Author Topic: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)  (Read 8436 times)

Northkin

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Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« on: 19 November 2015, 21:01:02 »
It's been awhile since I wrote any fanfic and even longer since I have done some BattleTech, so apologies in advance for any errors I have made.  Also, I tend to write short chapters so each installment won't be very long.  Enjoy!

1

Joint-Forces Base 1 (150 km east of Port Howard)
Towne, Prefecture III, Republic of the Sphere
27 August, 3133


     Heavy raindrops fell from the sky as the weather unleashed its waning fury onto the ground below.  Nice and dry from the storm, Lt. Wilton DePriest of the Swordsworn's 832nd Armored Corps was walking through the base's corridors.  He had an average, non-descript build accompanied by the brown hair common in the DePriest family, along with green eyes that were not.  Turning a corner, he ran into one of his counterparts, Lt. Michael Strong of the Highlanders.
     "Where are you headed to, Will?" he inquired.  The tall, dark-skinned man from Northwind, the toughness of his square jaw softened by his brown eyes, had become a good friend to Will during their time together on Towne.
     "The transport signaled that it was returning after picking up the Swordsworn newcomers; I thought I'd head out in my Spider and meet them," Will replied.
     Mike looked back in disbelief.  "Are you crazy?  You're going to take a BattleMech out in a thunderstorm?"
     "Of course not," he answered, hastily amending "To both questions.  I checked with Meteorology; the storm's intensity has diminished to the point where lightning isn't an issue anymore."
     Mike shrugged his shoulders and resumed walking.  "Have fun then," he called back over his shoulder.
     "Thanks."

Highway 712, leading to Joint-Forces Base 1
Towne


     Out in the rain, an armored figure was trying to assess the situation she was in.  At first, things started out smoothly as the Giggens APC was taking her Gray Death Scout Armor squad and a Pacifier squad out to their new assignment.  She was watching from the back through the front of the cab when she saw the explosion in the middle of the road, which forced the APC into the ditch.
     The two squads quickly bailed out the back.  Noticing no movement from the Giggens crew, she took charge and ordered the Pacifiers to jump to the other side of the road as the GDSA's took up a position near their vehicle.
     One of her squad-mates (who happened to be one of her two identical sisters, the third who was also in the squad) came on the tac net.  "Steph, what's going on?"
     "I can't tell yet," she replied.  "Pacifiers, do you see anything?"
     "Hold on, I think I spot something," came the response.  Tense seconds passed.  "Got it; it's an SM1 Tank Destroyer."  His voice rose a bit as he added "It's firing--duck!!"  Another explosion appeared, this one near the Pacifiers' location.
     Oh hell, we need help badly; I just hope someone can hear me, she thought.  Switching to the general tactical frequency, she said "This is Sgt. Persephone Smithson of the Swordsworn 43rd Recon Group. We are under attack from an unidentified SM1 and require immediate assistance.  Can anyone help, over."

     Will heard the distress call and kicked his Spider into a run.  The on-board computers located the origin of the signal as coming from the other side of a high natural rock wall, 10 km away if he cut across open field. Figuring surprise was his best option, he didn't reply back.  Upon reaching the wall, Will fired the 'Mech's jump jets and soared over it.

     Suddenly Steph heard the roar of engines.  Looking up, she saw a 'Mech riding its jump jets and prayed that it was friendly.

     At the top of his arc Will saw the SM1 on his tactical map display and adjusted his descent.  He knew the typical maneuver used was a "Death From Above" (where the 'Mech would land on its target), but since he had trouble pulling off DFA's he dropped himself right behind it instead.  The Destroyer moved away to create some distance, turning around to bring its big gun to bear.  As it turned, Will put his Spider into a run around it and charged into the vehicle's backside, putting a heavy dent in it.
     But Will had trouble maintaining his 'Mech's balance on the slick road after the impact, making the Spider stumble a bit.  The SM1 decided to use the opportunity to make its escape, hover fans propelling it away to safety.
     Seeing the SM1 retreating, Will decided to let it go and walked the Spider towards the transport.  Keying his mike, he called out "This is Swordsworn SN-098.  Status report; is everyone OK?"
 
     Steph heard the Status call and replied back "Stand by, 098."  Getting a thumbs-up from her sisters, she motioned them to check on the Pacifiers while she checked the Giggins's crew.  "GDSA squad is OK.  Transport crew is OK, just shaken up, although we'll need some help getting it out of the ditch."  Then she heard her sisters' report on the squad's channel and relayed it, saying "Pacifiers have some injuries, but nothing immediately life-threatening."  She blew a sigh of relief.  "Thanks for the save, Spider."
     The response she got back gave her a shock:  "That's what I'm here for, Percy."
     Steph felt herself start to do a slow burn as her sisters began to quietly giggle.  There was only one person that she knew of that would call her that nickname.
     "Padre, what the hell?" she shot back.  She was aware that Will DePriest wasn't bothered by that name, but it made her feel a bit better.
     "Didn't they tell you anything when they sent you here?" he asked.  "Let's get you back on the road; I'll explain later."  After he pushed the APC back onto the highway, Steph and her sisters helped the Pacifiers into the troop compartment then jumped in as well.  As the vehicle started moving down the road again, he fell into a jog near it and radioed the base.  "JFB1, this is DePriest.  The transport was attacked, and I'm escorting in injured; have medics standing by."
     "Roger that, Will," came the reply.  It was Scott Richardson, the base's liason with the Towne militia.  "They'll be waiting for you in your hanger."
     "Thanks, Scott.  DePriest out."


« Last Edit: 19 November 2015, 21:04:52 by Northkin »
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

snakespinner

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #1 on: 20 November 2015, 01:21:16 »
Why didn't the Spider fire it's lasers instead of charging.
A 30 ton mech would not do much damage at short range charging.

Otherwise nice start. O0
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Dave Talley

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #2 on: 21 November 2015, 00:45:32 »
well it depends on how far he could charge, but in rain
and after landing close by, I would just say he kicked the damned thing
Resident Smartass since 1998
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Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #3 on: 23 November 2015, 21:39:51 »
Will has the older 5D variant, which is armed with a Medium Laser and a Flamer.  As to the Charge, like I said I'm a bit rusty.
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #4 on: 27 November 2015, 17:01:50 »
2

Joint-Forces Base 1
27 August, 3133


     The APC made its way through the base, the Spider walking just behind it, eventually reaching a large hanger with the Swordsworn insignia on it.  Warning lights flashed as the hanger doors parted.  When they were fully open the transport rolled in, rain running off its sides, and it stopped in an open space where medical personnel where waiting.
     Will guided his 'Mech to its berth and shut it down.  He knew that his maintenance chief waiting below was going to give him grief about the damage the Spider sustained doing a Charge, but at least he could argue that was minimal and easily repairable.  Opening the hatch, he stepped onto the access stairs in the bay and headed down.
     After he managed to finish that lengthy conversation he headed to the medical ward to check on those injured in the fight against the SM1.  When he walked out of there he found waiting for him a woman in a blue utility jumpsuit, her light blonde hair cascading down in gentle curls to her shoulders, her brown eyes taking him in.  "Long time no see, Will," she said.
     "Hi, Steph," he answered as he started walking down the hallway, Steph falling in step beside him.  "It's been a while, I guess.  Where's your sisters?"
     "Settling into our quarters.  So, you mind telling me what we are doing here?"
     "Wow, so they really didn't tell you anything?"
     "Just 'Grab your gear, you're going to Towne.'  Then we were put on a commercial dropship and sent here."
     "There's a--"
     He was interrupted by a dulcet voice coming down the hall.  Steph looked over at the newcomer.  She had a lithe figure, with straight honey blond hair to the middle of her back.  Steph couldn't place the uniform she was wearing, except that it wasn't Swordsworn, AFFS, or Republic.  "Wilton," the newcomer said, "Is this one of your new troops, quiaff?"
     She's Clan?! Steph thought, her eyes widening a bit in surprise.  Just what is going on here?
     "Yes.  Melody, this is Sgt. Persephone Smithson.  Steph, may I introduce Star Commander Melody Nova Cat; she is the lead representative of the Spirit Cats here."
     "A pleasure," Melody said, extending her hand.  "Have you known Wilton long?" she asked Steph.
     "For a few years; Padre and I fought together back on Ankaa," she said, shaking Melody's hand.
     Melody gave Will a quizzical look.  "Padre?"
     "DePriest, Priest, Padre," he tried to explain.  Still seeing the puzzled look on her face, he added "I will tell you later."
     Melody nodded and continued on her way.  "See you then," she called out as she left, giving Will a warm smile.
     Will resumed the conversation back on its original track.  "As I was saying, there's a briefing tomorrow at 0900.  But if you want, I can give you a preview.  Give me a few minutes and meet me at the base's lounge; it's called The Towne House.  If you have trouble finding it, just ask anyone; they'll know."
     "I'll be there," Steph replied, heading back to her quarters.
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #5 on: 03 December 2015, 19:08:55 »
Ch. 3

