NORTH OF TIBSHELF

BLUE MOUNTAINS

GILLINGHAM

FEDERATED SUNS

09:35, 02 JUNE 3044

It was like a dream.

It had been weeks since Anne had given up hope of anyone coming to their aid, of any sign that the wider world cared for their plight. Not that she had blamed them too much. After what the pirates had done to the town, what they had done to Jamie’s vehicle company, it made sense that the individual settlements would want to keep their paltry defences close at hand. After all, who would be left to stand in their way?

She had been sat in the cab of the medical Sherpa, fidgeting restlessly, her mind half on the fight to come and half on what she had said to Elise. They were going to die and one of the last things she had done was lie to her. The guilt and fear were nigh unbearable but even they were overwhelmed by astonished surprise when the comms buzzed with Lieutenant Hornbuckle’s voice.

If it hadn’t been preceded by Elise herself on the general channel, Anne might have been worried it was a trick by the pirates. Only when Walters came on and began ordering the return and consolidation of their forces did that fear dissipate completely, replaced by something she had not felt in a long while: hope.

The sight of the machines, half of which were obviously bigger and heavier than Elise’s ‘Mech, along with the quartet of blocky tanks, was a strange one. They had become so insular in their little group, so self-reliant, so convinced the world had abandoned them that, as she maneuvred her grumbling truck back down the path of the half-frozen stream, she was almost taken-aback when she saw the proof making its way into the valley.

After the initial suspicions an air of jubilation had settled over the defenders as the survivors of the Tibshelf garrison – and later additions – greeted their comrades with open arms. Anne herself was grateful for the fresh food and medical supplies they had brought, crammed into two of the tanks apparently called “Goblins”, though she had concerns it wouldn’t last long with the amount of mouths they had to feed. She was extra grateful for the supplies when they handed over Everett and Espinosa’s squads, all unharmed except for Grigori from the latter’s team, who had an angry laceration from a bullet graze along one thigh. Apparently, before identities could be properly established, there had been a brief bout of “excited shooting”.

Anne left that one for Nasir to deal with as she went to a gathering of the “great and good” in the command tent, hastily re-erected for the event.

Lieutenant Cliff Hornbuckle was a man shorter than average and quite wiry in build, with mousy hair grown down past his nape, and stubble grown out from a long time in the field. His features put Anne in mind of some sort of rodent, though not in an unpleasant way, while his eyes were shrewd and observant; he had come out of the ‘Mech apparently called “Grasshopper”. He was joined by one of the tank commanders, a stout man with dark skin, recognisable in a jumpsuit and harness identical to Walters’. His name was given as Mason Ellis, also a lieutenant, though apparently under Hornbuckle’s command for the purposes of their “expedition”. 

The two of them were outnumbered by the Tibshelf side – as Anne thought of it – consisting of herself, Elise, Jamie, Ronnie, and Monty, with Everett representing the infantry. With the Manticore still parked some distance away, the tent remained unheated and everyone still wore their heavy outer clothes, the ‘Mechwarriors sticking out by the sight of their bare legs. It made her feel colder just thinking about it.

“So which one of you’s in charge?” Hornbuckle asked, immediately looking to Elise, who silently pointed a finger at Jamie.

He quickly hid his surprise at the tanker being in command, stepping forwards and holding out his hand.

“Pleasure to meet you Lieutenant…”

“Captain Walters,” Jamie corrected as they took the hand, “Arrow Town garrison.”

An uncomfortable look passed across the Lieutenant’s face for a split second and Anne reckoned she had the measure of the man. He had been hoping to waltz in with his Harlow’s accent, lord it over the remains of a provincial garrison, and maybe take home some glory. Being of the same organisation as Jamie, he would now be forced to obey the chain of command.

“Shouldn’t a captain be in charge of a company?” Hornbuckle queried, barely hiding the gibe.

“I was when I set out from Arrow Town,” Jamie replied flatly.

The Lieutenant’s expression shifted to that of a man who knew he’d make a mistake, while Ellis grimaced, probably both at the situation and his colleague’s serious misstep. A moment of tense silence passed, rescued by Monty stepping in.

