Author Topic: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)  (Read 98825 times)

Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #510 on: 18 July 2013, 09:17:36 »
Overlord-class DropShip Rat's Nest, in orbit above Luthien,
Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine
6 February 3030



"Citizens of Luthien, please remain calm. The accident yesterday morning above the Imperial City was due to a technical fault with an old shuttle. We must redouble our efforts to modernize under the Coordinator's wise leadership. Several sons of the Dragon were lost in that accident, but they died performing their duties and they will be remembered. A half hour of silence is proscribed for each shift."

Esau read the message and wanted to crumple the note and hurl it across the room. The commpad, however, wasn't so easily crushed even in his massive hands. Instead he tossed it aside where an alert aide caught it before it slammed into one of the crew.

He grunted.

His command staff, transfers and new graduates that had trickled in last year, sat up. Esau knew he looked crude; his tactics and his style lacked finesse. He cultivated it, because that gave him the leeway he needed to get the job done. Not everyone appreciated that, and he admitted that only Theodore Kurita saw past it and taught him tactical and strategic thinking while leaving the rest of him alone.

It was a warrior's acceptance of another.

He focused on Tono-Sama's last orders, chiding himself for the lack of focus. The Black Pearl hovered below them. It had the loyal Second Sword of Light garrisoning the Sanethia Kurita Parade Ground, the Otomo guarding Unity Palace itself, and two regiments of assorted warriors assembling all around.

"Tai-shu Tengwan is still refusing communications, tai-sho," one of his commtechs said.

He nodded. Warlord Goshi Tengwan was the former commander of the Second Sword. Refusing to communicate with rabble like the Legions of Vega, no matter how esteemed by Theodore Kurita, was to be expected. Immature and irresponsible. But expected.

"The Otomo's reports no changes. They have also requested a secondary and tertiary link to our other DropShips just in case."

Esau nodded again, smiling. The Otomo he liked. They were a lot like him, he suspected; they wore a costume to be judged by, but were as pragmatic a servant of the Dragon as anyone could be.

Below, there were battalions rotated off the frontlines for some rewarding rest and refit. Luthien was the place premiere units recuperated; drawing from Luthien Armor Works' stocks, mingling with the nobility, and taking part of the Imperial City's nightlife were all rewarding in their own ways.

That also meant there were six battalions from all corners of the Draconis Combine. All of the Warlords save for Minobu Tetsuhara and Goshi Tengwan had already returned to their districts. Minobu swiftly took command of Third Dieron battalion and the remnants of the shattered Eleventh Benjamin and moved to garrison the city; he was speaking openly with Warlord Tengwan, the Otomo, and with him.

Tai-sho Olivares was less sure about the other four. It was rare for the Night Stalkers to venture to Luthien, and the Second Night Stalker's first battalion had moved to secure some of Luthien Armor Works' facilities under Tai-sa Tadaki Johiro's command. A regiment of tanks and infantry followed him, along with the reinforced company that comprised the remaining Ninth Rasalhague.

The remaining two battalions were not anywhere near the Imperial City, holding sites across Luthien. Vital infrastructural sites.

Tono-Sama weren't worried about these, he reminded himself. The three regiments of the Legion of Vega were poised to fall on any that overstepped. So far, they were content to sit and watch.

"Missile launch! Multiple missile launches!" a sensor operator cried out, earning him a disapproving stare from the DropShip's captain.

"How did they get into range?" Cho-sho Michelle Harrington asked.

"They didn't--" the sensor tech said, throwing the holoplot to the main one that dominated the command deck. "Surface fire, cho-sho."

Harrington took one look at the blinking lines smoothly rising from the planet and turned to him. Her face was a mask of cool competence. "Tai-sho, I recommend evasive manuevers."

Esau did her one better. "Take full command, cho-sho," he ordered. "But the Legion is dropping."

She straightened. "Where, sir?"

Tai-sho Olivares laughed and pointed at the three red dots where the missiles were launched. "There."



« Last Edit: 28 August 2013, 09:49:56 by Marwynn »

Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #511 on: 18 July 2013, 10:27:05 »
Above Luthien
Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine
6 February 3030



The five-point restraints dug deeply into his body, and Tai-sa Rupert Banks swore as his cooling vest automatically lowered the pressure of the tubes keeping him cool.

Whoever says space is cold is an idiot, he thought, wishing he could clear the sweat floating off his face. He was used to the rocking, the swift changes of G-forces, and the heat of combat.

He wasn't used to being annihilated by nuclear-tipped missiles.

The three rising from Luthien's surface were not guided by experts. He knew the DCMS trained a small group of people to operate those ancient weapons. Judging by what he could overhear from the command channels, the DropShip captains were somewhat thankful the missiles weren't coming at them faster.

It was a rookie mistake, he heard one say. They want to preserve some of the fuel for maneuvering instead of going for a kill-shot. Banks breathed easier about that. He told his men who he know were feeling the same as he did. "That means they're not sure they can hit any of us," he assured them.

The Union-class DropShip Bloody Rooster--he had no idea how it got that name--rotated on its gyros and pulsed its engines for reasons he couldn't fathom. All he knew was that his orders to bring his Second Legion's first battalion transports in a low orbit was paying off.

They would be the first to land on Luthien and make sure the cowards couldn't fire off more nukes. There was no need for the cocoons the rest of the Legion had to be wrapped in; they'd go into the atmosphere and drop fast and hard. He had to show them that he was better than the traitor Michael Heise in every way.

Maybe it would be enough to get him transferred out of the Legions of Vega before his career was totally ruined.

The DropShip rotated again, pulsing even harder. He jammed a fist into the commpanel.

"Captain!" he almost screamed. "What is going on?"

"Tai-sa! Fighters are blocking our path."

"Whose?"

"The Striking Serpents," the captain said. "From the Second Sword. They say we don't have permission--"

"--What does the tai-shu say?" he was about to call Olivares 'the oaf' instead.

"Wait one," the captain said. Rupert could feel the Union's weapon turrets popping out of their sockets.

"Tai-sa, we have a situation."

"Hai. Fighters," he said, smugly.

"No. The missiles--"

"--yes, tai-shu, that is why we're being shaken like drinks are we not?" he said, trying to sound cavalier and not at all bitter. This no one commanded a brigade of regiments, even if they were the Legions of Vega.

