02/15/3062 06:15 Location - Combat Field Base:HUNTER, 8km SW of Fairkeep
The 21st Magistracy Gendarme deployed along the northern arc of the 4km Exclusion zone manning checkpoints all the way back to the main highway. They were widely dispersed in order to not attract the attention of Commonwealth forces but able to respond if anyone tried to leave.
The 17th Magistracy Gendarme and Detachment-81 (The Mercs) had marched up through the pass and established a Combat Field Base in the woods outside the city. The 17th consisted of police commandoes and more experienced soldiers from the ready reserve. They were also supported by seven Longswords (4 Torches and 3 Blitzes) from the Special Executive of Justice in addition to their Nomad armored transports.
Commander Roxane, Lt. Commander Baker, and the Merc Command Team stand under a camouflage net looking over a map.
Cmd. Roxane "In light of the recent offensives from the Commonwealth the Liao Coordinator has suspended all Rules of Engagement. Our intelligence tells us that 7th FEDCOM, 3rd Battalion has forced the civilians out of the city so if it moves go ahead and shoot it."
LCmd. Baker "I can verify that, we have spoken to Fairkeep residents in the Comstar refugee camps, 3rd Battalion forced everyone out then put a minefield around the city with only two ways in or out. By Boat or via Highway N-882, by all appearances the highway checkpoint has been abandoned recently and the area around it has likely been mined or booby trapped."
Cmd. Roxane "We have instituted a 4km Exclusion Zone around the city to keep us out of artillery range. There are three Sniper pieces, two Thumpers, and three Arrow 4 batteries located near the airport. Unless something has changed in the past two days there are two aircraft we also need to worry about, a Forger Tactical Bomber and a Dark Crow Fighter.
Based on reports we suspect there is probably a company of infantry and mechs scattered throughout the city. The reports are sketchy though, we cannot verify any of it and Sierra Company reports they detected four cargo aircraft making two trips last night so they might have been able to reinforce their positions. Expect anything to happen."
LCmd. Baker "Speaking of Sierra Company was hit by a commando raid last night this destroyed most of their ammunition, their battalion supply deport was damaged as well so they have only enough ammo for six salvos with everything. Their four Thumper and two Sniper pieces were undamaged during the attack and are ready to fire.
I am working with the Ministry to get an active satellite link overhead so I can spot for targets and provide communications support. When you are ready to go I will call it in and we should have an overflight within ninety minutes."
Cmd. Roxane "You mission is rather simple mercenaries destroy 3rd Battalion's heavy weapons so my command can enter and secure the city.
Everyone is dismissed, form up and get ready for action"
02/15/3062 16:21 Location - Fairkeep, Nashaur
Major Moss and his unit escaped to the south covered from the water by the assault ships. The remaining artillery units were abandoned and their crews got under cover.
After that Commander Roxane and her group advanced through the cleared path and entered the city. The Merc technical teams (Junk Dogs) came forward under their cover. The 21st swept through the city in a loose arc with their tanks and soldiers advancing cautiously to avoid ambushes.
The Commonwealth infantry and battle armor forces surrendered after the Canopians burned a building down "for safety" with one of their Torch tanks. The units trapped under the buildings were rescued by the Gendarme and evacuated to the Brightstone Spaceport under guard.
02/16/3062 04:58 Location - Lock 14, 8th Prefecture, Canal Zone, Nashuar
A daring paratrooper raid by the 131st Canopian Airborne Infantry on Locks 14 and 15 managed to isolate the assaultships forcing them to surrender, the vessels were boarded and moved to Narik Industrial Harbor for use by Canopian forces.
02/21/3062 08:14 Location - Camp Venom HQ, Brightstone Spaceport, Nashuar
Commanders Roxane and Baker stood over the folding table with Detachment-81's command staff and Twin Swords Private Security.
"Alright this is our new deployment table, Sierra Company and a portion of 81's force will garrison Fairkeep to provide heavy support. The rest of the 81st’s mechs will remain stationed here, Command has authorized a pair of Leopard Dropships to be stationed at the Spaceport full time to provide quick reaction forces.
Major Kiran your Twin Swords forces will be responsible for base security of the Spaceport and Harbor, the 17th and 21st will establish checkpoints and operating bases in the following places to root out irregular forces in this area. We will clear the Commonwealth out of this area then move on the support 1st Battalion."
