Author Topic: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company  (Read 6797 times)

ringringlingling

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Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« on: 14 February 2016, 00:09:00 »
System: [Classified], Northern Periphery
Date: [Classified], 3050

   Crow couldn't stop bitching.  That's how Sparrow knew things were going south.  He'd been griping for three days straight when the call came in.  Up until then it had been a series of hit and fade attacks, with one clanner in particular leading them all on a wild goose chase.  Every time they thought they had cornered her, those blasted Elementals would spring up from semi-fortified positions dug out in the moons regolith.  If they went after the infantry, they would scatter, if they went after the mech, she would leave them in the dust. 

   His recon lance caught up with them a couple times, but every time they would push his lance back before they could call in air support or wait for reinforcements to arrive.  The bitch had split off from the rest of her company, mocking them over the radio.  He'd thought he had her that time, he was sure of it.  They were in hot pursuit when they got called off the hunt by central.

   Command wanted reinforcements.  Against Sparrow's advice they had stationed only two heavy lances near the endo-steel factory.  The other merc company, Cole's Cavalry, was out scouting the perimeter with Centrals Command lance, with the closest lance being fifty klicks away, and central had lost the rest of their mediums and lights to several earlier hit and run ambushes, using mixed unit tactics with those powered infantry they had.  They were in a catch-22, they couldn't chase after them without abandoning the factory, but they couldn't return fire without pursuing.   Even a handful of Elementals could take out the factory left unsupervised. 

   When they had received the call, central was already down five heavies.  Crow said, “Screw that!” like he knew his number was up before they even got there.  Their commanding officer reminded them of the terms of their agreement, which seemed so generous at the time, pointing out the massive fine for breach of contract.

   Sparrows Stormcrows was a light company, with not one heavy or an assault mech split amongst them.  They arrived at the factory just in time to watch the last mech standing, an Atlas, fall over onto a storage tank, causing it to explode and depressurize.  The fighting was intense, sparrow lost seven mechs, and was down to his auxiliaries, plus his own mech, a fully customized recon specked Jenner.  All they managed to do was chase them off, downing two mechs and severely wounding another.  One star had effectively destroyed or disabled half a battalion.  It was only in the aftermath that he saw the gauss slug tear a hole through Crows cockpit.

   The final push had lit up the endo-steel factory and left it in ruins.  When Cole's Calvary finally arrived with Centrals command lance, Sparrow chased the clanners all the way back to their dropship.  The clan woman had split off from the main group, taunting him over the radio once again.  He knew he shouldn't have taken the bait.  He couldn't help it.  Something about the condescension in her voice, the way she kept just slightly out of reach, letting them get just close enough to think they had a chance at returning her fire… he couldn't let it go.  He cut his comms and followed her while watching the dropship take off, and his lancemates followed suite.

   All that was twelve hours ago. 

   “Tracks end here, looks like they turned and backtracked over their trail.” 

   Sparrow looked at Hawk with a scowl.  “Dammit!  This whole ****** op has gone to hell!”

   Raven moved closer towards the tracks.  “There's something there.”

   Hawk sneered, “Hate to tell ya darlin', but those are the same tracks we followed on the way here...”

   “No.  Look.”  She magnified her ground cam, zooming in on the impression the Dasher had left in the ground.  Inside of it there were several smaller, man sized foot prints.

   Sparrow examined them.  “Did anybody see the Elementals retreating from the battlefield when we arrived at the factory?”

   Hawk said, “No.  Come to think of it, we didn't fight a single unit of battle armor while we were there.”

   Sparrow said, “Command said there were at least two dozen suits on the ground before we arrived.  They must have buggered out early after they had infiltrated the perimeter.”

   Jesse, otherwise referred to as squanch, roadkill, or “hey you”, had kept quiet up until now.  “You think they were maybe hiding, laying low?”

   Crow said, “Kids got a point.  Even with the solid lead we gave 'em, they wouldn't have been able make it to the dropship the same time as the rest of the mechs.”

   Jesse said, “So then that clanner must have been leading us away from them, buying them time by turning around and going back over her trail.  Those Elementals were using their jump packs to land inside her mechs footprints to cover their tracks.  I wonder where they went?”

   Sparrow said, “Lets find out.”

   The trail got smaller and progressively harder to follow, until the mechs footprints started to circle to the right and the Elementals split off to the left.  Hawk said, “I can hardly see anything.”

   Sparrow said, “Switch to thermals.”