"Shut up, tai-sa." The boisterous voice was all sincerity. "The missiles are not meant for us. They've changed course."

The Union shook several times. Weapons fire.

"Where?" he said, gritting his teeth.

"Where else?"

He took three breaths. One, he remembered his father's pride at seeing him graduate from the Pagoda. Two, he felt the shame burning his face as he reported failure. Three, he was at the conn of his father's Orion, again for the first time.

Tai-sa Rupert Banks tapped into the panels he had been ignoring. "With respect, tai-sho," he said formally, "the Bloody Rooster, Pistolero, and Bonfire are already descending. We can intercept."

There was a long pause.

He spoke again. "With your permission, Tai-sho Olivares. We will intercept."

"Do it."

He nodded, and saluted, then spoke to the captain. "Link me to the Pistolero and Bonfire, please." He waited until two lights blinked on the panel. He switched to video, looking at the masters of life and death aboard their own 'ships. "The missiles are heading for the Imperial City and Unity Palace," he said. Their eyes hardened. "We will stop them."

They nodded at once and even before he cut the comms the Bloody Rooster's captain had ordered a general evacuation. MechWarriors and non-essential personnel were to report to the lifepods.

He couldn't. He had to see this through.

The rippling hits against the hull stopped, and he hoped that meant the Second Sword's fighters had stopped instead of being killed. He knew a few of those pilots.

He made sure his MechWarriors had all made it to the escape pods and life boats before he turned on his passive feed of the command centre. He watched as Captain Fernandez ordered the hard burn and prepared himself as the 'Mech's command couch did a poor job of absorbing G-forces.

The weapon teams were firing, overheating and scoring some hits. It wouldn't be enough.

The Leopard-class Pistolero took the lead missile down. Its impressive arsenal wasn't meant for point defense, and so it used the largest weapon it had: itself.

The Bonfire was next, smashing the second one against its hull. The missile detonated, blinding sensors in a wash of a nuclear powered EMP.

The blast isn't as large as I expected...

Tai-sa Rupert Banks finished his haiku just as the Union came into contact with the missile.
« Last Edit: 28 August 2013, 09:50:03 by Marwynn »

Black Omega

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #512 on: 18 July 2013, 17:47:43 »
*jaw drops* Oh....dear...

I'll second that. 
"Old age and treachery will beat youth and beauty every time."

Arvanna

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #513 on: 18 July 2013, 20:01:33 »
Damn things are really going to Hell in a hand basket in the Combine.

LightGuard

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #514 on: 18 July 2013, 21:46:50 »
*Whistles*

It's a hot time for Black Luthien tonight...
The Things I Do for Love...

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That's fine, then.  I've been waiting since 2014 or so, what's another year?  Time laughs at all things, but BattleTech laughs at time.  Then launches a trial of possession for it. - rebs

snakespinner

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #515 on: 19 July 2013, 02:20:20 »
Cherry Red Luthien. ::)
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.

Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #516 on: 19 July 2013, 13:32:24 »
Don't worry guys, I'm sure things will get better.

================================================

Unity Palace, Luthien
Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine
6 February 3030



"Don't worry, I'm here," Franklin said.

His grandmother smiled, appreciating the half-joke. "You've lived through this before," she said, inviting him to sit beside her.

"Just once." He nodded and sat by her side, and her arms were instantly around him. "Just once," he repeated, tasting the choking ash of his burning home. His eyes stung at the memory, and his right hip pocket was heavy with the promise he made during those days.

"I believe once is too often," she sighed. "Twice certainly is."

Franklin nodded again. "I don't understand," he began. "Our... Why is our enemy attacking us so openly?"

"Our enemy?" his grandmother said, tasting the words. Franklin wondered if he overstepped himself; they had accepted him so openly but it seemed wrong to insist on him being Franklin Kurita now.

There was a knock on their door, startling him and his grandmother both. "Enter?" she said, arms tightening around him.

An older man stepped through the opening door. Thin-rimmed glasses hung on his nose, a smile on his face.

He walks like a killer, Franklin saw. He lived in a palace that cultivated killers, he had no other words for them, even if they were meant to protect. That smile doesn't fool me, he thought and felt approval rush towards him. His eyes widened.

"Jasmine," the man said, "I hope you are well."

"I hoped you weren't," his grandmother whispered.

The man didn't stop smiling and turned his eyes towards him instead. "I am not your enemy."

"Prove it," Franklin said.

"How?"

"Leave."

"I cannot."

"Then you are," he pronounced, standing and placing himself between the smiling man and his grandmother. He had no illusions about how long he'd last against this killer.

The man's smile never left his face. Instead of dismissing him, he nodded and stepped back once, twice. "I am not here to harm either of you--or," he added quickly, raising a hand, "take you anywhere you don't wish to go."

"Then why are you here?" Jasmine Kurita said. There was annoyance and caution, or fear, in her voice. Franklin had only ever heard the former when she spoke to his father, never the latter.

"You cannot blame me for what I had to do, Jasmine," the man said, the smile faltering. "He was my friend. And he was dead."

"But my son lived! You knew!" Jasmine said, standing. "You knew! And you still sided with--"

"--The son is not the father."

That angered Franklin. He took a step forward and felt his grandmother's firm hand squeezing into his right shoulder.

"Who are you to judge that?" Franklin found himself asking. The smile faltered completely for a few seconds as the man regarded him.

Then the man smiled without any warmth at all. "Who am I? I knew your grandfather when we were young men and I was one of his trusted few. I knew your father from birth and trained him in many ways. I knew your mother and trained her as well." The man took several steps closer. "Who am I? I am the reason you came to be and the reason you celebrated all your birthdays till now."
 
He laughed, a dry, weary laugh. "Who am I? I am the one entrusted to safeguard the Combine regardless of whoever sits on the throne. And I will use my judgement--"

"--Enough, Subhash," his grandmother said, quivering. Franklin turned towards her, horrified at the tears on her face. "Your excuses make me weep with pity for you," Jasmine Kurita said. "The ever-faithful servant failed by his own masters' inequities? Oh how very tragic. I'd offer you a blade to end your misery, but I'm sure you already have one tucked away in a sleeve."

She walked up to the man, his smile now nothing but a grimace. "You and your affectations, hiding everything but your envy. Did it burn when you learned Takashi trusted the Order more than his lifelong friend?" She turned aside. "Go away, master of shadows and self-pity--"

"---NOOOO!!!!" Franklin screamed as the black blade thrust out of Jasmine Kurita's chest. There was hardly any blood.