02/28/3062 10:14 Location - Camp Venom HQ, Brightstone Spaceport, Nashuar
Corporal Jeran and Commander Roxane looked over the inventory sheets from Narik Harbor the engineers had been forced to clear the debris from the blaze in order to get things semi-functional and get a full accounting of what remained
"We lost so much material in that blaze, The Strategos has informed me that the St Ives Lancers have been causing problems in the rear. They have delayed our supply dropship but according to MIM the Commonwealth forces are equally starved of parts.
Corporal I need a full inventory assessment"
"Yes Maam"
The Corporal looked over everything and brought the Tech Sergeants over before returning to the commander,
"So you're saying we can only bring maybe four or five of these mechs back to combat effectiveness!?"
"Yes Commander, we don't have the proper parts to rebuild and rearm all of them, we came here without enough spares. Some of the artillery and tanks from Fairkeep are salvageable and we seized the assault ships but our mechs are heavily damaged."
"The loss of a company of mechs by the 1st Battalion is going to make it difficult for them to hold the northern areas."
"I understand Maam, but the 1st MAC has been footing the burden for our repair parts and they are running low with the problems behind the lines."
"Those Mercs have an extra mech and some parts; we can probably work something out with them. I will talk to Command and see if we can work something out until then they are our most cohesive force so make sure they are kept in top shape. Our allies might depend on it."
02/24/3062 07:14 Location - Camp Venom, Brightstone Spaceport, Nashuar
The 3rd Battalion Prisoners, 7 Mechwarriors, 24 Tankers, and 84 Infantry were housed in a secured facility at the Spaceport. A MIM team was working its way through them one at a time asking various questions. Some of them were classified as "Interesting" and got airlifted out to Regimental HQ (including 3rd Battalions XO and their Infantry commander) most were just random grunts though more useful for exchange than of any intelligence use.
Detachment-81 returned to their standard quarters and the Canal occupiers had to fully abandon Narik Industrial Harbor due to structural damage. The Gendearme had reestablished the checkpoints in the hinterlands keeping an eye out for 3rd Battalion. Regimental Airborne Surveillance was watching for the Nikos assault ships.
Break____________
03/14/3062 02:54 Location - Erinye, Zaurak, Disputed Territories
Ever since the Death Commandos had taken Wei nearly a year ago the Maskirovka was looking for the missing nerve gas that the planet had once stored. Pulling everyone running non-essential operations to pursue leads across Confederation and Compact space. Kiang Shi Fang and her small team had decided to start in Erinye. This city was a rough place, even for seasoned Mask operatives but ripe with opportunity. It was very close to Wei so it is possible that whomever had stolen the nerve gas might have it stashed here or they could find a lead with some knowledge on the subject. Of course it could all be a fool's errand, the nerve gas could be anywhere in the Inner Sphere by now.
Shi Fang departed the Buccaneer dropship IMV Over and Under, Erinye was the central rail hub on Zaurak and supplied all manner of goods to factories and mines that were fronts or facilitators to the underworld here. The mines were of particular interest; chemical warfare containers could be easily stashed there. The group checked into a small hotel used mainly by remote factory owners and administrators while they were conducting business with the brokers and factors in Erinye. Papers were shown and Yuan was exchanged to the satisfaction of both parties and the Mask agents got to work. Sticking together they began the long investigation of every broker, factor, and merchant in the city.
04/10/3062 01:16 Erinye, Zaurak, Disputed Territories
Kiang Shi Fang and her group had spent a month on Zaurak. During which time they had chased more false leads than she could count. There were too many false positives when looking for criminals in Zaurak's Badlands. This lead was different though; something felt off as they went to the meet (at the Bar called Meeting Place, very unimaginative on this planet).
The Mask group walked into the bar in twos and threes to avoid attention, they spread out to strategic points around the bar and waited. Shi Fang was last in with her trusted adviser Patime Chen.
She walked up to the bar and gave the proper code phrase to the barkeep along with a roll of Renminbi, he looked around and signaled one of the serving girls to guide the pair into the back.
Inside was a man sitting at a metal desk his head was covered and he was wearing loose clothing, goggles, and gloves; standard badlands attire that everyone on Zaurak wore. A light-bulb lent an off yellow light to the rather industrial and empty looking room. Shi Fang walked up and the man signaled her to sit which she did.
"Greetings, I am Mr. Q. I hear you are looking for something special what do you have to trade?"
"Yes, we have goods but not until we see the merchandise"
"Ah of course a discerning customer, you will not be disappointed with my selection"
He hands her a comm-pad with a catalog on it, stands up and beckons them to follow him.