Joint-Forces Base 1
27 August, 3133


     Steph was waiting for twenty minutes when Will managed to show up.  He saw that she had already ordered drinks, a cola for him and a bottle of Bannson's Best, her favorite beer, for her.  "So you remember," he said.
     "Ankaa wasn't that long ago," she replied.  "So, where else have you been since then?"
     "I was stationed on Ronel for a while.  Started out peaceful, but then the Dragon's Fury showed up and it was a real mess; the first week was a turkey shoot."
     "Isn't that good?"
     "Not if you're the turkeys!"  He dropped his forehead into his hands.  "They had set up an ambush outside of the capital, Lenor.  We lost a modified IndustrialMech before we even knew they were there."
     He brought his head back up.  "But turnabout is fair play, as they say.  We were in the Omar's Vein mine tunnels, and my group found a cavern with a lake in it.  Figuring that a 'Mech would park itself there, we placed some units near it.  And sure enough, in one strode, and wham," he punched his fist into his hand, "knocked it for a loop.  Pushed them out of the mines and eventually off-planet."  He took a drink of his soda.  "But, I hear that we lost it back to them."  Will sat quiet for few moments.  "So, what have you been up to since Ankaa?"
     "Nothing interesting, pretty much guard duty here and there.  Thought here would be more of the same, but I guess I was wrong.  So what is the story about this place?"
     Will set a portable trivid player on the table.  Pulling out a data wafer from a front pocket, he placed it in the player and turned it on.  A pair of images appeared, one of Will and one of his Spider.  "Towne has worked hard to maintain a neutrality with the various paramilitary factions in the Republic.  To that end, each of the major groups has been allowed to set up a small on-planet force consisting of one light 'Mech plus support vehicles and infantry; no VTOL's, no artillery.  Joint-Forces Base 1, or JFB1, is home to three of them:  the Swordsworn, which I'm in charge of."  He moved to the next pair of images, Star Commander Melody Nova Cat and a Spider mostly painted in white.  "You've already met Melody."
     "Does everyone here use a Spider?"  Steph asked.
     "No, we're the only two, and they're different types.  Mine is the old 5D variant, while she uses a prototype version the Spirit Cats tried out."  The next set were of Michael Strong and a Koshi.  "Lt. Michael Strong leads the Highlanders."
     He drank some more of his soda.  "Near Kale Bay on the southern continent of Gherst is JFB2.  They feature Chu-i Michiko Takahashi of the Dragon's Fury, Star Commander Julia Wolf of the Steel Wolves, and lastly Brad Montana, he's here from one of Bannson's outfits," he said as he ran through their images.  Michiko was an Asian female of small stature with shoulder length black hair; next to her image was a Firestarter.  Julia was of average height and build, featuring black hair in a modified pageboy and piercing steel-gray eyes; her 'Mech being a ForestryMech MOD-A.  Brad appeared to be slightly taller than average with sandy-brown hair and a smirk on his face; the 'Mech he was paired with was a Mjolnir.  "And don't be fooled by Julia Wolf's 'Mech; in a simulation, I've seen her nearly cut a Demon in half with one strike."  He turned the trivid off.
     "Force strength is tightly controlled by Towne's militia.  That's probably why you were rushed; when we got the OK for two more infantry units, you were nearby and available."
     "And how did you wind up on this obscure planet?"
     "Uh, Towne is my homeworld."
     Steph felt surprised and chagrined at the same time, letting out a little "eep" in the process.  She and her sisters were among the few of the Swordsworn actually from the Federated Suns and she had just assumed that Will was also, seeing as how well they all got along.  Deciding to pursue this topic later, she said "What about what happened on the road?"
     "Haven't quite figured that out yet.  It seems a new group has shown up, but we're not sure who they are or how they got here.  They've been conducting raids, but that was the first one against a factional group.
     "Anyways, that's about it.  The rest of the information you need to know will be covered in tomorrow's briefing."
     Steph finished off her beer.  "See you tomorrow then, Will.  Good night."  And with that, she stood up and headed out.
     Will waited until she was out the door, then pulled out a second data wafer and swapped it with the other one in the trivid; this one contained the battlerom footage of his encounter with the SM1.  Watching it execute its tight turn, he noticed something on its side.  Enhancing the image, he was able to make out a symbol.  "Now what do we have here?"

"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

snakespinner

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #6 on: 04 December 2015, 01:24:43 »
That's an interesting idea, having 6 factions stage small forces on one world. O0
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Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #7 on: 10 December 2015, 18:57:10 »
Ch. 4

Joint-Forces Base 1
28 August, 3133


     Will wrapped up the orientation meeting with the new Swordsworn troops.  He noticed that Steph's sisters, Bernice and Rhea, each still colored her hair brunette and red respectively, which made it easier to tell the triplets apart.  As the room emptied, Scott Richardson rushed into the room.  "Oh good, you're still here.  Take a seat, Mike and Melody should be here soon; we have a situation brewing."  He then moved to the main desk and began tapping on the keyboard.
     Five minutes later, Mike and Melody swiftly strode into the room moments apart from each other and sat down.  Scott began "Thanks for getting here quickly.  We have an emergency situation in Port Howard.  The town is under attack, and the invaders have taken control of the spaceport and the main broadcast station.  They're sending out this on multiple frequencies:" Scott pressed a key on the keyboard, tying-in an outside frequency.  A prerecorded message filled the room, which soon repeated.*
     Guess I don't need this anymore, Will thought as he patted the shirt pocket containing the battlerom data wafer, feeling a little deflated about having his revelation preempted.
     Mike leaned back in his chair.  "So, Stormhammers have been responsible for the raids.  What is the militia's plan for this?"
     Scott pulled a sheet of paper from a pocket and unfolded it onto the table, reviewing it.  "The 21st Centauri Lancers, the Triarii Protectors and the Towne militia are handling the situation in Port Howard.  As per our agreements with each of your governing commands, you are hereby activated as foreign-auxiliary units.  The governor is wanting you to patrol the eastern approaches to the town in case they try to enter the city that way."  He folded the paper back up.  "I will let you know any further orders as they come."
     Mike nodded in response, then looked at Will and Melody.  "Standard deployment, then?"
     "Works for me," Will replied.  When Melody nodded her agreement, Will turned to Scott.  "That means Swordsworn and Spirit Cats have the first patrols with Highlanders in reserve, rotating as needed."  After a moment he added, "We should be underway within the hour."
     Scott voiced his approval.  "Works for us as well.  Good hunting."


near Highway 712, 60 km east of Port Howard
30 August, 3133


     Will was sweating hard, and he knew it wasn't just from the heat of the 'Mech's cockpit.  After two days of spotting nothing on their patrols, he had been the first one to encounter Stormhammer units.  Four SM1 Tank Destroyers to be exact (one of which seemed to have a large dent pounded out of its aft plating) to take on his Spider, a Condor tank and three hoverbikes.
     The situation he was now in wasn't good. Two of the SM1's had been turned into flaming wreckage but he had paid a heavy price for that, losing the Condor and two hoverbikes along with the Spider's flamer, the right arm it had sat in, and his long-range antenna.  Melody had her Spirit Cat patrol moving in to assist, but until they arrived he was going to have to play hide-and-seek in the broken terrain south of the highway.
     Currently he was pressed up against a sheer drop along the south side of a mesa, with his lone remaining hoverbike on top of it.  "Bravo Two, have you spotted anything yet?" Will asked on a low-power band.
     "Negative, Lieutenant.  I know they haven't left the area; I just can't locate them on instruments or binoculars."
     A tense minute passed.  Then Will heard, "Got one.  150 meters out at true 42 degrees, heading due west along the edge of the open terrain.  Still no sign of the other one."
     "Roger that," Will radioed back.  He thought over his options, then made his decision.  "Bravo Two, maintain your position and guide me through here so I can get behind it."
     "Copy that, sir."
     Will navigated his Spider through the maze of rock according to Bravo Two's instructions, then stepped out of the broken terrain and turned west.  Spotting the SM1 in front of him, he targeted it and fired the 'Mech's medium laser.  Melted armor ran off the left side of it, and it began to move away faster.  Will ran after it and fired the laser again, punching a hole in the lift-skirt and reducing its speed.

     Tucked away in a niche between two boulders, the other SM1 waited.  When its companion ran by, the commander said "Stand by."  Then the Spider came into view.  "Now!"  she shouted.  Her SM1 powered up the lift and targeting systems, pivoted slightly and fired a shot straight into the 'Mech's left side.

     Will heard the alarm of being locked-on, but was unable to react in time.  A powerful blast hit the Spider's left leg in the thigh, blowing it completely apart.  As the 'Mech toppled over to its right he thought he heard someone scream his name, but then the Spider slammed into the ground and he was knocked out.

     Melody arrived to see Will's 'Mech take the hard hit and fall over to its side.  She shouted out "Wilton!" on the radio, but in her haste toggled to an open frequency instead of the JFB1 one.

     The SM1 commander heard Melody's shout, and spotted the Spirit Cats patrol on her tactical display.  Cursing her luck, she ordered both Tank Destroyers to break off and head for the city.  However, the other SM1 was unable to reach its top speed and fell behind.  The Spirit Cats Spider soon caught up to it and began pounding on it with its handheld weapon.  Grumbling under her breath at the loss of another unit, the SM1 commander at least took some satisfaction at having put the Swordsworn Spider on the ground.

     Melody was intent on pulverizing the SM1 when she realized her second was trying to contact her, telling her that the SM1's crew wanted to surrender.  Pulling herself back, she saw the other SM1 moving away and ordered two of her Joust BE701's after it.  Then she contacted JFB1 for medical and prisoner transport plus a recovery vehicle, standing guard over Will's Spider.

Joint-Forces Base 1
30 August, 3133


     Melody was pacing in the Spirit Cats hanger when the two Jousts returned.  Running up to the lead tank as it parked, she noticed it had battle damage and questioned her tank commander as he stepped down to the ground.  "Did you eliminate that Tank Destroyer, quiaff?"
     "Neg, Star Commander."  Seeing the angry displeasure on her face, he added "We chased it into Port Howard when we came upon a militia Panther fighting Stormhammer infantry.  The infantry let the Tank Destroyer pass and engaged us.  After we forced them to break off their attack on the Panther, we immediately returned."
     Melody blew out her anger in a long breath.  She could not fault him for his actions.  "Very well, Point Commander, put the details in your report.  You are dismissed."  Then she quickly turned around and sprinted for her quarters, feeling the need to get there before the emotions of the day overwhelmed her.