   There was a hazy trail of exhaust that was quickly evaporating into the vacuum of space.

   Sparrow said, “Double time, we don't have much time before those vapor trails disappear.”

   The terrain started to get a bit rougher, but when they had reached about two klicks away, they finally picked something up on radar.  They inched closer to it, until they were within firing range.

   Jesse said, “Looks like a research station.  Commands database mentions it was built about thirty years ago, been abandoned for the last ten.  They must be holding out there, using it to recharge their life support.”

   Sparrow smiled wickedly.  He fired at the facilities massive O2 tanks, breaching their exteriors and causing the pressurized gas to explode, venting its contents into space.  He took another shot at the facility itself, breaching the pressurized chambers inside and exposing them to vacuum.  “Fall back!  Keep them on radar but don't let them see you!”  They backed behind a ridge and stood waiting when another call from central came in.

   Sparrow said, “Dammit!  What the hell do they want?”

   Hawk said, “They are getting ready for dustoff, sounds like they are scrapping the mission.  They want to know where the hell we are at.  Should we tell 'em about what we found here?”

   “No!  Whatever you do, don't let on that you know they are here.    I'm going to head back to base, wait until I come back.  If they start to move, follow them, but do not engage.”
   
***

   Thirty-six hours passed before Sparrow managed to maneuver his own small dropship into position.  The elemental pilots had disembarked and headed back towards the endo-steel factory, perhaps thinking that they might be able to surrender, but by the time they had gotten there, the entire facility had been evacuated.

   Somewhere along the way, they had run out of oxygen.  The pilots had all gone into stasis, they left a small pile of collapsed battlesuits lying sprawled out on the ground in various positions.  Sparrow assembled a team from whatever personnel he could muster, rounding up anyone who could wear a vaccsuit and hold a gun.

   Sparrow and his lancemates, and a few of the ships ratings walked towards the first suit of battle armor lying on the battlefield.  Sparrow signaled one of the ships crew to go over and inspect the suit.  He approached it cautiously, nervously, his gun tilted towards its helmet the whole time.  He kicked it, then breathed a sigh of relief.

   “No clans here, sir, looks like-”  The suit roared to life as the pilot clutched the young crewman by the neck in his battle claw.  With a sickening crunch, he crushed his skull and tossed him aside like a ragdoll, firing his laser at the militia and burning a whole through another ratings chest. 

   “Fire-Fire-Fire!”  Dozens of assault rifles fired hundreds of rounds at the elemental, most of them bouncing off his armor plating and scuffing the paint.  A couple managed to chip, then crack, the Eelemental's eye visor, causing what little air he had remaining in his suit to leak out into the void.  He fell to his knees clutching his neck, as Hawk braved the flailing pilots wrath by placing his foot on his chestplate, pushing him onto his back and firing a long volley into his faceplate, point blank. 

   When they saw that none of the other pilots were moving, Hawk looked at Sparrow, who was breathing heavily, and Sparrow gave him a nod.  Hawk waved to the others and they went from suit to suit, turning them over and firing rounds into the front of their helmets as they lie helplessly on the ground. 
« Last Edit: 16 February 2016, 00:20:10 by ringringlingling »
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gladius

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #1 on: 14 February 2016, 21:12:32 »
Due to odd formatting, it suffers from Big Block of Text syndrome, and is hard to read. The I,press ion I got was that it's rushed, and some of the tech seems wrong -stasis? Needs more descriptions, especially regarding the MCs 'Mechs.

Basically, you need a beta reader.

snakespinner

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #2 on: 15 February 2016, 01:20:21 »
Interesting storyline.
Only a few problems, spacing between paragraphs essential.
Secondly you have the clanner who's leading them on a wild goose chase in a Puma.
That is a very slow light mech easily outrun by most light mechs.
Try a Dasher, nearly impossible to catch. O0
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ringringlingling

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #3 on: 15 February 2016, 01:34:39 »
Quote
Due to odd formatting, it suffers from Big Block of Text syndrome, and is hard to read.

I added some spaces between paragraphs.  Better?

Quote
Needs more descriptions, especially regarding the MCs 'Mechs.

I'm working on that.  I'm not as steeped in the lore as many hardcore fans, so its difficult for me to think of appropriate cannon mechs to use in my story.  I was thinking Sparrow drives an Owens.
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ringringlingling

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #4 on: 15 February 2016, 01:38:17 »
Quote
Secondly you have the clanner who's leading them on a wild goose chase in a Puma.
That is a very slow light mech easily outrun by most light mechs.
Try a Dasher, nearly impossible to catch.

