Author Topic: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.  (Read 11276 times)

Elmoth

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3414
  • Periphery fanboy
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #30 on: 23 November 2018, 17:02:14 »
Right now, Anton would make Stefano captain of his home guard.

"Thank you Stefano. I will remember that".

Cornelia Ryan would have made a facepalm if he had seen the scene.
« Last Edit: 23 November 2018, 17:04:06 by Elmoth »

Daryk

  • Lieutenant General
  • *
  • Posts: 37046
  • The Double Deuce II/II-σ
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #31 on: 23 November 2018, 17:34:51 »
Later, Stefano tracked down Cornelia to have yet another chat.

"Look, the kid needs some guidance.  He isn't going to stop following me around like a puppy unless you show a little more spine!  He's new to this mercenary gig, but you've been around the block a few times.  To hell with noble titles... he's just a kid who doesn't know any better.  That makes it our jobs to make sure he DOES... eventually.  Understand?"

AlphaMirage

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3599
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #32 on: 25 November 2018, 00:27:24 »
Qasim looked from the catwalk onto the CQB assault course that had been constructed of lightweight partitions in the middle of the Trojan's cargo bay.  Yang's intelligence had given them a general layout of the facility which was then replicated in mini by the tech teams.  The hypercompetant, because she needed to be, and overworked Lieutenant Ryan or her Sergeant Perry had every squad of their attached company of infantry running through it at least twice a day.  They had a two week run to Devil's Rock and most of the troops under her loose command were as green as the grass after the first rains on Dabih.  She needed to make sure they would be ready and plenty worn out until then.  "The Deichi Half-Dozen" as Qasim called them were currently running their way through the course and were much more competent, removing simulated threats with practiced ease.

He has his shemagh up with a faint but pleasant smell emanating from it.  The Trojan shared many parts with the ubiquitous Union dropship including the undersized air purification system for its limited crew, here it was woefully ineffectual.  You got used to it eventually but that didn't make Qasim very comfortable.  He would be lucky if his wife would share his bed for a week after he got back to Galatea no matter how many showers he took or how nice his quarters were (OOC-The six passenger quarters of the Trojan I assume are going to the 4 Mechwarriors and 2 Aerojocks).  Captain Amanda Medvedev was walking along the catwalk to her Quarters, "Too many people Captain"
"What's that Qasim?"
"I'm saying there are too many people on this ship.  You and Amir will not turn a profit from this venture with this much payroll.  They will literally eat it all."
"What do you know about running a business?"
"While my latest ventures have not been successful...  My family comes from a long line of interstellar traders.  I spent a great deal of time with my grandfather who had retired from spacing and he taught me many things.  Among them a mixture of oils to combat the odor in a bulk passenger vessel.  You may have the recipe if you desire."
"We need a team for ship security and Stefano brought in his Jump Troopers."
"If you want external security get a Copper or Qasit, they're cheap on Galatea.  Lieutenant Ryan is here as a babysitter but like on Dabih or in the Arkab Legions everyone works.  My contacts would have provided a team to do the job if we didn't have him, much like Mr Moro's latest additions."
"What is up with you and Mr Moro?  Anton is scared of you, and I can get some of your beef with Gustav but I don't get it with him."
"I don't trust him, you don't survive long in this business without good instincts.  As long as his goons don't screw up the operation for my associate I will be satisfied.  Otherwise"
  He patted the Nakijima pistol always within arm's reach hand on his belt.
"Why don't you want to work with the others?"
"When you are used to Clan and Kin it is harder to work alongside people that don't share your values.  That is why the Arkab Legions are separated from the DCMS proper whenever they are deployed together.  Which is infrequent as it typically leads to bad blood or bloodshed when it occurs."
"Well don't cause any more trouble with Gustav.  I already have enough macho posturing on board my ship and especially keeping an eye on the two of you."


Amanda looked down at the cots laid out for their infantry contingent and the techs (OOC - nearly 200 strong by my estimates), thinking about the poor overworked showers set up on her cargo bay for a month,  "What was that recipe?"