*Text of the broadcast can be found on page 233 of the "DarkAge_3132-3134_INN" file.
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #8 on: 17 December 2015, 18:25:58 »
Ch. 5

Joint-Forces Base 1
5 September, 3133


     Steph was in The Towne House writing a letter to her parents back on Markesan and enjoying the early afternoon with a cold bottle of Bannson's Best.  Not too many details, she kept in mind as she wrote. Just keep it simple, say everybody's OK.  When she reached for another drink from her beer she noticed someone was standing next to her table.  Looking up, she saw it was Melody Nova Cat.
     "Excuse me, may I talk to you?"  Melody asked.  When Steph indicated the other seat at the table, Melody sat down.  To Steph, Melody appeared to be tired, but also a little nervous.
     "What can I do for you, Star Commander?"
     "Please, call me Melody.  I wanted to ask you about Wilton."
     "Then call me Steph," she returned with a smile.  "He's getting released from the infirmary today.  Thanks to you all he suffered was some bruises, although a couple were quite heavy."
     "Thank you, but that is not what I meant," Melody said, getting a bit more nervous as she thought of what to say next.
     Things started to add up in Steph's mind.  Suddenly she leaned in and said in a loud whisper, "Oh my goodness, you have a crush on Padre!"  Melody flinched in a reaction that said "Not so loud," but she actually didn't say anything.  Steph continued in a quiet voice, "But wait a second.  I thought Clan females weren't..." she trailed off as she tried to find the right word.
     "Romantic?"  Melody replied as she also leaned in.  "Let us just say, I did not have a typical Clan upbringing."
     Which was true.  Although both of her parents were of Clan Nova Cat, she was left to grow up at an orphanage on Ozawa because she was Freeborn.  Finding this out at age fourteen she immersed herself in Clan culture, although she kept one guilty pleasure: romantic vids.  When the Spirit Cats formed after the Great Blackout, she won a position in them on Ozawa and worked her way up to become a Mechwarrior.
     "Besides," Melody went on, "I am not sure how to approach Wilton, but after last week I feel I should do something.  Since you know him better than I do, I was hoping you could help."
     "I think I can," Steph said with a growing grin.  "Let me finish this and look some stuff up.  We'll meet back here in an hour.  OK?"
     A smile spread across Melody's face as she got up to leave.  "Aff.  Thank you, Persephone--Steph.  I will see you in one hour."

Joint-Forces Base 1
6 September, 3133


     Will was putting the bowl he used for his lunch of soup in the sink when he heard a knock on the door of his quarters.  Figuring his dark blue T-shirt and short-pants were good enough, he shouted "Come in."
     The door opened and Steph walked in.  "Hi, Will.  I was asked to drop off these to you," she said, holding up three cases with data wafers in them.
     "Uh-huh, anything else?"  Will asked as he grabbed his noteputer off the table and headed for his sofa.
     "I'm not sure what you mean."
     "Oh?  So you mean that you had nothing to do with Melody Nova Cat showing up at my door yesterday evening wearing a Sexy Nurse outfit under her coat?"  he said as he sat down, holding out his right hand for the cases.
     Steph put on an air of mock innocence as she handed them over and took a seat in an adjoining chair.  "All I know is that my new friend and I went into Port Howard to look for some costumes.  After all, Halloween is coming up soon."  Then she switched back to her normal demeanor.  "So what happened?"
     "Nothing much, actually," Will said as he put the first data wafer into the noteputer.  "She'd get something if I needed it, the rest of the time she'd be snuggled up next to me on the sofa as we watched vids of classic Solaris VII matches and ate popcorn."  He frowned at the info on the screen.
     "What is it?"  Steph asked.
     "Damage report on my Spider."
     "What about it?"
     "Let's just say it looks like Towne will be paying out the bond for it."
     Will opened the next case.  In it, the data wafer bore the Swordsworn logo.  Swapping it out for the first one, Will found out it had a biometric lock.  Putting his thumb on the noteputer's thumb reader unlocked it.
     "What's that one?" Steph asked.
     "For the most part, a listing of nearby Swordsworn forces.  It appears that we should be able to get most of the replacement units fairly quickly, although a new ‘Mech will obviously take longer."  Will then held up the last case.  "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to review this one by myself; it's the information for the condolence letters I need to write."
     "No problem, Will.  I should probably be going anyways.  Good to see you're doing OK," Steph said as she got up and headed for the door.
     "Oh, one last thing, Steph," Will said as she opened the door.
     "What's that?"
     "Thanks."

Epilogue

Stormhammer DropShip, enroute to JumpShip
Towne local-space
9 September, 3133


     It was quiet on board the Stormhammer DropShip heading out for its rendezvous with the waiting JumpShip, as it was currently the vessel’s night shift.  On an elevated walkway in one of the repair bays a single figure leaned against the railing holding a glass, watching the work below.  She had an athletic figure, with her short, blond hair dyed a dull pink and done in a bob cut, along with deep blue eyes.
     She gave a smile as they began work on her SM1, the first item being to replace the dented back armor panel.  It was a bit boring on Towne for a while, she reckoned to herself.  But Mercy, you had some fun there, particularly in the end, she added with a quiet chuckle.
     Intelligence reports indicated that the Swordsworn Spider pilot she defeated had survived the toppling of his ‘Mech.  After a little more digging, she had a name.  To your health, she thought as she toasted him with her glass of red wine.  The universe may not have our paths cross again, but if they do I hold nothing personal against you.  Then she took a sip of her wine and went back to watching the repairs.

End (Part 1)

That's a wrap for Part I.  Hope you enjoyed it. :)
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

mikecj

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #9 on: 19 December 2015, 13:29:07 »
Thanks I did.
There are no fish in my pond.
"First, one brief announcement. I just want to mention, for those who have asked, that absolutely nothing what so ever happened today in sector 83x9x12. I repeat, nothing happened. Please remain calm." Susan Ivanova
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Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #10 on: 31 December 2015, 22:32:49 »
Thanks.  Work on Part 2 (Interludes) has begun.
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Shattered Sword (Part 2: Interludes)
« Reply #11 on: 07 October 2016, 16:41:26 »
Ch. 1

Kai Lampur
Tikonov, Prefecture IV, Republic of the Sphere
20 November, 3133



     Sunlight began to reflect off the sides of the Dao Xi office buildings as Major Geoff Skillman of the Swordsworn began to review the day’s reports and requests.  As one of the higher ranking members of the department responsible for allocating forces across the RotS, he was in charge of the larger requisitions that came into Tikonov.
     He frowned as he read the first one; a Spider ‘Mech had been lost on Towne.  But as he perused the memo further his mood became better.  First off, it was one of the older models, almost a relic by today's standards.  Second, the loss was covered by a bond from Towne’s planetary government.  But most important, the opinion of the Swordsworn on Towne was markedly improved.
     Now this is how it should be done, Geoff thought.  Not that ham-fisted method used by others that had caused the Swordsworn to get kicked off a number of planets.  He reviewed the specifications listed at the bottom, then scrolled through one of the files on his computer screen.
     There, this one should do, he decided.  He then began typing out the commands to have it moved to the garrison on Towne.

Prince John Spaceport, Port Howard
Towne, Prefecture III, Republic of the Sphere
30 January, 3134


    Wilton DePriest climbed out of the transport that brought him from JFB1 to the spaceport and looked around.  A break in the off-and-on rain had occurred, and the bright sunshine that shown down from the sky now matched his mood; after all, today was the day that his new ‘Mech arrived.
     From where the transport had dropped him off, he could take a shortcut via the passenger terminal and wind up about 100 yards or so from a Customs’ checkpoint.  As he was walking through the Prince John spaceport he thought he saw a familiar face in the passenger arrival section.  Looking twice, he noticed that it was indeed Michael Strong, but in civilian clothes.
     “Hey Mike,” Will greeted him as he walked up. “What are you doing here?  I don't remember seeing you on the transport this morning.”
     “Hi, Will,” Mike replied.  “My little sister is coming to spend a few days here in Port Howard, so I’m going to spend some time with her.  I came in yesterday to set up some things for us to do.  What about yourself, are you expecting someone?”
     “Not someone, but something; my new ‘Mech arrived on one of DropShips that came in this morning.  I know that I have to wait for Customs to inspect it first and then transport it out to JFB1 before I can pilot it, but Scott arranged it so I can at least get a look at it.”
     “So, what kind is it?”
     “Actually, I have no idea.  The communique didn't state a type.  I suppose that Tikonov felt that--”
     A female voice from behind Mike interrupted them by calling out his name.  He turned around and wrapped his arms around the girl standing in back of him, giving her a large hug. “Hey sis, how have you been?  Did you have a good trip?”
     “‘Not bad’, and ‘not bad’,” she gave in response.  “I hope you didn't get bored waiting for me.”
     “No, I was just chatting with someone when you walked up.  Sis, this is my friend Will from the base.  Will, meet my little sister, Koki,” he finished as he stepped aside and Will extended his hand to her.
     As Will got his first look at Koki, he had no problem believing that she was related to Mike.  Although a foot shorter than the Highlander commander, she had the same Strong facial features (framed in this case by long, straight black hair that reached to her back) and a similar posture that conveyed a no-nonsense attitude.
     “A pleasure,” she said as she shook Will’s hand.  Then she noticed his uniform, and the handshake went weak as she withdrew her hand.  “You're Swordsworn,” she stated with a hard edge creeping into her voice.
     “Yes. And?” he asked, trying to figure out where she would have encountered Swordsworn units, since Mike hadn't mentioned anything along that line before.
     “Oh, just that I was vacationing on Achernar last year when the Steel Wolves showed up.  Luckily I wasn't near River’s End at the time, but from what I heard you guys weren't a lot of help with the defense there,” she said with an accusatory tone.
     Will knew about the conflict on Achernar very well.  As he recalled the official report, Swordsworn forces were there to conduct live-fire drills when the Steel Wolves invaded.  The Swordsworn were given foreign-auxiliary status as part of the planet’s protective force and fought in the ensuing campaign, which ended after a battle near the spaceport when the planetary militia panicked and set off the spoiler charges on the HPG.  But more important to him, one of his relatives had been killed in the fighting.  “Sorry you feel that way,” he replied, starting to move away.  “I need to go check on that package; I'll see you later, Mike,” Will said with a wave as he turned around.  He heard the two siblings begin a rapid-fire discussion, but because he was walking away from them fast he wasn't able to make out the conversation.