I was thinking that too, but the dasher is too fragile.  I wanted to use the Ice Hellion, but it is too early in the timeline.

Will be updating soon.
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snakespinner

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #5 on: 15 February 2016, 04:03:39 »
The problem being an Owens is an 8/12 speed mech.
Only the Dasher is faster being 10/15.
The way you wrote the story fitted the Dashers tactics perfectly, stay out of range and charge in only when the enemy is unprepared.
Few clan mechs can match the speed of an Owens. O0

I wish I could get a good grip on reality, then I would choke it.
Growing old is inevitable,
Growing up is optional.
Watching TrueToaster create evil genius, priceless...everything else is just sub-par.

ringringlingling

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #6 on: 15 February 2016, 17:42:58 »
Oops.

Well, i edited the story once again.

I think the biggest mistake i made was referring to the Battallion as a Brigade.  A single star taking out half a Brigade would have been quite a feat.  Made some minor corrections here and there, changed the mech they were chasing to a Dasher, and the mech Sparrow was piloting into a Jenner.   Also, will be adding an update right after this post.

The update includes the mechs they were piloting.  I didn't think they would be that important since they won't be piloting those for long, but i'm wondering if you guys think I should have provided some character description in the first post.  I've been a little short on detail because I kind of want to get some input then go back and change them later, since I'm a little weak on BT lore.

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ringringlingling

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #7 on: 15 February 2016, 17:45:45 »
The ride back to the jumpship was uncomfortable, they had been burning their thrusters at 1.2 G's the entire time, and some of the crew had grav sickness, Sparrow among them.  He had tried to stall evac as long possible, but command wanted out ASAP.  They were several days late on their return trip to the jumpship, and they were playing catchup.  Sparrow was laid up in his bunk inside his officers quarters, reviewing the post op financial summary.  It did not look good.

   He was being compensated seventy percent of the market value of his downed mechs, but suffered severe casualties, nearly two thirds his total force, along with all of his mediums.  It has stipulated in his contract that he was meant to be a reserve force only, engaging only in recon and covert operations, but he knew he didn't have the pull to win that kind of settlement, and it would be years before comstar managed to get around to addressing his grievance.  By then, who knew if there would even be an inner sphere.

   Most of the intel he'd gathered on the clans was top secret, he'd signed a non-disclosure agreement when he'd signed up to fight them on the periphery.  Whoever was footing the bill had set up a command circuit to ferry their forces back and forth, the terms seemed to good to be true, 3 months of transit and a huge wad of c-bills for some light recon work on the periphery.  They'd mentioned the clans had some advanced tech, but he'd had no idea going in what he was up against.  Still, he'd managed to survive three months of skirmishing with his forces intact, until that last damn mission when everything went straight to hell.

   Still, it wasn't a total loss.  He'd still gotten paid, and the salvage on those battle armor suits would net him a pretty penny if he decided to sell them.  He was still trying to think of a way to incorporate them into his forces, but the battle armor pilots were just too big for normal pilots to operate the suits, nor did they have the training.  The compensation he received for his casualties and the trade in he'd gotten for his mechs salvage had gone a long way towards padding his bank accounts.  He could finally pay off the lien on his Leopard dropship and permanently subcontract a larger dropship so he wouldn't keep getting screwed on transport costs. 

   Still, he was down to four light mechs, plus his VTOL's, which hadn't been much use in the vacuum of space.  That left his Force Recon Jenner, Hawks custom Firestarter, Dealer, Ravens Raven, “RnR”, and the stock Commando his nephew had been piloting, that he was probably going to sell.  By he got back to Outreach, he was going to have his work cut out for him rebuilding his forces. 

   Keeping his mind on his money distracted him the other thing he'd been feeling.  Sparrow lost his best friend, a man he had known and fought side by side with for over ten years.  Sparrow wasn't a sentimental person, some might even describe him as a bit of a sociopath, but when Crow died, he'd felt… something.  It started out as sadness, but got twisted in his gut somehow.  Ever since he'd gotten back from that op he'd gotten meaner, uglier, like whatever good humor was left inside of him had died.  If he ever met that clan bitch again, there was going to be hell to pay...

   Jesse knocked on his door.  “Sir?  It looks as though we might be running a little late.  There is a chance we might miss the rondevous with the Guardian.  What should I tell the crew?”