His grandmother fell on her side, mouthing "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," until her mouth bled red.

The man stood over her, trembling.

His promise was in his hand. It hummed as Franklin squeezed the trigger, boring light through Subhash Indrahar's head.

Two shadows leapt into his grandmother's room. He shot them both, not caring that one was Otomo. He knelt by his grandmother as tears welled in his eyes.

Forceful hands tore the pistol from his grip and slammed him down. Franklin was vaguely aware of man aflame asking him "What have you done?" over and over again. He didn't care, there were people moving his grandmother, stabbing her with things.

He yelled until blackness swallowed him whole.
« Last Edit: 28 August 2013, 09:50:12 by Marwynn »

LightGuard

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #517 on: 19 July 2013, 14:34:37 »
So, this is starting to feel more like Greek Tragedy. I keep expecting the Deus ex Machina to pop up at any time, in this case it may very well be Theodore. Again.
The Things I Do for Love...

Do not try to apply real-world logic to Battletech.  Naught lies there but madness and ruin. - moneylovingogre4hire

That's fine, then.  I've been waiting since 2014 or so, what's another year?  Time laughs at all things, but BattleTech laughs at time.  Then launches a trial of possession for it. - rebs

Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #518 on: 21 July 2013, 13:19:04 »
I'll take that as a compliment!  O0

And... maybe?

lowrolling

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #519 on: 21 July 2013, 15:53:54 »
This should have been called the festival of blood. Thanks for sharing.
May no one ever know less then me......

misterpants

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #520 on: 21 July 2013, 21:14:16 »
Given the twists so far, I wonder who was really on Teddy's side: Subhash or Jasmine?
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Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #521 on: 23 July 2013, 10:07:37 »
Medical Bunker beneath Unity Palace, Luthien
Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine
7 February 3030



Franklin knew that sound. The clicking, the whoosh, the slight beeping. He opened his eyes, tearing at his face to remove something that wasn't there.

Instead he saw Ninyu Kerai standing over him, his eyes peering into his.

"What do you know? the man in black asked.

He ignored him, throwing his legs off to the side of the bed, feeling the rush of blood and compensating for it as he stood. He looked at the bed across from his and sat back down.

"The Otomo are expert medics, better at trauma than even--" Ninyu stopped. "Your grandmother will be fine, she was awake a while ago. Subhash Indrahar is dead."

"Good," Franklin said.

Ninyu breathed in and out. "He was like a father to me--"

"--he almost killed her and betrayed my father!--"

"--What do you know?" Ninyu asked again, his voice forceful but not threatening.

"I know my father is already far and away, watching his allies and his enemies fight it out. I know he wanted to see if my grandmother said was true." Franklin stood as he spoke. "I know you pretended to be his friend. He'll deal with you when he comes back." Franklin breathed in confidently. "You'll never find him," he said.

The man in black stood, listening and swaying by millimetres. Franklin remembered meeting the man with the red hair in another life, when his mother--when his old life ended. He had been the one to bring him here, even began teaching him.

He had been Ninyu-oji.

Jasmine Kurita's respirator filled the silence for many long minutes. Then Ninyu turned his back and walked out the room. "Follow me," he said coldly.

Franklin ran up to touch his grandmother's left hand, put it to his face, and kissed it. Ninyu was waiting for him outside, but didn't look at him once.

The hallways were familiar. This was a Brotherhood clinic that specialized in providing care for the nobles. Better supplied than the public clinics, and also more discreet. When he came here after just arriving on Luthien, the hallways weren't lined with Otomo.

They twisted and turned, went up a flight of stairs only to go down another two flights. Franklin memorized his steps, knowing he could make his way back to his grandmother's side if he had to.

The door was black. A gold Kurita dragon was emblazoned over it.

He opened door and stepped through. Some time later he stepped out of the room, his eyes red but dry, his fists clenched but his shoulders stooped.

Ninyu was waiting for him outside.

"What do you know?" he repeated.

"I know I'll kill the ones responsible."

The Director of the ISF shook his head. He didn't repeat the question. Franklin ebbed between fury and weariness, but he stood on his own two feet. He began walking, back to his grandmother's bed. And his bed too, if he was being honest.

The red-haired man followed. Franklin noticed, not for the first time, that the man didn't have footsteps. He tried to copy Ninyu's pace and footing, casually, but slowed down noticeably. Ninyu shook his head again and lifted his boots.

"Noise cancellers," he said. "And training."

"Why did your father do all of this?" Franklin asked, leaning against a bare wall.

Ninyu put his foot down and sighed. "He wasn't my father--he was planning on adopting me, but I think that's a mistake."

The young Kurita nodded. "My grandfather, Takashi, saw what Hohiro--the first," he added, the name no longer stinging with the insults he faced all his life, "was doing to the Combine. I don't know what, really. It seemed bad?"

"Hai," Ninyu said. "It was bad. Hohiro Kurita, the first, was a redoubtable foe. Keen in many ways. He could uncover spies just by looking at them, that much was true." He paused. "But he was--the Combine is--Coordinators must--" Ninyu breathed out, frustrated.

"He didn't live up to his name?" he said in a very small voice.

Ninyu looked at him for a long time. "Kuritas are warriors, yes, but rulers first. The--your father--was much like his grandfather in that regard. But Hohiro courted the old guard, the traditionalists, kept them by his side and expanded their powers." Ninyu waited until a Brotherhood physician hurried past. "He used the ISF to do this, culling the DCMS and the nobility and fusing them into what you know now." He sighed. "No, that's not right. It was always like this, but these days only more so."

Franklin nodded earnestly. "You're not very good at this."

The Director barked out a laugh. "I find it harder and harder to speak plainly the longer I--but you do understand?"

He nodded.

"My father," he said without trembling, "told me how his father would let him watch from the security alcoves in the Black Room." Ninyu's eyes widened. "He was instructed just to watch and never ask questions. All he remembered was his father doing nothing but allowing the Warlords to fight then forcing compromises to keep the peace." Franklin took a few breaths to steady himself. "He thought his father was weak, but then he told me he only understood why his father did that when he was much older: Takashi needed to disarm them, the Warlords and their people, and make it seem like it was their plan." He shrugged. "That's how he explained it to me."