     A few minutes later, Will reached one of the security gates around the Customs area.  Presenting the verifax from Scott along with his identification, he was soon being driven across the tarmac in an electric cart then down a ramp to an underground tunnel that led to the service areas.   The CSO who was behind the wheel threaded his way through the subterranean corridors, then up a ramp into one of the cargo bays of a Union-class DropShip.
     “There she is, Lt.,” the CSO said as he pulled up to an alcove inside the hold.  “We should be able to get her out to you in a few days, definitely within a week.”
     Will looked up at the ‘Mech there, already decked out in the green and blue colors of the Swordsworn.  While about the same size as his old Spider, it had more of a boxy look to it.  Also, he wasn't able to identify much about it except the SRM-4 located near the left shoulder.
     No wonder they didn't say what type it was, he thought as he got out of the cart to walk around and take in the full view of his new ‘Mech.  I wouldn't have known what they were talking about.

==========

Will’s new ‘Mech is one that I created called a Boxman.  The stats for it are here:  http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=54940.0

"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

snakespinner

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #12 on: 07 October 2016, 20:15:39 »
A replacement mech. Slower than the Spider but more heavily armed.
With the DA having so much upgraded tech it could have been an idea to put some good stuff on.
DHS or erml would have helped.
Nice update O0
I wish I could get a good grip on reality, then I would choke it.
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Watching TrueToaster create evil genius, priceless...everything else is just sub-par.

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #13 on: 24 October 2016, 17:15:00 »
Ch. 2

Joint-Forces Base 1
14 July, 3134


     Will was walking down the corridor to his quarters, holding a disc-case in his hand that had recently arrived with his latest dispatches.  When he reached the door, he found that Melody Nova Cat was waiting for him, and that she was holding a box that was open on the top.  He unlocked the door and pushed it in for her, asking her “Is that the stuff for the triplets’ birthday party tomorrow night?”
     “I think these are the party supplies you ordered, but what exactly is this?”  Melody asked as she walked in, dropping the box on the sofa and pulling out one of the party hats.  It was cone-shaped, with paper horns that could be pulled out to the side.
     “That is supposed to be a Viking helmet,” Will replied.  He was going to say that the sisters could trace their lineage back to a Viking warrior around the late 10th/early 11th century, but being aware of how Melody felt about not knowing much of her own ancestry, said instead “they like that stuff” as he moved over to his entertainment system.  “Now then,” he added, opening the case and placing its disc into the tri-vid player, “I just got the latest batch of matches from Solaris VII.   So if you do not mind, please move that box onto the table so we can sit down and I will make the popcorn.”
     Melody picked up the box and set it on the table, sliding some large sheets of paper to the side to make room.  Noticing that they contained statistics for a ‘Mech she spun one around and picked it up, frowning when she didn't recognize it.  “What is this?” she asked.
     “I found some specifications for other ‘Mechs from that small company that made my Boxman.  There is enough information there to program them into the simulator, so I thought I might give them a try later,” Will answered as he set the popcorn-maker to light salt, extra butter.
     “Interesting,” she said, putting the paper back on the table and sitting on the couch.  After a moment she said, “I just wish that the party did not start so late.”
     “I know you do,” Will replied as he came out of the kitchen area with the bowl of popcorn, handing it to her as he sat down next to her and put an arm around her.  “But it is like I said before:  Persephone was born on the 15th, and her sisters on the 16th.  If we have a party for each day, Bernice and Rhea get upset that they did not get an individual one, and having three parties over two days just wears everyone out.  So it was worked out a few years ago to have just one that ran over midnight.”
     Melody sighed as she snuggled in.  I suppose she did make this possible, so I guess it is a small price to pay, she reflected with a smile as the first match came up.
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #14 on: 04 November 2016, 17:07:56 »
Ch. 3

Joint-Forces Base 1
19 June, 3135


     Persephone Smithson walked quickly as she worked her way down the halls to Wilton DePriest’s office.  Knocking loud twice on the door and hearing Will say “Enter,” she opened it and slipped in, closing it behind her.
     “What’s up, Will?” Steph inquired as she moved towards his desk.  “You sounded pretty upset when you asked me to come here.”
     “Have a seat,” he replied, indicating a chair in front of his desk.  After she sat down he continued, sliding a folded piece of paper across his desk to her.  “This just came in via priority courier.  It’s bad news, and I need your advice on how it could affect us.”
     Upon picking up the paper Steph unfolded it.  The first thing her eyes were drawn to was the hologram that indicated it was a verifax, but it wasn’t the one she was expecting.  Instead of the sword-and-sunrise of the Swordsworn, it was the sword-and-sunburst of the Federated Suns.  As she read the verifax she was grateful that Will had her sit down first, for him saying it was bad news was an understatement.
     The note briefly stated that while attending state business on Terra, the First Prince suffered an injury which resulted in a coma and that his son has assumed his father’s position in an acting role.  The reaction she had to it was that she felt like she was punched in the midsection.  After a minute she came back to herself and she remembered Will’s inquiry.  “I'm not sure what you mean,” Steph slowly spoke.  “We work for Duke Sandoval, not the First Prince.”
     “True, but the First Prince has a lot of influence on the Duke, and Prince Harrison feels that the Republic is a good thing.  That could change with his son.  What do you know about him?”
     Steph gave a snort as she recalled what she knew.  “Not much beyond the scuttlebutt,” she responded.  “Someone who knows he is privileged, and does only the minimum he has to to get by.  He’s also has a reputation as a womanizer.  In short, he's the kind of person that gives hereditary succession a bad name.”
     “That could be a real problem.  I certainly didn't join the Swordsworn to follow someone like that, and if he decides to turn against the Republic it could become another fight the Republic doesn't need.”
     That statement caused Steph to think a bit.  In all the years that she had known Will, he didn't really talk about why he had joined the Swordsworn.  Taking the opportunity of the opening, she asked, “So why did you join?”
     “Partly because they were the only ones who would take me.  My skills as a ‘Mech pilot aren't the greatest, and with Stone’s demilitarization program the Republic and Towne’s militia had better candidates to choose from.  But even then, I wouldn't have joined if the First Prince didn't believe that the Republic is a peaceful ally.  In its history, Towne has been bounced back-and-forth like a beachball between the Federation and the Combine; I was hoping that being part of the Republic would have put an end to that, and so far it has.”  A frown settled on his face.  “But that could end soon.  With all the incursions the Republic is currently suffering, Towne could be in jeopardy once again.”
     Will blew out a deep breath and settled back in his chair.  “But that will have to be for another time.  For now, I have to work on a message to go with this announcement,” he said as he tapped the verifax.
     “Need some help?” Steph offered.  “I know a few stories about the First Prince’s toughness that should add some hope.”
     “I'd appreciate that, Steph.  Thanks.”
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 2: Interludes)
« Reply #15 on: 29 November 2016, 17:43:14 »
Ch. 4

Joint-Forces Base 1
Towne, Independent Space
18 October, 3135


    Will sat quietly at the small table in the holotank room of the base’s administration building, a subdued expression on his face.  A week and a half ago Towne had received Exarch Levin’s “Final Address” and Will felt his world suddenly turned upside-down, upon which he spent a week deeply depressed.  Then yesterday two packages were delivered to him from the DropShip that had recently landed:  one contained a copy of the speech from Tikonov made by the new First Prince, the other an encrypted data wafer with news and tactical information about the region from Duke Sandoval.
     He had just finished playing the Tikonov speech using the holographic display, and the lights were coming back up.  In the room with him was the base’s liason, Scott Richardson.  Will said out loud, “That came in for me on the last DropShip.  I'm going to have to play it for my command tonight; if I don't, they'll hear about it from other sources and wonder why I didn't show it to them.”
     “Is there anyway you make me a copy of it for me?” Scott asked.
     “Not a problem,” Will responded.  “In fact, the note that came with it pretty much says to distribute it as much as possible, the news outlets in particular.”
     “So how does this speech affect the Swordsworn on Towne?” Scott asked.
     “No orders were sent along with it, so for now we're staying put,” Will responded.  While not entirely true, he thought it was close enough for now, as the documentation that came with it were contingency plans for future events.  “And given other recent happenings, I suspect that will be the case for a while,” he added.
     “How so?”
     “Allow me to show you,” Will said as he worked the controls on the table’s console.  The room’s lights dimmed again and a map came into existence, focusing on what was Prefectures III and IV.  He continued, “The Republic only took one system from here, but it’s a big one:  Northwind.”  Will tapped some keys, and the space around it was colored in orange.
     “Which is why the Highlanders were suddenly rotated out in late August,” Scott interjected.
     “Probably.  The Dracs have primarily pushed into Prefecture II, but lately are moving rimward into III.”  Will tapped some more keys, and the color red descended to claim six systems in Prefecture III.  “The new Davion Protectorate mentioned in the speech is here.”  And with a few more keystrokes yellow surged upward, taking the spinward half of Prefecture IV with a hole in its middle.  “And of course, Towne is in the gap between them.”  A little beachball between two crashing waves heading for each other, he dejectedly thought to himself.  “So I'm guessing that the 832nd Armored Corps is to stay here as long as the Dragon’s Fury is on-planet.”
     “Hmph” was Scott’s response as he took it all in.  Both men suspected that the DF’s Chu-i Takahashi at JFB2 would have received similar orders, but said nothing.  “By the way, that reminds me,” Scott continued, pointing to Northwind on the map, “the new Highlander unit was just approved for rotation into JFB1; they should be arriving in mid- to late November.  I have an image of their commander.”  He rattled off a series of commands on the keyboard, and the map was replaced with the image of a Highlander Lieutenant along with a name and some biographical information.  “Her name is Koki Strong; I wonder if she’s related to Mike.”
     Will felt his stomach drop a bit when he first saw who it was.  “It's his younger sister,” he quietly said as he dropped his head into his hands.
     Scott did not see Will’s reaction as he was overtaken by a  thought that occurred to him; after a pause, he voiced it.  “That means they'll be separated now, for who knows how long.  Just like the rest of us.”
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 2: Interludes)
« Reply #16 on: 24 February 2017, 13:30:22 »
Epilogue