“How is it you came to be with us?” he asked genially.

Hornbuckle cleared his throat. “Well, honestly, after the initial invasion and lack of comms from this neck of the woods, Militia Command had given up on this place, wanting to focus on defence and hoping the pirates would leave before burning any more towns,” he explained, almost apologetically. “Until a couple of weeks back when refugees turned up in Arrow Town telling a story about some defenders that weren’t just surviving but biting back. The news cycles got a hold of it to the point where Command couldn’t just ignore it, so a big argument started amongst the different districts about who was going to help… eventually it was Harlow’s that put their hand up and sent us.”

“Isn’t that going to weaken your defences there?” Anne asked.

“Harlow’s has a whole C-A battalion garrisoning it, they’ll be fine,” he replied, looking between her and Monty. “Who are you both again?”

“Nurse Anne Lyons,” Anne replied.

“Montgomery Goodwin, of Goodwin Stellar Enterprises.”

Hornbuckle frowned then looked to Jamie. “What are civilians doing in this meeting?”

“Nurse Lyons is in charge of medical logistics for the unit,” Jamie explained sternly, “And Mr Goodwin and his Thunderbolt have been essential to the success of this unit to date, so his place at the table has been earned.”

Monty stood a bit straighter at that, his chin a little higher.

“I didn’t see a Thunderbolt when I came in here,” Hornbuckle commented.

“Lost it in action during the last engagement,” Monty practically harrumphed. “Crippled three enemy ‘Mechs and downed one in the process!”

The Lieutenant was speechless. A faint smile crossed Elise’s lips but no-one sought to correct him. From what Anne had heard, it was barely an exaggeration anyway.

“My condolences,” Hornbuckle said carefully. “Now we’re here, we should probably discuss force organisation.”

“I guess this means we’re not retreating to Arrow Town anymore,” Everett snorted.

Elise’s eyes widened and she shot a look at Anne, whose heart was run through by the shock, hurt, and betrayal she saw within. The other woman quickly looked back to the conversation, her jaw set and her eyes hard.

As much as Anne wanted to apologise, to explain, to grovel, now was not the time.

“I’ve already had some thoughts, with input from colleagues,” Jamie explained, probably meaning Elise and Ronnie. “We keep the Goblins as a cohesive unit augmented by my Manticore, with the mounted infantry of course, the jump-capable ‘Mechs as a heavy cavalry demi-lance under Elise’s command, and the two lights as a scout demi-lance with Private Bowman brevetted up to sergeant for the duration.”

“I agree with two thirds of that,” Hornbuckle frowned, looking at Elise. “What rank are you?”

“Elise is an experienced volunteer,” Jamie explained.

“I am not going to submit to the command of a civilian hobbyist, no matter how long they’ve spent playing MechWarrior in the woods for,” Hornbuckle growled. “I will abide by the official chain as established but you cannot do that.”

Elise practically glowered, her hands curling into fists, and Anne was worried she was actually going to punch the man.

“Do you have an alternate suggestion?” Jamie replied, as expressionless as a scalpel.

Hornbuckle took a breath then nodded. “Keep Mason’s Goblins together like you said, supported by the infantry, but I think your Manticore would be better placed with my heavy ‘Mechs — and the Hunchback you apparently forgot to take into account — as a solid centre to the company,” he explained with the fluid ease of someone used to this kind of thinking. “The Clint would be better put with the scouts, it has the same speed profile as the Commando after all.”

“We hadn’t forgotten about the Hunchback, we just discounted it due to its armament struggling across open terrain,” Jamie explained. “It would be better kept in reserve for use on an ad-hoc basis during ambushes.”

A grunt of grudging understanding from the Lieutenant.

“What do you think?” Jamie asked Elise. It was such an obvious dig at Hornbuckle’s ego that Anne would have smiled if she wasn’t so concerned about what she had done to the woman.

“It has merit and should be implemented,” Elise responded, her clipped delivery sounding just like an officer from some old war drama.

Hornbuckle blinked when he heard the accent but didn’t comment.