"Why?"

"Because they were ruining the Combine."

Ninyu nodded, satisfied. "Do you know what your grandfather Takashi did?" Franklin felt it wasn't a real question. "He made sure he'd have the ISF on his side, because we kept those Warlords in power. He was friends with my would-be father as Theodore and I are. But Takashi-sama fractured the ISF in so many ways then. Most of those factions are extinct now..." The Director sighed. "He kept the ISF close, then made a deal with the Order of the Five Pillars."

"To do what?"

"To kill us." Ninyu smiled. "It was our fault--we had strayed--gotten a taste of power and influence. We weren't guardians or enforcers anymore, but shadow rulers," Ninyu said quickly. "Takashi-sama was right to. He most likely had my real parents killed--they ruled a planet--Hachiman--in secret. Or so I've been told."

Franklin tilted his head. "But... if it's just between the Order and the ISF?--"

"'Just'?" Ninyu straightened. Then he laughed long and hard. "'Just'?" he repeated, wiping dry tears from his eyes. "We, both the Order and the ISF, use everything. The O5P is, well, it's civilian and we're military. But we intersect, you see, wherever money is. Because that's where power usually is."

"Because most of the Combine's lords are from the military?"

"No, well, not completely 'no'. Most of the low-ranking nobles are, they win titles and get to own their own 'Mechs with estates and it's all very feudal," Ninyu said dismissively. "They die in service and that melts away, usually. But the ones that stay in power are the ones that make the weapons, the 'Mechs." The Director leaned in. "They even get to tell the military what to do, from time to time. Now, imagine those people being threatened, bribed, coerced and even just convinced to do something they usually wouldn't. What do you have?"

Ninyu began walking again and Franklin began to follow, still mimicking the footsteps as best he could.

"This war," Franklin answered.

The Director of the ISF stopped, looked at him, and bowed. "And it's nearly over."

« Last Edit: 28 August 2013, 09:50:29 by Marwynn »

Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #522 on: 25 July 2013, 11:22:05 »
117 km west of Bidan, Betelgeuse
Sian Commonality, Capellan Confederation
15 February 3030



"What did you call me?"

Tormano Liao smiled apologetically. "Duchess Mildred Humphreys," he repeated.

"You're mistaken," the woman said. Tormano eyed her carefully: She didn't look like the ambitious career officer his briefing made her out to be. "My brother is--"

"--I'm afraid I'm not mistaken," Tormano gently interrupted. He took a few steps closer, sympathy writ on his face. "Colonel Michael Humphreys," he said, naming the eldest son, "was killed on Palladaine."

"How?" Mildred's blue eyes blazed at him. Good, Tormano thought. She's unlike Romano...

"The planet fell without much incident, but his... proclivities? made him reckless."

She nodded, turning her attention back to the note he had just delivered. "How did you know James had died?" she said, off-handedly.

Tormano inhaled and took a step closer. He tasted remorse in her tone. She had loved this brother.

"I was there," he said. "It was a Kamata attack. Your brother--James stood his Orion on a hill and made sure his subordinates escaped."

Mildred nodded, confirming what she had heard on the comms earlier. Then her eyes hardened. He was prepared for it.

"I did not take part in the battle. I had hoped to speak with your brother James--"

"--About?"

"Your future, the Humphreys' future."

Mildred barked a bitter laugh. "They have no future now..." Tormano waited in silence. "Why did you--what were you going to say? To James."

Tormano sat down beside her, uninvited. She didn't flinch.

"Your mother made your family a target and she was not prepared for the Chancellor's wrath. None of you were." He let that sit for a moment. "I, the former heir of the Capellan Confederation, was able to speak to you, the general now in charge of two regiments, with only the barest of security precautions." Tormano waited before speaking again. "Do you know how much security I had when I was still heir?" he said. "The only way an assassin could get at me then is if he had permission from my father, the Chancellor."

"You are not prepared."

That struck something deep within Mildred, Tormano saw. It was her unspoken thought, reverberating now in her command tent, uttered by the enemy.

"You have my condolences, as well," the Andurien general said softly. Her eyes looked sorrowfully into his. "You gave up the throne for your wife, that was... I'm sorry," she finished with a nod.

Tormano grimaced and nodded, turning away to hide the tears--real tears--welling in his eyes. "She--" was all he managed to say before his throat crumpled.

"Was it your father's doing?"

"Yes," he managed to say.

"Did he have my mother killed?"

He nodded. He didn't know for sure whether it had been Romano or his father, but the orders would have come from the Forbidden Palace.

"And you came all this way--across hostile territory--to warn us just in time?" The scorn was blended with grief and mistrust. He knew its sound so well.

"Oh my, no!" Tormano guffawed, shaking his head as he wiped the tears, carefully, away. "Duchess Humphreys, I'm here to help you kill my father."
« Last Edit: 28 August 2013, 09:50:37 by Marwynn »

Dave Talley

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #523 on: 25 July 2013, 12:27:12 »
oooh
at least one Tormano  may be useful for something
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Because while the other Great Houses of the Star League thought they were playing chess, House Cameron was playing Paradox-Billiards-Vostroyan-Roulette-Fourth Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip Poker the entire time.
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snakespinner

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #524 on: 26 July 2013, 02:54:22 »
Tormano, a true Liao. O0
I wish I could get a good grip on reality, then I would choke it.
Growing old is inevitable,
Growing up is optional.
Watching TrueToaster create evil genius, priceless...everything else is just sub-par.

Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #525 on: 02 August 2013, 14:25:54 »
Dover Institute for Higher Learning, Dover
Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine
17 February 3030



"You seem to be confused," Dai-Sensei Kowalski said. "This wasn't a request."

The white-robed headmaster of the Dover Institute for Higher Learning stopped talking. Finally.

He let the silence drag on for a bit. The older man's grating condescensions wore through what little of his patience remained. Weeks of space travel did that to him.

I have to ask the Coordinator if I can be issued some musclemen, he thought, seriously. Some intimidation might just--

"--It simply can't be done," Headmaster Wernstrom pronounced.

He wanted to throw the lukewarm cup of tea in his hand at the man's smug face. Kowalski knew what it was; the elite of the Kuritan academia looked down on him and his 'Great Teacher' position. Hating, perhaps even envying, his role as an overseer of a really vague and sprawling segment of Combine society that had managed to remain without official oversight for a long time.

