sensor feed synchronized with hers.  “Looks like ForestryMechs and an Arbiter,” Marie announced.  “And another Chameleon.  Slow down.”

               “You sure?” Caradin asked, in a tone that hinted she knew the correct answer.  “We only have the element of surprise for a minute here.”

               “They know we’re coming.  We must be on that BattleMech’s sensors already, so no need to run into an ambush.  Hold back here, I’ll stick my head out.  Information is ammunition, like they say.”  Upon hearing an acknowledgement, Marie pushed up the throttle.

               She could see trees had been freshly cut down just ahead of her.  A camp was tucked into the clearing, with half a dozen canvas-walled structures hastily being broken down, with signs there had been more until recently.  Two dozen small human forms were scrambling around, loading the folded-up buildings onto the backs of trucks.  Tire ruts spoke of vehicles that had already pulled away.  Marie took it all in in a moment, before her eyes flickered up to the much larger form of the ‘Mech before her. 

               Despite herself, her chest tightened at the sight of the skull-faced mech standing in her way.  At a quick glance it looked very much like an Atlas, a hundred-ton behemoth that could would give any ‘Mech pilot pause.  Even knowing it was just another Chameleon didn’t immediately relax her.  Standing so close to the thing’s hulking form, she suddenly felt very exposed.

               Behind the faux-Atlas was the wide, aerodynamic form of a Samurai aerospace fighter.  It had just taxied out of one of the buildings and was slowly turning, lining itself up with a narrow straightaway that had been carved into the woods. 

               “Fleetfoot, reporting a fast mover!  Moving to intercept!” she announced over the commline.  Not waiting for a response, she hit her jump jets.

               The Blossom launched skywards.  Simultaneously the Chameleon reacted, launching a blistering spread of rockets from a block attached to its hip, in a pale imitation of a real Atlas’ LRM launcher.  Marie’s jump carried her over most of the cloud of rockets, but a few still caught her legs.  She grit her teeth as the Blossom tilted under the impact.  She cut the jets early, and the Blossom’s mass plummeted back to the ground, landing heavily on the aerospace fighter’s wing.

               The wing bent under the ‘Mech’s crushing weight, and Marie found herself standing on a tilted, moving landing pad with her gyro already struggling to keep up.  she fought the controls, but lost the battle as the Blossom’s foot stuck on the grounded aerospace fighter and she toppled over. 

               The impact with the ground slammed her against the crash webbing holding her into the command chair and left her head spinning.  She dizzily managed to get the Blossom up on one arm to take stock of her surroundings.

               The Chameleon was turning in place to take aim at her.  On top of that, it wasn’t alone.  Marie’s jump had carried her to the far end of the base, where a trio of other ‘Mechs were clustered together.  Two of them were ForestryMechs sporting chainsaw arms, and the other was the familiar apelike form of an Arbiter.   The trio of ‘Mechs had been in the process of moving out of the clearing as they followed the trucks into the woods, but at the Blossom’s thunderous and clumsy appearance, they turned to face her. 

               “Fleetfoot, I’m engaged and surrounded!  Requesting backup!” Marie called over the comm channel.  Fleetfoot’s lasers quickly joined in, stabbing out of the woods and playing over the Chameleon’s chest, burning through fake panels.  It was enough to throw the Chameleon off-balance, its own lasers going wide of the Blossom. 

               Meanwhile, the other three ‘Mechs were moving towards her.  The Arbiter reacted first, firing its gun at Marie before she could move out of the way.  The shot slammed into her shoulder, making her sway with the impact while the report echoed off the walls of her cockpit.  The ForestryMechs revved their chainsaws in anticipation as they closed in, preparing to finish her off while she was still on her knees. 

               “Come on old girl, don’t go out like this!” she hissed through clenched teeth as she pulled back on the control sticks and manipulated the foot pedals.  She winced as she heard a cannon discharge again, but felt no impact this time.  She looked up to see Bower’s Arbiter standing next to her, its gun barrel smoking.

               “Get up, lassie!  This fight’s nae over yet!” Bower called out, before charging straight at the ForestryMechs.

               Marie forced the Blossom’s feet back under her and stood back up.  She fired her lasers at the enemy Arbiter, aiming for a dent where Bower’s earlier shot must have landed.  Armor liquefied under the attack and the SecurityMech was left on its heels.    