Elmoth

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3414
  • Periphery fanboy
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #33 on: 25 November 2018, 16:59:22 »
OOC: Ryan is a woman, Cornelia by name ;)

We ran the mech/ASF/LRM vehicles battle today. Narrated battle as follows



Cornelia Ryan was waiting by the door of the Saint Sadurni. The Karnov was on standby but its turbines were already running on low power. The mechs had departed at 0300 and it was almost 0600 now. They had engaged the prison defences at around 0640 with a run of the birds, that blasted the first turrets. for the radio traffic she was getting in the command circuit it seemed that the master's kid was doing OK, even if nothing spectacular. The kid almost blew it when he tried to emerge from the wash too soon, but Stefano stopped him.

She still remembered the last conversation with the veteran. She didn't like the guy at all. Stefano was too deep in connections for her liking. That kind of conaissance usually meant that you owed too many debts to third parties, and that was worrying. The squad of engineers running with her troopers was a clear example. More guys of Italian descent. It smelled funny to her. They were really competent, and that was good, but they did seem to have defined allegiances, and that was bad. She hopped this opperation was over soon to be able to lose sight of them. In the meantime, Perry and some of her men and women would be taking a close look on the Deici.

still, Stefano seemed to have developed a touching concern for the kid. He put forward a front as an uncaring veteran, but she knew that he was trying to prevent the kid from being turned into a laser pincushion. She appreciated that. She would have preferred the kid developing an awed attitude towards the Rasalaghue veteran because he was simpler in his attitude to life and still useful as a mech jock referent, but the kid had his own ideas. So be it.

The attack had stalled somewhat as the prision's defences had activated a lance of Scorpions and a Locust were coming out. Gustav and the LRM scorpions and striker were bombarding them from a distance while the other 3 mechs tried to gain position. The ASF runs had left an area devoid of turret coverage, and that was helping the attackers. Not having more targets, the enemy mechs seemed to be converging on the Warhammer, but 2 scorpions had deviate to intercept the contact they had in the ravine.

Apparently the kid overheated his mech and almost fried himself (also failing to hit the targets), but Qasim and Stefano did short work of one of the Scorpions and the other decided that caution was the better part of valour and retreated into the compound.

The warhammer was mauling the Scorpions, but the Locust was avoiding his fire moving in a zigzag pattern between rock formations, and moving to engage him at short distance. this prompted Qasim to turn back to engage the defender while the 2 WVR-6M entered the compount to neutralize the remaining turrets.

When they jumped up t the walls they were hailed by a barrage of AC10 rounds. Stefano took them directly, while the kid avoided them by jumping behind the veteran. A Centrion stood before them in the yard of the prison, having remained under a ferrocrete structure that looked like a hangar, he had become invisible to long range sensor scans. Now he moved to engage the Wolverines with 2 Commandos in tow. The fire of the 3 mechs mauled the centurions, but they damaged the commandos in return. After that brief interchange they jumped down again. they reengaged their jump jets when the Spad and Sabre overflew the complex again, and the strafe plus the large lasers and SRM of the wolverines incapacitated the commandos and damaged the centurion, that decided to move back to defend the main door to the complex. The 4 mercenaries decided to play a waiting game, not wanting to risk further unnecessary damage to their machines.

When this was happening, Cornelia Ryan and her team were already airborne. When the last ASF run was announced they took off and approached the prison at high altitude. Time to earn their pay.


Result:
- 1 locust, 2 commandos and 3 scorpions destroyed, A centurion damaged. 6 laser turrets destroyed.
- Warhammer: 1 damage (from scorpion fire)
- PHX. undamaged
- Wolverine (Stefano) 5 damage (Centurion + commando)
- Wolverine (Anton). 2 damage (commando)
All in all, 8 damage. Less of a milk run than expected at first, but could have been worse if my gaming group wouldn't have decided to play it safe in the ending phases of the battle. I found it funny how the guy running Anton decided to overheat even in cases where this was unnecessary and the shot difficult.

Sadurni is a planet in the Duchy of Andurien. Saint Sadurni (Sant Sadurní d'Anoia) is a town near Barcelona, so there you go with the Karnov's name ;) 
« Last Edit: 26 November 2018, 01:41:50 by Elmoth »

Elmoth

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3414
  • Periphery fanboy
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #34 on: 26 November 2018, 04:28:17 »
Amanda Medvedev listened was looking intently at the tactical screens of the command center of the Trojan droipship. The refitted center was nothing to boast about, but it was good enough for the small forces the unit was deploying. She cringed each time one of the mech displays in the screen reported a hit. Because Qasim was right. The unit was expensive given what they were being paid, and their margin fell with each hit they needed to repair. She grimaced when the hidden Centurion caught Stefano Moro unawares, feeling the c-bills fly away.