He hated doing this, but he slowly squared his shoulders and raised his noise. He was doing a poor impression of Ninyu Kerai, but the ISF Director's mannerisms were menacing even caricaturized. Dr. Wernstrom coughed, averted his eyes, then sipped his own tea.

"Explain to me why it can't be done," he said. It was politely spoken, but the older man shrivelled at each word.

"Time!" Wernstrom spat. "I--that is, we--don't have the time to indoctrinate these workers," he almost said eta, Kowalski knew, "not while we're being asked to expand to take up IIT's slack."

Kowalski smiled. The inflating superiority the man had went out with his next breath. So this is what a lifelong bureaucrat looks like up close... whining and weaseling at every step. Remarkable.

"You are not being asked," he said slowly. "And if you are hard-pressed, well, I'm sure your subordinates can step in to take over more of your duties." Kowalski knew the man himself did little enough real work of his own. He had three aides and four secretaries where he ran IIT with just one.

He took a sip of the horrid tea. I really miss that poor girl...

"But before we do that," he said, speaking over the bureaucrat, "tell me what specifically are you having problems with?"

Wernstrom breathed out. Bureaucrats always had excuses.

"The general education level of these workers is. quite simply, inadequate," the bureaucrat said in japanese. "We are having to explain so much of the underlying theories that actual training time has to be postponed. Why, some of them don't even understand--"

"--Why do they need to?"

"I beg your pardon?" Wernstrom asked, as if he had just slapped him, in english. Kowalski didn't repeat himself. The older man coughed. "They have to understand the history, the proper background, for the tools and the machines they'll use it on. Why?" he repeated. "Why else? To make them masters of their craft!"

"Chikusho," Kowalski uttered loudly. "I was hoping it was because you weren't training them." The headmaster sat back down, perplexed. "You are training them, but not for what they need to do."

"They will be entrusted with expensive and delicate equipment," Wernstrom pronounced.

"I know. I helped design and make some of it." He stood, walked to a green plant and emptied his cup into its vase. "These workers are some of the best we have. They're here to learn how to do their jobs, not be a student. If you are so concerned about their mental limits, then teach them theory on your own time. We need them to start making electronics and fusion engines." He laughed. "We need them to make the parts to make the factories that will make the parts for electronics and fusion engines!"

"That is not what this Institute is for--"

"--This Institute is here to serve the Combine in any way that it is required to." He held the man's gaze until Wernstrom stood and bowed.

"Show me the prototypes."

« Last Edit: 28 August 2013, 09:50:45 by Marwynn »

Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #526 on: 02 August 2013, 14:26:51 »
Imperial City, Luthien
Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine
19 February 3030



Fuhito watched as Katana Kat's environmental control systems automatically sealed the ancient Panther's systems. Theodore Kurita, when he had been just the Heir and a tai-sa, had insisted on keeping the ancient nuclear-biological-chemical systems in pristine working order.

He quickly checked on his lancemates' systems, making sure they had good seals. The fallout was light, no more than what a MechWarrior was exposed to daily. But the common people weren't MechWarriors, nor was their health as closely monitored as his.

Fuhito chopped the 35-ton 'Mech's left arm down, signalling the others to continue moving down Imperial City's reinforced streets. Wooden shops and steel-glass stores reverberated with each of his careful steps.

Once, Theodore Kurita confided in him that he made the Legion perform the NBC maintenance simply because it was the one thing the Procurement Department was prohibited from skimping on. And if they were going to send new filters, control systems, valves, and even medicine, then they may as well send spare actuators and myomer bundles.

Not that the Legion needed them; decades of neglect did not really hamper the independently-minded Legionnaires. All it took were some undocumented training maneuvers that would indirectly harm the rivals of one of their secretive benefactors and the Legion made more than enough to keep its 'Mechs in repair and it's 'warriors fed and boozed up.

Fuhito stepped Katana Kat over an abandoned civilian bus. Looks new, he noted. It lacked exhaust ports and didn't look like it would break apart if someone sat down heavily in one of its seats.

The bus was just a small part of the modernization the Coordinator was pushing. Like with many things, people simply believed that when he came to power, all the bad old ways would just stop. It didn't with the Legion. Tai-sa Kurita tried, but when he wouldn't listen to his officers they just took matters into their own hands, keeping everything running in the shadows while Theodore lived in his ideal.

He had only discovered that during their bouts of downtime. They were no longer beholden to their manipulative suppliers, the Procurement Department was told in no uncertain terms by Kanrei Yorinaga to treat the Legions of Vega like the floating regiments of the DCMS. But they still owed debts.

Tai-sa Kurita taught him how to fight strategically and to command confidently. But it was the Legions of Vega that taught him to survive. Which is how he ended up here; trying to sneak through the Draconis Combine's capital city in a 35-ton walking warmachine. Only, the sneaking wasn't going so well. He had promised Olivares that he could establish contact with his brother. Minobu had to know the Legion was dying outside the city limits.

An UrbanMech walked in front of them: well-maintained, painted in matte black and dark grey, the colours of the planet's militia. Its autocannon, a Class 10, was no doubt as well cared for.

He raised Katana Kat's arms in the air as he sent a tightbeam to the Urbie. It took most of a minute for the MechWarrior to respond, and Fuhito admired his ferocity.

"Who are you!" It was more accusation than question.

"I am Sho-sa Fuhito Tetsuhara, brother to Tai-shu Minobu Tetsu--" The Imperator-B that made up the UM-R60's right arm belched fire and Fuhito reacted by stomping down on his pedals.

Katana Kat rose into the air, rattling as the high-explosive shells scoured a line across his left leg before he got clear.

"Cease fire! We are not hostile!" he yelled into the open comms. The UrbanMech pilot flicked the Harmon laser at him and fired, scorching the armour over his Lord's Light PPC. It blinked yellow, indicating an exhaust port had been melted shut.

Fuhito was impressed and frustrated at the same time as he jockeyed the Panther behind the UM-R60. He knew the militia pilot could track him with both weapons, but he also knew no MechWarrior liked having a BattleMech behind him.

He landed more heavily than he intended, spiderwebbing the reinforced ferrocrete road as Katana Kat's legs flexed to absorb the last metres of the fall. His lancemates found cover, following his standing orders.