Saint Randall
Addicks, Independent Space
20 October, 3135


     Sitting at his desk in the office building the Swordsworn used as its base on Addicks, a Swordsworn major was having trouble deciding which was a bigger irritant to him; the Senate loyalists and their mercenary allies that were trying to take over the oil fields on the Plains of Jesara, or the Stormhammer units that were sent here to assist in its defense.  Case in point was the Stormhammer officer on the other side of his desk, who was once again bugging him about Swordsworn reinforcements.
      “Major, we were promised help from the Swordsworn by the Addicks government against the Senate troops that are on-planet.  All I’m asking, all I’ve ever been asking is, ‘where is it?’”
      “We already have support troops and heavy vehicles on the ground--” the major started to say when she cut him off with a wave of her hand, as she had heard that answer a number of times already.
      “I know that.  What we need are ‘Mechs.  Battle Mechs.”
      He called up a page on his computer, but he already knew what it was going to say.  “As you know, a lance of medium BattleMechs is scheduled to arrive in late December,” he told her.
      “And you have nothing else until then?” she queried with an edge to her voice.  “I really wouldn’t like to have to report back that we weren't getting any substantial support here.”
      The Swordsworn major officer checked his screen again and did some quick calculations in his head as he entered a few queries.  With a Swordsworn JumpShip about ready to leave the area on its regular circuit, he could have it relay orders that would temporarily pull a couple of ’Mechs from nearby systems and have them back before anyone could take advantage of them being off-world.   “I can have one light BattleMech here in about three weeks, and another one a week after that until the lance arrives.  That's all I can do.”
      The Stormhammer officer appeared to smile in reaction, but in reality she was trying hard to contain a smirk.  Since she had expected the same run-around she had gotten before, or possibly the promise of a mixed infantry/vehicle group, this went better than she had planned.  “Excellent, Major.  We will await their arrival most anxiously,” she said.  “A pleasure to have seen you again.”  With that, she rose and left the office.
      The Swordsworn major sighed and looked at the screen again, in particular the names of the two officers piloting the BattleMechs he had just ordered moved.  Sorry to do this to you guys, he thought, but I'd rather you deal with her than me.


End (Part 2)

==========

That's finally a wrap for Part 2.  Up next is Part 3 (Quenching the Sword).
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

snakespinner

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #17 on: 24 February 2017, 19:19:37 »
Good to see how the Swordsworn Major's first thought was how to pass the buck.
Reaffirms my faith in humanity. :D O0
Looking forward to more.
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.

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #18 on: 02 January 2018, 14:01:21 »
For some fun, I built Melody Nova Cat's Spider:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=59985.0

Also, work on Part 3 has started; I'm hoping to move it off the back burners now that the holidays are past.
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #19 on: 03 September 2021, 15:54:52 »
At long last, I am able to present Part 3 of “Shattered Sword”:  Quenching the Sword.  My apologies for the long delay, but I finally got the story to play itself out in a way I liked.  Thank you for your patience.

Chapter 1

Saint Randell
Addicks, Independent Space
10 November, 3135


     Wilton DePriest fumed as he rode the elevator in the airport office building down to the special garage levels the Swordsworn used for their vehicles.  When he first got the order to ship out to Addicks for temporary assignment he was glad of it, mainly because it meant that he wouldn't have to be there to meet Koki Strong when she arrived on Towne.  But as Grandpa Chalmers liked to say, “No good thing ever comes without a price tag.”  And today, he found out what was written on that tag.
     His initial briefing actually started out pretty well, with the major explaining to Will that he was here (along with another MechWarrior due to arrive soon) to momentarily boost the forces aiding the Addicks militia until the lance of ‘Mechs designated for permanent assignment landed.
     But then the major dropped a bomb when he revealed that part of those forces were Stormhammer units.  Will tried to open his mouth to protest, but the major cut him off.  “I know what happened on Towne, but you are here to aid the Addicks militia, 21st Centauri Lancers, and the Stormhammers.  If the Lancers can see their way to fight alongside the Stormhammers, so can you.  Is that clear, Lieutenant?”
     Will wanted to point out that the 21st was a mercenary outfit, but he could see the major’s red beard begin to bristle so he thought it wise not to push it and responded with a simple “Yes sir.”  He was then dismissed, and a clerk outside the office instructed him as to how to get to his ride out to the Swordsworn base.
     When the elevator reached the designated floor, the doors parted and Will stepped out.  He was so upset about the situation that he walked right by the row he was to turn down and had to double back to it.
     Upon reaching the designated space told to him by the clerk he saw a young girl in a Swordsworn uniform, not more than eighteen or nineteen, cleaning the windshield on a Fox Armored Car.  When she saw him in the ferroglass’s reflection she quickly spun around, coming to attention as she stuffed the cloth in her left hand into a pants-pocket as she saluted with her right hand.  Her hair, a rustic auburn of medium length, came down in lazy curls and rested on her shoulders.  “Lieutenant DePriest, I presume?”
     Will returned the salute.  “That is correct, soldier.  As you were.  And you are?”
     “Corporal Emmy Finch, sir,” she said as she relaxed a bit.  “It’ll be my pleasure to take you out to the base.”
     “Where's the rest of your crew, Corporal?”
     “Back at the base, sir,” she answered as she opened the hatch and climbed in.  “Things are kinda rushed to get stuff finished since your arrival means we're going big-time early.”
     Will paused a bit at her statement before he climbed into the Fox after her, closed the hatch and buckled into his seat.  “Going big-time” was a phrase he heard used whenever a base received its first BattleMech.  That usually meant a celebration of some sort, something Will didn't know if he felt up to it since he wasn't in a joyous mood at the moment.
     Corporal Finch started up the car’s hoverfans and guided it through the garage level to an underground tunnel that ran away from the airport.  Noticing Will’s silence since he got inside the vehicle, she asked “Is something bothering you, sir?”  as the FAC left the tunnel and the road merged with a nearby highway.
     Not wanting to dampen the enthusiasm she obviously had for the festivities, he searched around his mind for a moment then replied, “I'm just concerned about Towne.  It’s my home planet, and I'm hoping that I can make it back before anything bad happens to it.”
     “At least you can still go home again, sir,” she replied.  “That's not an option for me right now.”
     “Why's that?” Will asked.  “Is it inside the Fortress?”
     “Worse than that, sir.  I'm from Biham, and it's been taken over by the Dracs.  I miss the home my family had there,” she said with a sigh, then made a face.  “Except for the blackberry bush in the backyard.  Ugh, I can't stand blackberries.”
     They rode on in silence for a while, then Emmy spoke again.  “Sir, can I ask you a personal question?  There's a rumor going around that I kinda hope you could settle.”
     Will frowned at that.  He wasn't even on-planet a day and already stories were being told about him.  Wanting to get out in front of it, he asked “What is it, Corporal?”
     “Sir, someone said that you were dating a Clan girl.  Is that true?”
     Will rolled his eyes to himself.  Since he had been dating Melody Nova Cat for over two years the fact of it had become second-nature to him, as well as everyone else at JFB1.  But he supposed that it would be unusual to the rest of the universe.  “Yes.”
     “And how does a person wind up dating a Clan girl?”
     Since Will did a facepalm at her follow-up question, he didn't see her expression as she looked over at him.  “Let's just say it's a unique situation and leave it at that, Corporal.”
     “Yes sir,” she said as they came around a turn.  From there, they could see that the road ran straight to a gated sentry post.  “There it is, sir.  Welcome to Swordsworn Base Enceladus.”
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #20 on: 10 September 2021, 15:34:11 »
Chapter 2

     Will looked up from his favorite chair, seeing Melody Nova Cat walk over to him.  She was wearing her favorite windbreaker, a purple satin one with “MELODY” written down the right upper-arm.  He reached up to take her hand and she slid onto his lap, leaned in to kiss him…

     ...when a loud beeping woke him up.

Swordsworn Base Enceladus
Addicks, Independent Space
11 November, 3135


     Rolling over, Will spotted the vidphone in his second-floor BOQ that had disturbed his dream.  Pulling a shirt on, he opened the connection.  “DePriest here,” he said as the screen came to life with the picture of a Swordsworn Captain.
     "Sorry to disturb you before you've settled in, Lieutenant, but we have an emergency situation.  There are friendly units nearby that have come under attack and Base Commander wants you deployed immediately.”
     Will rubbed the sleep from his eyes.  “What about my ‘Mech, sir?”
     “The maintenance team says that they’ll have it up and running by the time you get to the hangar.  Also, a jeep has been sent to pick you up and take you there.  You'll get further information when you're enroute.”
     “Alright, thank you, sir,” Will said as he closed the connection.  One small grace he felt that he had was he was able to take his maintenance chief from Towne with him, and that she in no way would release his ‘Mech unless it was safe.  Because he hadn't been to the hanger yet, the box carrying his MechWarrior togs was sitting in his quarters.  He quickly dressed and went outside, finding a jeep waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.  Once he was in the jeep it shot off towards the hangers.
     Upon reaching the base of his ‘Mech, Will thanked the driver as he hopped out, and after a short conversation with his maintenance chief, jogged up the steps and climbed into the ‘Mech.  Securing the hatch, he sat down on the command couch and began the start-up routine.  As the reactor thrummed to standby status and monitors flickered on, a computerized voice asked for identification.  He cleared his throat and responded “Lieutenant Wilton DePriest, Swordsworn 832nd Armored Corps.”
     “Identity verified,” the voice responded.  “Requesting secondary security code.”
     A wry smile crossed Will’s face as he noted the new meaning the phrase now held.  “There's no place like home.”
     The computer released the weapons-lock and brought the reactor to full power.  As the staircase slid away he walked the Boxman out of its alcove and exited the hanger, then put it into a jog to the nearest gate.  The voice of his maintenance chief sounded in his helmet asking “How’s it feel?”
     “Feels good, Holly; you did a great job.”
     A different voice then came on; Will recognized it from the vidphone call earlier.  “Lt. DePriest, this is Captain Sanderson. Proceed on heading 255; further instructions to follow.”
     “Acknowledged, sir.  DePriest out.”