"Take it easy jocks. You have already cleared the way for the jumpers. Play it safe and keep the defence forces occupied."

"That Centurion would be good salvage, and there are 2 commandos in the prison's yard to be taken" she heard Qasim say on the circuit.

"We would need to drag it out from inside the prison, and their infanty could damage us more than it is worth" she replied."

A silence fell on the circuit. She could feel the mech jocks considering her analysis and the cost-benefit analysis of whipping out the defences completely to retrieve the Centurion...

AlphaMirage

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3599
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #35 on: 02 December 2018, 17:51:52 »
Two days off planet Qasim caught the latest update from the salvaged Locust his Phawk and the recovery vehicle retrived from the raid.  His Battlemech had been undamaged so his tech crew was tasked with fixing the broken scout.  It was a small bonus but bonus nevertheless.

Today was the day they earned their contract fee, a ST-46 Shuttle was just about to dock at shuttle bay 2.  The crew had to push one of the aerofighters into the other bay to join it's wingmate yesterday in order to open the dock.

Captain Medvedev was coordinating the docking process while Qasim and the rest of the Mechwarriors were waiting just outside the bay's door.  The light turned green and they cycled the doors to the bay where a large aerodyne shuttle waited.

Four heavily armed and armored toughs walked down the ramp and surveyed the gathered Mechwarriors.  One of them yelled something in Chinese and a well dressed asian man stepped down.  He walked forward, "Where's the Azami?"

Qasim met him in the middle and exchanged a quick bow.  "Where's the package?"

"She's coming currently"

One of It Ryan's squads led Cara Fallone into the already cramped bay.  "That's her."

"Was she any trouble?"
"No but she keeps unfavorable company"
"True, you don't mind if we check, yes?"
"It would be odd if you didn't"

The well dressed man signaled and a pair of the toughs stepped up and frisked her finding no weapons to his satisfaction.  The Jump troops stepped back on overwatch.  Another tough took her picture before ordering her to open her mouth scrapping it with a Qtip which he placed into a scanner attached to a commpad.  The device beeped, "It's her alright"

"As promised Wei Bao"
"Solid work as always but be less messy next time to much blood is bad for business "
Qasim looked at Stefano who returned the glare, "Things got complicated"

"Not my problem.  As agreed here is the payment in verified COMSTAR bearer bonds."

"Mind if I check?"
"It would be strange if you didn't.  Feel free"

Qasim pulled out his commpad and verified the account balance with COMSTAR.  Everything was green   "Everything is good Captain Medvedev.  Prepare to undock when we are clear."

Daryk

  • Lieutenant General
  • *
  • Posts: 37046
  • The Double Deuce II/II-σ
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #36 on: 02 December 2018, 18:09:48 »
Thirty minutes after the handover, the sensor tech on the bridge called the officer of the watch over.

"LT, I think I'm seeing fire control radar and weapons fire a couple of tens of thousands of kilometers astern..."

"Not our problem unless it's coming this way.  Is it?"

"Uh... no."

"Good.  Keep an eye on it, and let me know if that changes."

Elmoth

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3414
  • Periphery fanboy
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #37 on: 03 December 2018, 16:17:05 »
(snip)

Elmoth

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3414
  • Periphery fanboy
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #38 on: 03 December 2018, 17:55:25 »
Amanda Medvedev saw the Deici leave the dropship with their liberated in tow. They all were picked up by a group of black sedans and military-looking black and tan jeeps. The italo-steiners had shown to be extremely capable as a hit team, but also a liability on the force structure. They had been flying together for a month, and most people in the unit had blended somewhat with other components of the fledgling mercenary unit, except the italo-lyrans. They had kept to themselves and showec a total disregard for the other units. They were capable, but a force was more than the addition of its component parts, and they had not pulled their weigh there. The fact that it was *known* that they were mafia-related did not helped either.  "Good riddance" she thought.