The PNT-9R's warbook tied into the Imperial City's commweb, trying to identify the 'warrior of what should have been a friendly 'Mech. It took moments to scour the public newsfeeds.

"Busosenshi Wazowski! Cease fire," he said, summoning all the authority he could muster. The UM-R60's arms were now flipped over completely.

A Phoenix Hawk rose up and landed in front of the Urbie, landing only with a slight thump. Both its arms were pointed directly at the lighter 'Mech's head. When the pilot didn't respond after a few seconds, the PXH-1 pilot gently tapped the UrbanMech's cockpit with the massive focusing bore of the large laser in its right hand.

"I'm no busosenshi," the pilot finally said.

"All evidence to the contrary," Fuhito said, tapping at his armour readout. Fuhito waited for the simplistic targeting system to unlock then realized he hadn't receive a weapons lock warning at all. He queried his warbook which happily alerted him that the Dalban Urban was functioning in manual-aim mode. "Busosenshi, who ordered you to fire at us?"

"The Warlord did, sho-sa," the young man said, raising both weapons directly into the air.

"So," Fuhito said, "Goshi Tengwan reveals his true--"

"Iie! Fuhito-sama!" the militia pilot whispered fiercely. "Your brother gave the order."

« Last Edit: 28 August 2013, 09:51:03 by Marwynn »

Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #527 on: 16 August 2013, 14:46:56 »
We're drawing near the end. Sorry for the lack of updates, crazy few weeks.


=============================

Medical Bunker beneath Unity Palace, Luthien
Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine
27 February 3030



Three. Four. Seven. One. Two, then two. And three again. Three. Four...

Franklin tried to smile, even though it wouldn't be seen anyway. He played with a small bag, one he carried around with him everywhere he went these days. Slowly, he rolled it under the bed in front of him.

"Things aren't as bad as they were," he reported. "I heard some of the nurses talk--they didn't see me," he whispered, "which makes what they say true. Or what they think is true."

Three. Four...

"The fighting in the city really did stop a few days ago. We're still here so I guess we didn't lose. And didn't win, either."

Franklin stared at the unblinking medical equipment. "A mechanic told me that he saw some Jenners out on patrol in the streets just two days ago. He has a brother who's a tech who told him that they've been working around the clock to repair damage. I'm not sure what kind of damage if the fighting's over."

He bit his lower lip and sighed. "I didn't think--" he began to say but stopped. He couldn't say that out loud.

...One. Two, then two. And three again...

"The Brotherhood--they're nice," he said with a small smile. "They say yes to everything the ISF wants and then do whatever they want anyway. A little crazy, if you ask me..."

He breathed in and nearly burst out crying. Franklin shoved a fist into his mouth to not cry out.

"One of them said you're not really here anymore. That I should be--we didn't have enough--" He stood slowly and bent close.

He kissed his father's forehead.

"You're a warrior, a samurai--this isn't what you would have wanted." He stood staring at the barely breathing body. "I hope you taught me enough," Franklin whispered.

He turned away, shaking with each step.

"Three... Four... Seven..." he whispered as the black door and gold dragon sealed shut behind him.

Three left turns took him to a garden. His grandmother visited here sometimes, to rest under mirrored sunlight and the smell of real flowers.

He had to climb four metres up. That wasn't a problem for him, and he climbed the walls with ease. The window slid open--he unlocked it on the way down.

The second floor from the bottom one was meant to be a maze. He was inside the seventh room marked '1' when the alarms sounded.

I didn't even feel it... The bunker's fire alarms made it hard to think. Two minutes. The scans will last two minutes, he assured himself.

When the time passed, he ran out of the room and into the stairwell two doors to his right. Franklin wasn't sure if his heart was still beating, the alarms bled right into him.

The utility room was three flights up; it was unused but still Franklin ran out of breath as he slid inside the tight space. There were booms coming from above
The Otomo thundered down in staggered pairs; their response time was supposed to be four minutes. He gave them three minutes and they still surprised him.

He stayed there in the dark for a long time. The alarms were muted slightly, and he was shaking so much.

Franklin shoved the door open, knowing he'd lose courage now if he didn't push through.

He climbed, sometimes on his hands and feet, not knowing if he was screaming or gasping for air.

Luthien's sun greeted him as the air turned moist then thick as he ran into the city's streets. He looked around, frantically, for the hotdog stand the janitors always ate at.

He found it, and ran to the alley behind. It would take him to where the staff wasted their money gambling.

He needed to hide. The yakuza had hidden him and his mother before. They would do so again.

They had to.
« Last Edit: 28 August 2013, 09:50:54 by Marwynn »

Red Pins

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #528 on: 24 August 2013, 13:02:19 »
Tagged.
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
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Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #529 on: 28 August 2013, 10:04:13 »
Fixed the dates on this page. We're ending February now... and there'll be larger jumps afterwards.


===========================

Hidden Base, Elusian City, Nirasaki
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine
28 February 3030



"You're dead, you know."

"Hai," Michi said. "I feel so."

Dechan Fraser shook his head, sitting down wearily. "At least you're dressed well."

Michi flexed his armoured arms a bit, exaggerating for his friend. "You wouldn't believe how much it cost," he said, smiling. The servos and actuators whirred and whined as he moved and the two shared restrained laughs. Soldier humour.

The precision and practice needed to do even that much had eluded him at first. But the green armour was now very much a second skin. If only I could pilot a 'Mech in it...

"Sirs," a woman said, half-asking. "He'll see you now."

Michi dipped his head as Dechan rose. "Thanks, Molly," he said. Tiredly, he added, "Get some shut-eye."

The petite woman bobbed her head, her hair matted down to her scalp by sweat and grease. Michi tried not to judge; no Kuritan 'warrior would allow himself to be that unclean for long. But no Kuritan 'warrior has had to fight as hard as she has had to these last weeks.

They followed her out of the lunch room into a bland hallway and she veered off. Michi's heavy footsteps echoed like muffled gunshots--more than a few heads poked out of doors, but a lot more weapons with guncams peeked out instead.

Michi did his best to smile and be non-threatening; heads bobbed and some of the guns disappeared from view. That he was allowed this far without an armed escort spoke of either their lack of manpower or the Dragoons' trust in him. Both were worrying.

Mackenzie Wolf greeted them with a curt nod. "Welcome back, Michi," the interim commander said, inappropriately.

The Bounty Hunter bowed.