               In the side display she saw the Chameleon trying to line its guns up on her again.  Marie swung the Blossom around and accelerated, closing in on it.  The Chameleon’s large laser went wide as she leaned to one side.  She drew her left arm back and shifted her weight, sending the Blossom’s fist up in a left cross that slammed into the Chameleon’s face.  The ‘Mech’s head snapped back, the fake skull mask shattering under the blow.

               The Chameleon staggered backwards, teetered, and fell down, crashing thunderously onto its back, where it fell still.  Marie stared incredulously down at it for a precious few seconds, confirming it wasn’t moving; the pilot was either dead or unconscious.  Then at Caradin’s order in her ear she turned to see Fleetfoot had come around, firing its lasers into the enemy Arbiter while Bower wrestled with the chainsaws of the ForestryMechs. 

               She was ready to add her own fire to the fray when she felt an impact and the Blossom suddenly burst into flames.  While emergency alerts blared she looked down, to see a pair of men on the ground with shoulder-carried SRM launchers.  They fired again, and Marie raised one arm defensively, taking the missiles on her forearm.  They were Inferno rounds, coating the ‘Mech with firey gel.  After a quick glance at her status display to see the damage was minimal, she swung her other arm up, aiming the machine gun down at the men.

               Her finger froze on the trigger.  On the display she could see the fear in the men’s eyes; they’d fired their last SRMs already, and there was no cover to dive behind.  Her mind raced, remembering what a ‘Mech-mounted machine gun would do to a human body.  After a second the men threw the empty launchers down and ran for one of the trucks.

               “Stop!” Marie ordered over the loudspeakers.  “Everyone here, surrender immediately!” 

               She looked down to see the Chameleon starting to move as its pilot regained consciousness.  Marie hastily lifted one of the Blossom’s feet, putting it down solidly on the Chameleon’s chest while she aimed her arm weapon pod at the ‘Mech’s face.  Inside the cockpit, the Chameleon’s pilot must have been staring down a barrel he could fit his body into. 

               “That means you too!” she snapped at him.  The Chameleon froze again.

               Unfortunately, no one else was paying her any attention; while Bower and Caradin were fighting off the remaining ‘Mechs the people on the ground were scrambling for the trucks, which were starting their engines and rolling for the treeline. 

               “What are you waiting for, Blossom?” Caradin snapped at her.  “Secure the groundpounders!  They’re getting away!”

               Marie swallowed and aimed her free arm up while keeping the other trained on the Chameleon.  The Inferno gel was still burning in defiance of the rain, but her targeting computer compensated for it as swung the reticule over to the lead truck.  She still flinched as she squeezed the trigger, and a burst of machine gun fire peppered the ground in front of the vehicle.  Undeterred, the trucks roared into the woods while Marie fired another burst over their heads.

               The enemy Arbiter was down under Caradin’s assault.  Meanwhile Bower was tussling with both ForestryMechs.  He punched one of them, then whirled around and blocked the chainsaw of the other with his cannon arm.  The first ForestryMech recovered and drew back its own chainsaw.

               “Bower, on your six!” Marie shouted, rapidly turning her reticule over to the enemy ‘Mech.  Her heat alarms blared as her lasers flashed into the ForestryMech's chest, blasting through jury-rigged armor plating and starting a fire internally.  There was a whump as something important gave out inside of the ‘Mech and it collapsed, crashing heavily to the ground. 

               Bower bludgeoned the other ForestryMech into submission with his ‘Mech’s heavy fist.  Then he half-turned towards Marie and raised his cannon-arm in a salute.

               “Thank ye, lassie!” he sent out to her.

               “Save it,” Caradin said.  “Blossom, secure the area!  You see them getting away, right?!”

               Without another word, Caradin turned and fired her lasers on the retreating trucks.  Marie flinched and looked away; men and women had been jumping onto the backs of the vehicles as they drove off.  Surely Caradin would have missed them, right?

               She pushed that concern to the back of her head and looked down at the Chameleon.  “You!  Out!” she shouted down at him.  After a long pause, the mech’s reactor powered down.  Even as this happened, the Blossom’s computerized voice alerted her of another reactor power-up.

               “Reactor detected!” Caradin announced.  “Blossom, move to intercept!  I’ll secure this mess.”