“That settles it, then,” Jamie announced. “The Lieutenant and I will draw up an official TO&E, the rest of you get acquainted with each other and get the camp set back up; dismissed.”

People began to filter out.

“Elise!” Anne began, managing to catch her by the hand just after leaving the tent, only for the other woman to snatch it away.

“Save it!” she hissed.

The tone — the hurt — might as well have ripped Anne’s chest open and all she could do was let the other woman go, wondering how she could have made such a terrible mistake.

 

09:35

It felt strange to be part of a proper military formation again.

It felt just as strange to only be an ancillary part of it.

Once upon a time Elise had been head and strong right arm both of a formation this size, and now she was a… kidney. Useful, sure, but she wasn’t exactly going to be making any decisions.

She stood, arms folded, glaring at the three ‘Mechs in a silent row before her, her Clint weighing as much as the other two combined. Her borrowed Clint, she had to remind herself again. It really did feel like her machine by now, despite knowing she only piloted it by the grace of Walters’ good will, and that as soon as the situation was resolved it would be snatched out from underneath her.

Another friend gone, just like that… she thought bitterly.

Her thoughts turned to Aiden at the sound of one of the Powermen stomping by, working with its fellow to really flatten down as open a field of snow as they could find in their cramped little valley.

Despite having found he was still alive weeks ago now, she had barely spoken to him, having been wallowing in her own mind too much to really acknowledge the outside world. She wanted to go talk to him, to confide in her old friend, but… it had been so long now. He probably hated her for abandoning him. He probably hated her for not speaking to him after they reunited.

Taking on a lance of ‘Mechs with four to one odds she could do. It was the interpersonal stuff she had always struggled with.

“Hey, uh, do you have a minute…?” Ronnie asked uncertainly as she approached.

The girl had just been speaking to their new lance-mate, a young man barely older than she was whose name was Andrew… something…? Hernandez? Whatever his name, he seemed bright enough and didn’t object to being subordinate to Ronnie.

“Yes, Sergeant,” Elise replied, refocusing her attention.

Ronnie let out a nervous laugh. “Aha, uh yeah, about that…” she said, “I don’t… I don’t want to be stepping on your toes… I know you have so much more experience with this kind of thing than I do and really you should be in command here, oh god I don’t know wh—.”

“Ronnie.” Elise interjected before she could get carried away by herself.

The young woman’s jaw closed with an audible click. Despite the roil of emotions gnawing at the inside of Elise’s heart and mind, biting and biting and biting and… despite all of that, she managed to put on a smile.

“Even when I was a commander fresh out of the academy, I was only ever part of a battle lance, never a recon force,” Elise told her gently but firmly. “This is your area of expertise, and one you really are good at; I’m happy to be under your command.”

A grin burst across Ronnie’s face and she leaped forwards, flinging her arms around Elise in an uncontrollable expression of joy, almost as quickly letting her go again.

“Sorry,” she said.

“Don’t ever be,” Elise managed another smile.

“MechWarrior,” Ronnie nodded with mock seriousness.

“Sergeant,” Elise nodded in return.

The young woman hurried off on whatever task she had in mind and Elise turned back to the Clint, pausing only to glance again at the Powermen as they finished up and moved out of the compacted disc they had created.

She frowned up at its impassive face, wondering what her life would be like if they did make it through this. Piloting this ‘Mech had filled an aching void within her that she had gone years without acknowledging. It was a source of pain, fear, and unending nightmares to be sure, but it was such an important part of who she was. For years it had been all she was, she had grown up being groomed to be thus, and when it was taken away from her she had spent years, a second chance, trying to be something else… Now that was gone too she had somehow fallen back into her old self again, and even that was in danger of being taken away.

Her thoughts drifted to the crumpled piece of paper still in the pocket of her jacket, an offer of her old life back. Rank, power, prestige… she could reconnect with her family, maybe regain some honour in their eyes.

Maybe speak to her father after so many years. Her mother, too.

All it would take was for her to discard her life here

What was left of it anyway.