Kiang Shi Fang knew that her team would track her and she still had Patime with her so why not, she paged through the catalog while trying to discern where he was leading her. They walked through the warren that is Erinye and stopped at a gated tunnel. Mr. Q produced a key and opened the gate for the trio to enter.
"This is my display location but there is much more perhaps these will pique your interest."
He turned on the lights and dozens of crates filled with Small Arms, Explosives, and Heavy Weapons, everything you would need for a real army. Mr. Q's catalog was equally vast but still didn't reveal what she wanted.
"This is all very nice but I am looking for force multipliers, my group cannot overcome our challenge with force of arms alone."
"Ah yes a small but well funded group, I might have something of interest for you, give me a few days to bring it in, and I will contact you"
"Yes that would be best, I will of course purchase all of these items to show you that we are quite serious"
Kiang Shi Fang returned the Comm-Pad with several dozen items selected on it, The Mask could certainly find a use for them. Purchasing them from a known arms smuggler would add deniability for future operations.
04/12/3062 02:52 Location - Erinyes, Zaurak, Disputed Territories
Kiang Shi Fang and her team continued their exhaustive search for everything about Mr. Q and his peers. There were a few more leads that needed chasing but nothing compared to what was offered. A professional night owl Shi Fang was awake when Mr. Q contacted her with a time for the next meet. She had two hours to prepare, not that she hadn't already searched out every little warren and den of infamy on this miserable dustbowl of a planet. Mr. Q was pushing her very close to the limit, their jumpship was due to arrive in six days or they would have to wait another month or so before they could book passage off-world.
04/12/3062 05:00 Location - RatHole, Zaurak, Disputed Territories
This terrible place was used for a variant of animal fighting with the huge rodents native to Zaurak, the Munchers were built like badgers and fought like them with incredibly sharp teeth, they ate every piece of their prey including the bones. The Hole was empty now, Mr. Q and a pair of local gangsters were here; no doubt they were going to lead her on a merry chase once more.
She wasn't wrong Mr. Q and his crew walked her and her bodyguards through the tight passageways around The Paveway near the spaceport. The gangster opened the door and revealed several large canisters and some bizarre looking technical equipment.
"What is this Mr. Q?" She waited a moment before shining her flashlight on it for a closer look
"Well you were looking for force multipliers, this is the best stuff. The Canisters contain Urbstryc-A nerve gas and those containers contain sophisticated electronic warfare equipment capable of jamming or intercepting microwave and radio transmission. I have the equipment necessary to utilize both of them as well.
Now these will cost you but considering how well funded your group is I am sure we can make a deal."
"Yes what do you want for all of this"
"20 million c-bills total of gold, platinum, and germanium"
"We can work something out" Kiang Shi Fang signaled her crew who silently dispatched the hired thugs as she restrained Mr. Q and injected him with a quick acting sedative. He was out in moments
"Get everybody on containment, call up C.J. and tell him to prepare, we have a guest"
03/18/3062 07:15 Location - Displaced Person Camp 501, 6th Prefecture, Nashuar
The Mule dropship IMV Samarang burned out of the rising sun, landing 14km Southwest of Camp 501. Ping Yefram and his team drove their Pit Bull truck out to meet it along with several other civilian trucks. The group met up with the Dropship captain which directed them to the containers of food, water, industrial and medical supplies.
Ping's cargo was very special though he met with the captain and exchanged a badge. Captain Anjung directed Ping to their container which had a crewman standing nearby with a concealed sub-machine gun.
"May our enemies face the judgement of Kali"
"Their next breath will be their last", he motions to the guard and reveals several large containers marked CWA/US-A (Chemical Warfare Agent Urbstryc-A).
The containers were loaded into the Pit Bull marked as refrigerant and the men headed west toward Commonwealth held territory. Ping and his team discussed their final preparations to remove the Thuggee's enemies in one decisive blow when the time was right. The containers were stashed in his company’s warehouse.
He pulled up several hours later to the gates of Camp Tariwon, the Nashuar Home Guard's main base and was stopped by one of the NHG guards.
"Identify yourselves"
"I am Ping Yefram with Unity City Refrigeration and these are my new techs"
"You got papers?"
The three men all presented their papers, they had all been cleared by the NHG to work on the base's HVAC systems.
05/07/3062 22:48 Location - Warehouse VKT-503, Unity City Wharf, Nashuar
A group of black clad figures gathered in the poorly lit warehouse filled with crates and some vehicles. These figures gathered around a cleared area with a powerfully built man,
"Brothers and Sisters, I know you are eager. I know that our Mistress has grand ambitions for this attack; she wishes to strike fear into the hearts of our enemies. The Enemy is unaware and gathers nearby; we are already prepared, tomorrow we will strike."