   If they missed that jump, and there is no way they were going to hold up the command circuit just for them.  “Tell the pilot to accelerate to 1.5 G's.”   Sparrow lay in his bed, feeling nauseous, when the acceleration caused the ship to lurch, and he rolled over onto his stomach and retched into the bowl beside the floor.
« Last Edit: 15 February 2016, 18:04:36 by ringringlingling »
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ringringlingling

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #8 on: 16 February 2016, 00:18:26 »
        Crow entered with the status report holo in the crook of his arm and his stylus between his teeth.  “This better be some good news, for a change,” Sparrow said.  A cargo inspector had hit them up for another five hundred thousand, threatening to report the Battle Suits as undeclared salvage.  That would have been disastrous, and Sparrow had no choice to swallow his pride and cough up the cred.

   “It is.  That lot you bid on that lot came in at an even twenty million, including upgrades and transport costs.”

   “Excellent.”  The lot in question was three catapults and a Bombadeer, are piloted by former Cappelians from patrician families.  They had lost their titles some time in the distant past, but lost possession of their mechs much more recently in yet another disastrous bid against the clans.  Their fire support lance had come out relatively unscathed, but they had put liens on their mechs prior to the engagement.  They must have been in dire straights, because they were offering cut-rates on their mechs under the stipulation that they all be bought and sold as a lot, and that they would continue to serve as mechwarriors in a merc outfit.

   He pulled up their profiles.  Three were actual triplets, genetic clones of each other, all scored exceptionally well during the academy and had a flawless field record.  The fourth was born afterwards, and was rumored to be born out of wedlock with a different father.  His scores were sub-par, but he could fire downrange and move one leg in front of the other.  The others must have been looking out for him, the triplets could have gotten their own postings elsewhere if they had wanted.  Sparrow had wanted a fire support lance for a long time, and the price was a dirt cheap.

   Raven knocked on the door.  “We got a visiter.”

   Sparrow gave them a nod and had them exit the small corner office.  The man who came to greet him was a dour, but dignified sort, tall, well built, but well past his prime.  Sparrow pressed the button underneath his desk that set the hidden microphone to begin recording their conversation.  “Greetings.  What can I do for you?”

   “My name is Eli Hedron.  It has come to my awareness that you are in possession of a significant quantity of clan battlesuits.  Our firm specializes in purchasing and selling clan salvage to research organisations throughout the inner sphere.  We would like to purchase those battlesuits off of you.”

   “I'm not sure I understand.  What would you be offering in exchange?”

   “Twenty-Five Million C-Bills.”

   Sparrow whistled.  “Thats a fair chunk of change.  I'm not sure I can help you though.”

   “That is unfortunate.  I will leave my name and contact information in case-”

   “One question, if I may.  Where did you hear about these battlesuits?”

   “A mutual aquantaince of ours, Jules Horner.  He works aboard the Gaurdian.”

   Sparrow recognized the name of that slimeball immediately.  He was the one who had tried to extort him for not reporting his salvage.  “I see.  And when did he contact you?”

   “Yesterday, from aboard the HPG uplink on the planet Dalius.”

   “That is very interesting, because I happen to know for a fact that Mr. Horner has been living here on outreach for over a month.  Ever since his unexpected windfall, that is.”

   The old man swallowed hard.

   “The only way you could have known I had that salvage on hand was if you knew what had happened during the last mission of my last campaign.  Not one of my crew has spoken a word of that day.  They know what will happen if they accuse us of violating the star league conventions on surrender.  Even our employer didn't know what had happened there, and Jules may be a rat, but he knows how to keep his mouth shut.”

   “So if you're not one of us, and you weren't sent here by comstar, who are you then?”

   The old man smiled coyly, “I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about.  I'm sorry to have wasted your time.  If you'll excuse me-”

   “You're from the clans aren't you?”  The old man froze, his back turned.

   “Its alright.  I'm not going to report you.”

   Eli turned around.  “What is it that you want?”

   “A trade.”

   “What kind of trade?”
   
   “You said you specialize in purchasing clan tech.  That much I buy.”  He poured himself a glass of water.  “Its actually rather brilliant.  Buying your own salvage to keep the tech out of Inner Sphere hands.  But surely, though, you must keep some on hand.”

   “What are you getting at?”
   
   “I've seen clan technology.  I've seen the way they fight.  They sent us into a slaughter, and you're warriors walked away with barely a scratch.  In another five years, the clans are going to be marching through Terra with most of IS under its thumb.  I want to be in a position to continue to profit.”