     Fifteen minutes later the captain came back on the comline.  “OK, Lieutenant, here’s the situation.  A squad of four Stormhammer SM1’s--”  He paused as a strange noise sounded on the channel.  “Lieutenant, are you still there?”
     In truth, the noise was an outburst that Will was only able to partially suppress.  “I'm here, sir.   Please continue.”
     “As I was saying, four Stormhammer SM1’s were on patrol when they were ambushed.  The lead tank was able to distract the enemy long enough for the other three to escape, and is now hiding in a warehouse area; the coordinates for which are being sent to you now.  Your orders are to find the tank and escort it back here.  Understood?”
     So I got dragged away from a wonderful dream to go rescue some Hammies?  was the thought that crossed Will’s unhappy mind.  But he dutifully replied, “Understood, sir.”
     “There's one other thing, Lieutenant.  The Stormhammers haven't given you a security clearance yet, so you don't have their IFF codes uploaded to your ‘Mech’s computer.  So, we have an alternate solution…”

Warehouse District 1, NW of Saint Randell

     The commander of the Stormhammer SM1 squad nervously looked out the cockpit windows of her tank, hating the fact that all she could do now is play the waiting game and hope that friend found her before foe did.  Things started out bad when a group of Loyalist Galleons ambushed her squad, but luck was on their side as her vehicle’s counterattack disrupted the enemy formation enough for the rest of the squad to escape.
     But her SM1 had paid a price for its actions, and so her crew soon had to seek out a hiding spot among the nearby warehouses.  They found a place in an alley that was cluttered with pallets and crates, and set down behind them for cover.  Then they sent out a burst radio message on a Stormhammer frequency that they were in the warehouse district before they shutdown.  That was hours ago, and still they waited.

     Will was starting to get irritated as he worked through a search pattern amongst the buildings.  The high corrugated metal walls of the warehouses not only made the mag-sensors unusable, they also made it difficult to spot things visually.  So when his ‘Mech’s audio sensors picked up a vehicle’s engine and the computer gave him a vector to it, he moved to check it out.

     A Galleon slowly crawled down an empty street, its turret moving back-and-forth as the man at the weapons station searched for their quarry.  He knew the hovertank couldn't have gotten too much farther in its damaged condition, so he kept looking down the various cross-streets they came upon.  Spotting something unusual in an alleyway, he turned the turret to make a more detailed search as he radioed in.  “Gimbal-1, this is Gimbal-4.  We have a possible sighting.  Over.”

     Will walked his Boxman around a corner, and its targeting display signaled for his attention.  He now had a Line-of-Sight to the vehicle and the computer identified it as a Galleon, painting it red to indicate it didn't have a friendly IFF.  But then again, pretty much anything non-Swordsworn he spotted would be tagged as unfriendly.  Since it wasn't an SM1, he dropped the targeting reticle on it.

     The Galleon’s driver’s eyes grew big as he saw the Boxman appear on one of the monitors.  Even though he didn't know exactly what it was, he knew enough that it was trouble and yelled out “BattleMech!”

     At 260 meters Will’s ‘Mech could only get a partial lock, so he only tied in the lasers, not wanting to risk a stray missile, and pulled the trigger.  Twin beams of angry red light shot out from his ‘Mech, one passing a meter away from the Galleon while the other dug a deep furrow into its left side.  Sparks and smoke filled the Galleon’s cockpit as electronic circuitry overloaded.

     The commander of the tank squad paled at the announcement of a BattleMech over the radio.  Where could it have come from? The Stormhammers don't have any that could get here that quickly.
     Opening the direct comm channel, he said “Gimbal-4, this is Gimbal-1.  What kind of ‘Mech is it?  Report.”  We might be able to take on a small light ‘Mech, but anything larger could be a big problem.  After 20 seconds without a reply, he tried again, “Gimbal-4, report!”, but only received more silence.  Great, we're already down a tank and there's a big, storming ‘Mech out there.  Switching to a group-wide channel, he radioed “Gimbal-1 to squad:  we have an unknown hostile ‘Mech in the zone.  All units return to base.  Repeat:  all units return to base.”

     “What happened?” shouted Gimbal-4’s driver as the sparks died down.
     The gunner checked his equipment.  “The electronics must have been hit,” he replied.  “Weapons, radar, communications:  all down.  Can we still move?”
     The driver could still feel the rumble of the engine in his chair, so he said “I think so” and put the tank into reverse.  The Galleon backed up, turning around the corner of the first intersection it came upon.

     Will saw the tank retreat and let it go, wanting to investigate the alley the Galleon was interested in.  When he reached the intersection, the Boxman’s height made it easy for him to spot the SM1.  He turned to face it, and not wanting to use an uncoded channel, switched on the external speakers.

     The SM1 commander looked out the cockpit as she wondered what the ‘Mech was and what its intentions were.  Then she heard a crackle followed by a voice saying over a loudspeaker, “Excuse me, are you the fräulein who lost her schnauzer?”
     She stared at it with a confused look until she realized it was using an emergency recognition code.  Opening the hatch, she pulled herself halfway out and shouted back, “No, my schnauzer knows she is to stay at home.”
     “Is her name Helga?”
     “No, it's Hilda.”  With the code exchange complete, she broke into a smile.  “Thanks for the rescue.”
     “That’s my job,” came the reply.  “Can you travel under your own power?”
     “I believe so; we should check a few things first.”  Dropping back in, she instructed her crew to inspect the outside of the SM1 while she grabbed a pair of binoculars to get a better look at the unusual ‘Mech.  Spotting some insignia she zoomed in on those, noticing the first one was for the Swordsworn.  It seems the Major finally came through, she thought.  Then the SM1 commander saw the second insignia identifying it as part of the 832nd Armored Corps, which sparked a memory in her mind.  And now this may have just got very complicated.
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #21 on: 17 September 2021, 16:11:46 »
Chapter 3

Swordsworn Base Enceladus
Addicks, Independent Space
11 November, 3135


     To Wilton DePreist, it seemed like this day kept going on and on.  After escorting the Stormhammer SM1 back to the Swordsworn base, he had to undergo a debriefing for that, then attend various briefings to bring him up to speed on the situation on Addicks.  After that he was only able to catch a brief nap before he had to attend the Big-Time Celebration as a Guest of Honor.  So when the chance presented itself for him to slip out onto an outdoor balcony, he took it.
     For about five minutes he just stood there leaning against the railing, the evening breeze cool upon his face as he drank a soda, and became lost in thought.  Thus he jumped a bit when he heard a voice behind him say “Guten tag, Herr DePriest.”  Composing himself, he turned around to see who had addressed him.
     Standing there was a young woman in a Stormhammer uniform, a glass of red wine in her right hand.  She had an athletic figure, with shoulder-length hair dyed a dull pink and pulled back in a pair of braided ponytails, along with deep blue eyes.  “Allow me to introduce myself.  I am Leutnant Mercy Kleinflaske, leader of the Stormhammer’s 316th Tank Company, Squad A.  It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, and I thank you again for your assistance earlier today.”
     Will gave a bit of a derisive snort.  “Those were my orders.”
     She looked Will in the eyes as she joined him at the railing, her finger sliding along the rim of her glass.  “Of course.  Then you must understand, that I too had orders back on Towne.”
     Will’s face froze for a couple of seconds as he puzzled out her comment, then became angry as things came together.  Since there were other party-goers out on the balcony he couldn't afford to make a scene, so he looked out into the evening sky as he replied “I lost some good people during those days.”
     “As did I, but that is what happens with combat,” she returned, her voice holding an even tone tinged with a whisper of sadness.  “So I have learned to honor those I can see no more, and bear no grudges against those who I fight.”
    As Will turned his head to look at her again, his features softened some.  “A worthy attitude,” he said to her, “but for me, it's different with Towne.  I was born there and I grew up there; it's home to me.  And because it's home, I take anyone attacking there personally.”
     “I could tell,” she responded, a slight smile appearing on her face.  “That fight along the edge of those badlands was one of the toughest I had ever fought, similar to a skirmish I had against The Jolly Jokers back on Nusakan.”
     Will raised an eyebrow at her statement.  The Jolly Jokers are a highly successful RotS group, known for unusual and unorthodox tactics.  Was this an honest compliment, or an attempt at flattery?  Feeling tired, Will accepted it as a compliment with a nod and said, “If you don't mind, it's been a long day so I think I'll turn in soon.  Good night, Leutnant.”
     “Good night.”

Loyalist DropShip, Theta Force LZ
Addicks, Independent Space
13 November, 3135


     Papers were spread out across the large table of a conference room occupied by a single person, Captain Quinn Monticello of the Loyalist Intelligence Services.  Put together in the right order, they showed how in the past few months an unknown militia was able to use an isolated landing pad and a small maintenance base to quietly assemble a modest force on Addicks, and also use supporting units without drawing attention to their identity.
     Very clever, he thought to himself as he tapped a page showing the flight track of an Aurora-class DropShip from earlier this week.  And who knows how much longer it would have remained a secret if they hadn't deployed a BattleMech to rescue that Stormhammer SM1.
     He remembered the debriefing of the Galleon crew who were hunting the tank and had encountered the ‘Mech.  He didn't pay much attention to its unusual design, but he became more interested when they described the green and blue color scheme it sported.  That's when he started to look through the intelligence reports a bit harder.
     There's no doubt it's a Swordsworn ‘Mech, he concluded, and they have established a presence, none of which was indicated in the communications from his “friend”.  Was this a force sent by the cousin of his “friend’s” patron, or just Sandoval duplicity?  Either way I need to find out, and fortunately I know someone who might help.
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #22 on: 24 September 2021, 13:38:25 »
Chapter 4

near Swordsworn Base Enceladus
Addicks, Independent Space
15 November, 3135


     On top of a little hill, a lone figure sat at the base of a tree enjoying a sandwich from a small picnic basket sitting next to her.  Occasionally the chirp of a nearby bird would cause her to lift the binoculars around her neck to her eyes, but for the most part she would appear to the casual observer as someone trying to enjoy the heavily-clouded day as long as the weather would hold.
     But then the relative quietness was broken as a BattleMech jogged out of the Swordsworn base.  After raising the binocs and focusing them on the ‘Mech, she depressed a hidden button on the top and said “This is Birdwatcher; large quarry is on the move, northwest road.  Repeat: large quarry is on the move, northwest road.”