The Whole Group chants in Unison, "Their next breath will be their last!"
05/08/3062 06:30 Location - Cape Stalwart Military Complex, 42km ENE of Unity City, Nashuar
Sergeant Trev Rowley had only just walked out of his car when PFC Polk ran out to him,
"Sarge, everyone is assembled for the VIPs"
"Thank you Private, I will join you all momentarily"
Sergeant Rowley had spent all night shining his class-A uniforms up for the Nashuar Planetary Assembly and Commonwealth Command Staff. A Commonwealth team came in last night and kept him up late making sure everything would go smoothly for the meeting tomorrow. Thirty-Two Dignitaries including the entire Planetary Assembly and most of the 7th RCT's Command Staff were flying in this morning and everything needed to be on point.
He entered his office and noticed it was rather hot, someone must have changed the thermostat overnight. He changed it back and went out to meet the Assembly, the office should have cooled down by the time he was done.
The VIP's arrived via a Zanadu Airliner at Cape Stalwart with the entire Nashuar Home Guard ready for inspection. Everything went well and the Home Guard went back to their normal duties after a brief rest. Sergeant Rowley returned to his office which was still uncomfortably hot and changed into his BDU, he picked up the phone and rang facilities.
"I understand Sergeant we've been having problems with the climate control throughout the Complex, probably a burnt out Thermocouple or something dumb. We have called Unity City Refrigeration for service they should be arriving soon."
The contractors arrived and Sgt. Rowley escorted them to the maintenance level. The pair got to work and "fixed" the problem attaching several hoses, wires and plugged a diagnostic computer to it. They checked some things and ran a computer program to "debug" the system. After a few moments they unplugged it and faced the Chief.
"You should be good now Sarge"
"What was the problem?"
"Someone reset the settings, we reinitialized them and recharged the system"
"Recharged the system? The whole thing worked fine yesterday, there is no way those canisters could recharge this system. Whats going on?" He reached for his radio
"Judgement Day” The one worker had him from behind with a garrote in an instant
His training kicked in and he shifted his weight throwing the attacker to the ground. The main worker pulled a heavy wrench from his tool kit and everything slowed down. Before he knew it Sgt. Rowley had pulled his sidearm and put six rounds into the wrenchman and four into the man on the ground.
It wasn't enough, the wrenchman was mortally wounded but still dangerous and coming. Rowley evaded slamming the man into the wall behind him, bones cracked, pipes burst, and steam hissed before the man recovered Rowley slammed the pistol butt into the man's skull deforming it with the impact. Still in shock from the unexpected encounter Rowley dropped his sidearm and slumped down against the wall. His shoulder burned, he must have hit something hot; reaching down he felt that his radio had broken during the encounter.
Snapping back to his senses he stood up and recovered the sidearm, something bad was going down and he needed to tell the others, he reloaded his sidearm and began running to the security office.
Meanwhile at the Security Office, Hwar Nijong had spent years as a sleeper agent, he worked his way up and finally hit the big leagues. Yesterday he got a message through his Handler, "Wait for the signal; do as they say" He received the message a few minutes ago and had killed the security team in the office and initiated a lockdown. He patched the various subnets through the office and opened the port to an external user handing over his username and authorization.
05/08/3062 10:28 Camp Venom Intelligence Office, Brightstone Spaceport, Nashuar
Lt Commander Baker and her support team were monitoring everything like they always did, one of the analysts was monitoring a feed from Unity City listening in on the Planetary Assembly and Commonwealth Command Staff. Her feed went dead unexpectedly and she tried to bring the signal back. Soon afterwards everything out of Unity City went dark, this caught LCmd Baker's attention and her team went into high gear.
They checked everything and found that the Network Node from Unity City went dark, then their Satellites started to blink out. Checking groundside sensors they discovered something that sent a chill down their spines. The network attacks matched a Charybdis Electronic Warfare Suite like the ones used by the Fourth of June that caused so much trouble from MIM less than a decade ago.
LCmd Baker informed Cmd Roxane who put D-81 and Axis-2 and Axis-6 on Immediate Alert. The phones still worked and LCmd Baker confirmed what they suspected, Nashuar's Planetary Network was under attack and so were Commonwealth and Capellan forces. Unity City was home to the largest Compact and Comstar Garrison on the planet and the largest displaced persons camps.