   “I have something here that may interest you.”  Sparrow turned around and opened his safe.  Inside was a data drive.  He took it in his hand and placed it on the table.  “This data drive contains twenty years worth of hard intel on the Inner Sphere.  I have been working covert ops since my time with the Cappellian Confederation, and believe me, I've seen it all.  I have troop numbers, telemetry data, factory locations, officer names, budgets, you name it, I've got it.  I've only ever sold the contents of this disk peicemeal, due to the sensitive nature of playing the houses against one another.”

   “I'm offering it to you, wholesale.”  He cleared off his holodesk and ran the sales specs on his intel, hinting at the contents without revealing them.

   “How much do you want for them?”

   “Its not that simple.  I want mechs.  Clan mechs.  Specifically those Omni's you use.”

   Eli put his fingers together and contemplated his offer.  “I think we can arrange for something like that.”

   “Excellent.  Where are you based?”

   “Galatea.  Its easier to hide what we are doing there.”

   “Good.  Have you're mechs ready by the time I get there.  I plan on leaving by the end of the month.  You better have something to show me.”

*
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ringringlingling

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #9 on: 17 February 2016, 02:11:24 »

   Sparrow arrived on the ground less than a week later.  He didn't like Galatea.  The slums made him uncomfortable, there was always some nagging thought in the back of his mind that one day he might end up here, living amongst the trash and the gutters.  After the drive into the factory district, Raven, Hawk, Jesse and Sparrow exited the sleek black groundcraft and walked onto the factory floor, where techs were hard at work repairing several mechs and getting them ready for transport back to the clan homeworlds.

   Eli met them on the floor, followed by a woman of indetermanate age.  By the way she walked and dressed, confident and surefooted, wearing a tank top and army fatigues, he guessed she was a mechwarrior of some kind.  She had a hard bite to her, but was attractive in an athletic sort of way, with a single long scar marring her face, tracing a line from her forehead to her cheek. 

   “Quite an operation you've got here.”

   “Thank you.  It was not easy to requisition the required personnel for this assignment.”

   “So what have you got for me?”

   “Follow me.”  He lead them across the factory expanse, to a large storage hanger around back.  He flipped on the lightswitch.  In front of them stood a fully assembled, pristine Mad Cat, freshly painted and polished, her bird legs and oblong foreward torso reaching up to the ceiling.  “This is the Timber Wolf.  You will never find a finer mech.”

   Eli began his salespitch while Sparrow stared at his datapad distractedly.  He continued rattling on about the mechs various features, its weapons loadout, on and on, until he finally turned around and saw that Sparrow wasn't listening.  “What is it you have there?”

   Sparrow held up the datapad.  “Oh, this?  This is a list of all clan salvage you have procured from the front lines over the last nine months.  It was part of the reporting requirement when making claim to clan salvage when using comstars contract services on Outreach.”

   Eli and the woman exchanged glances.  “How did you get that?”

   “Friends in high places.  My main concern, however, is that heavy mechs are not to my taste.  I have a list here of four light omni's-”

   “Four!  We only have twenty mechs here in stock, what makes you think-”

   “-four light omni's which I'm sure you will agree are a fair bargain, considering the time you've had to review the various contents that are held on this disk.”

   Eli said, “I ought to have you throw out, you presume to tell me what I can and cannot sell, why-”

   The woman said, “Eli, a word...”  That voice!  Sparrow recognized that voice!  It was from that woman who had cost them their entire operation during their last sortie.  He was sure of it!”

   Jesse said, “Are you sure about this, sir?  That Timber Wolf has got to be worth at least fifty million on the open market, maybe even more if we chop it up and sell the components peicemeal.  It won't be much longer before clan salvage starts to become widespread amongst the IS, who knows how much it will cost us if we wait...”

   
When Sparrow didn't speak, his gaze fixated upon the woman, Raven spoke for him, “Trust him, he knows what he is doing.”
   
They discussed things quietly, reviewing a datapad that he held in his hands.  “Alright.  Alright damn you, you'll get you're mechs.  But I swear to Kerensky, if you reveal any part our operations here, I won't go down alone, I'll be sure to take you with me.” 

   “Pleasure doing business with you, Eli.”  The woman excused herself while Sparrow lit a cigarette.  He flashed her a smile, poked his index finger like gun, and shot her.