               Marie hesitated a half-second longer, then took her foot off of the Chameleon’s chest.  She looked at her screens for the reactor signature, spotting it in the center of the largest remaining structure, a wide, squat building on the far end of the camp. 

               A wide pair of flaps were spread open on one side of the building.  Going over and sticking her head inside, she recoiled immediately at the sight of another BattleMech, a Locust.  She frantically tried to line up her weapons, pausing only when she realized the machine wasn’t moving.  She figured out a moment later why: the ‘Mech wasn’t online.  Dangling wires and patched armor spoke of it being in the middle of receiving repairs.  Currently someone was inside of it, desperately trying to cold-start the machine’s reactor without the normal safety checks. 

               “Out of the ‘Mech, asshole!” she shouted over the Blossom’s loudspeakers.  She squeezed her triggers and machine gun fire peppered the stationary Locust.  The ‘Mech’s reactor sputtered and died, the pilot giving up on coaxing it to life.

               Marie tore her eyes momentarily off of the ‘Mech and looked over the rest of the structure.  The canvas walls had defined a single large chamber, functioning as a mobile hangar.  Looking down from the Blossom’s eye level, she saw another Samurai aerospace fighter parked on the ground.  Just behind it, she spotted a truck gunning its engine and starting for the exit.

               “Don’t even think about it!” she shouted over the loudspeaker.  She stepped into the path of the truck, intending just to block it, but the truck swerved at the last second and the Blossom’s toe clipped one fender, rocking the vehicle up on two wheels.  Marie shifted her weight and nudged it with her other foot, like she was sweeping a bug out the door.  There was a moment of resistance as the Blossom’s foot hit the truck, and then the vehicle flipped onto its side, its wheels spinning uselessly.  She immediately turned and fired a warning shot from her machine guns over the motionless aerospace fighter, perforating the wall behind it. 

               “Everyone here, get out or get blasted!” she shouted down into the hangar.  She swept her eyes over the displays, looking for any signs of activity.  A flicker of movement got her attention, and she swung the Blossom’s left arm up to point at the Locust.  A ‘Mech pilot was emerging from the cockpit, still in his cooling vest.  Marie’s eyes narrowed as she spotted a woman in a technician’s coveralls behind him.  While the MechWarrior was slowly walking away from the ‘Mech with his hands raised, the woman leaned into the Locust’s cockpit.

               “You!  Down off of there!” Marie snapped, punctuating the statement with another warning shot over the Locust.  The woman and the MechWarrior both flinched and ducked, and the woman slowly stepped back from the cockpit. 

               “What are you doing up there?” Marie demanded.

               “Getting my stuff out of it, what do you want?” the tech asked back.

               “Get down from there now!” Marie snapped.  “Who else is here?”

               The woman pointed towards the back of the hangar.  “If you’re looking for the pilot to the bird, he’s passed out drunk in his rack,” she grumbled.  The MechWarrior gave her a sharp look, which she met with a helpless shrug before trudging over to a ladder down to the ground.

               Marie checked her readouts, confirming the Samurai’s reactor was cold.  Meanwhile, the truck’s occupants were climbing out, looking dazed and bloodied from their vehicle’s tumble.

               “All of you, move away from the hardware,” she ordered.  She gestured with the Blossom’s hand towards an empty spot near the hangar door.  The truck riders, the MechWarrior, and the tech dutitfully moved to the spot.  Marie’s eyes narrowed as the view zoomed in on them, picking out multiple sidearms.  “All of you drop the guns!” she ordered.  She got a few dark looks in response, but they still threw their guns to the ground.

               “Hangar’s secured,” Marie radioed to Caradin.  “Looks like about ten personnel locked down.  I’ve got one broken-down ‘Mech that won’t be a problem anytime soon.  Also got a bonus aerofighter over here.  There might be some more personnel inside the base, but I can’t be sure.”

               “Copy that,” Caradin answered.  “You’ve got the gun in that cockpit?  Go in and secure the area.”

               “Sir?” Marie asked.  “Shouldn’t we call in Meridian’s guys for that?  Or at least the rest of the lance?”

               “The lance is en route now, but once they’re here I’m sending them to round up the ones that rabbited.  This is our moment, McCloud.  Meridian’s going to be over the moon when they hear we rooted out their pirate problem.  Let’s give them an image to really savor: their little starlet standing there victorious, facing down the pirates she’s humbled and put in their place.  We’ve even got Bower right here to watch you.    Go make me proud, Pilot.”