"Stand by for Ignition" Axis-2 and Axis-6 started up and the techs began their final checks on the battlemechs in the Leopard's Bay. Taxing out onto the Tarmac the ground crews and ship crew started down their checklists.
"Opening Intakes" the Leopards' intake doors opened and the fusion powered turbojets started to ingest the air providing basic handling thrust.
"Raise the Blast Shields" The Leopards taxied to their takeoff spots and clam-shell style blast deflectors raised out of the tarmac to redirect the super-heated steam.
"Nav Deck online, Flight Path in AR" The Nav Computer crunched the numbers to provide a perfect parabolic shot to Unity City for both ships.
"Flight Deck online, all hands prepare for takeoff" The Flight team did their final system checks and all crew had to get into their acceleration chairs, the mechwarriors in the bay just have to hang on their own way.
"Open Circuit, Throttle Up" With a final push of the system tons of water and air were passed through a super-heated coil wound round the fusion reactor heating the material up to thousands of degrees Celsius before expelling it out the rear. Brightstone Spaceport was engulfed in a boiling cloud of water vapor whose plume was taller than a 20 story building and the Leopards were in the sky.
11:15 En Route to Unity City
"Detachment-81 we have confirmed that Unity City is under attack by unknown forces. Sporadic reports claim everything from terrorist car bombs, aerial drone attacks, extensive cyber-sabotage, and chemical weapons use. The Camp Stalwart Military Complex is home to the Nashuar Home Guard if their units are hijacked there will be massive casualties.
Your objectives are simple, secure the Camp Stalwart Military Complex and prevent its weapons from being used on civilians. We are sending a pair of Longswords and a company of Gendearmes via Airlift to assist the Home Guard but they will arrive later we need you there now. I have communicated with the Civil Emergency Board via unofficial channels they are aware of you and will cooperate but you cannot issue orders to them."
05/08/3062 15:13 Location - Camp Stalwart Military Complex, Nashuar
After the mercenaries took care of the enemy mechs the UCAP personnel regained control of the compound clearing it of the remaining Thuggees still in the compound. 1st Sgt Rowley had maintained control of some portions of the complex but was unable to save the Senior Commonwealth Command Staff and Planetary Assembly. They were overcome by the nerve gas during the opening attack, some outlying staff managed to survive the gas and 3rd Fusilier Combat Medics were treating the casualties. The emergency response managed to save the refugees, the UCAP and Home Guard forces took moderate casualties but are grateful for the assist. A Canopian medical convoy arrived to lift some of the burden from the Unity City medical services.
05/12/3062 16:27 Location - Camp Venom, Brightstone Spaceport, Nashuar
Hanger GX-879 was a den of activity in addition to the merc techs the Canopian techs and transport crews were busy. Two Planetlifters from Regimental Refit arrived with four mech chassis and transported them to the hanger. The Crusader and one of the Riflemen were activated by Canopian mechwarriors and walked onto Leopard Axis-6 to join the 3rd Fusiliers already in orbit. A major operation was underway and any combat-ready mechs were needed.
The Canopian techs were also being pulled back leaving Detachment-81 to their own devices with the Twin Sabers security team and a Leopard Axis-2 as the only allied forces on-planet.
Codie walked into the mech hanger and looked over the new acquisitions, four bare skeletons and actuators with no weapons or armor.
"Man it is times like this where I hate being salaried"
Vanjay one of the junior techs piped in "Well at least we will have easy access" that elicited a giggle and laughter
Break____________
Since the Xin Sheng front moved toward Teng Nashuar has been rather peaceful. Some remnants of the 7th RCT are still active but it was mostly the 1st St Ives Legionaires raiding for basic supplies. Their mechs had been inactive for weeks now as far as MIM could tell likely due to the shortage of materiel to maintain and operate them. This reality made it easy to hand Fairkeep back to the planetary government who was grateful the Canal Zone was no longer a battlefield, the harvest would be soon and there was not enough food or shelter to go around in the camps. Narik Industrial Harbor was repaired and the refugees were allowed to return to their homes.
The Liao Reconstruction agents wanted the command to sign on for another year, keeping them in the St Ives Compact but the Merc Commanders inked a deal with an agency to represent them on Outreach in a bid to widen their network. They had contracted with them to order the supplies needed to refit their mechs and perhaps acquire something new that they could get shipped to Nashuar.
The 21st Gendearme maintained order in the Canal Zone and were the only Canopian combat command still active on-planet. Liao reserve forces took control of the other areas, the Davion forces on-planet awaited new orders and no one wanted to risk reigniting the conflict that had cost billions of c-bills and tens of thousands of civilian lives.