As far as she knew, only one of the women of that lot was left in the unit. She did not like this link to La Famiglia, but the girl had shown quite some knack with computers so she was going to join the techs of the dropship. She hoped she was not a mole on any case.  She didn't look much like that, but only time would tell. She had already repaired a long defunct computer on the dropship command station, so she was quite happy to have her around for the time being.

Amanda turned around and got into the main bay. The 5 mechs lined some of the transport cocoons along the walls of the dropship. They were started to be unloaded to be transferred to proper repair facilities. The techs had done some work on them in transit, but not as much as they could do in a real maintenance area.  Stefano's wolverine was the one in the worst shape. The AC cannon of the centurion had hammered at it relentlessly and stripped most of it's armor. Luckily only small internal damage was caused to the mech. There were dozens of circuits and cables hanging from the ferrofibrous frame of the mech, as mechs were still working on the basic frame. The rest were fairly Ok except the captured Locust. That one would need some heavy overhaul after the hammering that the Warhammer and Phoenix Hawk had caused on him. The PHX laser barrage to the locust's rear was the largest damage. That one would be quite some time in the workshop.

She observed the 2 platoons of infantry leave the dropship next. The jump infantry was sure to remain, but her report on the young lads of the infantry platoon was unlikely to be liked by Kowalski. Neither would the drinking habits of some of the jump infantry personnel, but those were marked as capable troopers by all means. The next morning they would have a staff meeting, since kowalski had not been iddle either, and their recent sucess seemed to have cause them to have a few offers.

She patted a rib of the dropship affectionately and proceeded to a nearby hummer that would bring her to a proper shower in a nearby motel room.

AlphaMirage

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3599
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #39 on: 03 December 2018, 22:06:00 »
Qasim oversaw the transfer of the damaged Locust to the rented repair bays that had shown up via heavy transporter shortly after touchdown.  The four bays were set vertical by the engineers before noon and the techs got to work under the watchful eyes of the infantry platoon that drew the short straw and had to work before liberty. "Here they are useful, on the dropship not so much."

Bidding Li and the rest of his tech team farewell he headed out on his motorcycle.  His Phawk had suffered only trivial damage and the left leg repair had held up much to his satisfaction.  The unit just had routine maintenance to do and it could wait until after the Locust was fixed which would likely take a few days but it would be an quick sell, the best kind. 

The administrators had already scheduled a staff meeting late tomorrow morning so he had the rest of the day off.  They weren't a bad bunch though they had a few things to relearn about running a Merc unit.  Qasim's helmet communicator rang it was a blocked number which meant it was an important call.  He pulled the bike over to the side of the dusty road that connected the starport terminals.  "Hello"

"Q, we need to talk.  I'm sending you a location to meet me in twenty minutes."

Qasim checked the commpad safely tucked away in his vest.  There were two texts, one with an address and the other from his wife.  The address was far away for twenty minutes but that was typically the point with these people.  He flipped the keyboard open and texted his wife that he would be late but hopefully not too late.  If he didn't show up well that was typical of these people too.


Elmoth

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3414
  • Periphery fanboy
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #40 on: 04 December 2018, 06:06:29 »
The room was packed again. Almost the same faces as before-. The 4 mech jocks and 2 aerospace pilots were there, along with Medvedev, Ryan from the jump guys, Smith from the infantry platoon and Lieutenant Bradley from the reinforced armored platoon. As in the previous meetings Miguel was there as the representative of the techs and civilians in the force.

"I have to say that we have done quite well in this raid gentlemen. We have 4 new offers on the table and the expected bill from the repair shop is way lower than expected. We also do not need to lament any personnel fatalities in this raid, even if Mr Moro and a few jump infantrymen were close to death. That is a fairly strange event, so we can celebrate it. We must be grateful to the role of our medical and paramedic staff for this". Kowalski acknowledges it by saluting both doctors with a nod.