               Marie groaned internally.  She’d thought being out in the field would take her away from the constant publicity and marketing push from Meridian.  She hesitated a few moments, looking back over the area.  The enemy ‘Mechs were down, as was the Samurai she’d landed on.  The pilots were either out of commission or trapped in their cockpits.  The rest of the area looked clear on her sensors, for what that was worth.  The seismic sensors could pick up platoons of infantry easily enough, but could still miss individuals.

               She sighed.  “Bower, come over here.  I need you to stand guard.”

               The Arbiter started over towards the Blossom.  “I kin watch for ye lassie, but me gun’s empty.”

               Of course it is, Marie thought with a roll of her eyes.  “These guys don’t know that.  Just stand nearby and try to look scary.”

               Bower obediently took an overwatch position, holding his gun arm aimed over the base.  Marie had to hand it to him, the hulking, spiky Arbiter at least looked intimidating, and Bower did a good job posing with it.

               “Dismounting,” she announced into the comm, and turned the reactor down to a low power standby.  “It’s OK old girl, the LT must know what she’s doing,” she whispered to the Blossom.

               It took her a few minutes to get out of her neurohelmet and cooling vest, unplug her legs from the cockpit power socket, and unbuckle herself from the command chair.  Then she pulled on a jacket and sweat pants she had tucked into the back of the cockpit.  She would just as soon not try to secure an enemy base in her underwear.

               She put on a portable radio headset that would keep her in touch with Bower and the Hussars.  With some hesitation she strapped on the Mydron sidearm, and checked that it was loaded and safetied before she wrenched the cockpit hatch open. 

               Rain immediately started dripping into the cockpit, running off the Blossom’s head.  A retractable ladder unrolled, stretching down the ten meters to the ground.  Her cybernetic legs made climbing down the ladder an awkward affair, having to take the metal rungs one at a time down the height of the ‘Mech.  When she was five rungs from the ground she saw something move out the corner of her eye.  She turned to look at it, but her foot slipped off the wet rung.  She gasped as she lost her grip on the ladder, falling the rest of the way down.

               She half-landed on one foot, lost her balance, and crashed down on her knee before collapsing on all fours.  She cursed through clenched teeth and looked up at the hangar; the group of pirates was still standing where she’d told them to.  The motion Marie had seen had been all of them raising their hands in surrender. 

               “Don’t move,” she said weakly.  She awkwardly got back up.  The knee she’d landed on made a whining noise and popped as it moved, leaving Marie gritting her teeth in frustration. 

               She drew the Mydron and pointed it at the assembled pirates.  “No one try anything funny,” she said firmly.  She stood to her full height, able to look most of them dead in the eye.

               “Be honest, are you going to kill us?” the tech asked.  “Because if you are, just get it over with.”

               “Were you planning on giving me a reason?” Marie asked.  “No?  Then stay quiet and don’t move!”

               The tech seemed to take the hint and quiet down.  Satisfied they were secure for the moment, Marie went over to the back of the hangar where a small barracks had been set up.  It was really just a few cots lined up behind some temporary folding walls.  Marie saw a few cots held people wrapped in bandages.  Another one held a man who was snoring loudly.  She wrinkled her nose; she could smell the alcohol on him from three meters away. 

               She was about to report the hangar was clear when she heard the miniature thunderclap of superheated air from laser fire.  She tensed, lifting her gun up to pan over the hangar.  Once she confirmed no one was immediately jumping out at her, she touched the radio on her ear.

               “Lieutenant, I’m hearing laser fire.  Is that you?”

               “Roger that,” Caradin calmly answered.  “That ‘Mech pilot thought I wasn’t looking and tried to get back in the cockpit.  So, you all done back there?”

               “Uh…yes.  Roger.  The hangar bay is secure.  Aerospace pilot’s accounted for.  I’ve got prisoners back here, a few of them injured.”

               “Sounds good to me,” Caradin replied.  “All right, lock them down, make sure Bower gets a good view of it all.  I’ll be over there in a minute.”

               Marie headed back into the hangar, stumbling a few times as her knee protested.  She made it over to where the group of captive pirates were waiting under Bower’s watchful gaze.  Most of them had the quiet, resigned look of people ready for whatever fate might be waiting for them.  The tech in particular could not hide the fear in her eyes.