*
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ringringlingling

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #10 on: 17 February 2016, 18:33:29 »
Is this holding anybodies interest?  should I keep going?
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Taron Storm

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #11 on: 17 February 2016, 21:38:54 »
Please continue.  It should be interesting where this goes.   O0

snakespinner

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #12 on: 18 February 2016, 00:56:07 »
Your starting to introduce a bit of intrigue.
That clanner, Sparrow thinks was in the last combat, adds some interest.
What is she doing there after doing so much damage to his unit. O0
I wish I could get a good grip on reality, then I would choke it.
Growing old is inevitable,
Growing up is optional.
Watching TrueToaster create evil genius, priceless...everything else is just sub-par.

ringringlingling

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #13 on: 18 February 2016, 21:39:10 »
huh-huh, she damaged his "unit"
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ringringlingling

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #14 on: 20 February 2016, 03:21:05 »
Big update, plus there is going to be an actual fight soon.  (Mechs fighting actual mechs in a battletech fan fiction, who would have though!)
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ringringlingling

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Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #15 on: 20 February 2016, 03:23:26 »

   Cole awoke with a start when Beatrice came burst open the door.  “Snrk- Wha?  I'm awake!”

   “You finish those reports like I asked?”

   Cole rubbed the stubble on his chin and said, “Bit early, isn't it?”

   “Its after noon.”  She opened the window blinds and let the air in while Cole winced.

   “They're done.  Mostly.”

   “Well they better be done by twenty-one hundred hours, or we won't be able to file them until next week.”

   “Relax, we are still getting paid on time.”

   “Yeah, but we won't get reimbursed for damages until you file that padwork.”  Beatrice set some coffee by his desk.

   “Thanks.”  He waited till her back was turned before pouring some of his liquor flask in the mix.  He went to work looking busy.  “So whats our next job?”

   She handed him a datasheet with the relevant mission contracts highlighted on it.  “Slim pickings, I'm afraid.  Unless you want to butt head with the clans again.”

   “Noooo thank you, good madam.  I want something nice and dull.”

   “You know that outfit you signed up with a while ago, Sparrow's Stormcrows?”

   “Yeah.  Our commander on that OP was a complete jackass.  Had us off chasing in the wrong direction, fifty klicks from the target.  Those poor boys got their eggs scrambled.”

   “Well don't feel too sorry for them.  Other than garrison duty, this is the only contract I could find.  And you know how garrison duty pays.”

   He reviewed the terms of the contract.  “They want us to do what, exactly?  Round up a posse and go chasing after this guy?  What did he do?”
   “I dunno, but he must have pissed someone off.  Basically said we could either scrap their mechs or let em surrender, but either way, no salvage on this one.”

   “Damn.  Well, guess its their unlucky day.  He flipped through the contract.  By the looks of it, we ought to catch with their pants down.  Outnumbered, outgunned, should be easy pickin's.”

   “Don't jinx it.  Finish that paperwork, cause were shipping out tomorrow.”

*

   Jesse said, “Are you sure about this commander?”

   “Never been more sure of anything in my life.”  The data core on one of the omni's they'd purchased had a ghost image, they'd wiped the drive a couple times but they had managed to extract the most recent mission data from the magnetic resonance.   The data showed there was a star league aerospace bunker somewhere on this planet, right under the Davions noses, not far from terra.  The cache could be worth millions, maybe billions.  He'd already stripped the ECM gear from the recon mechs he'd picked up off of eli, that alone should be worth several million to the right buyer.

   Jesse said, “I'm just saying, isn't it kind of odd they would leave that data just sitting there on one of their old mechs?  Those facilities looked pretty advanced, it doesn't seem like something that they would let slide...”

   Sparrow, who was feeling ahead of the game, was in no mood to argue about it.  “People make mistakes.  Clans are no exception.  Why don't you keep your mouth shut and work on earning your callsign?”

   Hawk said, “That kind of talk is bad for morale, roadkill.  You want us to go back to calling you stool pigeon?”
   Jesse gritted his teeth.  He hated that name.  They'd gotten in a fight in a bar in Solaris, and Sparrow was losing, badly.  Jesse called the police and they'd all spent a night in cell.  It wasn't the name that bothered him, it was the implication, like he couldn't be trusted.  “No sir.”