In thinking that she also thought of Anne. Why had she done that? Why had she lied? It was a simple lie, a small one from the outside, but it was the larger implications that got to her. Had the woman thought she would just wait until they reached Arrow Town before coming clean? Had she been trying to spare her feelings, like she was some fragile little bird that needed to be handled oh so delicately?

Elise only realised she was gripping her arms when she noticed the pain of her own fingers, even through the thickness of her coat. With force of will she let go, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. In, hold, out. On opening, she dragged a sleeve across them.

“You alright, Elsie?”

Speaking of second chances… she thought. Aiden had snuck up on her while she was distracted. It was the first time she had spoken to him since the last battle, her last failure.

Not that she had made herself available.

“I, yeah, I’m fine,” she lied, forcing a brittle smile. “Wind gets right in your eyes, doesn’t it?”

He looked thoughtfully at her for a moment, a dishevelled, unwashed shade of what he had once been – like they all were – though with the same sharp glint in his eye that he always had.

“Yeah, nah, bullshit,” he said directly. “I know you… You weren’t exactly Miss Happy before the invasion and you’ve been in such a pit the past couple of weeks, a thing someone doesn’t just bounce back from like that.”

Elise couldn’t look at him. The wind was in her eyes again.

“It’s been a lot, you know…” she said.

“No kidding,” Aiden snorted. “Hell of a support system you’ve got here.”

Now it was Elise’s turn to snort.

“No, seriously,” Aiden pressed. “That lady friend of yours, Anne, has been stuck at your side like an attack dog since your guys rescued me; seriously I thought she was going to bite my hand off last time I came around!”

Elise’s brows knotted into a scowl.

“Look, Elsie, I know you’ve been having a difficult time of it and I’m just glad you’re with us enough for me to talk to you,” he continued, probably misinterpreting her expression. “I really missed you, and I wish I could’ve been there for you more.”

Elise forced her face to relax and sighed.

“I missed you too, you big idiot,” she replied, holding her arms out with a proffered hug. He grinned and accepted it, and that damn wind was in her eyes again as the two friends tightly embraced. “It’s Elise, by the way.”

“What is?”

“My name, not Elsie.”

“Oh I know.”

She pulled back a bit so she could see meet look of angelic innocence on his face with her own stupefied expression. “What?!”

“Oh yeah, I do it just to annoy you.”

Her mouth dropped open. “And the others…?”

“No, they’re just morons.”

Elise stared at him for a moment, then began to laugh, great manic guffaws that weren’t entirely from a place of mirth and as she hugged him again, the laughs turned into sobs, which she didn’t bother trying to hide.

“I really have missed you…” she managed after a few unladylike sniffs. “It’s been so shit.”

“My absence will do that, yes,” Aiden replied.

She slapped his back, though she really appreciated him undermining the seriousness of things. They naturally released each other and Elise took the opportunity to wipe her red-rimmed eyes some more.

“Now…” Aiden began, his tone a bit less jovial, a little more cautious. “I don’t know what’s going on with you and Anne — don’t give me that look, I saw your face earlier — but she obviously cares about you and maybe it’s none of my business but… okay I’m definitely butting in, but we haven’t got a whole lot of people left to rely on, so think carefully before throwing them away. Okay?”

Elise’s scowl was back in place, but she nodded.

“Good,” Aiden echoed the nod. He looked up at the row of ‘Mechs then across the growing campsite. After a minute he asked, “Do you think our odds are improved, now these guys have turned up?”

Elise was quiet as she wondered how honest to be. They were still vastly outnumbered and that was just the forces they knew about.

“Yeah…” she said carefully. “I’d say our odds are improved.”

Both of them looked up at the sound of thrumming engines as, flying low, a twin-rotored aircraft came around the side of the east-most mountain, followed by another. The two Karnovs slowed to a near-hover above the valley, circling slowly, blowing clouds of loose snow in every which direction, until someone from the Harlow’s side of things guided them in to land on the areas pre-flattened by the Powermen.

Elise watched as they came and waited until the din of their engines had settled down before adding, “It helps to have friends.”