"Now, on the butcher's bill. the Wolverines are the most affected. Stefano's wolverine took the brunt of the damage in the operation and will require a week of double dutty repair time. Nothing unsurmountable since the internal sustems affected are just a few myomer bundles and electrical circuits. No major damage. The other mechs suffered armor damage only so they will be ready in a pair of days. We could have done the repairs ourselves, but I prefer to keep our supplies ready for emergencies when we can take advantage of thirds partyu facilities." That was usual for merc commands, that could never be sure of resupply so nobody got surprised. "As requested by our ASF pilots we are overhauling the weaponry on the Spad and getting some redundant systems for the ASF just in case. The rest of material will also be getting maintenance in hangar 57 of Irian Industries if any of you want to step by."

We also have decided to keep the captured locust. It seems that the gyro needs to be replaced, but the basic systems (and more importantly, the engine) are repairable. It will help with recon. It will be codenamed "Devil" in our roster, since the tech teams are already calling it that. We will be updating it to the 1E version; since it requires a complete repair and overhaul, I requested a pricing for this change; I saw the effectiveness of the full energy locust in Capella a few years ago and was convinced it was the superior version for raiding. We are holding the repairs down for the moment and only requesting the systems changes for the model change, since we are not that affluent as you can see.

Kowalski puts a screen with the costs of the unit in the rooms screen.

[/quote]
Repairs (8): WHM 1, WVR 5, WVR 2.
Ammo (3.5): 4 mechs, 3 tanks (LRM),
Mech mantenance (4)
ASF maintenance (2)
Armor & VTOL maintenance (6)
Combat team wages (8)
Support team wages (8)

TOTAL: 39.5
Income for the mission: 45
PROFIT: 5.5

Locust Overhaul estimation: Reapir + changes 6+1 = (7) only the 1 point or the upgrade being paid[/quote]

"The final reconning is that after repairs and the requested change sin the Locust we have a margin of 45.000 cbills. Not very large, but we stay afloat. Now, we need an easy mission to boost our economy" The fact that some poeople or whole units might need to be laid off goes without saying but everybody is pointedly aware of it. Luckily there are several options on the table after our last success.


(to be continued; anyone can take it up if you want. Back to work. Seems economics are tough here! Tougher than I anticipated in fact; the tough life of a merc unit. :))

Note: I am counting prices as 10,000 cbills per point of BP. No idea if this is correct for in universe pricing (I always run fast and loose with pricings in my games) so feel free to correct me if you think the prices look very out of whack.


Daryk

  • Lieutenant General
  • *
  • Posts: 37046
  • The Double Deuce II/II-σ
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #41 on: 04 December 2018, 21:06:38 »
Wincing with the effort due to his wounds, Moro placed a plain briefcase on the table.  Around the wires in his jaw, he said, "Payment from our other employer.  And with all due respect to our medical team, proper body armor had a lot to do with our survival rate too."

Additional income for putting up with Forza Deici: +10 points

OOC: Given the abstraction at the Alpha Strike level, I'd say BP are a minimum of 20,000 C-Bills each.  A ton of armor is 10,000, and AS armor points are at least two (if not three) of those at the TW scale.  25,000 might be a better approximation.

Kitsune413

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 5324
  • Diamond Khanate Sakhan
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #42 on: 04 December 2018, 22:25:34 »
Earlier that day:

Sára (The nurse) approached Lel, "Whatshisrank Moro needs treatment. Troopers are bringing him here now."

Lel looked over to her, "Here? Where is Dr. Max?"

Sára shook her head, "Nobody is sure. I called to the Bar on the ship, but nobody had seem him there. He'll turn up later I'm sure."

Lel nodded, "What's wrong with Moro?"

"The Paramedic that brought him on  board says he's got a probably concussion, some contusions, some small lacerations, presumably from a fist or blunt object and a fractured jaw."

"Ouch. Those mob guys beat him up real good." Lel said.

"You don't know that they're in the mob..."

"It doesn't take a medical degree to know those guys are in the mob. You don't even need an associates in crime dramas."

"You shouldn't assume someones a mobster based on their ethnicity."

"Sure. A bunch of random jump troopers showed up on the ship with a bunch of bogus medical histories, a common language and a shared passion for gelato and pasta. Acted like a bunch of toughs, tried to interfere with giving medical attention to the people they extracted and then left abrubtly after busting Moro up. They seem legit."

"You're unbearable."