   This stretch of the planet was dry, but there was life on this planet.  It wasn't a dead world, far from it, life abounded here.  The problem was that the bacteria here had grown too virulent, the world was too primal, too feral.  You needed life support and air filters to survive for more than a few hours here, and the terrain was dangerous, as were the plants and animals.  Still, the atmosphere was breathable, and with proper medical attention and antibiotics somebody could survive here for weeks or even months at a time.

   They weren't alone.  Several aerospace pilots were along for the ride, pulled off of their normal duties and shoved into several APC's they made their trek across the expanse.  The desert made good cover for the base.  Hawk hardly noticed the protrusion until they were nearly right on top of it.  When they reached the blast doors it seemed like they had been buried under years of dirt and sand, and for a minute he wondered if the codes they'd pulled from their intel would work.  The doors shuddered, then began to pry open, when Jesse breathed a sigh of relief.

   Inside, Sparrow was like a kid in a candy store.  “There must be dozens, no hundreds!  We're going to have to make  more than one trip!  We're finally going to be rich!”

   Jesse smirked.  They were never exactly poor, but ever since he'd been forced to support his uncle sparrow in his unsuccessful coupe inside his own family, they weren't exactly living the high life either.  They still styled themselves as nobility, but ever since they'd been kicked out of the family, they had lost a great deal of prestige.

   Sparrow radioed the aerospace commander.  “How long until you boys are set up?”

   “Four hours, give or take.”

   “Four hours?!  I've seen pilots scramble in less than fifteen minutes!  Whats the ****** holdup?!”

   “Its not that simple.  Most of these are rookie pilots, they barely know how to handle their aircraft.  Many of these machines were manufactured in different sectors of the galaxy, labeled in many different languages, with different operating systems.  Some of them might not even work.  They all need to be refueled and prepped for launch, which takes time.  We need to take inventory, then our pilots need to be briefed and spend some time in the simulator rigs we brought with us to familiarize themselves with their machines.”

   Sparrow was disappointed, but he kept his cool.  “I want these machines to have lift off in three hours, understand?  Anyone who's not out by then can hitch their own ride home.”

   “Yes sir.”

   After two hours of waiting, Raven had taken some time to go outside and stretch.  She caught two pilots sitting there playing cards, and she lost her temper.  “You there!  What are you doing?”

   They stood at attention.  “Sir!  We were just, uh, playing cards, sir!”

   “Your pilots, aren't you?  Why aren't you sitting in the cockpit of one those fighters over there?  We are prepping to leave here in less than thirty minutes!”

   “Sir, we are only jr. cadets, we are not authorized to fly without permission..”

   Raven pulled out her laser pistol and fired it at the table.  “If your not up and moving and into those cockpits in the next five minutes, I'm going to burn a hole through you skulls and use them to go bowling!”

   They all waited listlessly for time to pass.  Raven got suited and took Jesse out by the front of the entrance to run perimeter patrols, just to keep him busy.  Sparrow had tried to take a nap in his cockpit, but he wasn't having much luck.  Hawk radioed him, giving him a wave from his cockpit.  “Got a minute, commander?”

   “I suppose.  What is it.”

   “I've been thinking about what Jesse said.”

   “Jesse's a good kid, reminds me of my father.”

   “Didn't you kill your fa-” Hawk remembered his place and held his tongue.  “Uh, what I meant to say was, the kids got a point.  I mean, I know people make mistakes and all, but that Eli looked like he ran a pretty tight ship.  I think he knew what he was doin'.”

   Sparrow sighed.  “Yeah, you're right.  I'm starting to get that feeling again.”

   Raven came running up to him, “Prep the flight deck!  We got company!”

   Hawk said, “Aww, shit!”  He patched into the bases alert systems and activated the air raid sirens.

   The aerospace commander, who had been lecturing in front of viewscreen, said, “Damn it!  Alright, class dismissed!  Move-Move-Move!”  Thirty pilots scrambled onto the flight deck and began climbing into their canopy.  “How much time do we have?”

   Sparrow looked at raven who held up ten fingers, made a fist, then held up two more while her cockpit slid down.

    “Twelve mechs, closing fast.  I want those fighters out of here yesterday, understand?”

   “Understood.”

   Sparrow said, “Hawk, go outside and see if you can buy us some time.”

   “What do you want me to do?”

   “I dunno, parley, trade, surrender, just give us a few more minutes!”

   Recruit Jennings, who had been sitting in his cockpit reading a girlie mag, jumped up out of his seat when he heard the siren.  “Commander, whats going on?”
   “We're prepping for launch!”

   “I don't have my flight partner here, what should I do?”