               Marie caught the smell of superheated metal, clear even through the rain.  She glanced in the direction of Caradin’s Raptor, which was heading over to them.  Marie knew it was a light ‘Mech, but it still made the ground shake with its approach.  It towered over them, an imposing titan surveying its territory.

               “Not bad,” Caradin said into Marie’s ear over the commline.  “Any sign of the captured materiel?”

               Marie shrugged.  “None yet, but I just got here.  Give me a minute to ask these people a few quest – ”

               She cut off as the Raptor suddenly twisted at the waist to look at the overturned truck.  Marie looked down to see the driver had climbed out and staggered onto the ground.  He had a gun in his hand, and as he stumbled towards them, he leveled it at Marie.

               She gasped, but it was already over.  One of the lasers in the Raptor’s arms flashed, its red beam refracted in the falling raindrops as it hit the man dead-center.  Marie flinched as she felt something hot spraying over her.  Blinking away afterimages, she saw the driver had been half-incinerated and half-exploded.  She could only stare at the small crater left behind, her ears ringing with her suddenly racing pulse as she realized the hot wetness on her face was the man’s flash-boiled blood.

               She hastily slapped her free hand over her mouth as her stomach lurched.  Don’t throw up don’t throw up don’t throw up don’t throw up, she frantically told herself.  Behind her the prisoners were recoiling from the Raptor.

               “I thought you said the camp was secured, McCloud!” Caradin snapped in her ear.  “What are you doing down there?”

               “I thought he was out of action,” Marie weakly answered.

               “Never assume!  Fine, I’ll tie this up,” Caradin hissed as the Raptor turned back to face the prisoners.

               Something in Caradin’s voice gave Marie a chill.  She moved as quickly as she could, her leg protesting every movement as she staggered in front of the pirates.  She stood there, struggling for balance, and stared up at the Raptor.

               “Lieutenant, what are you doing?” she demanded.  She didn’t bother with the commline, she just shouted it up at the ‘Mech.

               “I’m doing your job,” Caradin coldly replied over the loudspeaker.  “In the last five minutes I’ve had one of them try to restart a ‘Mech after surrendering, and one infantryman try to kill one of my people.  So I have no choice but to do risk management.”  The Raptor’s arms swiveled down to point its lasers at the pirates. 

               “Wait!” Marie shouted, holding up both hands.  “The base is secured, all right?” she said.  “I’ll take responsibility for them.  No more trouble.”

               The Raptor loomed over them silently, looking like a bird of prey staring down at a wounded mouse.  The lasers remained leveled at them, unmoving for a long minute. 

               “Beggin’ your pardon lieutenant, but the fight’s o’er,” Bower said over the commline, his voice uncharacteristically calm.  “Ye kin bet the claves o’New St. Andrews’ll want ter deal with this lot themselves.”

               Fleetfoot turned at the waist, momentarily looking at Bower’s Arbiter.  “…Suit yourself,” Caradin finally replied over the comm.  The Raptor swiveled and stepped over to the truck.  It nimbly balanced on one leg and nudged the truck back over onto its wheels with one foot.  The truck landed heavily over the blast mark where the driver had died.

               “I’m going on to join Wolf and Katamari on interception duty,” Caradin announced over the comm.  “McCloud, you volunteered to watch these people, so they’re your responsibility.  There’s your prisoner transport.  I expect all of them back at base and accounted for, double-time.”

               At those words the Raptor moved away from them, apparently considering the matter resolved.  Marie stood there speechless for a moment, watching it go.

               “Good job, lassie,” Bower said quietly in her ear. 

               Marie looked up at him.  “You too,” she answered, giving him a thumb’s-up.  The Arbiter returned the gesture.

               Marie turned back to the prisoners.  Her hand clenched on the gun, but she kept it aimed at the ground.

               “All right, you heard her,” she said, trying to sound hard.  “You can work with me or you can deal with her.  So who here can get that truck up and running?”

 

*End of Chapter 16*

 

Thanks for reading!  Thanks also for hanging on through this 3-part event of Chapters 14-16.

 

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.

 

Image of the Chameleon-Atlas comes from Cwosant on Twitter: @Cwosant8

 

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.

 

Follow me @lucendacier on Twitter 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.