"Get the paramedics to bring Moro in and try to hunt down some scissors so he can cut the wires on his jaw if he needs to vomit or is choking if this break is bad enough. I'll see if I can get his teeth and his temporal mandibular joint to line up correctly again."

"On it." Sára said, walking over to the nearby supply closet.

"Hey, do you want to tell him that pasta qualifies as soft food for his new diet or do I get too?"

"I'll do it. You'd enjoy it too much." Sára's voice echoed from the supply closet.
« Last Edit: 04 December 2018, 22:27:07 by Kitsune413 »
Every man lives by exchanging - Adam Smith

AlphaMirage

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3599
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #43 on: 05 December 2018, 07:14:09 »
Lieutenant Andre Von Treple returned from his hotel in the morning aboard the rented bus that transported the Reach Enterprises crew and contractors to Galatean City.  Captain Medvedev was already there having arrived bright and early with this morning's work detail.  She was arguing with the rental company about the temportary quarters that had been used for the past mission.  It must be bad because she pulled out the flexible comm-pad that held the rental contracts to show to the foreman.  Andre walked past them and a pair of armed guards who were changing watchs.  All the hatches and bay doors of the Trojan ACS Reach for the Stars had remained open overnight and thus were guarded.

The ship needed to air out the overpowering odor accumulated over the past month.  His job today was to supervise the scouring of the bay floor plates with the rented industrial power washer en route after the temporary quarters had been collected.  Kowalski was due soon to have a staff meeting with the Mechjocks and Aeropilots.  He said it should be a quick one at dinner yesterday and then they (the MechJocks and Aeropilots) would get out of his crew's way.  They had plenty of work to do and a larger bank balance to do it with now.

He walked through the upper decks with his duffel bag returning the laundered clothes to his room's locker.  As part of his normal routine he went to the bridge to see if there was anything the ship's computer requested he do that he might have missed on the regular service checklist.  To his surprise the bridge was open something very much against protocol.  Dismissing it as something to do with Amanda's haste and frustration with the rental company as they were after all in a secure area he walked through the door and saw the Azami Mechwarrior Qasim sitting at one of the consoles.

"Hey!  What are you doing here Qasim?  Meetings not for another two hours."
"Apologies Andre, I needed to check something."
"You're not authorized to be up here.  How did you get in?"

He showed a datacard, "I cloned Kowalski's access card.  You can take it back to destroy it if it pleases you but what I've done once I can do again."


Andre angrily grabbed the datacard and put it in one of his pockets more because it felt good he believed the Azami would do it again if he needed to.  He would have to check with Amanda to see if they could update the access system while in port.  "Well what the hell did you need to check!?"

Qasim pulled up the sensor data shortly after handoff in Devil's Rock where the vessel picked up Fire Control RADAR from an unknown contact.  "Our package didn't arrive at its intended destination.  My contacts blame us.  They think we were responsible for the loss of their men and the package and accuse us of double dealing.  They of course already paid us so its not like they can take it back but they can make us pay in other ways. Free Capella wants something solid to identify the attackers and that would prove our innocence in the matter."

Andre didn't like the sound of that, he had joined in with this crew on Mechdur before the Fourth.  They had done work for the Capellans and if the main government was bad; its splinter terrorist organizations were likely worse.  "Damn!  I told Amanda this whole endeavor was a foolish one.  I'll see what I can do Qasim."

"I'd appreciate that Lieutenant.  I am praying for our continued good fortune."

Daryk

  • Lieutenant General
  • *
  • Posts: 37046
  • The Double Deuce II/II-σ
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #44 on: 09 December 2018, 12:04:12 »
Weeks later (possibly after the Halimar job we apparently took after all):

Stefano was in his bunk in a haze of pain killers and alcohol.  His jaw still hadn't healed fully, but at least the wires had been removed.  Soft food was still the order of the day, and (of course) the liquid diet the empty wine, grappa and limoncello bottles attested to.  A light knock on his door brought him slowly to his feet.  The knock came again, slightly louder.

"Un minuto," he mumbled through clenched teeth.  The unit was on stand down after the last job, so he hadn't expected any visitors today.

"Buongiorno," Valentina said, smiling like a shark as he opened the door.

His senses coming back to him more rapidly than he'd have liked, he straightened his posture slightly.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Valentina?" he asked, continuing in Italian.