Dechan plopped himself down on the nearest chair and slouched. Michi hid a smile of envy: Fraser had been conning whatever 'Mech was available for 12 hours straight, or more. Michi had been fought a running battle in this suit for just as long and he couldn't take it off. Not yet.

"I'm sorry to hear about your father--"

Mackenzie raised a hand, "--thank you, Michi. He... he was a warrior without peer."

Michi tasted his words and caught the sharpness of it. Dechan tensed slightly and so did Mackenzie. To a Kuritan, their restrained body language might as well have been writ in holo-neon.

So ka.

He brought himself up to full attention, the armour straightening out impressively. "How may I help, sir?" he asked.

The younger man sat down on a creaking wooden desk. "You can tell me why you're here and not with the Ryuken," Mackenzie said bluntly. Dechan mumbled something and went back to his waking nap.

"As the major put it earlier; I am dead," Michi replied softly. That was all he was willing to say and he knew it wasn't enough for the young wolf.

"Indeed," Wolf said finally. "But we have enough dead men ourselves."

"Not like me you don't." It was a calculated bit of irreverence he observed Dragoon pilots displayed.

Mackenzie laughed. "No, I suppose not," he said, looking him up and down. The armour was unmistakable. The green was solid in many spots, but the plating had been scratched and dimpled grey all over. He had the armour and the DropShip. More importantly, he had the will.

"I need you to deliver a message," Mackenzie said after a while. "Off-world. In fact, I don't even know where he is..."
Michi flexed a muscle as he raised his left forearm. A blade slid out and he tilted his head.

"No--No!" the young Wolf said, bolting upright. "An actual message."

"To whom?" Michi asked, retracting the blade and forearm. He continued to ignore Dechan's grip on his sidearm.

"Nathan Armstrong. It's time we spoke."



pensiveswetness

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #530 on: 29 August 2013, 11:18:19 »
...probably the only thing i bother to want to read around here (i keep getting yelled at and bannings otherwise)... who is Nathan Armstrong?

Redshirt

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #531 on: 29 August 2013, 11:21:57 »
...probably the only thing i bother to want to read around here (i keep getting yelled at and bannings otherwise)... who is Nathan Armstrong?

Nathan Armstrong is Brevet General Nathan Armstong, Commander of the Eridani Light Horse, who  currently are in the service of House Davion. (They kinda used to be big back in the day... :))
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pensiveswetness

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #532 on: 29 August 2013, 11:48:47 »
TU. I dont have much 3025 materials so that name was... Poof. thanks for the INTEL update, sir  8)

Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #533 on: 12 September 2013, 16:35:39 »
Unity Palace, Imperial City, Luthien
Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine
2 March 3030



Sharilar Mori undressed in front of the Otomo quickly and efficiently.

Her robes, of the Blessed Order of Comstar, were folded neatly on the floor. They concealed a bodysuit woven with materials strong enough to deflect bullets or blunt laserfire.

The suit had never been put to the test. Even as the Black Pearl grew darker these last few weeks.

It loosened from her form, the ultra-thin myomer strands relaxing as she shut off the power and folded easily enough.

One of the guard stepped forward with a simple black robe, chased with red on the edges. She donned the japanese-styled robe, not quite a kimono, and slipped into the footwear provided for her.

The robe hummed with its own power; the power to incapacitate her, or to kill her if necessary. Whatever discreet implants she may have would be nullified by it.

The sandals had mundane sensors on them, she knew. The robe was from the ISF, the footwear from the O5P.

She followed the Coordinator's guards silently, not even allowing herself to think of Theodore Kurita's paranoia--for now--as she made her first report as the Advocate Precentor to the new Coordinator.

The stairs were a surprise. Am I to meet Theodore in the Black Room? The thought excited and frightened her at once.

They walked through winding hallways--intentionally confusing, she understood--before the Otomo finally deposited her in front of an impressive looking door.

House Kurita's crest was etched in gold on it. Jasmine Kurita stood in front, the golden dragon seeming to rise from her shoulders.

It was no coincidence.

Sharilar bowed deeply. The Otomo merely waited silently around her.

"Confused?" Jasmine asked. "You hide it well."

"I did not expect to meet the Flower of the Realm here--"

"--This is not the Black Room," Jasmine said, with a soft shake of her head. They eyed each other, pleasantly, for a while.

Finally, Jasmine Kurita nodded and the Otomo stepped back. Sharilar breathed out, weighing her next words. Referring to Jasmine as the Flower of the Realm was a calculated risk; to the average citizen, even privileged ones, it was the official title of the Consort of the Coordinator.

To the Order of Five Pillars it was a rank.

Takashi Kurita made it so. He wanted closer access to the Order without ISF scrutiny, and Jasmine had been willing to be the bridge. She held no authority but she wielded information. Sometimes, she even withheld it.

Jasmine's head rose slightly as she turned. The black and gold doors opened to the smells of a hospital room.

Sharilar stumbled forward in shock. Theodore Kurita lay broken on a bed, tubes and wires pervading entire parts of his body.

"The shuttle?..." she remembered.

"No," Jasmine said. "He was never aboard. This happened as he traveled to his real transport."

Sharilar stared for a very long time.

"The Blessed Order can--"

"My son will not become a cyborg monstrosity!"

"No!" she yelled. "No, no," Sharilar repeated more calmly. "We can repair him. Biologically. Mostly." She used her training to study the injuries. "But he'll have to journey to Terra..."

"He cannot travel," Jasmine pronounced and didn't elaborate further. Sharilar sensed hope. Whatever Jasmine was now, she was still a mother first.

"Jasmine-sama," she said turning to look at her. She dropped to her knees and looked up. "Let me help. The Blessed Order can rebuild him... ComStar has the technology."

It was many hours before Jasmine Kurita nodded.

pensiveswetness

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #534 on: 12 September 2013, 16:53:31 »
woooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa................... Teddy K = possible candidate for The Master?

and Mori. She's still a ISF plant into Comstar, right, in this AU?

Sharpnel

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #535 on: 13 September 2013, 04:28:14 »
Teddy K, The Six Million C-Bill Man
Consigliere Trygg Bender, CRD-3BL Crusader, The Blazer Mafia
Takehiro 'Taco' Uchimiya, SHD-2H Shadow Hawk 'Taco', Crimson Oasis Trading Company

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Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #536 on: 16 September 2013, 14:10:54 »
woooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa................... Teddy K = possible candidate for The Master?

and Mori. She's still a ISF plant into Comstar, right, in this AU?