Warehouse District 1, NW of Saint Randell

     Will walked his ‘Mech along the road, keeping an eye on the gloomy sky in case it started to rain.  Some intelligence tech who had viewed the Boxman’s battlerom had thought that they saw something unusual in it, so Captain Sanderson decided that Will should go back to the warehouse district to check it out.  But when he got there, it turned out to be a battered sign for a brewery that had once used the warehouse to store beer.  With a heavy sigh he trudged his ‘Mech back towards the primary road when he came across the intersection where he encountered the Galleon.  Will distractedly took a few steps down the alley when his radio came to life.
     “Attention Swordsworn ‘Mech:  turn around slowly, I have my weapons locked on you,” a male voice said on an open channel. And as if in confirmation, he started to get a warning tone in his helmet.
     Gradually rotating his Boxman in an about-face, Will spotted the source of the voice.  An Arbalest was standing in the intersection he had just vacated, blocking his ability to walk out of his current location.  Will looked the other ‘Mech over; its paint scheme was similar to his, but where he had green the other ‘Mech had gold, and he did not recognize any of the identifier marks.  He knew it wasn't a Stormhammer since he had just received their IFF codes. Will matched frequencies and replied “Unknown ‘Mech; Identify yourself.”
     A chuckle came back to him.  “I was about to say the same thing myself.  I was not aware of any Swordsworn on Addicks yet, so I'll ask again, identify yourself.”
     Will’s head was swimming as he tried to think things through. The emblem of the 832nd Armored Corps should have been enough of a clue to his identity, but either the other pilot hadn't recognized it, or didn't know who was in charge of it.  After making sure that he had recorded as much as he could, Will decided the best thing to do was to get back to base and report.  But first he needed to get away from the Arbalest.
     Will knew that he was at a decided disadvantage.  The ‘Mech confronting him was a Clan design equipped with high-end technology, while his was built based on what parts could be pulled from Succession Wars-era boneyards.  But he realized he had some advantages; he just needed a distraction to get a little space.  Then inspiration struck.   As he said “Is that a crack there in your ferroglass?” he raised the right arm of his ‘Mech and pointed it towards the cockpit of the Arbalest.
     Without waiting for the response (which was a befuddled “Huh?”) Will pulled the bottom trigger on the right control stick with his little finger.  Valves snapped open and shut as plasma from the fusion reactor was funneled to his Flame Tech K-213 Flamer, which sprayed the fire at the other ‘Mech.  While he knew that it wouldn't cause much damage to the Arbalest or its pilot (light filters on the helmet would almost immediately kick-in to reduce the brightness), he did get the expected reaction of reflexively pulling back from the sudden flames by the pilot as the movement was mirrored by his ‘Mech.
     Will stomped hard on the floor pedals to initiate his first advantage:  his Boxman having jump jets while the Arbalest did not.  White-hot plasma lifted the 30-ton BattleMech into the air then guided it back down safely onto a primary road as Will flew the full 180 meters the ‘Mech was capable of doing and landed it facing where he had left.  The Arbalest’s pilot had been able to quickly recover and fired both LRM-10’s indirectly at the Boxman, the missiles blasting the pavement behind Will but not scoring any hits on him when they came down.  Will had a finger on the trigger for his weapons in case the Arbalest stepped onto the road while his jump jets recycled and he thought out his next move.
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #23 on: 01 October 2021, 15:55:48 »
Chapter 5

Warehouse District 1, NW of Saint Randell
Addicks, Independent Space
15 November, 3135


     Seconds passed as Will watched the road, but nothing appeared.  He thought about running for it since the Boxman was a faster runner, but the torn-up pavement behind him dissuaded him from that idea as that would allow the Arbalest to take potshots at his rear armor.
     Stepping off the street and between two warehouses, Will opened up the vid-channel back to the Swordsworn base, and one of the small side-screens came to life with the face of a male enlisted tech.  “Enceladus, Box-1,” he said into the mike.  “Under attack from unknown BattleMech.  Acknowledge.”
     “Box-1, this is Enceladus;  I copy, sir.  Can you give us any information about it?” the tech replied as he tied in another line into the conversation.
     Will grimaced, realizing that the incident had him so rattled he wasn't giving accurate info.  Taking a deep breath, he responded “Enemy ‘Mech is an Arbalest.  I don't recognize its markings, but it is definitely hostile.  I need assistance”
     “Roger that, sir.  Unified Command, did you copy that?”
     A female voice came over the speakers in Will’s helmet.  “Affirmative, Enceladus.  This is Unified Command, Angel-25 online.  We have your location, Box-1, and I am diverting nearby allied units to you.”
     “Thanks, Angel-25.  I'll be keeping this line open.”

     The Arbalest pilot stared at his displays, his chagrin adding to the heat he felt from the flamer attack and the LRM launch.  However, Captain Monticello had allocated backup forces if he needed them.  Keying his mic to a secure, private channel to the captain, he growled “Deploy Gimbal and Vivian squadrons.”

     Will watched as the chronometer slowly ticked off the time as he waited.  When he finally heard the rumble of vehicle engines, he stepped out to see who had arrived.  But instead of allies he found himself 60 meters away from a side-by-side pair of Galleons with a familiar color scheme.  “Dagnabbit, he's got tanks now!  Where's my reinforcements?”  Will shouted as he targeted the Galleon to his right, pulling the trigger as soon as the reticle flashed.

     Gimble-4’s crew had a feeling of deja vu as they saw the Boxman step into the street in front of them, although this time its weapons were fired at their partner tank, Gimble-2.  The lasers flashed to its side, but three of the missiles from the SRM-4 slammed into the front armor.  Then Gimbal-4’s driver noticed armor fragments flying from Gimbal-2’s aft area, followed by an explosion that flipped the tank over forward.  Not waiting, the driver made a right turn onto a side street and shouted on the Loyalists’ general frequency, “He’s got help!  Gimbal-2 is gone!”

     As Will wondered what just happened, a somewhat familiar voice sounded in his helmet, “One down,” causing him to groan.  His suspicion was confirmed as a Stormhammer SM1 came into view on his forward visual.  “Box-1, Sledge-1.  Are you OK?”
     “Fine, Sledge-1,” Will replied, shaking his head at the turn of events.  “To what do I owe this honor?”
     “Repairs on my SM1 were completed, so my squad was escorting me home when we got the call.  We split up when we reached the warehouses, and I found you first.  Of course, as lead ‘Mech you have command.”  Mercy heard one of her squadmates in her headset, then continued, “Sledge-4 is reporting additional enemy vehicles in the vicinity, namely VV1’s.”
     “Where are they, Sledge-1?”
     “Unknown, Box-1.  I'm having trouble with tactical.”
     Will shifted back to the operations channel.  “Angel-25, I got pieces all over the board here!  I could use some eyes in the sky.”
     “Box-1, there are two militia Crows nearby. Just got the go-ahead to send them in, and am hoping to have something else for you soon.”
     “Roger that, Angel-25.”

     The Arbalest pilot let out a long sigh.  This day was certainly not going to plan.  When he finally got Gimbal-4 calmed down enough to find out that SM1’s had arrived to back the strange ‘Mech, he sighed even harder.  Switching over to his private channel with Monticello, he said “I need those air units.”

     Most of the time after that seemed like a blur to Will, as both sides employed shoot-and-scoot tactics.  After about twenty minutes of this as he worked his way through the maze of warehouses with Sledge-1, he saw a Loyalist Warrior H-7 down one of the Crows then begin a strafing run on the SM1.  Will moved the Boxman to face the enemy VTOL and launched a flight from his ‘Mech’s Holly SRM-4.  One of the missiles impacted on the tail rotor assembly, blasting it to pieces and sending the helicopter careening away to explode when it hit the ground.
     During all this time, Will was trying to piece together the tactical situation as best as he could.  Then he received an update that was music to him.  “Box-1, Angel-25.  I'm feeding you a God's-eye tactical view from a satellite on TacCom 29.”
     “Bless you, Angel-25,” Will responded as he quickly routed the feed to a screen.  He noticed that he was almost out of the warehouses, but an ambush was set up along his current path.  Now I understand why they haven’t engaged us forcefully, he thought to himself.  It looks like the Arbalest is hanging back, waiting for me to step onto the main road while the others try to move me there.  Then he spotted something on the screen.  “Sledge-3, there's a Galleon coming down the intersection ahead of you on your right!” he nearly shouted into his mike as the two icons came together.

Loyalist DropShip, Theta Force LZ

     Monitoring the battle in the conference room he used, Captain Monticello tossed his stylus onto the table, where it bounced a couple of times before coming to rest.  Pressing a button, he said “Monticello to all units:  disengage and return to base.”  The protest he expected from the Arbalest pilot came quickly but he cut it off saying, “We’ve lost enough on this little excursion of yours, so I'm calling it off.  End of discussion.”  Then he closed the channel.