   “Takeoff!”

   “Roger!”

   He have his fellow cadets the thumbs up, then motioned to the hanger doors.

   Hawk had taken his mech outside.  “This is Sparrow's Stormcrows.  Incoming company, please identify yourselves.”

   Cole hit his comms, “This is Cole's Cavalry.  Be advised, we are to treat all forces in the area as hostile.  Surrender your mechs and you will not be harmed.”

   Hawk said, “What kind of bullshit-”

   Sparrow cut him off on the comms.  “Be quiet, you jackass!  They are sitting on eight heavies, at least!”

    Sparrow addressed Cole, “We are sitting on about two hundred million worth of star league aerospace equipment.  What do you say we split it with you, fifty fifty?”

   Cole thought he saw a radar ping off in the rear distance.  He quickly turned to look, and though he might of seen another mech hiding over the bluff behind him.  He looked at his radar again, and the ping was gone.  “Am I being watched?”  He thought.  “You're looking at twelve mechs.  You're intel says you only got four, and right now, I only see one.  Look, why don't you call it quits, Sparrow?  You had a good run, had some tough luck.  In three days we can all be back at outreach laughing about it over a beer.  I might even have a spot for you on my team...”

   “Like hell, Cole.  We may not have much but these mechs are clan tech.  Its going to cost you more to pick a fight with us than you're going to get out of this contract, I can guarantee it.  Sixty-Fourty, your favor that's my final offer-”

   They were both interrupted by the sound of the bunkers self destruct sequence activating.  “Thirty seconds and counting…  twenty-nine… twenty-eight...”
 
   Crow moved his Puma towards the blast bay doors next to hawk.  “You son of a bitch!  There's no reason to blow us both out of the water!”

   Yet another voiced appeared over the comms.  “Commander Cole, you will finish you're mission as you have been instructed.”  The ping showed up clearly now, and with magnification on his rear view Cole could the mech observing far in the distance.  “The terms of your contract are quite clear, you are to apprehend them or destroy their mechs.  You waived the right to all salvage, as per the terms of your agreement.”

   Sparrow said, “Eli?  Is that you?  You son of a bitch!  You're playing both sides!  Cole, don't listen to him, Eli is a clanner!”

   Cole cut his comms.  He looked visibly pained as he reviewed the terms of his contract in his mind.  Four light mechs, no salvage, at that price?  He knew it was too good to be true, and breech clause would likely bankrupt him.  “...Sorry Sparrow.” 

   Sparrow tried hailing them again.  Hawk said, “They're not responding.”

   “Hawk, I want you to exchange fire with their command lance, see if you can get them to follow your Dasher.  The rest of will stick together and head towards to forests to the north.  We will rondevous at at nav point gamma, where we will reschedule our dustoff.  Move it Stormcrow's!”

   Recruit Jennings heard the countdown and panicked.  He started hitting random buttons flipping switches, trying to remember his training to prep for launch.  He set his throttle and taxied onto the runway while the rest of the pilots ran through their preflight checklist.  He and his friends Rando and Carle were stationed closest to the hanger doors, if anybody stood a chance of making it out alive, it was them.

   He exchanged nervous glances with Rando, then closed his eyes and punched the throttle.  “Three...Two...One...”  The whole world seemed to explode as he went flying through the blast doors and up into the air.  He let out a yell, then a shout as he realized he was still alive.  He turned around to see carly crashing against the top of the blast doors on her way out, followed by Rando, who trailed behind him screaming over the comms.   They both made it out to see the armored cluster beneath them turn into tiny little dots as they passed over the horizon.

   Hawk risked a glance back at the bunker as it lie in ruins, then fired off his laser battery at the Bushwacker that had taken the lead.  “Come and get me you bastards!”

*

I'm a six Star General!

snakespinner

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2688
Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #16 on: 20 February 2016, 18:25:31 »
I like the names you use for that MW.
Roadkill, which I was thinking of changing my name to in MWO, and Stool Pigeon.
By the way I would not say hundreds of fighters were found that's too munchy.
Dozens sounds much better. O0
I wish I could get a good grip on reality, then I would choke it.
Growing old is inevitable,
Growing up is optional.
Watching TrueToaster create evil genius, priceless...everything else is just sub-par.

blackpanzer

  • Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 178
Re: Comstar Declassified: Sparrows Company
« Reply #17 on: 03 April 2016, 22:15:14 »
Awww... no more developments?
Good read.

 

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