"Mama wants to see you.  Looks like you need a minute or two to get cleaned up, eh?"

Stefano's awareness suddenly dropped, dead center.  The hit of adrenaline was almost a flight or fight response.

"Mama?" he asked in a small voice.

Valentina just nodded solemnly, and gestured toward his bathroom.  "I can wait, but Mama wants to see you in about an hour, and it's a 30 minute drive, so I'd be headed to the shower if I were you."

Stefano nodded and forced himself to turn around, ignoring Angelo and Gianna still in the hallway.  If Mama wanted him dead, he never would have made it out of bed.  He swiveled a little too fast for his current state of inebriation, and had to steady himself on various furniture on the way to the shower.  The cool water helped enough that he felt sufficiently confident to drag a razor across his face.  He even managed not to cut himself.

Fortunately, he knew Valentina well enough to not be embarrassed by changing clothes in front of her.  Her smirk didn't help, but it didn't slow him down.  She shook her head when he reached for his pistol holster, though.  That gave him a chill.  Angelo and Gianna were still out in the hall when Valentina ushered him out of his quarters.  He felt naked without his pistol, but Valentina either hadn't noticed, or didn't care there was still a vibroblade in his boot.  She probably figured Mama's security goons would take care of that.

Nine minutes and 37 seconds later, the car rolled up to a quiet villa outside the city.  Angelo stayed with the car, since he was driving, but Gianna accompanied Valentina as they exited the vehicle.  Stefano surpressed another chill as she fell in on his opposite shoulder from Valentina.

In the foyer, a pair of guards relieved all three of them of their various weapons.  Stefano gave up his vibroblade as easily as the other two handed over their pistols and knives.

A third guard showed the trio through to the kitchen.  Mama was at the sink, staring out the window with her consigliore sitting at the kitchen table with a bored look on her face.  She had an apron on over her pant suit, and her steel grey hair was pulled back in a severe bun.

"Ah, there you are, Stefano.  Please sit, sit." Mama said (in Italian), gesturing toward the three empty chairs at the table.

The smell of something delicious emanated from the oven.  Mama leaned on the counter, and said, "So, young man, how's business?"

Clearing his throat while he searched for the right response, Stefano said, "Well enough, Mama.  Could be better."

Mama nodded in understanding and said, "I've been thinking, Stefano.  Winston might have use for a mechwarrior alongside the Deici.  Valentina has told me nothing but good things about you."

Recognizing an offer he couldn't refuse when he heard one, Stefano replied, "Yes, Mama."

"Excellent.  See Il Lupo tomorrow to make the arrangements.  You look like hell."

Smiling weakly, Stefano nodded and said apologetically, "Yes Mama... the jaw hasn't healed fully yet."

Mama just smilled and waved the group away as she turned back to the window over the sink.

Having been dismissed, the three carefully pushed in their chairs and exited the kitchen.

Elmoth

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3414
  • Periphery fanboy
Re: Collaborative Mercs: IC thread.
« Reply #45 on: 19 February 2019, 15:49:43 »
Anton watched the 2 Wasps approach the industrial complex. They were going somewhat faster than he would like. “Careful guys. Remember that there is still a Dragon on the loose”. The wasp pilots acknowledged the communication of the Wolverine but did not slow down. He grimaced but let it go. Those were their mechs after all, and he had no rank above them to order them otherwise.

This was a factor working with the Lone Wolves. You could try to coordinate the different assets, but there was no guarantee that the others would follow the plan. Sometimes that proved quite disastrous. He just hoped those two new guys learned to cooperate a little bit more.

A private channel opened in his console. “Let it go Anton, I know what you are thinking”. He smiled. Freya Strom had been his longest acquaintance in the unit for quite some time, and they had been working together for years. They both were ex members of the failed Reach Enterprises mercenary command. Freya still piloted her family’s Warhammer after his brother’s unfitness for action and was as sharp with the PPCs as she was with words when she wanted to reprimand someone.

Another female voice cracked in the unit’s intercom. “Fighters approaching on NNE vector. Arrival time: 3 minutes.” “Roger that Ryan” Anton replied. The Wasps were approaching the outskirts of the complex where a Dragon was known to be hiding and fighters were on their way. It was showtime.