Warehouse District 1, NW of Saint Randell

     “Box-1, Sledge-3.  Danke for the heads-up.  We lost some starboard armor, but we were able to eliminate the Galleon.”
     “Great, Sledge-3,” Will replied as he turned his attention back to his tactical screen.  “Now, let's--what the?” he said as he noticed the enemy units pulling back.  Watching for a while to make sure he was seeing things right, Will switched to the command frequency. “Box-1 to all units:  Enemy appears to be in retreat.  Let's go home.”
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #24 on: 08 October 2021, 17:44:31 »
Chapter 6

Prince John Spaceport, Port Howard
Towne, Independent Space
21 December, 3135


     Will stretched his arms as he walked out of the Customs area of the spaceport’s passenger terminal with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, looking around for familiar faces and finding two:  Persephone Smithson, who was in temporary command of Towne’s Swordsworn during his absence, and Melody Nova Cat, who looked like she could barely contain herself, wearing a short-sleeved shirt with jeans.
     After shaking Steph’s hand at the end of the protocol for transferring command back to Will, Melody jumped forward and put him in a strong hug, saying “I have missed you, Wilton.”
     “I missed you too, Melody,” Will managed to reply as he tried to ease her tight grip around him, but not finding much success right away.  Eventually her grip loosened enough allowing Will to pry her arms apart and get some space.
     “Anything we're waiting for?” Steph asked.
     “One more person, and here she comes,” Will said as he looked back at Customs.  Approaching them was a female Swordsworn soldier with a walking cast on the lower half of her left leg, a porter carrying her duffel bag just behind her.
     Steph frowned.  “I don't recall any memos on new troops.”
     “That is because she is technically vacationing here.”  When the soldier came up next to him, Will continued “Allow me to introduce to you Corporal Emmy Finch.  Corporal, this is Sergeant Persephone Smithson; she’ll find you a place to stay on the base while you are here.”  Emmy replied with a nod of her head to Steph and a handshake while Will went on.  “And this is Star Commander Melody Nova Cat of the Spirit Cats.”
     Emmy nodded to Melody and started to shake her hand, then stopped as it dawned on her exactly who this was and just stared.  “Corporal, are you alright?” Will asked.  When she didn't respond, Will nudged her in the arm.
     Realizing what she was doing, Emmy straightened up as best she could as she slightly blushed.  “Yes, sir.”  As she withdrew her hand, she said to Melody “It is a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
     As Melody smiled at the comment, Will interrupted “I think it's best that we get to the base.  Sergeant, if you would lead the way?”
     “Yes, sir.  The transport is over this way.”

Joint-Forces Base 1
Towne, Independent Space
22 December, 3135


     Steph sat at her favorite table in The Towne House as she waited for her early afternoon meeting with Will, some papers in a folder as well as some data wafers off to one side.  When he finally arrived, she could tell he was extremely tired from the way he dropped into his chair.  “Well, well, look what the Spirit Cat dragged in,” she quipped.
     “Very funny, Steph,” Will said as he set up a portable trivid player and linked it to a tablet in his hand.  “I figured that she would be excited to see me again, but...wow.  Anyways, it's good to be back.”
     “So I guess you coming back means that things went well on Addicks?”
     “For the most part,” Will replied.  “There were a couple of sticky times,” he said as he absent-mindedly tapped the tablet, causing an image of Will standing next to a woman with pink hair in a Stormhammer officer uniform to appear from the trivid.  “Oops.”
     “Who’s she?”
     “That is Leutnant Mercy Kleinflaske.  On Addicks, the ‘Hammies were our ally,” Will said with a roll of his eyes.  “So we helped each other out, which felt very weird.”  In order to quickly change the subject, he brought up the image of the blue-and-gold Arbalest.  “During the first sticky situation I encountered this.  Do you have any information about to whom it might belong?”
     “Maybe,” Steph answered as she went through her papers.  Finding one, she read it and handed it to him.  “Not really, I guess.  This memo came in around the beginning of the month.  It seems that other units with the same color scheme have been seen on other planets.  Didn't they show you this on Addicks?”
     “Nope,” Will replied as he scanned the memo.  “This is a command-level document, and on Addicks I was just a ‘Mech pilot.”  Just then he noticed Koki Strong enter the place.  “I hope that the new Highlanders commander hasn't given you too much trouble,” he said with a nod in her direction.
     “Not at all,” Steph said with a smile.  She then surprised Will by waving to Koki, who then walked over to them.
     “Hey, Steph,” she said in greeting as she approached the table.  “Hello, Lieutenant.”
     “Lieutenant,” Will coolly replied, getting him a kick under the table from Steph.
     “It's OK, Steph.  I kinda earned that, as I wasn't very nice to him when we first met.  But after you left Mike set me straight, telling me about what you and the rest of the Swordsworn have done for this planet.  So if it's possible, I hope we get along.  For Mike’s sake.”
     Her mentioning Mike’s name reminded him of the friendship he had with him and that she was now separated from her brother by Levin’s Fortress, so he extended his hand and said, “I'll give it a try.  For Mike.”
     Koki shook his hand, giving him a smile and a quick “Thanks” before turning back to Steph.  “Ping-pong tonight, usual time?” she asked her.
     “See you then,” Steph said.  With that, Koki waved good-bye to them and went on her way.
     “What about the second sticky situation?” she asked Will, causing him to let out a long breath.
     “That happened about a week before I left.  There was a huge firefight at the southern edge of Worth Forest.  Apparently the FAC that Corporal Finch drove drew the ire of a Phoenix Hawk which just unloaded itself on the Car, causing it to slam into a group of trees near me.  I had my hands full keeping it at bay until Ulysses’s Javelin arrived to help me drive it off.”
     “Ulysses?”
     “A temporary assignee to Addicks like myself, arrived a week after I did from Ingress, and…” Will trailed off as he checked the memo again, then looked up something on his tablet.
     “What is it?” Steph asked.
     “Don't know if it means anything, but I noticed that none of the planets on this list are in that new protectorate,” Will said, holding up the memo.  “In fact, almost all of these have no Swordsworn or Davion presence.”  Then he shrugged his shoulders.  “Who knows if that means anything,” he mused, then continued with the story.  “Anyways, Finch was the only crewmember of the Fox to survive, and when I went to visit her in the infirmary she asked if she could recover from her broken leg on Towne.  I saw no problem with it and gave her the OK, and that brings us to last night.”
     “Mm-hmm,” Steph responded, having finished arranging the materials on the table.  “So, ready to tackle some paperwork?”
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

Northkin

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #25 on: 15 October 2021, 15:28:33 »
Epilogue

Joint-Forces Base 1
Towne, Independent Space
12 February, 3136


     Will blew out a long sigh as he shut down his computer and pushed himself away from his desk.  Grabbing a large can of soda out of his fridge, he dropped himself onto his sofa and picked up the remote for his music system, dialing up a classical music playlist.
     While they didn't come out and say it, there was an underlying theme to the reports that he had just read on his computer:  a fissure had opened up among the Swordsworn.  The largest indicator of this was among his personnel.  A number of people opted to leave, heeding the new First Prince’s call for the Swordsworn to return to the Federated Suns.  Topping that list was the Smithson sisters.  While he hated for them to leave, he completely understood it.  As much as he wanted to protect Towne, they wanted to protect Markesan.
     When he put out a call for replacement troops a number of locations hedged, while others simply flat-out refused the request, citing the First Prince’s call.  Fortunately for Will there were those who were willing to help him, foremost among them was Major Skillman back on Addicks.  However, Will had no idea if or when he would be able to have his command back up to its previous strength.
     He had been so deep in thought that he didn't hear his door chime at first.  Upon opening the door, he found Melody Nova Cat waiting for him.  “Hello, Wilton,” she said.  “Would you like to eat dinner with me at The Towne House, quiaff?”
     “Sure,” he replied as he stepped out.  Noticing her staring at him, he quickly said “I mean--”
     “All right, Wilton, what is bothering you?”
     “I really can't talk about it.  Internal Swordsworn matters, you know?”
     “Neg, but I can tell that it is really bothering you,” she said as she took his hand and led him towards the base’s lounge.  “But things can not be all bad.  After all, they did promote you to Captain.”
     “True, but that might be since a lot of vacancies were created.”
     “Ah, now we are getting to the core of the matter.  And you are concerned how that will affect your ability to defend Towne?”
     “Aff,” he answered, getting a slight chuckle out of her.  “But that is off-the-record.”  And only half the truth; after all, I can't tell you everything, he thought to himself.  “Along those lines, I do have a somewhat official matter to discuss with you; Towne approved Corporal Finch’s reassignment to here.  I only mention this because I have seen her trying to hang out with some of the Spirit Cats.  I hope that this will not be a problem.”
     “Not at all.  I have noticed that she seems to be close friends with Lisa-Anne Nova Cat, and after the tough loss she had in a Trial of Position this may work out very well.”
     “Good.”
     They took the next few steps in silence, reaching the corner where the elevated sidewalk turned around the building.  Stopping there, Will looked out at the sun sitting behind the communications tower in an image similar to the Swordsworn patch on his uniform.  Only in this case, the sun was setting instead of rising.  “So many things seem to be coming to an end, Melody,” Will simply said.  “The Republic, the Swordsworn, maybe even my time on Towne.  What then?”
     Melody slipped an arm around Will’s waist, guiding him around the corner.  “Then, Wilton, we will do the only thing that we can do; we will just have to see what the new day brings.”

End

++++++++++

That's a wrap for Part 3, and the Shattered Sword story.  This was a labor of love, and I hope that you enjoyed it.  Comments or questions?

==========
"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." - Captain Montgomery Scott, Star Trek III

mikecj

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #26 on: 31 October 2021, 14:12:54 »
I enjoyed it, thank you for sharing!
There are no fish in my pond.
"First, one brief announcement. I just want to mention, for those who have asked, that absolutely nothing what so ever happened today in sector 83x9x12. I repeat, nothing happened. Please remain calm." Susan Ivanova
"Solve a man's problems with violence, help him for a day. Teach a man to solve his problems with violence, help him for a lifetime." - Belkar Bitterleaf
Romo Lampkin could have gotten Stefan Amaris off with a warning.

DOC_Agren

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Re: Shattered Sword (Part 1: The Hammer's Descent)
« Reply #27 on: 02 November 2021, 16:13:39 »
 :clap: :clap: :clap: :beer:

Well done...
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"