08/14/3062 14:28 Location - Camp Venom, Brightstone Spaceport, Nashuar
This morning the Mule drop-ship IMV Thirty Minutes or Less arrived with goods for Nashuar and your merc command at Unity City Spaceport. The withdrawal of most of the Allied forces had made On Rising Tide available to Merc's Unleashed and the planetary assembly, making the rounds between the two cities regularly. The tech office received a message from the Liao Customs Officials that several containers and packages had arrived for them. Codie called them up and asked what it was, the Customs Official gave him the brief.
Codie - "Finally it takes five weeks to get these items in and that's considered good"
LCO - "You may pick them up whenever you are able, i am faxing the manifests to you"
Everyone not on alert in Brightstone took the day off and boarded the recommissioned ferry On Rising Tide, the ship had been returned to its normal configuration, the 3rd Fusiliers having taken their weapons and armor with them when they redeployed to St Ives.
Everyone dressed nicely Unity City may not be the ritziest city in the Confederation but it was better than the spaceport. It was a wonderful day for a boat ride, the trip from Brightstone to Unity City took about six hours across the Inland Sea and down the Hwa Fan Channel. On Rising Tide had been refitted with nicer cabins than they had slept in the first night on-planet and the command passed the time with the gendearmes and construction crews. The Unity City to Brightstone route was always packed, with only seventy people on this boat it seemed like there was nothing but open space and ocean breeze.
Upon arriving in Unity City Codie, Vanjay, and the Merc Command team hopped into the Wujing Motors SUV they had "acquired" from the Brightstone spaceport. It was a short drive to the Custom House where they were taken to the yard. Codie and Vanjay checked the cargo, clearing it and authorized the final payment. The Command team picked up the other packages (care packages from home mostly) and brought them back to the others. UCSP transports would make transport the cargo onto On Rising Tide and the Mercs would move it once it got to Narik Harbor.
Looking over the boxes when they returned to the hotel East Short Magnificence everyone was rather excited. Mail service had been suspended during the hostilities but was resuming in the Compact.
One of them was a particular oddity, addressed to the Commander from the Magistracy Armed Forces. It contains a note and smaller box
"Ejay Bakshi, I am told that your command served valiantly alongside the 3rd Canopian Fusiliers during the Battle for Nashuar. By order of her Radiance Magestrix Emma Centrella you are each awarded a Ribbon of the Magestrix for your gallant service alongside our forces.
With Regards,
Major Lane Meisel, MAF Deputy of Staff"
Inside the smaller box is 41 Small Green and Black Ribbons with a Magistracy of Canopus Enamel Emblem on them.
One for every mercenary that was on your Roster at the start of the mission but there would be six remaining for those who didn't make it to the end of the contract.
11/29/3062 | 02:48 | Location - Drop/Pad AXO-1458, Harlech Spaceport, Outreach
The Mule dropship OAFT Next Round lands at Harlech Spaceport on a tail of atomic fire. The ground crew arrives to begin the unloading process and off-load the 8,000 tons of cargo to various warehouses and prepare the Next Round for their next trip. The passenger shuttle snaked its way quietly through the tunnels beneath the tarmac.
Sgt Codie Williams and his Taurian tech team glared silently at the mercenary mechwarriors the entire way to the passenger terminal, making the vehicle crews and non-Taurian techs rather uncomfortable. They were the only ones with bags on the tram at non-to-subtle reminder to everyone present that they weren't sticking around as soon as the doors opened.
A tense twelve minutes elapsed before the shuttle bus arrived at the terminal, two of the Taurians loaded a trolley with their bags while Codie and Vanjay stepped up into the face of the Merc Command Staff
"This is why we Taurians don't trust mercenaries! You just fought against the Federated Suns then you sign on to fight alongside them. How dare you choose the Davions, we had better options! Those ******' FedRats could use a good war against each other it might do them so good! Eyeballing the Command Team, You all disgust me."
Codie spits on the floor and turns his back on them, the others do the same and walk out
The Taurians walk out and encounter a group of other men, Codie grabs the lead one and slams him into a terminal wall. There are a tense couple of moments and it appears whispered words were exchanged between the two of them. Their companions draw weapons but Codie lets the man down and continues walking, the two groups look warily at one another. The man gets back up with the help of a large Sikh man and brushes himself off before continuing to walk towards your bus.
"Greetings I am Arum Shayama. I understand we will be quite busy working with you."