She was (and is in this AU) O5P. And... we'll see about Teddy.


Marwynn

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #537 on: 24 September 2013, 14:07:14 »
NAIS Hangar 13-B, New Avalon
Crucis March, Federated Suns
15 March 3030



"These are impressive," Hanse said, nodding towards the rows of Centurions in various stages of completion. "But I don't see the need for newer variants--"

"When was the last time you took to the field, highness?" Ardan Sortek asked lightly. "In one of these," he clarified.

Hanse bowed his head, conceding the point. "A decade, perhaps."

"The DCMS has three new standard Dragon variants now. Two Grand Dragons, that we still have difficulty countering--" the Prince's Champion held up a hand so that he could continue, "--with our standard equipment. You know the Kuritans aren't the thoughtless kamikaze we make them out as."

The First Prince nodded, shifting his shoulders and turning his head towards his champion.

Ardan continued. "The Valkyries are, frankly, outmoded. Your NAIS has been submitting plans to your office for years on upgrading them. Enforcers? Flexible but predictable. Even that ambitious plan to turn the Capellan FrankenMech into the Kaiser was sidelined, by the Kuritans of all people."

"Weapons don't fight wars, Ardan," Hanse said. "Warriors do."

"And our warriors fight like a mob."

The Prince's face flushed red. It angered him because it mirrored his own thoughts.

"And how would these help?"

"They won't," Ardan barked. "They'll keep the Kuritans or Capellans busy while we retrain."

Hanse turned fully to his young champion. A few metres from them, a Centurion thudded across the ferrocrete floor, its right arm wielding two smaller barrels instead of one larger tube.
"GM Whirlwinds, Class-5s," Ardan provided, "gifts from your wife. It's mated with a ChisComp 43 made right here."

A large laser? Wouldn't that make it an Enforcer--Ahh, it still has the missiles.
"Three weapon systems? The quartermasters will hate it," Hanse said, chuckling darkly.

"Four," Ardan said with a smile. "It still has the mediums. They're reliable"

"And that one?" Hanse pointed to a half-built CN9, its torso was bare to the myomer and heatsink tubing. "That looks like another large laser and an SRM pack?" the prince half-asked. "But what the hell is that?" he whispered, pointing at the massive tube that engulfed the 'Mech's right arm.

Ardan shook his head. "Blame the Kuritans. They've gotten sneakier, using cover and indirect fire when they can. The Crucis Lancers requested this: it's a snub-nosed Thumper artillery cannon."

"We can make about three dozen of those. A year," Ardan added. "More, once the trade routes get settled again..."

Hanse nodded and turned silent, watching the slow parade of 'Mechs being assembled, tweaked, and tested. This was only one of the hidden hangars carrying out these modifications.

Another Centurion walked by, looking as if a JagerMech's had been grafted to the 'Mech.

It might be necessary, with Marduk gone...

"It is necessary," Ardan echoed. "We are cut off from our Lyran allies, our economy is still in a shambles, and we have weapons we fought with in the last War."

"Speak plainly, Ardan," Hanse said then recoiled as the young Prince's Champion roundedo n him.

"The Draconis Combine sensed our attack and removed Skye from play even before the War started. Then they blunt General Nondi Steiner's advance and maul the Draconis March. All of this while they fought out their dynastic struggles. While they fought a civil war. The DCMS is exhausted. Right. Now."

Ardan stepped closer, his whispering growing fiercer. "They're already rebuilding. We have word of training camps established all throughout Combine space--they're no longer recruiting just from their nobility or hereditary warrior families--and they started two years ago."

The Prince's Champion began to pace, to prowl. "Only the Imperial Institute of Technology was damaged in the recent fighting, and that wasn't even by us. Everywhere else has been running at twice their capacity as this war raged, including the Sun Zhang. And we? We faced terrorist actions in every major training centre."

"Don't make the same mistake when you waited for the Combine to collapse economically. Strike. Soon."


----------------------------------------


"He's right, your majesty," Quintus Allard said as the hoverlimo's door closed behind Hanse.

"Listening in, were you?"

"Not at all," Quintus said. "But I know Ardan. He is usually right."

"He said that I should strike, soon, instead of waiting for the Combine to grow stronger. Deliver the killing blow, the coup de grâce..."

The hoverlimo's airskirts filled and gently accelerated away. The afternoon sun did little to hide New Avalon's most recent scars. The riots had been over months ago, but the smouldering buildings were still raising black staircases to the sky.

"The Federated Suns will survive another, sudden, war. But we do not need to march to war right away--"

"--You just said--"

"I know, majesty, I know. Ardan is correct that the Combine, battered and apparently leaderless as it is, presents a very nice target. We could invade in a few months' time and at the very least retake Quentin and Marduk... and probably Robinson."

Hanse smiled at that.

"They still hold a third of the Draconis March, and liberating our people will be good for morale and for the economy."

"But the killing blow?"

"The best way to kill a snake," Quintus said, "is to lop off its head." Hanse nodded, agreeing with the old adage. "But if it has many heads," the spymaster continued, "Well, the survivors are strengthened, not weakened."

Hanse accepted the counsel and leaned into the soft seat, the harnesses holding him down lightly but firmly.

"An interesting fact I've heard over the years, Quintus," the First Prince said, "About snakes?"

"Yes, majesty?"

"They're not immune to their own poison."

The spymaster smiled. "Yes, majesty."


« Last Edit: 25 September 2013, 10:39:33 by Marwynn »

Shadow_Wraith

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #538 on: 24 September 2013, 15:14:41 »
Nice.  Looking forward to see what HD has in mind for the Combine! 

Arvanna

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Re: The Wolves and the Dragons (AU)
« Reply #539 on: 24 September 2013, 17:22:29 »
Interesting indeed. One issue I have had for awhile is this continuing presentation of the RCT concept as a failure, a brute, force approach that is even too ham fisted for the Lyrans (renowned for their own tactical subtlety ;) ) to use to any real effect. Still though staying with the Combine has certainly taken a turn for the worst for the Dragoons as they've learned that stability in the Combine is a illusion.
« Last Edit: 24 September 2013, 17:44:45 by Arvanna »

 

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